Mogul In Training

I was reading an interview with Minimalist Everett Bogue, author of the e-book 'The Art of Being Minimalist' on the blog hilife2b.com. In the interview, Everett had a few quotes that made me pause and reflect. The quotes are as follows:

*I believe we need to re-imagine our civilization as an interconnected network of people who own less and live free.

*Location independence and minimalist freedom aren’t going to be a mainstream reality for a really long time, because there will always be a large section of society that isn’t ready to embrace new things.

There’s nothing normal about being free, apparently.

*Reduce your life expenses to the basis of existence

*I’ve been thinking a lot recently about my own impact on the planet. I think we’re at a moment in time when we’re dangerously close to destroying everything — I also think we’re at a moment that will be seen as a breakthrough point, when we stopped consuming and started focusing on having experiences, being healthy, and creating human civilization that will be here for the future.

*I believe our own personal freedom is deeply intertwined with the health of the planet. To pursue one goal is to pursue the other.

Words to ponder......

A funny thing happen to me this week, on this crazy road to Financial Freedom and Minimalism: I actually started to feel lighter and less stressed. Let me explain. This week, I decided to remove one item from my home a day in the process of decluttering. I believe I started on Wednesday. Well, since Wednesday I have removed more than one item a day. Initially, it was a little hard to part with "mamentos", but once I asked myself the question, "Does this product/object serve me or is it the other way around?", it became much easier to let go of those things. Mind you, these were things that I had not used in years, but had traveled with me from apartment renter to home owner. Most of these things were cluttering closets, but had not been used or even seen since I moved into my home.

Once I started decluttering, the process became easier--and, of course, the garage sale helped a ton! Now, I have found that in only 2 days, cleaning has become more informal, keeping up with laundry has become easier (I was actually considering bringing laundry to the drop of laundromat; another "cost" of clutter and owning "stuff"), and getting together and out of the door in the morning has become less hurried.

Because I have eliminated clutter (mind you, my home was not one that someone on the outside looking in would considered cluttered--just goes to show what is considered acceptable in today's society), cleaning no longer feels like a chore. Now, I can take a few minutes to tidy up each room and run a dust rag across uncluttered surfaces.

If this is how I am feeling in only 2 days, I can't wait to see how I will feel by the end of the month! By the summer, I want to have a home where EVERY item has a purpose and those items make my life easier and more in tuned. In the future, before purchasing an item I will sincerely ask myself if the item serves a purpose in my home and if it is inline with my new lifestyle or if it's just contributing to new clutter.

I just finished reading, 'Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More' by Elaine St. James. One of the suggestions in the book is to declutter your life by removing one item from your home a day. To be honest, my home is not cluttered at all, but I, personally, feel that I have too many "things". The first step to start getting rid of the "things" was to have a garage sale---which, by the way, was a huge success. Removing lots of clothing, accessories, and houseware, through the garage sale has really put me on the path to Minimalism.

As a result, when I return home from work, I will begin the process of removing one item from my home. I can't wait to find out what that one item will be! I also can't wait to see what my home will look like at the end of this month. Maybe I'll do before and after pictures. Stay tuned......

This Friday and Saturday, April 16 & 17, I'm having a huge garage sale. This willl be my first ever garage sale. The purpose of the sale is to get rid of a lot of my excess. It is amazing how much "stuff" I have accumulated that amounts to nothing more than clutter, at this point. I am selling clothes, shoes, handbags, sunglasses, wallets, home decor...you name it, I'm probably selling it. I am committed to living more consciously and this extends to my future purchases as well.

Before I buy any new things, I will ask myself do I REALLY need it and how much use will I ACTUALLY get out of it. This garage sale feels cathartic for me. I cannot wait to have a minimal house!

I am expecting to earn around $400 from the sale. I am not sure what to do with the money. Any suggestions?