Minimalism: 5 Questions to Help You Treasure What You Have More

During this time of staying at home, it is a perfect time to treasure what we have rather than constantly seeking more. As a ever evolving minimalist myself, I can say I am overjoyed by the things I do have in my home right now and appreciate them even more now that we are called to stay at home.

Here in the U.S. up until now it has been a culture of more, more, more and now, now now! It is actually such a blessing that even online orders and delivery take longer now and we are learning to be more patient. Anything non-essential will take longer to get once you order it. It is a beautiful thing if you think about it a whole because it causes us to pause and think about our purchases for a while. Here are a few questions to ponder when thinking about buying something to bring into our home:

Do I really need to order that?

Before these times, shopping had become a recreational activity. It became something to do to replace dealing with feelings, it became an addiction. Especially because we could order something and receive it the very next day in many cases. There was a time in my life where I bought a lot of clothing. It was when I was in college and I had a part time job. Most of the extra money I didn’t spend on college related expenses went to buying new outfits all of the time. During that time I am positive it was to deal with feelings from a long distance relationship I was in at the time that was not the best relationship for me. I would go shopping to distract myself from these feelings. I would shop and buy new clothes instead of sitting with feelings of sadness. Now, we have the opportunity to sit with ourselves, to really feel everything, to deal with our feelings instead of using retail therapy. Will you sit with your feelings, or will you shop or order something?

Can I find something I already have instead?

Often we can find something we already have in our homes instead of running out to buy more things. For example, the other day my husband wanted to create a new way for the backyard squirrels to get peanuts without the bluejays interfering. He had a set up of a small pipe to put the peanuts in, however it was short and the bluejays were able to take some peanuts from it. He wanted to buy a dryer vent hose. I told him I had actually found one in the garage while tidying up! Wow! Sometimes we already have what we need if we declutter and organize our things.

Can I appreciate what I do have?

It used to be that I would buy new clothes twice a year. I didn’t really think about the fact that I really didn’t need to buy clothes that often. Of course it is really enjoyable to have something new, however could I enjoy the clothes I had even more instead? Last fall I ended up buying only one new dress and I wore the summer dresses that I love, but I wore them with cardigan sweaters. That way I got to enjoy those dresses all year round instead of for just one season. It has been such a joy to wear my one new fall dress as well as get a lot of use out of my summer dresses. They add a lot of color and happiness to the darker months of the year as well. A great side effect is that I saved money by not doing so much shopping and also in turn parts of the environment are saved by not polluting the earth more by driving around shopping.

Can I see the abundance I have already accumulated?

When I now look at what we have in our home, I see the beauty of sheer abundance. I am so overjoyed to use the dishes that my grandma lovingly passed down to me, her spirit is there with them any day we use them for a meal. I love the watch I have had for many, many years I need only replace the battery every so often. I love the beautiful dresses that my grandma passed down to me from her cousins who made them by hand in the 1930s! I can still wear these and their history makes me smile. It’s not that I couldn’t buy new things, it’s that the things that we have chosen to keep have much more meaning to me as we use them instead of piling on more and more new things.

Can I support a more local source for this item?

A positive side effect of these times of spending more time at home is that far-off sources may take longer to deliver the items that we are looking for. Perhaps there is a local shop that will deliver something you need, or they can ship it to you across town or arrange a pick up outside their store. Of course there are certain businesses that are now closed because they are not essential, but there are still some that have things we need at this time. For example, there is a local game and puzzle store here that will bring games, puzzles and books to your car for you if you order them by phone ahead of time. This is a great way to support local places and help people at this time. It is a good reminder to look locally first for items you may need.

All in all, I feel that the patience we are learning in this time will help us all thrive. It’s not that I never shop for or never desire to purchase anything, it’s only that I have become more intentional with my purchases. I wait for a while before deciding to purchase something. I often make a wish list of items I am thinking about. If I still have the wish and the budget later on, I take another look at it. Most of these items are non-essential in nature, so it is a great exercise in patience to wait and decide later.

How have the purchases you made changed with the quarantine? Do you still find yourself partaking in retail therapy or are you more mindful of your purchases?

I look forward to hearing how you feel about this topic.

With lots of love,

Trista