Becoming a ‘semi’ Minimalist, etc. (part 1 of 2)

Here’s the promised post some of you have been looking forward to.😊 BTW I’m out of quarantine — never got sick and honestly loved the time I had at home to organize, relax, and study! It was good for my soul.

Okay I know the title is misleading because while ‘minimalist’ refers to less, ‘etc.’ means more!! BUT here’s the deal, in effort to not overwhelm on a minimalist post 😅, I’ll split this into a two part post. Part 1 (today) I’ll dish out my spiral-story of minimizing on “stuff”, and part 2 (tomorrow) will include tips to help you do the same if you’re looking to declutter.

Disclaimer: I’ve named this post ‘semi’ minimalist and I want to explain — here’s the deal, if you’ve ever watched tv programs on tiny living there are some super extremist out there!! And I kind of admire that, BUT the reality (for me) is that I have a family and I need my life to work and make sense, so maybe I could minimize more here or there but we also need to be able to function decently at the Witt house so this ‘semi‘-minimalist-living is what works for us…

Mostly I receive positive comments or compliments from family and friends when they come over and see my home’s decor or lack there of. Even people have commented on the blog when they see pictures of my house’s content.

People are interested (maybe even sub-consciously) — in less distraction, tidiness, and clean design these days from what I’ve learned. The interest of thinning out can be overwhelming though — not taking action is sometimes a lack of knowing where to begin but having a strong desire to do so.

The enthusiasm has caused me to write this very post to help encourage the fervor.

For me I was always a collector growing up — those creepy little troll dolls, knick-knacks, baseball cards, collector Barbies, etc, etc, etc…

I’ve shared about my adversity as a child and I’m pretty certain collecting (for me) was a coping mechanism. I must have felt security through my stuff and I had a lot of it.

When I left for college I took some of the knick-knack things with me and left a good portion of the rest at home where I grew up.

In my twenties, once Nate and I were married, I began adding pots and pans, wall hangings, holiday decor, craft supplies, etc…

It didn’t stop there. I remember when Nate started getting his first paychecks from the job he’s still working at. It was good money and that was something neither of us had growing up so after the bills were paid every paycheck, we’d spend the rest on this and that — I don’t even know what we’d spend it on but we were definitely living paycheck to paycheck at that point.

In our late twenties we had over $10,000 worth of credit card debt, and another $8000 wrapped up in college debt, some odd amount on a personal loan, plus a car loan or maybe two, on top of a house payment.

One day, when I went to pay a credit card bill, I paid attention to the interest rate!!

Ouch!!

Our interest amount was of course higher than the monthly payment. I was like ‘umm we probably better do something about this!’….so I did the only financial thing I knew to do “best”…

I got another credit card!!

Only this time it was a zero percent interest card and I transferred everything from the other credit cards over and we began power paying that single credit card payment and stopped spending frivolously (tips will be provided in the follow-up post).

I was beginning the process of minimizing without even realizing it.

I’d also picked up on the Dave Ramsey financial plan from a few friends. I never purchased the program but learned enough about it to utilize the idea to my own advantage — power pay bills and use a cash envelope budget for grocery, fuel, and fun money.

Around that time Nathan (thank God) got two large bonus checks and rather than blowing them on junk, we paid off debt. So between the bonus checks and the Dave Ramsey budgeting we paid off everything except a car payment within a few years…the car is now paid off too.

Slow learners…shortly afterwards we bought a camper on a loan and kept it until this past summer, selling it and eliminating that payment.

We now have a house payment only!!!

Throughout the process of eliminating debt (and starting a savings account) I began to feel a weight lifted with every bill paid off…and I wanted “more”….more of that feeling, so I began to purge belongings.

Tomorrow we’ll digger deeper and get into the physical process of keeping, saving, selling, or donating stuff; and hopefully if you’ve felt the desire to change things up a bit in your home and spending habits you’ll be able to gain some insight!

