Living with less stuff gives me so much peace of mind. I just wake up, walk around and don’t have to clean up as much anymore. I just love my minimalist home!
A few months ago, I moved to my favorite city in The Netherlands; Groningen. This beautiful city has everything. Old, architecture, a university, several local markets, great hotspots like a cat café, a beautiful city center, nice parks and it’s way less busy if you compare it with the streets of Amsterdam.
Ok, let’s go back to my minimalist home. A few years ago I decided that living minimally would give me way more peace. I wrote about it several times and I noticed that you like to hear more about my experiences.
How did I downgrade the stuff in my house?
1. First I’ve checked everything and made a list: need, don’t use > give away and broken.
I kept the first stuff. Made a big box for the second stuff and gave a lot away or sold it on our local marketplace (it’s called Marktplaats.nl).
Everything that wasn’t complete or broken went to several garbage bags.
2. What do you need?
Make a list. What do you do when you see a great deal in the city center? Jup, you would buy it! With my own list on my phone, I had an extra warning for myself. I don’t need it so I will not buy it. It works.
A new item that made my house was this cute vintage style lamp ( You can find this ‘hanglamp’ here) that I received from Marington. Next to beautiful lamps and home decoration they also sell beautiful organic bags from MYPAPERBAG. One of my favorite brands.
3. Buy eco- friendly products.
Since the environment is such an important thing in my life, I decided to only purchase organic, second hand and vintage items for my house and closet.
In Groningen, you have a huge vintage scene. Every Tuesday the local Mamamini (a huge thrift store), will renew their offer. It’s the perfect timing for purchasing some nice second-hand items. Almost 80% of my furniture is vintage or second hand. Why buy new if there’s still so much to find for less? Next to that, you will have a great, unique style in your house.
4. Declutter your mind.
Swapping is a great way to find new items. If you have a hard time of letting go, remember that in the end, you don’t need 10 pairs of shoes for a walk or 20 dresses for special occasions. You only need 2 to 4 pair of shoes and 2 nice dresses. That’s enough.
It takes some time to declutter your mind and house. Take baby steps at a time.
I first started with decluttering all of my makeup years ago. I got everything out of my closets and bags. Put it on a table and then checked everything. After this, I decided to first empty all of these products before purchasing new ones. I had more than 5 flacons with shampoo and 8 mascaras. Enough mascaras for years! If you need some extra motivation, please enter no buy groups like these on Facebook.
The girls are so supportive and will motivate you to downgrade your closets. I’m really curious for your tips.
What do you do to minimalize your house?