Simplify

A key to help you on your simplifying journey

~ Megan

When I began my journey of intentional minimalism, I had one thought it mind. “Get rid of junk before moving!” 

I was expecting our first baby and sorting through the home, trying to get rid of as much as I could before moving to our new home. We weren’t hoarders by any means but the excess stuff we had accumulated between my husband and myself was just too much to deal with. As anyone who has moved house knows, you always have more stuff than you realised.

I have always been a minimalist at heart and preferred to live more lightly. I just didn’t know that there was a name for it! As I prepared for the move, I began to read books on decluttering and look for sites that could help. That’s when I came across the term ‘minimalism.’ It was exciting to me! Finally others understood my overwhelm and need to live with less. As I donated, recycled and trashed items, I felt a sense of relief. I was determined to make our move easier and continue to live simply afterward. That was my goal and purpose. 

Do you have a clear purpose in mind?

As you can see, my purpose for decluttering was to get ready for our move and also be less stressed when our new baby arrived. Yet as my journey continued, my purpose and vision for simplifying changed. But that’s okay. The point is that I always had a reason for decluttering and simplifying my life. Without one, I would have given up at some point and not been able to experience the clear benefits of minimalist lifestyle.

Whenever I help someone at the beginning of their minimalist or decluttering journey, I ask them to write some things down beforehand. To make some sort of plan. Without a plan, it is too easy to give up along the way because you aren’t sure of why you are even doing this hard work and what the end result will be. Having a clear goal of vision lets you know when you have met your own sweet spot with decluttering. Not that minimalism has a clear end because I believe it is fluid. Your wants and needs will change with the seasons of life and so will your decluttering needs. But you will know what feels right for you. Just enough.

Here are some questions to ask and ways you can make a plan or define your purpose for decluttering.

  1. What is my vision for my home and life? (You may want to save pictures that reflect your desired outcome.) Is it clean, clutter-free, stress-free, inviting?

2. You may come up with a slogan or mantra that describes the feeling or goal for your home. E.g: One year mine was ‘a calm and orderly home’. Now it is ‘to live more lightly in my heart and home’. One of my readers has the word ‘serene.’

3. What are the benefits you expect to happen after you have cleared your home? Make a list. E.g. I will have less housework to do. More time to spend with the kids. Less stress in the family with less stuff to manage.

4. Reward yourself when you have reached certain goals. I.e, when the kid’s rooms are decluttered I will take them out for ice-cream. Or once the bathroom is decluttered I will treat myself to a relaxing aromatherapy bath. This will help you stay motivated and train yourself that decluttering is a good thing!

5. Stay flexible. As there are new seasons in life, I try to stay flexible with the changes and allow my purposes to adapt. Right now we are in lockdown and the house is kind of full with different work and projects going on. My home isn’t very orderly and that’s okay for now. 

My purpose keeps me grounded when things change. When I remember what my purpose for living simply is, then I can get back on track without the feeling of overwhelm that I used to have. 

I hope you have found this post useful and look forward to hearing your purpose for decluttering. Until next time!

Simple Linen Closet

~ Megan

It’s the beginning of Autumn here in Australia and I decided to do a linen closet declutter and organise. I usually go through clothing as the Seasons change but this time I decided to go through bedding and blankets to see what we may need and get rid of the rest.

To be honest this space has been bugging me for quite awhile and I have avoided it as I tend to find it hard to decide which linens to keep as they are all in good condition and I keep extra bedding and blankets as a ‘just in case’. Alot of throw blankets and quilt covers! This time I was ruthless!

Kon mari method

I decluttered the closet Kon mari style. I took everything out and only put back in what I really loved. Usually I would rummage around trying to decide what to get rid of, which obviously wasn’t working. Before I began, I had saved some gorgeous Pinterest pics for inspiration. I wanted my linen closet to be VERY minimal, functional and lovely to look at.

I wanted my linen closet to be VERY minimal, functional and lovely to look at.

