I am currently living with the least amount of stuff that I’ve ever had in my entire life, and yet I know that I currently have more stuff than I will have for the next 12 months of my life.
And I love it.
I never thought I would be the one to say that. If you asked my mom, she would certainly never have guessed that I would be the one to say that (probably because my entire 18-year-old self’s possessions are still suspended in time in my childhood bedroom). But it’s true.
It wasn’t that I was particularly bad about buying stuff (I’ve been budgeting for this trip, remember), but I was just really, really bad at getting rid of stuff. I still had the jacket my mom bought me the first time I stepped foot in a Forever 21 in 7th grade. I still had every single Hollister cami I ever bought and the cutoff jean skirt I wore them with.
When we moved out of our Gold Cost apartment at the end of March, I packed as many things as I could into 2 suitcases that would get me through the next 3 months. The rest either had to fit in our 5×10 storage space or it got donated/tossed.
I was “roughing it”.
When we moved into the guest bedroom of our insanely generous aunt, we started to unpack and quickly realized 2 suitcases for each of us was too much stuff. We had a 3-tier bookshelf, 10 hangers in a small wardrobe, and an over-the-door coat hook. We ended up only having the space to unpack about half of our things, so we put the rest back in the suitcase and up to the attic it went.
I was really “roughing” it.
Fun fact – I was totally fine! I’ve been living with my limited possessions for two months now, and here’s what I’ve learned so far.
- Getting dressed is so much easier
While I have substantially fewer pieces of clothing now, I love everything I have. This means that if it’s cold, I reach for my favorite sweater. When I need a pair of jeans, I get to wear my favorite pair every time. When I don’t have options, I don’t have to think about it. - I don’t hate doing laundry anymore
The only reason I was wearing the clothes I didn’t love was because the clothes I did love were dirty. When my favorite clothes are dirty now, I have to wash them because I have no alternative. I can officially wash all of the clothes I have here and my sheets in one load. ONE! - No one cares
When I first left my apartment, I warned my coworkers not to judge my outfit repeats. I explained to my friends why I would be wearing the same black flats to every outing. No one cared though, because no one cares what you wear except you*. - I don’t miss anything
Not once have I really needed something I didn’t have (except maybe my craft supplies). I have my core wardrobe, my everyday makeup and four pairs of shoes (booties, chucks, flip flops, running shoes). I have an umbrella and a winter coat. And that’s pretty much it! The lightness I feel is truly empowering.
*Disclaimer: I am excluding people who are interested in and/or good at fashion. If that is your passion, I fully respect your interest in it.