A simple lifestyle is a way of life that allows you to live without a lot of fuss and excess possessions.
Simplifying your lifestyle need not mean that you have to live in a dump, eat crappy food, and go without the things you enjoy most. You can have nice clothes, jewelry, a good car, a comfortable home, furniture, and enough possessions to make life comfortable.
What do I have to reduce?
I often see minimalists talk about having hardly any clothing choices. In my opinion, this just leads to more frequent laundry and the feeling that you need not try to look and feel great. The thought process is that having fewer choices means you don’t waste time making decisions.
It is possible to mix and match clothing, reduce your wardrobe size, and use accessories to create different looks. However, only having one colour choice or a couple of outfits is not my idea of surrounding yourself with the things you love most.
Instead of thinking about what needs to be discarded, look at how you can get the greatest pleasure out of each possession. If you love everything you own, and use it often, you should not need to buy more because you have everything you want and need.
In my opinion, this is a better way to simplify your life than forcing yourself to go without simply to make fewer decisions.
We often buy without thought or choose to have too many possessions. My idea of simplifying life is to be selective in the things I purchase.
I don’t need heaps of scatter cushions on my bed that get thrown on the floor at night. I do want a second set of sets, different blanket choices depending upon the weather, and comfortable pillows.
Does simple mean my decor will look bad?
Furniture need not be big just to fill in empty spaces but rather built for comfort. It can be nice without a huge price tag. It is amazing how great a room can look without a lot of excess furniture and nick-nacks.
Fewer items, smaller furniture, and colours can make a room appear spacious, tidy, and pleasant to the eye.
Are you using all your house?
Some people choose a large house with spare bedrooms and lots of space that is not used. In my opinion, this leads to extra furnishings and cleaning.
When I had a family, I had a bedroom for each of us. I am not suggesting that you alienate your family.
Now that we are just two it is different. I often joke that when our children left home we sold it so that they could not return home, as we are happy empty-nesters.
Mind you, our new house has one bedroom and the second will double as my hobby room. Our children, now with families of their own, will be welcome to visit.
My simple nomadic lifestyle.
I spent 12 years without owning a house. This time was spent traveling in a truck-based motorhome. During this time, I had a storage unit and then a couple of garden sheds on a block of land that I leased. These were used to store my most treasured possessions.
My nomadic journey has allowed me to set myself up for a great future. I will be able to enjoy a simple life, travel, and earn a little extra money through the sale of my hobbies and blogging.
The nomadic lifestyle allowed me to enjoy life working as little as possible, minimize my expenses, and save money for the future.
A nomadic lifestyle can have varying levels of simplicity. This may mean downsizing to a back-pack or travel case and traveling staying in various types of accommodation, hitting the road in a self-contained vehicle, or having a vehicle and towing your accommodation.
Everyone needs to take their personal situation into account and find their level of comfort. It is important to choose the style of travel and accommodation that you will enjoy.
A simple lifestyle is not the same for everyone.
A simple lifestyle may mean different things to each one of us. Nomad travel is one way. For others, it may mean downsizing to a smaller house with fewer possessions.
Simplifying may include gardening, sewing and craftwork, home cooking, DIY projects, or keeping animals for food. To others, it may simply mean choosing to buy fewer or less expensive products.
You need to decide how to create a lifestyle that works for you and your family. There is no one path that everyone should follow.
I now look forward to a wonderful future. I am making my new home comfortable, and life is wonderful.