But the significant upside is I found so many great thoughts, tips and ideas of places to start:
From theminimalists.com I liked: "Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life's paths, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationship, passion, growth and contribution"
I liked 21 Benefits of Owning Less from becomingminimalist.com. Number 12, 13 and 20 in particular helped me pinpoint some of my motivation for trying this out.
I enjoyed bemorewithless.com for her honesty and tips. Especially these thoughts: "I was seeking more. Just getting rid of stuff wasn't my intention. I wanted to discover what meant most to me, what made my heart sing." and "Even if it takes 10 years to get where you think you want to be, the benefits begin immediately."
And at first I thought these folks at theproject333.com were crazy. However, I was functioning from a much smaller wardrobe than typical for me as I came down off my maternity and nursing wear. The other day I went back through my old clothes, re-introduced a lot back into my wardrobe and don't like the change. I find my self a little overwhelmed with the choices and the guilty feeling that I should make some less-used piece work instead of just grabbing a staple I know I'll feel great in. I'm not going down to 33 items anytime soon but I'm definitely pulling a lot back out.
Also worth a mention: theminimalistmom.com, When you're not married to a minimalist
So, the point of all this?
A. it's cool
B. it's helped me be more comfortable and happy with where I'm at
C. it's inspired me to start thinking, "what would our lives be like if we make living with less space than is 'typical' a permanent habit? what dreams might we be able to touch that might be otherwise out of reach?"
D. I am currently super proud of how we came back, jumped in and made our space a wonderful place to be. And so I have a goal to do my first blog, umm 'mini-series'? Anyway, a set of posts over the next few weeks called TINY APARTMENT LOVE. Though I'm not sure buying new organization to make spaces work is exactly minimalism, I do feel that learning to adore being in our smaller space is.
It would be great to hear from anyone out there what you've done to make a small space more functional for you. Also, what are your thoughts on minimalist living? Have you tried it? Do you want to try it? What's worked for you?
Sarah