Minimalist Living: 7 Ways To Sample Living With Less
Written byjoshua becker·
There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little. Jackie French Koller
But we all know its not true. We all know, deep-down, that happiness can not be bought at a department storemore is not necessarily better. Weve just been told the lie so many times we begin to believe it.
But what if, in reality, there is actually more joy in pursuing minimalist living and intentionally living with less?
That truth would change almost everything about us. It would change the way we spend our hours, our energy, and our money. It would change where we focus our attention and our minds. It would change the very foundation of our lives. And if it were true, it would free us up to pursue the things in life that we most value. In other words, minimalist living would be a life-changing and life-giving realization.
Unfortunately, for some, the idea of minimalism is just too counter-intuitive. Its an approach to life they have never been introduced to or have never been invited to explore. The benefits of minimalist living have never been articulated. As a result, its too far a leap too long a stretch and jumping in with both feet is just not going to happen.
Shop Quality Not Quantity
Minimalism doesnt mean you never go shopping, it just means youre more intentional with your purchases. Whether youre in need of a new pair of running shoes or work pants, invest in quality pieces that will last you a long time. Even though a higher price tag may be less than ideal at the time, youll likely save money in the long run by cutting down on frequent purchases. Not to mention, youll cut down on waste one garbage truck of clothes is discarded every second.
Digitize Movies And Books
If youre a big reader or movie watcher, consider going digital with your collection. This will save space in your home and make sure you can always find what you want. Instead of having to go to the store for your next read, you could get it at your fingertips in a couple of clicks. If you like to physically feel the book pages every time you flip the page, consider checking out your local library. You can find all sorts of books at no charge.
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What Is The Minimalist Lifestyle
The true essence of a minimalist lifestyle is determining what provides us the most value in life and removing everything that is simply excess. It works on the concept that less is more. Minimalist living is about intention. You make room and time in your life for the things you love and eliminate everything that distracts you from them.
- Its a very intentional way of living that gives rise to positive changes in almost all aspects of life.
- Choosing a minimalist lifestyle means choosing to live life with great purpose.
- A minimalist lifestyle involves living with fewer resources whether in terms of a house or possession.
- It is a part of the thought process how a person chooses to live with all the minimal things in life and yet be satisfied.
- A minimalist lifestyle is by no means a radical lifestyle but rather an optimal one.
- In a minimalist lifestyle, people let go of things they dont need with ease and try to never purchase more than they actually need.
This is the basis of a minimalist lifestyle:
- Choosing to have experiences rather than things
- Choosing to live a life of freedom rather than following a script
- Choosing to live with less but live light
- Choosing to buy what we need and not what we want
- Find time for things that matter such as pursuing hobbies and indulging in activities that relax you
- Choosing to live in such a way that general waste and effect to the environment is minimized
Buffet Wedding Menu Cards
If youre hosting a buffet dinner adding wedding menu cards to each table isnt totally necessary, but they do add a nice touch. You may only want to include one per table that your guests can pass around before they go up to serve themselves. If youve got the funds, feel free to go the full nine yards and have individual wedding menu cards printed out for each guest. These should have the dishes listed by type – appetizers, mains and desserts – so that theyre easy to find. Dont forget to order small food cards for the buffet table that state what each dish is .
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Wedding Wishes Message Outline
Wedding wishes are an important way to shower the new couple with love and express your happiness for them as a newly married couple. Writing a congratulations message might seem easy but you might find yourself wondering how to phrase the perfect congratulations message. Here is a quick outline to follow:
- Only use the word congratulations once in your wedding wishes.
- Remember to congratulate the couple only in an effort to mark the significance of their momentous day and not congratulate them on finding each other, planning a perfect day, or items of possession.
- Keeping your congratulations message short and sweet is perfect, you dont need to write them a long letter to express your happiness for them.
Minimalism Is About Having The Right Thingsaka Expensive Things
Quality over quantity is a popular phrase, especially in minimalism. But theres a reason Walmart and wholesale stores are so popular. Theyre what most people can afford.
Its easy to own just one piece of nice technologya laptop, for exampleif youre not constantly worried it will break and you wont have the money to repair it. I knew plenty of people in college who were technologically inclined and kept boxes of extra, worn out, laptops for their spare parts.
This also holds true for clothing. Sure, buying a pair of really nice, $300 boots could last you years, but coming up with that money upfront can be difficult for someone living paycheck to paycheck. The alternative? Keep buying $30 replacement boots every year, or couple of months.
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Easy And Elegant Card
This simple and classy wedding card is sure to please the new couple. It’s color palette gives it a sophisticated and sharp lookcertainly making it a card they’ll be excited to display in their home. All it takes is a little bit of folding and cutting, followed by adding pretty embossed stickers.
Are the bride and groom Harry Potter fans? Then this is the perfect card for them! Based on the imaginary game featured in the books called “Quidditch,” it becomes a cute play on words that the wedded pair will love.
Harry Potter DIY Engagement and Wedding Card from Crafting Cheerfully
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Make a beautiful white die-cut gatefold style wedding card to congratulate the happy couple. What makes this card sweet is that a romantic paper die-cut was cut in half and applied to the front of the card. We think the results are fabulous.
With Love Botanical Bliss Card fromSpellbinders
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Sometimes a simple card is the best. Just print out the letters, heart, and numbers in any word processing software. Then cut with a Xacto knife, being careful to leave the bottoms uncut. Pop them out, so they are standing at a 90-degree angle. You can’t use an envelope with this card unless you flatten the card, but who cares! The design of the card is so sentimental that it will be treasured.
