As many of you know, I’ve been pretty excited to be learning as much as I can about minimalism and how to “Be More With Less” from Courtney Carver (http://bemorewithless.com/). Over the past few months I’ve noticed both an increase in public interest in living a simpler lifestyle and in available resources on this subject. Or it may just be what I call the “new car phenomenon.” You know, you think you get a unique car because you never really noticed many of them out there, until you own it, and then you notice that it’s more common than you thought.

It’s pretty obvious that buying less stuff would immediately pay off financially, but what I didn’t expect so soon in my quest for minimizing was something that I’ve been craving for a long time: More quality time with people I care about.

Last weekend I had planned on shoe shopping with a friend. Since it was the first sunny, 70 degree day, the mall was the last place I wanted to be. But, I desperately needed shoes to go with a dress I was wearing to a wedding next month.

At least I didn’t have to buy a dress too. I found the perfect dress to wear to the wedding……..in my closet. I didn’t even know I had it, but after going through my clothes and deciding to simplify my wardrobe, there it was hanging in the back of my closet covered in plastic.

The morning of my scheduled shoe shopping trip to the mall, I decided to put into practice something I’d read that would keep me from accumulating more stuff: An item for an item. Nothing new comes into the house unless I get rid of a similar item I no longer need, want or that brings me joy. I knew I had to sort through my shoe collection and donate or discard at least one pair of shoes before leaving for the mall.

Within a few minutes I had several piles of shoes and donated or discarded over ten pairs! In the “keep” pile was the perfect pair of shoes for my dress!  I mean, the I-would-have-gone-out and bought-the-exact-same-pair perfect!

What did this mean? I saved some money and time, of course, and I didn’t have to go to the mall on a beautiful day. Instead, my friend and I took a long walk, caught up on each other’s lives, had a leisurely lunch and shopped for vegetable plants.

It was a great day and it made me really happy. I didn’t feel like I was on automatic pilot and going through my day doing what I HAD to do, I felt alive and renewed because I did what I wanted to do and what made me feel good.

This experience was affirmation that I am on the right track with the choices that I’m making and that, with owning and doing less, I can live more.

If you’re interested in minimalism, there are several simple steps you can take to test the waters. There are many online resources available on this subject. You can also comment here and I’d be happy to share my experiences with you!

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Peace and Love,

Jeanne