2010: An Exercise In Minimalist Living

I've just decided that I hate having stuff. Any stuff. Blankets, pillows, books, clothes, dishes, pots & pans, CDs, hair stuff. Too much stuff. In my house. I'm getting rid of it--not all of it, but a large portion. I'm a bit of a collector (read: hoarder), so I definitely won't be able to strip down to the bare minimum, but I'm sure going to try.

I got the idea to try out minimalism when I realized that I've been doing a lot of packing, unpacking, moving, re-moving, and boxing up/throwing out a lot of my stuff. I've already moved six times in my adult life--and I'm only 20!

I hate the process of moving. It's hairy, it's expensive, and it happens so often for me that I don't even bother to take my stuff out of the boxes anymore. I have a big move coming up this summer: I'm headed to Tucson, AZ to finish my undergrad. I'm from Texas. If I don't get rid of all my junk, it'll be at least $600 out of my pocket for a moving van. As a broke college student, I don't have that kind of money. Solution: get rid of all the stuff I don't need; save money where I can.

So first, all my extra/old (but gently used) clothes are going to Goodwill. As are my tonsandtonsandtons of extra kitchen stuff. That's all any of this is. Just stuff. I'm also throwing out my old socks, dirty pillows, and DVD cases. You may be surprised how much space you save when you just keep the DVD disc. I'll save even more space since I own over 100 movies. That would be a lot of extra plastic.

Anyway, I'll keep updates of how it goes on my blog. I've found a fully-furnished, four bedroom apartment in Tucson; but with the minimalist mindset, I'm considering a 300sqft studio house for me and my dog. I'm just not sure if it's fair to keep a not-so-tiny dog in a tiny place, though she'll have a yard and we'll be on dog adventures at the park quite regularly. The smaller studio would save me about $100 a month on rent, but that doesn't include the utilities that the larger, furnished place offers. Like I said, still thinking about it.

My minimalist experiment isn't just about cutting down how much stuff I have but also on how much money I spend. Broke college student. No money. Even with a job and a half. I'll save anywhere I can, thanks.

I have a million ideas in my head, so I'm off to get started. More ideas to come.