A Minimalistic Home

When living and traveling in a camper with kids and dogs it gets hectic....the less clutter, the better!! Here I will give some tips to minimalist living with a family...

So, what is the trick to being a “minimalist mum”?? Girl if I knew the answer to that I would be a millionaire! Just kidding! There are some tips I can give you. But you must do what is best for your lifestyle and family (and sanity)!! So, I am a perfectionist, I mean like a PERFECTIONIST!!! So, having little ones plus dogs (and a husband) all while living in a space smaller than most peoples walk in closet has been DIFFICULT and has tested my sanity and patience beyond the beyond! But it does have a lot of perks and has been a blessing in disguise.

Okay, so before the whole camper thing we had the American dream. White picket fence, pool, big yard, cull-da-sac corner lot! We had a beautiful house and we maintained our yard to perfection (that’s my fault)!! So why did we give all of that up to live in a fifth wheel camper?? Well, my husband works a very specific job, a job that not a lot of people can do (or at least well), he is a miner. I know, cool right?? Were not mining for gold or anything (yet) but he has to travel around the U.S. and extract certain materials from the ground, and he is very good at it. He didn’t start traveling for work up until a little over a year ago. When you get married it is not to be apart 98% of the time. So, we prayed to God repeatedly for over a year on what we should do. After going through some very difficult (but necessary trials) God told us to sell our beautiful all-American home and downsize everything and travel together as a family.

It has taken me about 3 months of emptying the entire contents of our house, painting (the entire house, all by myself, that is a story in and of itself!), getting new blinds, maintaining the pool and yard work plus homeschooling my child. It has been a lot of work and a lot of painstaking hours, I loathe painting BTW, but I am an expert now, so if you need painting done…. don’t call me because I hate it lol. Our house goes up for listing on March 1st, 2020. I am anxious to get it off my plate, but the waiting has been wonderful. It has been amazing watching Gods plan come to life. In this journey of emptying the entire contents of my house, I realized just how much unnecessary junk I had in here!! I knew before I started this process that I had a lot of crap, but I didn’t really know until it was time to move. This is where the minimalist journey has come to start, and I will never go back!

I will never go back!! Unless its books....I need my books!!

So whether you are moving, downsizing or just simply want to declutter your life. Here are some helpful tips...

So, what is the trick to becoming a “minimalist mum”?? Girl if I knew the answer to that I would be a millionaire! Just kidding! There are some tips I can give you. But you must do what is best for your lifestyle and family (and sanity)!!

So, I am a perfectionist, I mean like a PERFECTIONIST!!! So, having a kiddo plus dogs (and a husband) all while living in a space smaller than most peoples walk in closet has been DIFFICULT and has tested my sanity and patience beyond the beyond! But it does have a lot of perks and has been a blessing in disguise. But I have to start from the beginning….

Before the whole camper thing we had the American dream. White picket fence, pool, big yard, cull-da-sac corner lot, Amazon Prime, the works! We had a beautiful house and we maintained our yard to perfection (that’s my fault)!! So why did we give all of that up to live in a fifth wheel camper?? Well, my husband works a very specific job, a job that not a lot of people can do (or at least well), he is a miner. I know, cool right?? Were not mining for gold or anything (yet) but he has to travel around the U.S. and extract certain materials from the ground, and he is very good at it. So he gets sent all over. He didn’t start traveling for work up until a little over a year ago. When you get married it is not to be apart 98% of the time. So, we prayed to God repeatedly for over a year on what we should do. After going through some very difficult (but necessary trials) God told us to sell our beautiful all-American home and downsize everything and travel together as a family.

It has taken me about 4 months of emptying the entire contents of our house, painting (the entire house, all by myself, that is a story in and of itself!), getting new blinds, maintaining the pool and yard work plus homeschooling my child. It has been a lot of work and a lot of painstaking hours, I loathe painting BTW, but I am an expert now, so if you need painting done…. don’t call me because I hate it lol. Our house goes up for listing on March 1st, 2020. I am anxious to get it off my plate, but the waiting has been wonderful. It has been amazing watching Gods plan come to life. In this journey of emptying the entire contents of my house, I realized just how much unnecessary junk I had in here!! I knew before I started this process that I had a lot of crap, but I didn’t really know until it was time to move. This is where the minimalist journey has come to start, and honestly I will never go back!

