Photo take from Becoming Minimalist





Since packing up my room at my parents and donating or throwing out half of my stuff away, only having a large 20kg limit of a suitcase to fit my whole entire life in to live on the other side of the world has helped me work towards a more minimal lifestyle. In this process of giving up clutter and essentials there are a lot of things that I am still working on to make my life and home more streamlined and functional.

If life could be flawless I would have one of everything and that would be perfect, but that’s not how life is and we often find ourselves needing more than just the one, just to make myself happy.Most of the time it’s okay to have more than one pair of shoes or 3 pairs of trousers, not all Items act as a multipurpose thing to suit all occasions; those shoes that are perfect for the office aren’t able to take you on a hike or even see you through running errands.

The way I see it, the item should be something to serve a purpose and have a place; something I would use on a daily or weekly bases, but then again it’s okay not to. Our lives are not perfect. Sometimes we need those sky high Barbie pink heals that we need for Halloween. Our lives are adaptable, changeable, and unpredictable; we need things that suit our requirements and fulfil our needs as and when these changes happen. Restricting ourselves to just one and hunting for perfection for the sake of minimalism is missing the point entirely.

Below I have some categories that I have been able to strip back and be content with.

Beauty Supplies
I am content with a stripped back minimalist beauty bag so passing on unused or unwanted make-up to friends and family is easy. Before I had a huge case full of unused makeup. I just don’t need drawers full of make-up, a couple of neutral palettes, a few blushers and highlighters, one or two bases, and select nail varnishes satisfy my beauty needs. There’s only so many products one person can own before it’s impossible to use them all up before the expiry dates. If all your makeup can’t fit in to a makeup bag you have to much would be my theory, unless you are a makeup artist.

Clothing
Before leaving New Zealand I donated bags upon bags of clothing, as I couldn’t take it all with me I realise after a year living in the UK that I’m okay with living with less, and I continue to donated and recycle my clothes whenever I feel my rails are getting cluttered. I stick to a minimal wardrobe plan, buying as-and-when I need new clothing, shopping second-hand, and really considering any purchases that aren’t “essential.” Building a minimal wardrobe is a process and I regularly find I have a bag to donate to charity every few months as I work through replacing, transforming, and upgrading my current clothing.

Cards, Unwanted Gifts, and Nick Knacks
When it comes to receiving gift it’s quite hard to separate crap from sentimental items that go with the theme of your house. Most often people gift you presents that are usually no use to you or not appropriate for you style, but the heart and the though always counts. We often feel guilty about throwing or giving unwanted gifts away even though we will never use them. But if you not going to use it you just wasting it. Now how do you get rid of them? With Greeting cards, after that day is passed and I have said thank you for the card or present, I throw them in the recycling most of the time just before special events I usually ask people to not send me a card just send me a text or an E-card. When it comes to unwanted gifts I usually donate to charity or give to friends who I know will be happy to own them, that’s a far better solution than hiding them away in a cupboard.

Just remember minimal living is not about perfection, it’s about simplifying and being content with what we own.