A tip I had found was to place my linens front ways rather than across. (If that makes sense?) You can see how I have placed them in the pics below. My goal was to keep what we have on our beds with only a couple of extras stored. We really don’t use what has been sitting n there and I found that things weren’t smelling very fresh, which is a sure way to know that you are using things regularly. I washed everything, ready to sell, donate or keep. I even soaked some towels to bring them back to pure white. Yes I went all out!

The Essentials

There was also a lot of ‘extras’ such as seasonal decor, toiletries, fabric, cushions, even a photo album! It was really an added storage space which I was just tried of. I decided that this was going to be purely for linens only.

Note: Each be in the house has sheets, a quilt and blanket. Towels which are in use plus what’s stored here. There is a throw blanket on the sofa. I will continue to evaluate what’s no longer needed at the end of the season.

The Kon mari method was really helpful to me in this case as I really didn’t want to put any clutter and excess back in, once I had completely cleared out and cleaned the cupboard. I believe every space should be beautiful.

I feel relieved after finally simplifying my linen closet and getting rid of the excess. The final finishing touch is to add some pretty labels to the shelving. Let me know how you declutter and organise your linen closet:)

Minimalist Wardrobe-signature colour

~ Megan

There are a lot of ways to reduce your clothing to create a simpler wardrobe. One of the easiest ways to dress is to have a signature colour. I hadn’t heard of the term until a few years ago when listening to a French podcast and how French women tend to have their own personalised signature colour. I realised that I had been naturally doing this anyway. I love pink! Anyone who knows me, know that it is my favourite signature colour. It has always been my colour yet it has evolved over the years from barbie pink to baby pink to a now light dusty pink. Of course it isn’t the only colour I wear, however it is my core colour in which I add and blend other flattering colours such as creams and soft neutrals.

Many minimalists work with black or navy to mix and match easily. Personally dark colours are very draining and unflattering for and so I avoid them. I used to also feel like I should wear other colours because that is what is expected. I tried adding what was on trend or what I sort of liked, but now I have embraced the idea of wearing what I always feel good in. Pink.

It keeps your wardrobe simple

The benefits of focusing on a signature colour are many, such as ease of shopping when you know exactly what you are looking for. Washing is simplified as you can do a large wash with similar colours. Your wardrobe naturally works together better when you work with one colour. And as mentioned, you feel good in the colour you are wearing, no more trying to look right in colours you are unsure of.

You may be thinking that this is not for you especially if you like a variety of colours. Which is totally fine. Wear what works for you! Most people gravitate toward the same colour or colours anyway.

Your unique colour

This is not the same as having base colours for a capsule wardrobe. These are usually neutrals that work well together. Your signature colour is the colour that says YOU! It is the colour that suits your personality and makes you feel great. You don’t have to have an entire wardrobe of the colour but you may choose to have pops of this colour to add to your neutrals. It is still your unique colour.

So as I embraced my favourite shade of pink complimented with creams and whites, I then decided to weed out the colours of clothing I didn’t enjoy. This created a wardrobe that nearly always works for me. I say nearly because there will still be shapes and styles of clothing I no longer like as well as clothing which is worn. The best part of having a signature colour is that my wardrobe is far more simplified. I love it!

My minimalist story

~ Megan

Where it started

My journey to living with less began 10 years ago, right before our first child was born. It was a busy time. We had been married over a year, were selling and moving to a new home as well as preparing for our first baby. I remember as I was packing during those weeks before moving feeling really overwhelmed by stuff. Not that we were hoarders or owned any more than the average home. In fact we probably owned less than most just because we were not long married and no children yet.

However there was still too much unnecessary stuff that had accumulated together as well as what we each owned prior. Unused wedding gifts, ALOT of health & study books on my part, un-necessary furniture, kitchen items, paperwork, excess clothing and just stuff! Oh and not forgetting the room full of baby gifts from my recent baby shower!

