For those of you following me from the beginning of my journey, you will know I consider myself a minimalist.
I’ve had a lot of questions about what does that actually entail, being a minimalist, have I had to make drastic changes to my life? So, I wanted to share with you what minimalism means to me.

When I started my minimalism journey, I didn’t even really know that’s what it was. I just knew that I needed to make changes in my life and that it would have to start with my surroundings and my mindset.
Since then, I regularly declutter my home of things that don’t add value to my life, I adore organising things in trays and storage boxes to make everything look cleaner and tidier (yes, you can still have storage helpers when you’re a minimalist!), and I’ve drastically reduced the amount of money I spend, resulting in a saving of $10,000 in my first year of minimalism!
Table of Contents
What is minimalism
Well that’s just the question isn’t it? But there is no set definition of what minimalism should be.
Webster’s English Dictionary does define the word as meaning:
“a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity”
And same can be said for the minimalism we are talking about today. Minimalism within our homes, our minds, our everyday lives.
But one’s definition of ‘extreme’ maybe completely different to another. Minimalism can mean different things to different people.
For example, I used to have over 100 pairs of shoes and have paired right down to just 15 (not that I need to explain but I travel a lot so my footwear comprises of flip flops to trainers to hiking boots to snow boots and of course a pair of heels or two!).
To me, at that time, this was extreme. To go from over 100 pairs of shoes to just 15. Sounds extreme right?
But for others, 15 pairs of shoes still sounds way too much and they prefer a simpler two or three pairs.
The point is, both are seen as minimalist. Both have let go of excess items that are hardly ever used and don’t add value to their lives.
What minimalism isn’t
Minimalism does not mean living off-grid in a cabin in the woods. It doesn’t mean that all your worldly possessions must fit into just one backpack that you must be able to carry by yourself.
Minimalism doesn’t mean that you can’t own anything that isn’t a necessity, such as a car or a TV, or that you can’t take vacations or spend money.
It doesn’t mean throwing everything away. Just because an item isn’t necessarily essential, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t bring value to you or your home. It doesn’t mean that you don’t love it.
Minimalism doesn’t mean that you can’t own 10, 100 or 1000 pairs of shoes!
Minimalism isn’t just for those with zero debt or those who can ‘afford to be a minimalist’.
It doesn’t mean you can’t have beautiful things in your home, even if these things don’t have a significant purpose.
Minimalism also isn’t about having white walls, very little furniture and living in a space that looks cold and uninviting.
However, minimalism CAN be any of the above things! It can be whatever you make of it, whatever your style is, and whatever you desire it to be.
What minimalism means to me
There were many reasons I made the decision to try minimalism. I had listened to podcasts by The Minimalists and read The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker, as well as binge watched Tidying Up With Marie Kondo on Netflix, and this is what I learned:
Minimalism was likely to reduce my stress levels, add happiness to my life, allow me to be more creative, provide me with more freedom and give me a clearer idea of my goals in life.
This is what I wanted my life to look like. This is what minimalism would mean to me.
Reduced stress levels
Every item in my home creates a job. Kitchen wear has to be cleaned. Plants have to be watered. Clothes have to be washed and ironed. Ornaments have to be dusted. Furniture has to be moved in order to clean around it.
So it made sense that by eliminating the things I didn’t love, it would leave less jobs for me to do around the house, right? Right!
So, the less time I now spend having to wash dishes and clothes, dusting, tidying, ironing in the evening time after my actual job, the more time I had for the important stuff. Like exercise. Hanging out with family and friends. My stress levels reduced.
Added happiness
As I mentioned previously, having more time to spend on the things that are important has greatly improved my overall happiness!
It’s hard to see how having less things can make you happy, especially if this is the way you were brought up. But spending less time on things that don’t really matter and more time on things like your friends & family, your hobbies, your goals and your future, is all around a better way to live.
Minimalism helps you understand what really matters and it enables you to be more present in the moment. Instead of wishing that you had time to do the things that make you happy or think about how awesome it would be if only I could go on vacation or buy some new clothes, you are able to appreciate what you already have in front of your eyes.
More creative
I find when my space is cluttered and messy, so is my mind. When my home is calm, my mind is able to open up and get more creative.
Minimalism has helped me to be more creative at work, and I feel like my mind has a lot more room to be creative now.
And it’s really helped me with the way that I display things in my home, as well as my style of dressing and decorating.
I’ve even started playing my guitar again, since I now have the time to do so!
Freedom from consumerism and debt
Since beginning with minimalism, I find I’m not at all trying to ‘keep up with the Jones’ anymore. While I’d love to say I never really did, there were always some ways in which I was.
I always wanted to have a newer phone, if I had an occasion coming up I’d feel like I’d have to buy something new so I’d fit in with the crowd.
Now that I’m living a less materialistic life and spending more on experiences, my bank balance has begun to rise! So instead of having debt or a bunch of possessions, I have money in the bank.
