My word of the year is SIMPLE. I want to have a more simplistic and minimalistic lifestyle. It has interested me for a while but I never 100% committed. This is the year of completely embracing the minimalistic lifestyle. Acknowledging that I will have some hiccups but staying focused on what truly matters to me. Here are several minimalist things I’m doing right now to help me stay focused on this lifestyle.
Capsule Wardrobe
My goal by the end of the year is to have a capsule wardrobe for each season and hiking. Originally, I wanted to have 40 items for each season. I’m kinda going with the flow on what feels right. Some things will also work for multiple seasons. One of my favorite things to do is wear long sleeves with shorts. I do it all the time because I am always cold.
This is probably my biggest goal this year out of everything. I have a lot of clothes, and I want to simplify that. I want to be confident in what I have and grab just that. Recently, I took an overnight car camping trip (gone 18 hours, maybe) and I brought a weeks worth of the clothes because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to wear. I don’t like that about myself right now. I want to have less options but clear choices.
Routine
I am a sucker for routine. I am very predictable. It’s almost funny because my friends know what I am doing almost everyday after work because I am that predictable.
The one spot I have been loving routine is with meal planning and prepping. Each day has a specific protein then I plan around that. For example, Monday is seafood and I have been eating lemon pepper shrimp. Tuesday is obviously taco Tuesday, and so forth.
Command Center
I never thought about this until I lived in California or Washington. I honestly don’t remember BUT I know California for sure due to fires. I never had to evacuate but it scared me enough to create a spot where everything was together. We have everything now in one box typically by the door so I can easily grab.
Decluttering
I am going through my house and getting rid of everything that doesn’t have a place or purpose. I’m always going back and forth on this but want to go more digital and not have so much paper. The main goal is to live in my car or an RV. In September, I made a goal to get rid of 1600 items. I don’t remember exactly how I got to that number. I write down everything I get rid of in the notes section of my phone.
Sell-Donate-Throw Away
This goes along with decluttering and capsule wardrobe but I want to be more strategic with what I own. I have went down the selling my stuff process several times before moves and I tried to make a side income from it. It is a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. Now, I just don’t want the store everything. I am donating a lot of things. I would say this is probably 80% of how I am getting rid of things. Some things I throw away or use until it’s empty.
Everything Has It’s Place
This is probably one of the biggest things that I am working towards this year. I want everything to have its place. If it doesn’t have a place then it’s gone. I will either sell, donate or throw away. Everything is focused around the goal that I want to live in my car full-time soon.
One In, One Out
If I purchase anything, I have to get rid of something. I am not adding to the things that I already own. I have done this before, and it really helped with making purchases. Recently, I purchased new lunch containers but got rid of my old ones. This has also helped me make more quality purchases. I’m also waiting before I purchase something. If I find something that I really like I will put in my cart, but I will wait 48 hours before I make the actual purchase.
Zero Waste
This is new for me but I have always been interested in this. I’m working on having more reusable items instead of one-time-use products. For example, I have been dermaplaning my face. Right now, I have been using plastic ones that I got as a pack at Sephora. When I am done, I plan on purchasing from Leaf Shave. I have also been using bar shampoo and conditioner from Desesh. I didn’t think I would like it, but I don’t know why I didn’t make the switch sooner. I am interested in how it will work when I travel.
Say No More Often
This is something I have ALWAYS struggled with. I am getting better at saying no, but another thing I am doing is saying let me check my schedule. There have been so many times that I have said yes to something and then I overbook myself.
Expenses
I have also been more mindful of how I spend money. My mindset on money management has always been negative. I would always tell myself I was bad with money. I am working on reworking how I view money. This year I have a goal of sticking with a budget 90% of the time. It won’t happen overnight, but making small changes through the year.
Goal Focused
Everything is becoming more goal oriented. I may not accomplish it this year, but at least I am making progress which is what is really important. The main goal is I want to live in my car part to full time ish. So I need to be strategic on what I keep or need. Everything I am currently doing is focused towards that goal. Another big goal is to be debt free with all my credit cards. So alot of my financial goals are focused towards that one goal.
In Conclusion
Creating a minimalistic or simplistic lifestyle looks different for everyone, and what works now might not work for me in the future. But if I stay focused on what the end game is that’s all that matters. There are so many different definitions of simplistic or minimalistic living but all that matters is your definition. My definition is simplistic living is having what I need to be most productive while still living on and with less.
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