Minimalism As a Way of Life

My husband and I decided to begin living more minimalistically, efficiently and with a smaller impact on the environment. A few years back we stopped buying paper products such as paper towels, tissues and paper plates in lieu of washable linens, rags for the kitchen and we utilize toilet paper for tissues when we need one. Since then, we have tried our hand at composting all our food waste (that was a bust, but we'll try again), we are a toilet-sprayer away from cloth diapering our 2-month-old daughter, we have changed our eating habits from boxed and packaged goods to lots of fruits and veggies, we replaced our windows, installed some LED lights, buy at least half our clothing second hand, started a small herb garden, and finally, we attempted to make our own detergent (Eric is still perfecting that one).

All that aside, we're still striving for a minimalistic, streamlined existence -- and eventually -- we'll live it in a super cool, passive solar house.

I've been obsessed with minimalism as applied to my wardrobe for some time now - constantly striving for a perfect 50-piece capsule wardrobe in which everything fits to a T, everything goes with everything else, everything is cut beautifully, high quality and stylish, and everything is insanely comfy. I'm ALMOST there after years and years of trial and error. A minimal, capsule wardrobe isn't for everyone, but for someone who thinks about clothes for a living, it nice to have a kind of uniform that you can throw on everyday and look fab. Almost every designer I know does it, and for good reason - it's beyond easy, and you create a personal style all your own that gets better and better every year. By the time I'm 50, I plan on owning only those categories of clothing that look amazing on me, nothing else, even if that means I own nothing but blazers, tees and straight leg jeans.

It's amazing that the more Eric and I get rid of, the lighter and more joyous we feel. It also leaves room (and time!) for lots of creative dress-up sessions with what's already in my closet. I can't wait until my daughter can join in. :)

Image via theorganisedhousewife.com