How We Made the Change

I could go on for days about all that we did to fully adopt the minimalist lifestyle. But the basics were this:

~I went room by room in our house and cutting back our possessions to the barest minimum. Keeping only basic necessities and obvious keepsakes. When this process was complete to my satisfaction, our entire craft room was empty except for two tupperware bins. My kids' closets were clean. Our attic was almost empty. Our garage was almost empty. I couldn't believe how much space we didn't need when we got rid of what we didn't need.

~We donated load after load of our things to a local women's shelter and Goodwill. Then we had a massive garage sale.

~I adopted the concept of a Wardrobe Capsule and cut down what was in my closet by no joke, probably 90%. Can I even begin to tell you how good it feels to give away clothes that you've had since high school? Please. Go try it. Let the nostalgia turn to pragmatism. And free yourself from the bonds of trying to fit into things that will never fit again.

~Once the house was clean and basically empty, we put it on the market. Showings were exponentially easier because our house was basically always clean. The few things we used during the day had an easy place to be put up and cleaning was a breeze. After about 4 months we received the offer that we decided to accept. We closed in October but hadn't found a house yet, so we put our things into storage and moved in with my in laws.

~As we began our search for a new house, Austin and I made our "perfect" list. All the things that we could have in an ideal world. We knew this would be next to impossible to find, but we wanted to know what we both wanted. It included things like at least 3/4 of an acre, 5 bedrooms, no HOA so we could have chickens, a wood burning fireplace, within 20 minutes of Austin's work, etc. It had about 25 items on it.

~Living with my in laws was such a huge blessing and a great opportunity for us and the kids to spent time with them. It was also a way for us to save money and have fewer responsibilities for a while. It was so nice to just not worry about managing so many bills or dealing with the other downsides of home ownership. That mental freedom allowed us to clear our heads and commit even more fully to the minimalist lifestyle.

~In February, 5 months after we sold our home, we closed on our current house. It is everything on our list and more. We actually managed to find a house with every single thing that was important to us. When we moved in it felt so good to be moving in only things that we loved, things that we very intentionally chose to keep. And it has made our house feel like a home.


We have lived here for 4 months now and what prevails the most in our home is a feeling of peace. I feel so calm here and so unburdened. Our home is uncluttered and it makes my mind feel clean and free. I feel this deep satisfaction that has come from freeing myself of material things. I don't resent the housework that needs to be done because it isn't a result of owning too much. I used to clean up the same silly toys or rearrange the same dishes or books or craft supplies what felt like a thousand times a day. Eliminating that from my life has brought clarity, gratitude, intention, calm. 

And that feels like coming home.