Tiny house + minimalism = TRUE ❤️

Have you ever experienced that if you have a messy home, your head becomes messy? You can’t find the car key among advertising papers, chewing gum paper, umbrellas, bags and an empty coke bottle and are therefore late for work, which makes the day stressful from the start. And when you finally come home from work with your arms full of bags of food, there is no room on the kitchen counter, so the bag is put on the floor where apples fall out and roll into the wall under the table – of course. Shit!

These things can also happen to a minimalist. But usually not. In this post, I will explain a bit what minimalism is – and what it is not. And what benefits follow from having a minimalist lifestyle.

I’ll also come up with a thought experiment that you can try out and a little bonus tip at the end (you just HAVE to get it!), so stay tuned!

Minimalism IS:

…to have a conscious and humble attitude with your surroundings, your time and yourself. It’s about not having too much or too little, but having enough. It can vary a lot from person to person and you will find your version.

What minimalism is NOT:

A lot of people who hear the word “minimalism” imagine Buddhists who only own 7 things, and if you own more than that, the things own you. That a minimalist can never buy anything new and almost cannot participate in society because they are not supposed to have any of anything.

It is true that some people believe that if you own more than 7 things, then the things own you. But hello, it’s not “normal” minimalism but a kind of extreme version that suits very few people. On YouTube you can find people who don’t live in a fixed place and that the bag they carry on their back contains everything they own – and they are super happy! And I’m like “NOPE! BYYYYYEEEE!”

Normal minimalism, which is a healthy trend, has a slogan that you have heard a hundred times before:

LESS IS MORE

Then the extremists can sit there in their backpacks and shout: NOTHING IS MOST.

But again: That’s an extreme lifestyle, and that’s not what I’m going to talk about today.

Minimalism has three main focuses:

-order-

-simplicity-

-harmony-

And asking for a friend, but who wouldn’t want a life filled with these three tings?

And this beauty called Maestro!

Here are some benefits to living minimalistic:

Minimalism is about avoiding the unnecessary. About reducing things, either physically, mentally or time-related so that you can focus on what really matters to you. Minimalism is about finding joy and harmony in the simple things and appreciating what you have and being grateful for it. Having a minimalist lifestyle and living smaller does not necessarily mean that you make less mess, but there are fewer things to mess with and thus fewer things to clean.

Check out these five cool minimalist things:

• You are more conscious when you are acquiring something, whether it is a thing, a cost or something time-related.

• By stripping your possessions down to only things you really need and care about, your house will be filled with only things that bring you joy. Think about it!

• By having order and system, all the surfaces of the house will not be crowded with things, but will be clean and inviting. Imagine always having space to build Lego and puzzles without having to clear the entire table! And remember that all things must have a fixed place! Very important (and I’ll come back to this, and it’s so exciting that now you just have to read on)!

• By being careful about what you buy and why, your wallet will also be at ease. And as a minimalist, you buy quality rather than quantity, so you get the slightly more expensive (but cooler) trousers, but then they last much longer (and then you save time having to go out shopping!)

• You consciously choose what to spend your time on and value your time highly. For example, order groceries at the door so that you don’t have to spend 1-2 hours on shopping (driving + stuck in traffic + shop time + driving + stuck in traffic). If you shop twice a week, you save four hours on having it delivered to your door. Imagine suddenly having 4 hours a week that you can spend on something else! In the course of a year, 208 hours are saved! How will you use them? Where else can you save time?
• Bonus dot: If you blink one less time a day, you will gain 1 more minute of life over the course of your life! Think about all you can see!

Freshly polished mouse for the occasion!

SOME REAL BONUS MATERIAL IS COMING YOUR WAY RIGHT NOW!

YAY! YAY! Start by standing up and jumping on the sofa while shouting “LESS IS MORE! LESS IS MORE!” with a squeeky voice!

Just kidding (but fun if you did it. Send a video).

As I wrote in the post The big downsizing, the average American (meaning some have even MORE!) has around 300,000 things in their homes (and this is obviously something I’ve gotten really hung up on!). Can you figure it out? 1,000 things is already a lot, so what about 10,000 things, 100,000, 200,000, 300,000 things.. SICK!!! WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH ALL THOSE THINGS?!

