“MINIMALISMO – Come cominciare – La mia storia”

Those who have known me for years will hesitate to believe me, because I have always been the exact contrary, who bought and kept everything.

I have always had a disagreeable attachment to material things when they remembered me of something. A bag, a piece of paper, an item, clothes, etc. – I had to keep it, and after having had a life full of travels and moving places…. I have really accumulated a lot of stuff.

Last year I started to get rid of stuff, but in a completely natural way, without even realizing how I was changing.

 

 I had to do it. Moving back to London has been the “trigger”, I had to get rid of almost every single thing. Because I would not be back, I would not need it. So in my case everything started out of necessity, but I really enjoyed how easy it was to get rid of stuff and get some money too.

I picked what to keep, I picked how and when to get rid of the rest.

I sold some stuff, not earning exorbitant figures, but a little at a time…. and even cheap items eventually can get you a nice amount of money.

And that’s where I stopped thinking, no more dubts.

It was for a little sum of money, but I sold stuff that has been there on a shelf for ages collecting dust.

I saw this transition as an investment. Less dusty stuff and more money.

I struggled at first to get rid of objects, but I managed to think that anyway “their memory” was still with me. I started to open drawers and closets, to look for stuff that I could give away.

And when you do it….you can not imagine what’s coming out of it. Huge bag full of bath products in “mini” size collected while I was working  as a Destination Manager around the World. I opened them and poured everything in to various bottles of empty shampoo. And I used them. Finally.

I analyzed my make up collection, mostly MAC, and decided what it was going to keep. So I began to use the products I wanted to finish off, and gave away the rest.

I opened the drawers and realized that … “no Ellie, those 6 tops that you have not worn for 10 years and that are pretty new, you will never wear them again. Sell them.”

The bags? “Come on Ellie, you always have the same bag. Pick 4 and leave the rest.”

It was fun !

I liked the idea of starting all over again. New life with few items but still plenty of memories inside.

Over the past few months I’ve stepped into shops such as TIGER or H&M and….came out with nothing at all. Because there was nothing I REALLY needed.

It’s a path I advise everyone to follow, it’s not easy but it’s a big change that makes you feel really good. At least with me it was like that.

Apart from getting rid of superfluous stuff and stop buying new stuff, it inevitably leads to economical savings, which is always a good thing!

That’s why I’d love to give you all some good tips on how to become a minimalist.

How to become minimalist.

Get inspiration. Search online maybe on Pinterest, “Minimalism” and you’ll find a lot of ideas and images. If you like what you see, go ahead. It should send you a sense of peace, relaxation, mental order, and organization.

After a while test yourself: Go shopping. But try to see everything with different eyes, more critical. Do you really need it? Is it an object that you need? What will you use it for? How many shirts do you already have? Do you really need a new one?

Words have great power, as well as thoughts. Starts to think as a minimalist. Stop for a second and think, did I enjoy this new journey? Try and ask yourlself this question a few times over a month, and see your reaction, it will get better and better, easier and easier to give away stuff and buy what you really need only.

Less means more. Less stuff around the house means more time for you and for other things, because you have to clean less. Less chaos means more organization. And more organization means less stress.

I see a more organized space all around me, and it makes me feel better and this leads to more work stuff that can be done easier and stress-free. I really get this strong energy that allows me to get more things done in time.

Let’s see MINIMALISM as a fab way to save money.

1) Do I really want it or need it? Ask it yourself when you’re going to buy anything.

2) Buy with the intention of doing so. If you’re going to buy something that was not scheduled, you probably do not really need it.

3) Take a photo. Nowdays we take photos of just about anything, so take a photo and have a look at it after a few days….and then you will understand if it was really necessary, Money saved, bingo!

4) Books? Go for eBooks. I hated it, I must admit it, but instead I began to appreciate them a lot. They cost much less than the printed version and then you do not have to keep them on a shelf forver to get dusty. You do not need a Kindle reader, there is a Kindle app that lets you use your smart phone as a reader.

5) Create a day of “no expense today“. Always the same day every week, and on that particular day do not buy anything.

6) Stop buying at least half the coffee cups you buy at the coffeeshop every week, you’ll be surprised how much money you have been using for a simple cup of coffee that you can make yourself.

7) Compare the prices of anything. Equipment, food. All. We often buy out of impulse and then find that we could have avoided spending our money in that particular thing.

Make a “productive” buy. Buy in bulk when you can. Buy what you really need for a tot of days. Just a few ingredients can be used to create a great variaty of dishes. Try not to buy so much stuff for long periods. I’m sure it did happen to you a few times as well, that you’ve been to the supermarket, bought something thinking “will eat it in the future“, and that day never comes, you change your mind and feel like eating something else, and you often end up throwing food away ‘cos it has not been consumed. Basically you buy 2 things and end up using one, it’s a waste of money, really. And I personally hate throwing food away.

9) Many objects can be re-used. metal food cans, wash them well, paint them and you can create beautiful flower pots. Various wooden boxes and boxes. Keep them. Decorale them, they will help you organize your home.

10) Create the products you need for your home. Often, very good detergents can be made homemade with simple ingredients. Do an online search and find out how to.

Minimalism is not the lack of anything, but the presence of what you really need and that gives you joy.

One thing is very important and needs to be underlined: being a minimalist does not mean you can not buy yourself a gift or stuff that does not really have a purpose, of course you can. And you will feel even better buying yourlself a gift every now and then, because you know how much you have saved!