Read also: What is eco-minimalism and is it really for you?
Clearer idea of life goals
I always thought that having a bunch of possessions, a huge wardrobe full of clothes and a beautiful apartment would mean I’d have my dream life.
But now that I’m living with less, I can see more clearly how the goalposts move further away from you as your hectic life and cluttered house pile up around you.
I’ve realised that working all the hours under the sun to make money to buy things isn’t what life is about for me. And while I’m not quite there with leaving my full time job yet, I’ve drastically cut down my hours and working towards my future goals.
Conclusion
Minimalism does not have to be lived in a certain way or by a certain set of rules. You may choose to live with as little as possible and others may choose the complete opposite.
What minimalism means to me may be something completely different to what it means to you. You have your ideas of what you want out of life and I have mine.
If any of the above inspires you to give minimalism a go or you just want to find out a little more, why not check out my guide on minimalism for beginners to get you started.
And don’t worry too much about labeling yourself as a minimalist or not. You don’t have to change your life overnight just because you might be reading this post right now!
Read also:
- 26 things I stopped buying to embrace minimalism
- 21 simple living tips to reduce everyday stress
- How to organise your life and simplify your days

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Love the blog, really cleared somethings to me tbh, but overall its awesome and i can relate to the added happiness part, thank you for sharing
Thanks Farah!
I often feel that I’m a minimalist at heart as I certainly feel its benefits when I do something to live more intentionally in this way. I like how you’ve broken it down and helped me realize it can be what I make of it — something I’ve struggled with as my husband is definitely not into minimalism, haha! Thank you for sharing!
It can definitely be a challenge if one’s partner isn’t into minimalism! Thanks for reading 🙂
Great post! This has actually been really insightful for me in realising the full potential of minimalism, and I think I might start working towards it too! I love that it can increase creativity and reduce jobs – that sounds great! Thanks for sharing x
Thanks so much! I’m so happy you’ve decided to work towards minimalism – please do let me know if I can help in any way 🙂
How did you end up with 100 pair of shoes? I guess minimalism exists on a sliding scale, with off grid being one of the extremes. For me, just having a space for everything is my goal, which is hard when you live in a single room
You know, you buy some here, you buy some there! I went through a few years of overspending and not thinking about what I was doing. Even though I probably never wore a lot of these, I still bought them. It’s taken me some time and therapy to be where I am today, knowing that I don’t need ‘things’ in my life for happiness.
It can definitely be tough when you don’t have your own space and have to cram everything you own into one room. One thing you could do, depending on where you live, would be to store seasonal items in an attic or basement until it’s the right time of year?
i absolutely love this post! as a minimalist myself i sometimes don’t even want to label myself this way. since minimalism looks different for everyone, i just am more intentional with everything i do & own. it’s funny because one minimalist may say 15 pairs of shoes is a lot or even too much when someone else could say it’s not enough. but to me, it is never about the number of items. it’s about how you feel overall.
owning less things has helped my mental wellbeing most of all & for that – i’m grateful. 🙂
Yes I think minimalism is starting to move a little more towards intentional living. It’s so great that it’s helped your mental wellbeing. It has definitely done the same for me!
I think minimalism is appealing. I have spent this holiday period recycling and emptying the living space in my house. I enjoyed this post.
Thanks Jamie, I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Wonderful post! Everyone has their own interpretation of what minimalism means to them. Our journeys are different and what we desire and use in our daily lives will look differently too. Like you mentioned, you went from 100 to 15 pairs of shoes and that is a huge change, but to someone else, they may only require 3 pairs. At the end of the day, it’s what minimalism does for our wellbeing. It reduces stress, reminds us of what’s important, and allows us to save money and spend it on things we will use. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Yes, absolutely it’s the benefits of minimalism that makes all the difference in our lives 🙂
I love that you covered in this post that minimalism means different things to different people. I know some people who can easily declutter and not rebuy clothes easily, and I know some people who seriously struggle with that. Although I don’t have a 100 pairs of shoes, makeup is definitely my clutter hoarding of choice. Great post!
Alexis| Cafe-beauty.com
Thanks for reading Alexis! I used to have a ton of mekeup too, which is funny because I hardly ever wear makeup! I’ve managed to declutter my makeup down to one of what I use and when one thing runs out, I’ll buy another 🙂
This was such an amazing read! I think that the overall idea of minimalism comes as always with full baggage, so I am glad to read that minimalism needs to mean something different to everyone. I think there’s this idea that it means living with almost nothing, but you’re the right example that it means living better and happier x
Absolutely! When I first heard about minimalism I was shocked to find out that it wasn’t as excessive as I thought it would be!
Great post! I adore this so much. I always consider myself a minimalist-ish. I do it because clutter and having too many things stress me out. I prefer fewer things in my life! Thanks for sharing x
That’s great that you’ve adopted a minimalist lifestyle and have identified the reason you do it. And what a great reason too!