Spring/Summer Cleaning During Corona

Why Minimalism?

1. Save money
2. Declutter
3. Minimize time focusing on cleaning  
4. The main purpose we chose to minimize is to simplify some areas of our lives. There are natural benefits to minimizing, however, that we did not realize we would receive. That’s what makes it a good fit for our large family.

Here are some benefits to minimalism:

• More time together. Due to the small space, there are more opportunities to spend time together.
• Less time spent on cleaning. It used to take us about 3-5 hours to clean one of two levels of our home. Now it takes about 30-45 minutes to clean the entire home.
• Less time spent on looking for things in the home since there is not a lot of space to actually walk around to look for random things.
• You can “see” each other when you’re home because the space is so small. In our other home, all of us went to our own silos.
• Less money spent on utility bills. The power, water, and gas bills have gone down 47% per month.
• Less money spent on the monthly mortgage. This new mortgage is 73% lower than the previous home.
•  House projects are simple and easy to complete. We used to start house projects and not be able to complete them in the same day or weekend. Now, we usually finish any project around the house in an hour or so.

As one can tell, there are many benefits to minimizing. For our large family, it not only works, but it frees us up to do so many other things. Financially, we are more freed up to travel, pay off other bills faster, save, and invest more. Physically, we are less tired and more focused on our life’s purpose rather than on things that don’t matter. Mentally, we are more clear and less chaotic. Socially, we enjoy each other and our family more than before. Whatever your choice is on this journey, just try it and see what benefits you can ascertain from minimizing.

Types of Minimalism:

1. The Essentialist: The essentialist ascribes to a philosophy of "fewer, but better." Do fewer things, but do them well. Own fewer things, but choose things that will last. Wear fewer hats, but wear them wholeheartedly. Essentialism is a minimalism that focuses on quality, not quantity. 

2. The Experientialist: Instead of embracing materialism, experientialism is about collecting experiences. The experientialist will invest in memories and free up resources for activities instead of things. 

3. The Enoughist: Enoughism describes minimalism in terms of having enough, not having it all. The enoughist finds peace in voluntarily using enough--and no more--in any category: food, clothing, home size, storage space, flashing links in your sidebar. Enough looks different from person to person. 

4. The Eco-Minimalist: The eco-minimalist pursues a life of less consumption in order to reduce their impact on the Earth. The focus is less on the benefits to the individual household, and more on the bigger environmental picture. 

5. The Soul Minimalist: The soul minimalist cherishes stillness of soul, and works to keep mental and spiritual clutter to a minimum. Practices of quiet, mindfulness, stillness, and listening are all important here. 

Music Credit: Mitchell Huntley, Power of Love, “Freestyle".

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