I grew up in a Nigerian household, so honestly, I don’t think the word minimalism ever existed in my childhood vocabulary. Yep, not even with my parents. Like we say in Nigerian speak: For where? How na? Lol. See, think about it. Where would we store the extra mattresses for when visitors come over to stay the month? How would we cook for parties if we don’t have the entire 10 pc firewood cooking set? And who throws our baby strollers and toys when you could just pass it unto the next 4 babies? Minimalism fire!!
Even as an adult, minimalism didn’t exist for me until a few years ago. Everything had to be stored and hoarded when I was growing up. But thankfully, the idea of living a minimalist life has been an absolute blessing. At first, I was drawn to the white countertops I saw on Pinterest, the plain white walls with black and neutrals as furniture. But eventually, I discovered minimalism can be any colour, as long as less is more.
With minimalism, you are trying to hold on to only what has meaning, value and purpose. So, let that pair of jeans you have been hoarding since 2012 go. It’s time for new beginnings.
Minimalism is reducing clutter in general. Starting with your wardrobe, furniture and other things. A good way to do this is knowing how to repurpose items. Creating a capsule wardrobe helps you to know how each piece of clothing in so many ways. I once watched a YouTube video where a girl took 8 pieces of clothing that she styled and wore in 30 different ways. Furniture can also be repurposed. Your couches can be turned into sofa beds for visitors, pantries can be arranged properly to store different household things. Cute, recyclable, cloth sacks can be repurposed into laundry bags.
Minimalism is cleanliness
Even with minimal furniture, a space can still look cluttered if it’s dirty. Organizing and having a place for everything is important to being clean. Regular and scheduled cleaning is great for maintaining a clutter free space.
Minimalism is also about being mindful of your next purchase
After clearing out and keeping only what’s valuable, a person can still go back to clutter. Be mindful of what you buy onwards. Let it reflect your new lifestyle of reusing and repurposing.
I wouldn’t buy a beer pair of blue jeans just because it has different button colors than my last one. I could buy one that looks a lot different and can be styled differently.
Minimalism involves regular purges
No matter how hard you try not to accumulate stuff, you’re going to buy some things you think are necessary in the moment. And so, your stash keeps growing. Regular purges help you re-evaluate what you need again. And you can always give it out to people that need it more!!
Minimalism is a lifestyle
If you really want it, you have to live it every day. And enjoy the process of it. It’s okay to not be a minimalist. Minimalism however helps you to be grateful for even the smallest things. And if you do choose to go through with it and it becomes your thing, you’re going to feel such fulfilment from the little things.