Speaking of cleaning...
Adam and I watched the documentary Minimalism (finally, I know) on Monday night and y'all...it rocked our world. I've been putting off watching it because I knew that it would convict me. And boy did it.
Talk about a purge fest after watching...the next day I spent the majority of my time cleaning and purging. We ended up donating ELEVEN bags of stuff and trashing another 5ish bags. Guys, we don't live in a big house. We just had stuff crammed into every corner, drawer, and closet. It was bad. And so unnecessary. We still have to go through Adam's office and the garage (#sendcoffee #andjesus) but we're saving those for a weekend when we have more time to dedicate to it.
I posted the above photo on Instagram on Tuesday and it stirred up some great discussion - it seems like the idea of minimalism really hits home with people. I mentioned that I plan on keeping most of my book collection, because it brings my life value. That was my strategy when going through our things. "Does this bring us value?" If the answer was no, off it went.
I didn't realize how having so much stuff could negatively impact us. It really does take up brain space. Purging was mentally exhausting. And I didn't expect that. Having SO much stuff was overwhelming. But now that it's done I feel so free. Which sounds extreme but there's no other way to describe it. Now when I open my closet, I'm excited to choose an outfit because I can actually see all of my clothes AND I like everything that's in there.
Now, we don't plan on living as TRUE minimalists or picking up and moving into a tiny house, but we are going to be WAY more conscious of what we allow to come into our home. I strive for our home to be welcoming and have a sense of peace about it. That is so much more attainable when you don't have a bunch of useless crap lingering around.
My goal is every time I buy something I have to get rid of something we already have. I think #1 that is going to really help keep the useless stuff to a minimum at our house and #2 really help us (read: me) be more financially responsible. It's going to help cut back on my impulse buys and let me tell you, there were A LOT of those in my past.
"Love people and use things, because the opposite never works." That line hit me RIGHT in the feels. So much power and truth packed into such a small statement. Getting rid of THINGS creates more room for PEOPLE. I'd rather spend our money making memories and creating experiences rather than on more stuff that will probably end up in a drawer or closet in a few months.
Have you seen it? What did you think?
xo, Jesslovelylittlethingsblog.com
