DEBT

[source:pinterest]

It's currently New Years Eve, 17 minutes before the beginning of 2015 and I'm sat in my bedroom, alone (not in a depressing sense, I just don't celebrate New Years, nor does my family) staring at this screen, surrounded by 'new clutter' that christmas presented; boxes, gift bags, cups, gifts. I feel determined to change one major thing in 2015, and that is my debt.

During this 'journey' into discovering minimalism, I've come to the realisation that I can not avoid my debt; and at 23 years old that's not a heart-warming thing to admit. I mean, c'mon ...why do I even have debt? Besides my university student loan, there is no logical or legitimate reason that I should find myself in £1400 of debt. I have always lived at home, rent-free and realistic monthly expenses including a phone bill, transport (occasionally) and food. So why am I in so much debt?

I can tell you exactly why I have this debt, the answer is consumerism. My desire to have new trainers, new clothes, another lipstick or expensive candle and conform to trends. My desire to always buy the best gifts for my family and friends, even when I couldn't afford it. My desire to say yes to invitations to eat and drink out even when I have no physical bank balance. My desire to just add things to my basket for the sake of it, or 'just in case'.

Along with clearing out the physical clutter, I aim to clear this debt in any way I can. Making a conscious decision to tackle this debt head on is a bit scary, I feel a sense of guilt about racking up this debt, I feel foolish and I feel crappy that I have this figure weighing me down, always in the back of my mind. That's going to change. I'm not sure how, or when or how long it will take me but I'm sincerely hoping the journey of minimalism will help me to figure this out. I know for sure that I won't be buying impulse purchases, I am aiming for key pieces of clothing - only if I need them. Other purchases or expenses will be made only when I consider them to add value to my life.

I think that's the one thing I've really loved taking from 'minimalism' ..... the one question I ask all the time when considering buying, throwing, or keeping an item ... 'Does this/will this add value to my life?' I know for certain that debt, does not add value to my life in any way, shape or form. It has to go.

THE INITIAL PURGE

When I first embarked on my mission for minimalism and simple living, I had no idea where to even start. I'm what society would call a typical consumer; I earned money to spend it, every penny and more was squandered on material belongings. I am lured in frequently by giant sale signs and end of aisle offers in the supermarkets. I buy multiple items and I'm an impulse shopper. Earlier on in the year when my full time, poorly paid admin wage came to a halt I soon realised just how little 'disposable income' I actually had. Substituted by the beginnings of freelance work and selling some items, I managed to maintain my lifestyle - with a little less on the buying front. However, even months down the line I still spent more than I earned, which is where my interest in minimalism began. How could I spend less? What could I do to break the spending cycle? How could I move away from being a typical consumer? 

Of course, the first step was to begin the initial purge of belongings. I needed to decide which items I loved, which items I needed and which items I thought I needed along with getting shot of all of the items I definitely didn't need and didn't want! Surprisingly this seemed to good to be true, I didn't feel the attachment many have spoke about when it comes to material possessions so it took next to no time to fill up bags and bags of 'stuff'. This 'stuff' is going to make it's journey to donation, sale or trash. 

After the 'intial purge' I had a pile of stuff ready to be donated (that I am continually adding to), alongside a 'to sell pile' which resulted in 'list items on ebay' being at the top of my to do list for several weeks. Do you know what? I donated those items too - having that task at my to do list an never ever getting around to actually doing it became a stressor, something that constantly annoyed me so I decided to end it and just donate the stuff. Now it's out of my space and out of my mind.  

WHY I CHOSE MINIMALISM

When I mention the word minimalism to people in my 'real life', I'm met with somewhat of a confused and slightly judgmental look. Maybe they just don't quite understand the whole living with less kinda thing. I come from a family who are by no means materialistic and constantly strive to own better things, but between us we own a lot. Money has never been abundant, yet spending and owning 'things' has always been a lifestyle for my family, it's just the way it is. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it, I have no desire to 'convert' any other members of my family to my new way of thinking, but I certainly want to change my own habits/lifestyle. 

