How to Want Less & Live a Minimalist, Clutter-Free Life

For many people, being successful during good financial times meant buying whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, without having to think if they needed what they were buying. They didn't need to think about wanting less because they were able to afford to buy things at any time.

The economy has changed all that for so many people. If you find yourself living in challenging financial times, know that you are not alone. Hold on and remember that it's ok if you can't buy what you used to buy.

It's ok if all you have to give is your time and attention. Sometimes the simplest acts of love, like sitting with those you love, are the ones that we remember the most. When you learn to want less, you appreciate what you have so much more.

My excuse for being a minimalist

Minimalism used to be what made me feel good about my struggles.

There I was telling myself, get rid of the clutter. 

Decluttering and living a minimalist life are very popular, so I told myself that I was becoming a minimalist to change my surroundings, not because I needed to change my financial life.

Selling clutter to pay the bills 

In reality, I was selling everything to help my husband with the bills. My biggest fear was losing our home. I was forced to want less because I could no longer afford to keep what I currently had. 

The clutter I was clearing was being turned into cash.

Turning clutter Into cash

Turning clutter into cash not only helped my family financially but also made me realize that I could live without what I sold. I was learning how to want less, all while becoming financially stable.

Shifting my perspective

I did a lot of thinking. The biggest thing I learned was that I didn't need everything I thought I did. I didn't need to spend that cash on more things. I remember decluttering and selling so rapidly that I felt my heart trying to find the root of all this clutter and asking myself what was making me buy more than what I needed.

What I learned through minimalism

Then I remember sitting on the floor with an empty house, thinking, hey, I have enough. I am enough. We are enough. It wasn't about what I owned or how much money I was getting back anymore.

Things weren't a measure of my worth. It wasn't about how fast I could tidy my home. It wasn't about how minimalist our home looked but more about how much time I freed up for my family and myself. 

I learned that maybe I had it all wrong, that maybe life was teaching me that I already had what was most important. I then no longer wanted materialistic things. I found myself wanting less. I no longer wanted to dress to impress. 

I no longer wanted to fill my house with things but rather serve and pour my energy into the lives I have living under my roof. 

Minimalism is no longer my excuse

Minimalism used to be my excuse for not buying the things I thought I wanted to buy. Now, I am finding out that minimalism has helped me find my family, and it helped me find myself. It helped us find the root cause of why we were spending so much money. It helped us find contentment. 

We are enough

Minimalism helped me understand that that was enough if all I had to give was my time and attention. We are enough.

How to want less

What are your reasons for wanting to become a minimalist? Share in the comments below, and also let us know if wanting less is part of the appeal of minimalism for you.