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Only Make Mindful Purchases
Say goodbye are the days of mindlessly wandering around the stores, grabbing whatever items take your fancy and impulse purchasing to make you feel happy.
This happiness never lasts long, and it leaves you hanging for your next fix or your next purchase.
When living a minimalist life, youll want to only make mindful purchases.
Really think about what you are buying does it make you happy, does it serve a purpose, could you purchase a similar item that serves multiple purposes, can you purchase a more expensive but better quality item that will last longer?
If youre the kind of person who loves to wander around the stores, you may find having a game plan when you go shopping will help you to stick to what you need to buy, without getting distracted. Even the simple step of writing a list can make a big difference.
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Wedding Card Messages For Friends
Your best friend is getting married? Wish him or her well on their new journey with their other half with the perfect greeting. When writing a wedding card message for friends you can choose to be very personal or keep things more general. Again, the key is to think about your relationship with him or her and their significant other. If you stick with this, your love for these newlyweds will shine through your greeting.
Examples:
- Im so happy to call you both my friends.
- May you bring each other as much happiness as your friendship has brought to my lifeand more!
- Heres to love and friendship.
- We all need somebody to love, care about and trust. Im really happy that my best friend has found this special person. Congratulations on your wedding and may your life together be a continuous honeymoon.
- Weve been friends since childhood and who would have thought that we all would be married one day. But it happened and today is your marriage! Wish you two trust and understanding, patience and love.
- Were so thrilled to celebrate this wonderful day with you both.
- Of all the big life events weve celebrated over the years, today tops the list.
- The fortune-teller we saw in Vegas was right. You did meet the man/woman of your dreams. Best wishes to you both.
Should You Become A Minimalista Personal Account
Ive been critical of minimalism in this post, but I truly believe it holds a lot of great values. You dont have to go all out and get rid of everything you own in favor of living a minimalist life. That is one of the great things about minimalismyou can pick and choose whats right for you.
Maybe you just use a minimalist budget like I described above, or maybe you get rid of those possessions that dont really make you happy and take up a hobby instead.
I wouldnt call myself a die-hard minimalist by any means, but Ive spent quite some time listening to The Minimalists podcast and have been trying to teach myself to live with less.
I started slowly, by simply asking myself each time I wanted to buy something does this bring meaning to my life. For nearly everything, the answer was no. If anything, this simple step has helped me start a substantial emergency fund in lieu of having a closet full of the same plaid flannel in different colors or books Id never read laying around my apartment.
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Let Go Of What You Cant Control
Letting go of things you cant control may seem easier said than done. To find that balance, start by focusing on things you love to do or have. Once you have narrowed down whats most important to you, focus your energy on that. Being thankful for what you do have may even cut down on your budget. You may find yourself reusing what you do have rather than wanting more.
Adobe Spark Offers Creativity Without Stress
When youre putting a wedding together, the most useful resources are the ones that give you choices without adding any cost or stress. Adobe Spark lets you create wedding invitations in a straightforward process that doesnt require any technical knowledge. Adobe Spark puts the power of creation in your hands. Adobe Spark makes it easy to design and create a wedding invitation exactly how you want it to look. Adobe Sparks intuitive, easy-to-use functions mean you spend less time trying to figure out how to use the program and more time creating the perfect wedding invitation. Best of all, Adobe Spark is completely free to use.
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Start Searching Through Beautiful Wedding Card Templates Immediately
The wedding card is a classic and timeless way to show someone your sincere feelings. However, are you still buying cards from the store and tired of receiving similar cards? Start making your own wedding card with Fotor! Fotors wedding card maker offers you all kinds of well-designed wedding card templates free and allows you to make customized cards in minutes. Share or print your personalized wedding card for free to your families or friends with Fotors online card maker, let them know how much you love them today!
Create Your Own Invitations
Follow this tutorial to create your own invitations. They are perfect for wedding, or bridal shower invites! Grab the free font downloads and start creating beautiful invitations for your special event in no time!
Its the personal touch that makes all the difference! Not to mention, its a real cost-saver. #yesplease
Plus, once youre a master at creating your own design, you have the freedom to customize it for any event in the future! Its really a win-win :)I had the honor of hosting my sisters bridal shower and had so much fun creating these custom invitations for her special day.
I like to use Microsoft Publisher to make DIY invitations because it is simple to use and is included with most Microsoft Office packages.
Heres the exact steps I used to create these bridal shower invitations for my sisters wedding!
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How I Became A Minimalist: My Story Of Living With Less
Growing up, I would never have imagined that Id one day be talking about my life as a minimalist because, at the time, the idea of choosing to live with less was completely foreign to me.
In fact, by my twenties, I was a full-blown shopaholic and workaholic about as far from a minimalist lifestyle as you could get!
But here I am, living proof that change is possible. Over the past decade, I have completely transformed my life. I no longer live in a constant state of exhaustion and overwhelm.
Instead, I feel a deep sense of freedom and ease that I didnt believe was possible for many years. It was such a transformative experience that I decided to start writing a minimalist blog .
Having said that, minimalism didnt come easy for me. As youll soon see, it was a long and often painful journey that required learning and unlearning a lifetime of beliefs about myself and my place in the world.
If youd like to learn more about living with less, then here is the complete story of my minimalist life.
