Managing the "Hoods": Minimalism
If its no longer being used or doesn’t “spark joy”, it has to go!
One of my Instagram followers asked me: How am I “managing all the hoods? You know motherhood, wife-hood, and career-hood.” And I’ll tell you like I told her, its ghetto here! Haha! Of course I’m exaggerating, but some days are rough with the pandemic forcing most of us to be all three of those things 24 hours a day. I’m grateful for the added family time, but sis needs a girls’ weekend!
Anyway, I realize this isn’t a one blog post question, but I’ll start with minimalism. Yes, I consider myself a minimalist. I was basically forced into minimalism when I downsized to a NYC apartment. I realized I didn’t need as much stuff, period. Now that I have moved back to FL with more space, I still live by these principles. More about minimalism here.
I don’t have a capsule wardrobe or a set number of items I own but I do follow a couple rules that keep the stuff I own to a minimum. The first thing that helps is I don’t hold onto things I don’t need. This goes for clothes, toys, beauty products, etc; its all subject to go. If its no longer being used or doesn’t “spark joy”, it has to go (Thanks Marie Kondo). Another rule I live by is that unless its a special occasion, I like for my clothing purchases to serve more than one purpose and match a few different things in my closet. Listen, the benefits are everything. Here are some of them:
1. Avoid mounds of laundry to wash and fold. We don’t buy and hold on to lots of clothes, not even for my son.
2. Get dressed quickly. My wardrobe is versatile, full of things I love and fit well, making it easier to get out the door. My son basically has a capsule wardrobe himself.
3. Save money - If I’m standing in IKEA and it wasn’t on my list I ask myself these questions: Why do I “need” it? How often will I use it? How much value will I gain? If I’m shopping online, I will keep the item in my cart for a few days before checking out. These questions/practices typically help me weed out most of my impulse spending.
4. Organization and cleaning is easier. There’s less to organize, less toys to put away. Our closets aren’t overflowing with clothes and shoes. Less dishes to wash…all the things!
Sis. Listen. All of these add up to one thing, LESS STRESS! I never have a large pile of laundry that I’m hiding or hiding from. I keep more money in my pocket and rarely do I utter the words “I don’t have anything to wear”. Do you do anything of these things? Will you adopt some of these practices? Let me know in the comments.