In preparation for moving, I’ll admit, I went a little crazy. I tried to be proactive this time around and dang it if I didn’t achieve that very quickly. The last time we moved, just about two years ago, we had two months flat to do it all. And I mean EVERYTHING: sell stuff, pack what was left, buy a home, not to mention drive from New Jersey to Idaho. MADNESS. It was pure madness. So, in an effort to prevent the chaos of that experience from arising again, I began selling everything we weren’t taking, in an attempt to raise funds for the moving expenses, then proceeded to pack all the non-essential items. Thus, unintentionally bringing my family to practice extreme minimalism for the last two months of our time here.
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Where we began with minimalism
I first heard about ‘extreme minimalism’ from Youheum Son of “Heal Your Living” back when she did lovely aesthetic youtube videos which has blossomed into a helpful EFT practice channel. I fell in love with how simple her life looked. That was all it was at the time, a look.
Keep in mind, what is extreme to her, isn’t what is extreme to me. She doesn’t have small children or a tiny homestead, so we live very different lives. However, the message behind the lifestyle resonated with me.
So I was excited to try living with the BARE MINIMUM even if just for a few days.
Well folks, it certainly has been more than a few days. Currently going on day 17.
As I said before, this wasn’t an intentional choice. Well, it was, and it wasn’t. We knew we wanted to be prepared and have the very last week before the move to be a non-packing week so that we could chill and enjoy and not have to worry so much about boxes or renting a U-Haul, taking care of bill transfers, all that little stuff that comes with moving. In reality, we did want to do the extreme minimalism thing, but only for a week or so.
Plus, when we get to the new place, there will certainly be a LONG period of time where we’ll be living as minimalists because we won’t have a couch, dinner table, bed frame, or a second car.
For the kids, it was simple. I packed most of their extra toys and books up leaving out only what I KNOW they play with. Toy minimalism is something I am already familiar with: open ended toys such as legos, magna-tiles, trains, big trucks, then about a dozen books.
Any left-over summer clothes were packed or donated. Most heavy winter clothes were still packed up and they were left with 10 pieces each. Also, one pair of shoes and a pair of rain boots.
Meals were pared down. Plans were thrown out the window. Daily activities shifted.
Basically, life got simplified in a hurry.
For me, it was much more of a challenge because there was constant laundry or dishes or meals. Not nearly as much cleaning and upkeep as the regular day to day because there was less stuff to keep up with.
It has been pretty great actually. I’m just getting into a new rhythm of what to do with myself and my kids.
Random minimalism side bar
I also scaled down my wardrobe to 20 pieces, not including under garments or loungewear, which isn’t many anyway. 3 pairs of jeans, 2 coats, 2 pairs of boots, and 2 button ups. Usually, I wouldn’t post about minimalist clothing, but this has dramatically changed my rhythms a few different ways, so I think that will be coming soon!
The downside of it
It is fantastic having less to keep up with. Really. However, it’s somewhat mundane. That was probably the biggest con. I love to express myself with my stuff, as most people do I imagine. So not having the three extra skirts to wear or the random flats I like to pair with that one single dress, was sad.
Yes, it took the thinking out of everything, but it’s sort of boring only having only two mugs in my cupboard or one coat instead of the unnecessary four that I have packed away. I suppose the clothes part is the most mundane simply because I enjoy fashion, and I like to dress with my mood, which apparently a lot of women, and mothers, do from what my friends and family have shared with me.
I do miss baking fun new sourdough things with my children and being able to can the huge batch of chicken noodle soup. Now, we’re just eating the soup every single day instead, which is just fine.
The other downside was the actual decision-making aspect. What’s essential, what isn’t; it caused some paralysis on my end trying to get to the ‘extreme’ end of the spectrum. Took a few trial runs in the clothes department to see what was functional yet still appealing.
What I learned from extreme minimalism
Although I don’t call myself a minimalist, I LOVE the intentionality it reveals to people when put into practice. Extreme minimalism is like a deeper dive into it. What we truly and realistically need in this life.
A survival challenge, a consumption discipline, an immaterial existence. And I love it.
I learned so much from practicing extreme minimalism, even though it was very challenging. However, I took full advantage of all the free time and space we had.
I found us outside even more than we already were. Rain, cold, evenings were added to our weekly outdoor time. In doing so, I began to let my youngest outside, with my older son too, by themselves in our fenced backyard. He really enjoyed the freedom and independence of playing out there on his own. Watching him putz about and dig up random things, yell at me to see the worm he discovered, then poke at it curiously.
It made my heart leap with joy at his growth, and also weep because they do grow up so fast.
Be still my heart!
Another out of the house activity we did more was just play dates and park dates. I don’t care for playgrounds all that much for my littlest but allowing them to run wild and free in a park with lots of trees and pasture was more of what we did. Hanging out with friends there and at their houses. Playing hostess and guest was nice, that’s something I rarely do.
Walking and bike rides became more frequent too. To no were in particular, just paved trails and around the block. To the school park near our house, if my toddler had the energy to bike all the way there!
Other ways a minimalist life has impacted our daily rhythms
Even though we don’t watch a ton of tv, we started having more family oriented movie nights. All laying in bed together watching a nature documentary or some other kid friendly movie.
When the tv was off, the boys played CONSTANTLY. So much imaginative play and a bit of boredom went a long way with them. As I type this my older son has been playing with my homemade playdough (recipe to come soon!!) for two and a half hours. NOT AN EXAGGERATION. Seriously.
He’s gotten his legos into them, a random dinosaur toy still lingering about, cutlery to make shapes and donuts. All the things. The best part is that he is GLAD to vacuum up when he’s finished.
My kids help so much more too. Vacuuming, dishes (sort of!), sweeping, putting clothes away. It’s been really crazy seeing how they act with such a lack of ‘entertainment’ around.
It makes me want to purge more when we actually move.
The simplicity of the ‘extreme minimalism’ life
Really, I just found us outside of the home a lot. Our world we’ve created is home centered. It revolves around cooking and baking, but since most of my kitchen is packed up I’m limited to our meals and baked goods. So, everything seems very simple.
It is becoming easier and easier to see what is truly essential and what is just fluff. White noise. Extra baggage. Literally.
Moreso, all the purging and packing cleared so many corners of my home, and that somehow translated into my mind.
I don’t feel overwhelmed about moving again. I don’t fret about my kid’s boredom, or my own for that matter.
Guitar is played often, imaginations run free, dance parties are a frequent event.
This extreme minimalism life is becoming easier and easier each day we live it.
Cheers to clear minds and spaces,
Tayler
