I have written about it in the past, but now I can speak from very recent and very really experience, living more minimally. That sounds really terrible when I say it like that, like oh I live in a boring bland room with nothing in it but a chair, at least that is what comes to my mind. But it is nothing like that. What I have discovered is that stuff (insert any sort of stuff name here) is a big pain in the bum when you move. And when you move from one space that has a lot of closets for you to hide and hoard all your goodies, to a space that does not, reality can leave a brutal slap mark as it hits you on the face. But really once the redness subsides, you realize that really downsizing is not that bad. It is just a matter of how you look at it.
I will do you the favor of sparing all the minute whiny details of how I arrived at my own astonishing lesson. But here it is, you do not have to give everything away to be a minimalist or to show you care for the environment. You just need to be practical. There is nothing wrong keeping the things that bring me pleasure (this is how I make this work for me). All my mementos from various trips, or things that people have given me, they are ok to hold onto and it does not make me a hoarder. But if it is no longer makes me happy and if it is no longer practical to hold onto then go ahead and clear it out.
And the best part is most of your items that no longer serve you in some way can surely work for someone else. So while you are getting rid of things, make sure you do not toss out, but rather have a yard sale or donate items to a local charity.
I still have all my pictures, all my souvenirs that I have managed to keep, but guess what that broken mug or that walk man that was made before fire was discovered is gone and has allowed me to better organize what I do have. And items that had been sitting in closets are either gone or being used. Really it was very simple and I still have stuff, just not as much.