So why minimalism? How did I stumble upon this whole new way of life? I actually found myself watching a youtube video, a Ted Talks 'minimalism' speech from Angela Horn (here's the video for those interested) ... this video impacted me instantly. The words spoken, the issues addressed and the notion that the less you own, the more you have just stuck a chord with me. Angela spoke about her parents' house being filled with boxes inside boxes, piles of new towels just waiting to be used - and why? I didn't know the answer, but I knew that I too had things stored in a 'safe place' just waiting to be used, a stock pile of products unused, clothes for special occasions that never came and insignificant momentos which right now, I can't even remember. 

The video I watched that day, led to me searching the web for minimalism, which is quite a common story among other minimalist blogs I have read. I can safely assume that a large percentage of minimalists discovered the lifestyle in a similar way ... video/social media, google, questionning the minimalist way and feeling intrigued. That's certainly what happened to me. 

After this almost instant inspiration from Angela Horn's video, I began to read more minimalism blogs and watch more videos for inspirations on how to even go about beginning this journey. I soon set off with the mission to get rid of the crap in my life, whether it was physical crap or mental crap that was cluttering my life. I discovered belongings I didn't even recognise and continued to sift through the piles of clothes, makeup and other material posessions in my bedroom - eager to discover the next thing I could throw away. It felt refreshing and I liked it - you can read about my 'initial purge' here, and I've also documented my 'project 333' here. 

And so the journey began ... 

'PROJECT 333'

Additional items: 

Item 26 - small black satchel handbag 

Item 27 - 3/4 sleeve patterned long top 
Item 28 - Navy Gap Jumper 
Item 29 - Faux leather slip ons 
Item 30 - ?
Item 31 - ?
Item 32 - ?
Item 33 - ? 

When I first came across minimalism and the idea of simple living and living with less, I immediately found myself wondering how on earth people could 'cope' with having a small wardrobe or a limited selection of clothes. Then it hit me; last year I threw away my wardrobe (physically) and downsized to two chest of drawers from Ikea, of course. So, in theory I don't own that many clothes and come to think of it I stick to the same outfits 95% of the time. So how are all 6 drawers over flowing along with a revolving 'chairdrobe' and a never ending pile of laundry?

When searching for minimalism advice and tips if you will, I stumbled across something known only as 'Project 333' - the idea is quite simple really. For 3 months you choose only 33 items to form your 'capsule wardrobe'. I'll be the first to admit, I am in no sense of the word 'fashionable' I'm a firm believer in comfort over fashion and I will always opt for a laid back, comfy style of clothing rather than a pretty dress.

If we consider how dubious I was of living life with less clothing, I now seem like somewhat of a a fool... I couldn't even find 33 season appropriate items I liked! Turns out this would be easier than I had imagined. Of course, basics such as underwear, everyday jewellery (my silver ring and bracelet that I never take off), pyjamas and lounge wear don't count in your 33 items - but everything else, including the shoes, coats and accessories count towards your Project 333.

As you can see my colour palette is very plain, I enjoy monochrome and grey and I'm perfectly okay with having a relatively colour-less wardrobe - as these are the clothes I love and feel comfortable in. I've opted for plain, mix and match items that are comfortable, warm and suitable for autumn/winter here in the UK. So even with 3 styles of jean, 3 leggings, a coat, 3 styles of shoes, a few t-shirts and scarves I've found myself 6 items short of the 33 items suggested. I imagine I'll discover another couple items I really do love wearing this time of year and I've saved room for a Christmas outfit or something special for a rare night out. But for now, these items are my wardrobe until January and I must say - getting dressed in the mornings is SO much easier having only 2 of my 6 drawers to choose from. 

If you're interested in embarking on your own Project 333 you can find all of the background info and 'rules' here 

MINIMALISM MONDAY #1

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Currently feeling committed to the mission to minimalise my life and everything in it. I've started with the obvious 'clutter' which covers areas of my living space and just needs to go. So far I've not felt overly attached to any items and I've found it quite easy with the initial 'purge' of makeup and beauty items, clothing, accessories and general day to day things. I have a long way to go and I'm discovering new tips and tricks along the way to help me get my life together. I thought I'd document my journey to minimalism here on this blog 'Minimalism Mission'. Another update coming soon, hopefully.