When I first left my family home I was 19 years old. On the train to Milan, I had a feeling that I would never come back to my tiny village in Tuscany, my life was waiting for me somewhere else. I knew that things were about to change.
As soon as I started to earn money in the big city I had the urge to buy things, I felt excited to get new shoes, clothes and products. My space was immediately filled with things I thought I needed. It felt nice. However, in a year, I signed a contract for a model agency in India, and within a few months, I had to pack my stuff and leave. This was when I realised that all those things I bought were not so important and that I had to get rid of them.
I guess this was the first time I was unconsciously introduced to minimalism. Could I pack my luggage with over 20 pairs of shoes, what about all these hair products? Jackets, clothes, books etc? I had to make a selection and choose the things I needed.
From that onwards, I travelled for years and being minimalist was inevitable, but only when I became a mother I realised my journey as a minimalist was only at the beginning. From being on my own to one place to the other has been different from living in one home permanently, with a family to care for. My first daughter is now 6 years old and I still find it challenging to keep things as minimalist as possible.
9 ideas on being minimalist :
1. If I haven’t been using something for a while I will give it away.
When I see something hanging in my wardrobe that hasn’t been used for at least a year, I would give it to charity shops, family, friends or the rubbish bin. We often think that somehow we are eventually going to use everything in our homes but most of the time we won’t. Also, I just keep things that I feel confident in and most importantly comfortable when I wear them.
2. I only buy it if I need it
This has been the most liberating thing I have come to encounter in my minimalist journey. I only buy it if I need it. It might look cute, useful, the best deal ever kind of thing if I don’t need it I don’t buy it. I simply ask myself “ Do I need it ?” If the answer is NO, I just leave it where it is.
3. My motto is “ less is more”
I recently understood that decluttering is not a one-off operation. It is something you do often. Especially since I had my children things tend to clutter more easily as lots of toys and clothes are coming from friends and family who don’t use them anymore, so I have to be extra careful about what is being used or not. I tend to select straight away the items we receive. The less stuff we have the more time we have to enjoy each other.
4. Beauty products
I have one-of-a-kind beauty products. Forget about bottle after bottle, I have a bar of shampoo, a bar of body soap and a bar of face soap. I tend to buy new things only when I have finished the previous one. If I don’t like something I give it away. I also try to reduce the amount of plastic we have in our bathroom. Same with cleaning products.
5. Keep learning
There is always something new to learn and often when I’m involved in home chores I like to listen to a podcast about minimalism or about people who decided to embark on the same path as mine this helps me to have better strategies and understanding. Here’s my favourite channel about minimalism: https://www.youtube.com/@JoshuaBecker
6. I borrow things instead of buying them
Every day I read books to my children. I like to explore new worlds with them and instead of buying books, I borrow them from the library. When I cook something special I usually ask my Mother if I can borrow tools I don’t have as I know I wouldn’t use them so often.
7. Shoes
I have been wearing the same winter boots for over 6 years and am not planning to change them until they are ruined. I have one type of shoe for every occasion, and honestly, it still feels too much. Do we need more shoes to leave a more meaningful life? I don’t think so.
8. More environmentally friendly
Our planet is crying out for help. In 100 years I will probably be forgotten and so would you. If we are blessed enough we’ll roughly spend 80 years on this planet. Why on earth shall we add more junk to our planet in such a short time? We ( as Human beings) are destroying our planet with overproduction. We must stop leading our lives based on consumerism and find a more meaningful path. Minimalism directed me to live a life by owning less. Less stuff less waste.
9. Caring for the things I already have
Since I became minimalist, I realised I care more for the things I have because there are no spare ones. Minimalism helped me to be more mindful of the things I have and the things I buy. It sounds odd but life feels more special when you care, appreciate and love the things you already have without the need to wish to have more of everything.
Minimalism has tremendously impacted my daily life and impacted my mental health and how I relate to the material world.
I hope this article will help someone to lead a more minimalist life.
With Love
Giada