The Introduction

About The Everyday Minimalist

I’m a 20-something year old minimalist, not an extremist.

I don’t live out of a backpack or a suitcase with 50 items or less any longer, nor do I wish to.

I enjoy managing my money, eating anything my BF cooks and making the appropriate happy noises, organizing and going through my closet, reading and practicing rebel yoga.

I am a consultant, and I love my career which is something I know is rare for anyone at any age.

As for my name, The Everyday Minimalist, it’s because I really do apply the principles of minimalism to everything I own or think about. I like to simplify, organize and not be stressed about having things too detailed or complicated.

How I managed to live out of a suitcase:

See, as an consultant I was always traveling for business. One day, I realized that I was going to be traveling all the time, and not enjoying my newly decorated apartment.

So in late 2006, I decided to save some money and I gave up my apartment.

I sold every stick of furniture, packed a single suitcase, put everything into storage and requested to stay in the cities I was being sent to for projects instead of flying back every week. And thus, a minimalist was born.

How I became a minimalist:

It wasn’t overnight, but a gradual change. After my little stint, I realized that if I could live out of a suitcase for an extended period of time, I sure as hell didn’t need a lot of the stuff I had in my old apartment!!

In fact, it was weighing me down mentally, and rooting me to a physical spot with the sheer amount of items I owned.

I wasn’t as mobile as I had previously imagined, and I wanted to be free of all of my unnecessary possessions rather than imprisoned by them.

I gave up the life out of necessity, hauled my stuff out of storage and started selling everything in my wardrobe I didn’t wear any longer.

I am now left with 3 suitcases and 2 carry-ons worth of stuff, in addition to 1 table, 2 chairs and a futon. (Read: Where to buy a Japanese Futon)

How the web sees Everyday Minimalist

How you can be a minimalist (a.k.a. Why I started this blog):

I want everyone to know you don’t have to get rid of everything to become a minimalist!

That is not necessary, whatsoever because being a minimalist is a loose definition in my opinion.

Someone with a lot of possessions can still be a minimalist, if they apply those principles and make conscious choices in other areas of their life.

And minimalism as a philosophy can be applied to anything, because it’s essentially simplifying, prioritizing and organizing.

There are also many benefits to being a minimalist such as reducing your impact on the environment by buying less, using less and being more efficient with your energy usage.

I hope you will enjoy my posts and come to see that being a minimalist is not about extremes or specific “you must do this” demands to be able to call yourself a minimalist”.

It’s really all about what you do and choose to do on a daily basis.

A Minimalist’s Train of Thought

Less money spent means more money saved

More money saved means the longer you can live in financial peace and security

Financial peace and security comes from owning less

Less stuff owned means less to carry around, move or have to travel with

Less responsibility for your stuff also means less maintenance and more time

The more time you have, the more relaxed you will feel

The more relaxed you are, the less you will care about stuff

If you care less about stuff, it means you’ll care less about image

If you care less about image, you will care more about experiences and memories

If you care more about experiences and memories, you will be happier with less

If you are happier with less, you’ll never want or need for more

The less you want or need for more, the more you will feel free

– The Everyday Minimalist