HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! 2017 is here and ready to get us going on our goals, dreams and experiences. We are kicking off the new year with a new project.
Over the past few years, I’ve been researching the minimalist lifestyle. Many think it’s about just getting rid of a bunch of stuff and living in a tiny house. When you look a bit closer, you find out it is actually about making room for what’s truly important.
We recently watched The Minimalists. A 76 minute documentary introducing it’s viewers to what it all means and why. This film came right on time and only validated our decision to minimize gift giving this past year. It inspired us to challenge some of our social norms. One of the biggest social norms many of us have is clothing. I don’t know anyone personally with less that 20 pairs of shoes. We all have tons of other items too like coats, jeans, shirts and dresses to name a few. So we have created a minimalist wardrobe initiative.
What does this mean?
Let me explain. You select only 25 items of clothing from your wardrobe to wear for 2 months. These items include hats, scarfs, pants, shirts, jackets, coats, shoes and jewelry. We will not be counting clothes you may wear to workout in. We are only counting your daily wardrobe that you would wear to work, hanging out with friends, going on a date, celebrations etc.
So what is the purpose of all this and how does this benefit me? I am glad you asked this question. First let me say, this initiative isn’t for everyone, but it is if you are looking to:
-Challenge your social norms of “need”
-Would like to declutter your closet
-Would like to simplify your wardrobe just because
-Inspired by living with less
-Would like to simplify your wardrobe to have one less thing to worry about
The overall purpose is to challenge our social norms of need versus what we “actually” need. We are all guilty of this to a degree.
How many of us find that shirt with the tags on it we bought months ago that we forgot we hand? **Raises hand*
BIG PURGE:
Months ago, my husband and I cleaned out our walk-in closet. We ended up getting rid of 4 bags of clothes. It was one of the most refreshing things I did all year. It allowed us to see the clothes we did want to wear much better. How many of us rummage through our closet everyday trying to find that black shirt? If you are anything like me you mistake “the other black” shirt for the one you really want to wear. Sounds insane right?
Well, I got rid of those “other black shirts’ that I didn’t plan on wearing. (I don’t know why I was holding on to them) As a result, I could find the shirts, I did want to wear with the added bonus of not having to clean up our room after I got dressed lol (I know I am not the only one)
Ok that was a mouthful but you get the idea right?
If you are still reading this, I hope you are considering joining us. So here is some homework that we are giving ourselves.
-First, pick out your 25 items and take a group photo of them. We suggest having at least one dress item to wear for special events you may need to attend. So check your calendar J
-Put your items in an area of your closet that is easy to access. This helps avoid any confusion or mix up.
-If it helps to write down your items then do it.
-Check out the documentary or research living small if you can.
Please Note:
There are different levels of minimalist living. Just like anything else in the world. Some choose to live in a tiny house as I mentioned earlier, while some may just choose to live with one car. Others may decide to do something else. I say all of this to just drive the point of preference. We all have it. There is no better way. The best way is what makes you happy.
The MWI starts Jan 4th. Yes, Wednesday lol and will run until Friday, March 3rd. Each Monday, I will be sharing my outfit for that day. Please share your outfits, thoughts and progress by using the hashtag #The25and2
If at any time you may have questions please feel free to reach out to me at sasha (at) thenaturalhighblog (dot) com