You can leave a comment if there’s anything you hope to see included; because while I’ve spent time on putting this together in what I feel is simple form, I’m hoping I haven’t overlooked any tips (for tomorrow). I’ll try to include whatever suggestions I get, along with my own tips in part 2.

See ya tomorrow in part 2 (Tips on Becoming a ‘semi’ Minimalist).

Author: alimw2013

About For His Purpose~ My name is Alicia and I'm a thirty-something year old who loves Jesus. Only through God’s amazing grace and mercy I have been redeemed from past regret and shame. Reading His word has allowed me to look past Satan’s forceful lies, to see myself for who Christ says I am in Him. Through writing I have learned why I made the choices I made in my younger years and I now have a better understanding of why I desire to love God like crazy these days. Despite my daily failures, God remains faithful always. I am reassured of His unconditional love for me by every ink-drop spilled out on paper, each committed prayer as I cry out to Him, and deep understanding reflected through reading His word as truth. Yes keeping a blog will make me vulnerable to others’ opinions- there will be some who don’t understand, some who may criticize or judge, but on the other hand if just one piece expressed through my writing grabs someone’s attention and directs them to God, then pouring out my heart in a blog for the world to read is worth it. I choose to glorify Him alone through words streaming across a glowing screen. And it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t reveal the fact that I’m incredibly quirky; I’m my loving husband’s best friend, my vivacious kids’ craziest cheerleader and spiritual trainer (3 John 1:4). I love anything farmhouse and rustic style. I think cupping a warm coffee mug in the palm of my hands is more satisfying than the contents within. I share a common obsession with my husband for the mountains, but I would (without a doubt) settle for waves crashing against my legs at the Atlantic Ocean just as well, and I almost always have a Yorkie curled up on my lap while writing. *All photos are photographed by forhispurpose.blog and therefore may not be stored or photocopied in any manner.

34 thoughts on “Becoming a ‘semi’ Minimalist, etc. (part 1 of 2)”

  1. Thank you for these posts! I have been very much looking forward to them. As far as what you covered today – I think I am in semi good shape. We too had a mountain of debt at one time. Thank God, we now only have our mortgage. However, we probably still spend more money than we ought to. So that is an area of focus we can work on. Thanks again! I look forward to tomorrow’s post! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Okay and I’ll talk about some saving-money-tips tomorrow; we don’t have any of this perfected BUT we are trying and that’s what makes it worth it and motivating! I love to hear when other people are interested in this topic.❤️I thought of you as I was writing because I knew we had messaged a little bit about it.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. First, praise the LORD you dodged the virus! Secondly, I love the pics and it looks to me like you really cut back! I’m the Knick knack queen so after looking at your pictures, I’m wondering if I need to do a walk through in the home again! We are going to have to get another car next year and hoping we have enough to just pay for it. God’s grace. Thanks and can’t wait for tomorrow’s post!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes I’m thankful I’ve stayed healthy, no Covid!! But my poor friend who I’d spent the weekend with and was exposed to was sure sick from Covid and she just thought it was sinus infection…I can’t believe I didn’t catch it!!!🙏🙏🙏❤️

      Maybe something will encourage you in tomorrow’s post to decide on those knick-knacks BUT overall it has to be your choice and your desire.❤️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  8. Pingback: Tips on Becoming a ‘semi’ Minimalist, etc. (part 2 of 2) – For His Purpose

  9. I’m so glad you’re out of quarantine and didn’t get sick! Yay!!
    It’s so hard to get rid of some things sometimes because of course as soon as I get rid of it I need it! LOL!
    I love how clean and decluttered your home is. Since mine is cluttered with power tools and cabinet pieces right now I just want to come sit on your couch for a few hours, soaking in all the space! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yes I definitely experience needing things after I get rid of it😬

      Hahaha you’re always welcome. Those house projects definitely put a dent in organizing but you will soon be there!!!!🙏❤️

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Oh there’s definitely times it’s gets out of hand and messy LOL…Especially on the days I sub which seems funny because I’m not even home so you think it could stay clean but it’s just the whole idea of flyby living makes it hard to keep up on housework.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment