Five questions with The Everyday Minimalist
1. What does living simply mean to you?
It means living with only what I love, need and use, as well as making sure my life isn’t made more complicated because I can’t say “No”.
2. Why is it important to you? (budget, politics, faith, etc)
I am a bit of a modern nomad, which is probably why I am an IT consultant.
I like the flexibility of being able to move at a moment’s notice, and it is a great way to re-discover yourself and make decisions to prioritize your life.
You learn how to do without things that you thought were NECESSARY to survival.
Saving money is just a bonus, but the decisions I make to keep my life streamlined, aren’t always the cheapest options.
3. What steps have you taken to live simply in your day to day life?
Paring down on beauty — back to the basics for me, such as using coconut oil for my body & hair.
Paring down my items to 3 suitcases & 2 carry-ons.
Saying “No” and not cramming my schedule with events.
Loving what I have, and not obsessing over what I don’t have.
Taking pride in that I CAN live on less money with less stuff, and it feels good to feel so secure as a result. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, even if they (mistakenly) think I’m poor and cheap for living the way I do.
4. What’s been the hardest part of your simple journey?
Not having a really permanent address. It’s a mess to recount all the places I’ve lived in.
5. What advice would you give others who are on the living simple journey?
Do what feels best for you, not what others think you should do.
Being a minimalist, or whatever you want to label yourself, is not about pleasing others.
If you don’t want to give it all up — don’t. There’s no need to go down to 0 or 100 possessions to be happy or to find yourself. It’s a lifelong process, not a project.
The Everyday Minimalist is a 20-something year old girl who’s lived with no fixed address and totally dependent on a single suitcase since 2006. And thus, a minimalist was born. “You don’t have to get rid of everything to become a minimalist,” she says, “Being a minimalist is about prioritizing, organizing and simplifying.” She blogs at The Everyday Minimalist, Fabulously Broke in the City and Style on a String. You can find her on Twitter at: @brokeinthecity.
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