It all started when I decided to clean out my closet. I had a pretty big shakeup, financially, and was trying to scrounge up some clothes to sell on Poshmark. I knew I needed to add in some extra income, but I didn’t realize it was my spending habits that were putting me in this stressful situation. As I was looking at my expenses, I realised I was spending more on what I considered “luxuries” than I actually needed.
Not only was I spending money like there was no tomorrow (even though it was on discounted clothing…) I noticed that my closet was overflowing with clothes to a point where I was overwhelmed when I opened my closet. There was clothing that I hadn’t touched in over a year.
As I looked under my bathroom sink and in my drawers, I noticed the same thing. It was filled with crazy amounts of nail polish and headbands (FYI, I don’t wear headbands anymore unless I’m working out). Bright red and pink nail polishes that I never use filled my drawers. I had books on a bookshelf in my living room that I hadn’t even attempted to read, DVD’s that I hadn’t really used in almost two years (Thanks, Netflix!).
My almost-700-square-foot apartment was filled to the brim with stuff, and I was overwhelmed.
In the past, I had done “Spring Cleaning”, but that was really just a time where I actually dusted every surface in my house in one day. This year was the first year that I realized I hadn’t ever actually gone through my clothes and gotten rid of things that I hadn’t used, and I realized it when I was suffocating in my own stuff that I had accumulated throughout the years.
Why a minimalist lifestyle?
Honestly, never again do I want to get to a point where I have a whole chest of drawers filled with clothes that I haven’t touched in over a year. I want to stop buying things I don’t need, stop buying poor quality items that break easily and be able to save up for more quality purchases. I want to be able to go to a store and buy what I need and feel good about my purchases (Shopper’s guilt is real).
Many people have this misconception that a Minimalist lifestyle is purging yourself of any joys in life. In fact, I think it’s the opposite. It’s about cutting your spending and possessions down to the basics so that you can actually recognise the luxuries in life. Does that mean you can’t have luxuries? No! It just means you’re not purchasing a bunch of junk every week.
Minimalista.co
Because of this realization and this transition in my life, I am rebranding The Everyday Elegance. Minimalista.co will be live May 23, 2016, and I can’t wait to share it with you all. This new focus will be all about creating a capsule-style wardrobe without compromising your style.
A minimalist lifestyle not about limiting yourself. It’s about developing your personal style and owning it. It’s about being able to look in your closet and know that you will always have something to wear. It’s about being able to justify your expenditures. It’s about saving money over time.
Is it a daunting challenge? Yes. Is it hard? Absolutely. But I challenge you to join me on this journey. After Minimalista.co goes live, I’ll be debunking some of these misconceptions about a minimalist lifestyle. But during this time, I want to hear from you!
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