“Life is made up of the little moments”, not the things, but the moments, dammit!

sending this to every crowded house in America!

Ok, breathe.

Now I want you to imagine a scenario:

You are standing in a new, empty and beautiful house. The house has a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room and two bedrooms. You will then be told that you can get the house for free. In addition, you get 950 things for free and you can take 50 things from your old home with you (photo album, PC, hard drive, your goldfish Pete-Mary, things with a high sentimental value, you name it).

The catch is that you have to live only with these 1000 things for the next 5 years and that you have to write the desired things on a list. Would you able to do it? The exception is food, of course. A 5-year-old loaf of bread or a chicken thigh is no longer something to eat. The same applies to soaps and other hygiene products as well, but of things like kitchen utensils, clothes, Christmas decorations, entertainment… You get the picture.

Can you cope with, let’s say 100 things in the kitchen? 100 items of clothing (an example: 10 trousers, 10 jumpers, 20 t-shirts, 10 pairs of socks, 10 briefs, 10 outer jackets.. That will be 70 items.. Is that enough?)? 100 things in the bathroom? 100 interior items (curtains, table decorations, plants, lamps…), 100 items in the garage. I have now reached 500 things.. What about the remaining 500 things? And why do Americans have 300 f”%&ngs of things in their houses?

I am speechless!! I would have had ANXIETY if I had

THREEHUNDREDTHOUSAND

ITEMSATHOME!

Have you thought about how little you really need and how much money you would have saved if you hadn’t bought anything in the last five years?

I will definitely write down a 1000 things I should be able to live with. And also to see how many things I actually have!

It’s not about having to much
or too little,
but to have enough.

– said by some smarty pants!

I’m really looking forward to downsizing again when I move into the tiny house! Fortunately, I’ve done it once before and I’m ready to do it again!

A good tip from me at the end of this post (seriously, listen up!):

I mentioned that all your possessions should have a fixed place, and then there is this one thing in particular that I think of people usually have on the kitchen counter like a beautiful wedding flower (and preferably in a fancy stand with lights and a smoke effect (very weird, I know!)) which I don’t quite understand.. The dish brush! Of all the bacteria-filled things you have in your house, many people put the bacteria-infected poo-brush right on the counter where you are going to cook and where it should be the cleanest!! Ew! Don’t!

My super smart tip is: Put it in the dishwasher! It can live there for ever! The likelihood of you opening the dishwasher when you are using the brush is quite high, so when you still have to open the dishwasher to put things in, the brush might as well stay there on the top shelf, and then it goes with every wash too and it’s just gold! You’re welcome! Thanks. Wow, standing ovation. Guys, wow, thanks! This is too much, wow! What a cheering crowd! Thank you!

Look how peaceful and beautiful:

You sexy thing!

Now at the end, I will tell you a little fun fact about me, and that is that I am terribly good at making a mess. But fortunately I’m about as good at cleaning as well, but usually better at cleaning in drawers than on tables and other surfaces. But, as tidiness and clean surfaces give me a really good feeling, I spend the ten minutes every day/evening clearing the kitchen counter, folding the clothes, clearing the hallway and going out with the full rubbish.

I like to “reset” the apartment as often as possible so that I can get up to a “ready” apartment.

Minimalism for me means being conscious of what I own and how I live. I have to keep things tidy around me to keep things tidy in my head.

– I said that.

The weekend is just around the corner, you guys! And what are you going to do this weekend? Let’s say it together: “PUT THE DISH BRUSH IN THE DISHWASHER WHERE UGLY BELONGS!”

Yes, at least that got ME smiling!

Thank you so very much for reading my post. And I would really appreciated it if you would leave a little comment in the comment section below.

And let me ask you for real: WHERE IS YOUR DISH- lol, just kidding! 😅

Do you think you could get by with a1000 things for 5 years? Would it be tempting if you got the offer for a house and 950 (+ 50) things??

Would love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for reading ❤️

🌈Irene

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