Top 3 Tips for a Minimalist Lifestyle

By: Sarah 

Most of my life I have struggled with impulse buying. As soon as I got money I would plan on what I was going to buy with it. I loved buying things because it made me feel good, and I would get a slight rush after shopping. But when that rush goes away I wanted to fill that void again, so I shopped more. This in turn created a buildup of stuff around my home. So I just recently started going through all of my belongings trying to get rid of the things that I don't need. Here are 3 tips to get the ball rolling to live a more minimalistic lifestyle. 

  1. Go Through One Drawer At A Time

Getting rid of belongings can be daunting task. You have so many items and want to get the job finished as soon as possible. But to get the best results I find it's easier to go slowly and really think about what's in front of you. For example 

I started with my sock drawer. My boyfriend always made fun of me for having way too many socks. So much so that I could never close the drawer all the way. When I took all of my socks out and counted how many I had, there were over 60 pairs. No human needs that many. So I lowered it down to 20 pairs and could finally close my drawer again. 

  1. Make Sell, Donate, Garbage And Keep Piles

For selling items, make sure that they are in good shape and ask yourself if you would want to buy it yourself. Try to sell your items on platforms such as LetGo, Kijiji, Ebay, or a Facebook buy and sell group. But only sell things that you think will sell fast. If you think the item might take over a month to sell, think about maybe donating it instead because it will take longer for you to reach your goal. 

The donate pile is always my favourite pile. I love donating to charities, homeless shelters, Goodwill or Value Village because I know I am doing a good deed and helping our world live a more recycled lifestyle. You can even donate items to your friends/family members. Just remember when donating the items should be in good shape and are able to be used again. 

For the garbage pile here are some examples: items that have holes that can’t be fixed, shoes that are falling apart, toiletries that are opened or past their due date and so on. Also remember if the item can be recycled, recycle it!  

The last but not least, the keep pile. This is the most important pile obviously so this needs be given a lot of thought. For example: your shirts drawer/section. You want to have around 15-20 articles in my opinion. Keep items that are in good shape, you wear often, and go with many outfits. Then maybe keep 2-3 items that you don't wear as often, but you really like or will work well for special occasions/interviews/etc. 

  1. If You Are Not Sure

Let's say that there is a pair of jeans that you are on the fence about. Should I donate it or keep? My suggestion is place it in a box or bag and then put it in a place where you won't see it. Such as another room or under your bed and leave it there for 2-4 weeks. After that time is up and you haven’t thought about it a lot or haven’t pulled it out to wear it, then donate it.

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