· Pick One Room at a Time- If you are a perfectionist, OCD, can do 16 things at once type of mum like me then this is easier said than done. But it will save your sanity. So, from the bottom of my heart and soul I am asking you to try and stick to doing one room at a time. Maybe pick the least cluttered room and start with that, it won’t be so overwhelming and seem daunting.

· 1 Year Rule- I know you have that one dress, or that pair of heels you swore you would wear one day, or that kitchen gadget thingamabob that does whatever you swore you would use! We all have “those objects” but, if you haven’t touched it, used it, or even thought about it in a year or more, get rid of it! I promise you, you will not use it, nor miss it! I t may be difficult to get rid of things at first as we humans, especially women can be sentimental about our possessions. Once you start getting rid of things you are going to feel exhilarated and you’re not going to want to stop. I donated my belongings to my local church. Check out some foster home facilities or women’s shelters in your area, they are great to donate to and often get overlooked for donations.

· Take Before & After Pictures- I took them and I do not regret it! The difference in getting rid of some belongings made in the appearance (and my sanity) of my house was incredible!! Looking at the before and after pictures gave me the insight to keep on going, and it will for you too mum.

· Clean as you go- Once you are done fishing through what you are going to get rid of, clean that room. And I mean a spring-cleaning type of clean. You will love the hard work just as much as the results. Now mama, stand back and enjoy your masterpiece. If you have kiddos, give them simple tasks to do, they will love feeling like helpers. Some simple tasks and good encouragement will lift everyone spirits.

· Bins, Bins and More Bins- I love containers, big ones, small ones, colored ones….I love them all!! (This isn’t really a necessary step; it is completely up to you.) I have two container “rules”. 1. Toys-if it doesn’t fit in the bin, it’s got to go mum. If it doesn’t have all the pieces, bye-bye. If it is broken, chewed on or dirty past the point of no return, sayonara sucker!! To make this do-able so no melts downs happened, I let my kiddo choose which toys to donate and gave extreme positive reinforcement about the goodness of donating.

2. How Many is Too Many? - It is up to you mum how many bins you choose (and the size) to let your kiddos keep. I told mine that he had one XL bin to fill with the toys he really wanted to keep and the rest we donated. Those are just some basics to start with mum…another good “rule of thumb” is, if it is an outdated toys from infancy or toddler years, let it go mum! You don’t need it and your kiddo won’t miss it. I promise.

· Patience, Understanding & Self Control- This is the final step mum, and a step that can (and should) be repeated throughout this process. Remember, this process won’t happen overnight. Enjoy the journey of changing your life and your families lives into a clutter free, mess free happy home. Everyone will be affected in a positive way during this transformation. Just don’t lose hope mum, it is worth it. Understand that not everything needs to go! Don’t go crazy and throw absolutely everything out. Take your time, decide what you really want to keep and what you really don’t need. Everyone has their own opinions on living and being a “minimalist mum” but what I have learned is that I am my own person and some things I just couldn’t part with. There is no right or wrong way to do this. Just because you saw it in a video or read it in an article doesn’t mean you need to do it or throw it away. You decide mum. The biggest and most important tip I can give you is to exercise self-control when at the store! I thank Jesus for Amazon and Target, but with this new mindset I have cut down on buying those cute shoes or indulging the $3 bin at Target. You will thank yourself (and so will your husband and bank account) for practicing self-control. And you should be proud of yourself mum, you have worked hard to declutter your life.

Throughout this journey I had days of hope, tears, regret, joy and pride in my work, but when it was all said and done and my home was clutter free, I too was set free. I didn’t realize how much this journey would change me in becoming a minimalist, but the hard work and tears were worth it. Now that my house is gone, and life has downsized I couldn't be more happier. No more yard work, no more pool maintenance, no electricity bills or water bills, and no mortgage!! This journey has been a blessing, a blessing that we waited for in our Fathers answer. There is so much joy in waiting for God.

Being a minimalist, I found that my spiritual life became more “clutter free”. I had more time to sit down and enjoy the words of my Father. I wasn’t worried or distracted with what I had to clean next or what chores I needed to get done. I was able to fully immerse myself in my quiet time with God. This was a journey that God had called me to do, so how can I not listen to my Fathers directions? It has affected my life and my families lives in such a positive way that I would recommend it for anyone. If you are wondering if the minimal life is for you, I suggest you pray on it.