As summer starts winding down, it’s a great time to re-evaluate our daily lives for the busy Fall season ahead. Everyone’s familiar with Spring cleaning, but what about hitting the reset button for back-to-school? Embracing a minimalist lifestyle allows you to make room in your life for what’s truly important to you and your family in any season.
Fully aligning yourself with the principles of minimalism doesn’t happen overnight. When it comes to home organization, it can feel like a daunting task to let go of certain belongings (even when you know you don’t need them anymore.) Don’t pressure yourself to be perfect—start small to act more like a minimalist in your everyday routine.
Give Your Closet a Makeover
So many of us have a mental block when it comes to going through our closets or drawers. People tend to hold onto things for no reason because they think, “But I might use it someday!” Chances are, you won’t. Approach the clean-out process as a learning opportunity. What types of things are you donating or throwing out the most? Simply avoid buying those kinds of things again. As you declutter your closets, you’ll find yourself inspired to be a more mindful consumer in the future. When it comes to arts and crafts projects or random nostalgic belongings—have you considered preserving them digitally? It’s definitely worth the consideration.
Show Your Wallet Some Love
It can be rewarding to embrace aspects of minimalism that let you maintain your budget while making more space in your home. Unsurprisingly, there’s a close relationship between minimalism and budgeting. Staying on top of your budget might encourage you to be a more mindful spender. When you’re paying more attention to your purchasing patterns, you’ll be more aware and capable of stopping yourself from making foolish decisions the next time you’re shopping.
Stress Less & Go Green
Instead of stressing about your clutter, embrace eliminating as much as possible and try opting for greener options. Don’t feel guilty about purging the old items you’ve had forever but barely use—whether it’s kitchen tools or beauty gadgets. There are probably tons of space-saving, eco-friendly alternatives to the items you have that are likely clogging up your kitchen storage (like cleaning supplies!) Reusable, multi-purpose tools and everyday items are the way to go. When you invest in fewer, more high-quality things, you’re also being kinder to the planet.
Adopting a minimalist mindset can positively impact various areas of life. It’s bittersweet to bid summer farewell, but it’s important to embrace the Fall season for a fresh start. Who knows, maybe you’ll start loving the perks of minimalism so much that your family will enthusiastically jump on the bandwagon as well. Check out the visual guide below for more action-oriented minimalist lifestyle tips you can put into practice today.
Bio: Gabrielle Gardiner is a writer who is passionate about creating fun and shareable content in the lifestyle space. Her work spans a wide range of topics, some of her favorites including work-life balance, organization, and mindfulness.
