How Minimalism Frees up Emotions, Finances & Time {The Benefits of Minimalism Part 2}

How Minimalism Frees up Emotions, Finances & Time

Minimalism = More Mental and Emotional Space

As your mindset shifts and you see how possessions are meant to serve you rather than define you, the endless desire for more decreases, and you will begin to view possessions as a tool, rather than a goal.
Material possessions will become less important, and the things that are truly important to you will be easier to define.
Most of us start out living with an idea of who we are supposed to be. So, we go in search of the perfect home, car, and decor to portray that ideal. If a disaster happens and we lose those items, we may feel like we lose ourselves.
But minimalism is a paradigm shift. That means we embrace who we are in and of ourselves if we had nothing to our name.
It means that even if all the material items we own are gone, we will still know who we are and be comfortable in our own skin. No longer is there a need to hide behind possessions as one hides behind a mask. And the hold you have on your belongings is no longer tight.
You will feel free to pass on useful tools to others who need it because you know it doesn’t define you. 
With so little in the home and so little emphasis on possessions, there is little need to protect all of it. Certainly, you will desire to keep your family safe, but your concern for the physical possession will be in the right perspective.

Minimalism = More Money/Less Spending

Finances improve for several reasons after one embraces minimalism.
First, watching all that stuff go out the door is a little bit painful, knowing that it’s now worth a fraction of what you paid for it, or nothing at all.
Secondly, it’s a lot of hard work to make your way through the excess; the hard-earned reward of a clean and clear home is a powerful motivator to prevent having to repeat the process.
You’ll likely find that:

  • The clearance aisle isn’t calling your name anymore; the draw toward browsing and buying “just because” goes away.
  • You won’t need to run out to replace items (ending up with duplicates) because you will be able to find things when you need them.
  • When you do buy things, you will be motivated to purchase quality items that you need, that you value, and that will last.
  • When you aren’t out window shopping, you’ll find that contentment is easier and “keeping up with the Jones’” isn’t appealing.

Also, with the time that is freed up because you no are longer dealing with “stuff,” along with the increase in self-awareness and self-confidence, you may end up finding ways to use your skills and interests to add to the household’s bottom line.
All of this creates room in the budget. Room to pay off debt, to save up for big purchases that matter, and to put towards charities, travel or retirement, and ultimately a brighter financial future.
 

Minimalism = More Space in Your Home

Have you seen the TV shows that depict a family, unhappy with their home, ready to sell and move because the house no longer fits their needs… only to have the remodeling company come in, get the majority of family possessions out, change a few things, and the family suddenly sees how perfectly useful the space is, so they decide to stay in the home?
That’s what minimalism does: it gives your home a complete face-lift!
If you have an idea that your home is just too small, our culture encourages us to upgrade: to get more space for things, to have more storage for items.
When you embrace minimalism and strip away all the unnecessary, you will find that there is more home to enjoy and the spaces don’t feel too cramped after all.
 

Minimalism = Less Cleaning

Once all the items in your home are pared down, there is very little left that requires you to take care of it.
I don’t have it in me to organize all sorts of stuff… Think of a sewing room. You know, all those Pinterest pictures of shelves with fabric, spools of thread, notions, all adorably organized. Yes, it’s beautiful, and it draws me – how much fun could I have in that room?!
But the reality is: I wouldn’t keep it that way. It would be a cluttered mess, and I would never want to work there because I would shame myself “if you put things away when you are done with them, it wouldn’t get like this.”
Minimalism is what I found to control myself.

  • When I only have a small amount of sewing stuff- I put it away.
  • When I have a smaller amount of dishes, they get washed.
  • When I have a smaller amount of toys for the kids, they get put away.
  • When I only have five days worth of clothes to wear, I keep the laundry done.

It’s that way all over our house.
I do want a clean house. I do desire an organized home, and I love the clear surfaces, so knowing my tendencies, I know that limiting all my possessions helps me more than anything else I’ve ever done. Which keeps me much more diligent about being a minimalist.
Clothes that the kids grow out of, papers I don’t need, books I’ve finished reading- I get them out of the house so I can keep the house the way that gives me a sense of calm.

There are no organizational shelves or gadgets that will do this for you. Embracing minimalism will.

If the clutter doesn’t have a place it belongs, it most likely has no purpose in your home. Let it go and find the freedom empty spaces bring.

 

How Minimalism Benefits series:

About Rachel Jones

Hi there! I’m Rachel Jones, and I founded Nourishing Minimalism in 2012 at the beginning of my minimalist journey. If you're looking for encouragement in your journey, I created a FREE Facebook Group - feel free to join me there: Nourishing Minimalism Facebook Group and I share videos each week on YouTube

6 Comments

  1. laura ann on 10/18/2017 at 9:51 am

    Hubby and I have been minimalists for decades before it was even talked about, mainly because he was career military and had lots of moves. We chose to be child free knowing kids create more clutter. Full time working outside the home. I was oldest of four mid 20th century and was always picking up after younger ones. Now retired, we are further downsizing to move to a retirement community as renters. I encourage retirees to downsize and simplify so their heirs won’t have the burden of stuff like we did after inlaws passing. Parents raised during the depression kept everything incl junk.

  2. Fiona Chain on 10/21/2017 at 6:55 pm

    Goodmorning Rachel,
    I love the way you write, there is always pearls of wisdom to be gleaned. At the beginning of the year I started a year long declutter of the whole house but that got side lined when my Mother in law passed away in March. She lived next door to us and both her and her late husband were avid collectors/hoarders of everything. Antiques, clothes, furniture, cleaning products, wine, plants, orchids, electrical appliances, shoes, guns, tools, food, the list went on and on. Well now it is up to us to sort through all this stuff, talk about overwhelming! We have so far given all her clothes to charity, got rid of all the expired food in the huge bulging pantry and cleared out the garage of years worth of well organised stuff/rubbish. Wish me luck with the rest. Back to my home, I have continued to declutter when I can and am happy with the progress, but I realise it will take more than a year. Thanks again for you calming wisdom when I feel so overwhelmed. Have a lovely day.
    Fi

    • Rachel Jones on 10/23/2017 at 4:14 pm

      What a job Fi! I’m glad you have experience from your own decluttering project, I’m sure that has made a difference for you. ❤️

  3. Sharon Schubert on 01/29/2018 at 3:53 pm

    I just ordered (and downloaded) your 30-day to a Clean & Organized Home (3 e-book downloads) + Declutter the CraftRoom. Upon opening my downloads … they are gibberish: computer language. It seems I may need to cancel this order and buy from Amazon?

    • Sharon Schubert on 01/29/2018 at 4:01 pm

      Hi .. went back to my e-mail and fround the correct format: have downloaded.

  4. Sharon Schubert on 01/29/2018 at 3:54 pm

    I am writing this a 9:54 am. The time stamp on my post is 3:53 pm. /

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