Okay friends, for today’s Thoughtful Thursday post I wanted to debrief with you about living as an ultra minimalist for 3 weeks. I traveled with my son to Portland, Oregon to move him there as he was going to be starting his first job out of college. There were several things that I learned during this challenge.

First, I did learn that I have too many clothes. I have known this, but I have been struggling to hit the sweet spot. Even though I feel like I have too many clothes, I don’t think I could live with a capsule wardrobe. I found myself worrying too much about what I was going to wear for fear I would wear something I needed for some other occasion before I was able to wash it. At home I don’t usually think much about choosing an outfit because I love everything in my closet and I have plenty of clothes to last me a week as I do laundry once a week. I definitely did not have enough workout clothes while on this trip. I only brought 4 workout outfits with me and I workout at least 5 times a week, so I ended up having to do laundry more often than when I am at home. 

One thing I did learn about myself is that I definitely gravitate towards a more plain style. As you might be able to tell from the outfits I brought with me {{see photos below}}. I think focusing on weeding out the unique items from my wardrobe and sticking with simple will make it easier for me to pare down.

Something else I learned apart from the clothing living as an ultra minimalist is that I need far less than I own in general. While I was in Portland, I slept on my son’s sofa in his living room and did all my work either from the sofa or his kitchen table. I realized I truly don’t need an office and I am perfectly fine editing just on my laptop, I don’t really NEED the secondary monitor to edit. Is it nice to have? Yes, it is. But I don’t need it. You’re thinking, Joy, are you planning to declutter your office?? No! This is important as we think about our future and discuss downsizing. I think I could easily work just in a kitchen nook space and not need an entire office.

Another thing I learned while I was away was how nice it was to have such minimal things to take care of. When I got home I was a bit overwhelmed jumping back into taking care of a family of four and a 2600 square foot home. I know that I live with three adults, and they for the most part take care of themselves, but it was more so about how large our house is and how much stuff we own! It was so refreshing to have a smaller space to take care of while staying in my son’s 700 square foot apartment!

A side note that doesn’t necessarily have to do with minimalism is I learned how much I love living in an urban environment! It was so nice to walk places – to the grocery store, the post office, coffee shops, and restaurants. I think I was organically walking a lot more during that time.

While I don’t think I would enjoy living as an ultra minimalist full time, it was interesting to challenge myself and live out of a carry on suitcase and my computer bag for three weeks. I was thankful for the lessons that I learned during that time!