Packing & decluttering

Anyone who has had to pack and move knows that when you are handling each and every item you own, you soon realise that there is much more than you expected. I began to question why we owned what we owned. At the same time I had ordered a book on decluttering from a catalogue. (I know that is such an outdated way to buy books!) I also started doing google searches on decluttering. At the time I was not aware of the term minimalism or living simply but when I came across the idea of living with less. It really resonated with me. I do believe I’ve always been a minimalist at heart. Just because I now had my own home, did not mean I had to accumulate excess stuff.

A defining moment

A defining moment for me was when my sister in-law came to help us move and gave me a small plastic disposable vase with hand-picked flowers. Something about it made me wish that I could have packed a lot lighter. I had already begun shedding some items before moving but now I had moved into our freshly renovated new home, I decided I was going to live as simply as I could. I do believe that having a baby also gave me a desire to keep things as simple as possible.

The journey continues…

Over the next 10 years I have grown in many ways and also came to understand how living with less impacted my Faith. Or rather how my Faith defined living simply. The bible has a lot to say about not storing up treasures and going after riches as well as giving to others in need. These scriptures help shape my journey of simplicity.

On a daily basis, living simply helps keep my home calm and orderly as well as my mind. I want to be able to focus on what matters. Of course I am not perfect and sometimes stuff just seems to grow! Sharing my journey and pictures of my home also helps keep me accountable. My hope is that this blog and my experience with living simply can also inspire you to live simply also.

Blessings,

Megan Raj

I’m dreaming of a Simple Holiday Season

~ Megan

With Christmas fast approaching, you may already be feeling the tension of the Holiday Season. Endless to-do lists, what to buy, where to buy it, who to buy for, what to eat and on and on. Take a deep breath….it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Here are some of my thoughts and ways that I seek to keep this Season simple. Maybe it may help you in some way also.:)

Drop the expectations

This is a hard one for me. When I decide to do something I put my whole heart into it. Yes I’m kind of a perfectionist! This means I put undue pressure on myself to make whatever I am doing GREAT! Maybe you can relate. Christmas time often brings expectations of not only ourselves but of others. Everyone tends to have their own ideal of what Christmas should be and this can often be a source of stress within the family. The truth is, you don’t need to meet others expectations. The Holiday Season can be what you want it to be. If you want a simple yet wonderful Holiday Season, then decide what you would like to do but relax and have fun with it. Nobody wants to be around stressful miserable people!

Minimal yet meaningful gift-giving

In our family we seek to keep gift-giving super simple. We are not going into debt to buy stuff. Nor are we going to buy lots of presents that may not even get used. We usually ask what family members would like rather than give gifts that aren’t wanted. I personally love to give and receive simple hand-made gifts or consumables. Always thinking about what the person enjoys or may be useful to them. E.g consumable gifts of chocolates or cookies. If the person enjoys a certain craft then you can gift them something for their collection that they can use. Grandparents love photos! A nice frame with a sweet photo of the grandkids. you get the picture!

Keep entertaining simple

Whether you are doing the big Christmas dinner or just entertaining throughout the holiday’s. Keep it simple. If you love to spend hours in the kitchen then great. If not, keep it light and stress-free. Ask guests to bring a dish to share or perhaps have a cook-off together! Otherwise you could outsource your food. The main thing is to enjoy each other’s company. When preparing the house for guests, ask family to pitch in and help. The less you own the easier it is to keep tidy.

Embrace being home

With borders closed, you probably won’t be travelling far this year. Instead of feeling disappointed about not going on a holiday, embrace the opportunity to stay home and do things you don’t usually have time to do. Enjoy spending time with family and friends if possible. We don’t usually go far during the holidays but we enjoy day trips, getting work done on the house as well as having down time together. One thing I like to do is challenge myself to find frugal things for us to do as a family and it does not need to cost much to have fun meeting up with loved ones.

Count your blessings

Last but not least. Count your blessings. It’s easy to get swept up with all the hustle & bustle at this time of year. Perhaps you are still recovering from a difficult year that was 2021. Slow down and reflect on the things that went well and all that you have to be thankful for. When we look to be thankful for the little things each day, we will find there is much to be thankful for.

In short I have found that the more Simple life is, the more content I feel.

Happy Holiday Season to you all.x