.thirty-one days of minimalism: why.

So why minimalism anyways?

 

Today, I wanted to share the personal reasons I have for choosing a more minimalistic lifestyle for my family.

 

I don't want to spend my time managing stuff.

I just don't. I want to spend it with my kiddos, working on projects, or blogging. The less stuff you have, the easier it is to pick up and move on.

 

I need my home to be safe for my children.

Not all rooms in my house are for kids all the time. Shocking, I know. But my makeup is in an easily accessible drawer in my bathroom, so that room is out for solo playing time. And I'm not a fan of kids playing in the kitchen by themselves. But for the rooms that they do have access to - I need them to be safe. I need to know that if I walk away for a moment (I do have to go to the bathroom sometimes!) that my children will be okay. That there are no breakables for them to...break. That nothing can fall on them. So my solution is to have less stuff.

 

We move. Often.

My husband is in flight school with the Marine Corps. Each phase of flight school is 6-8 months long. So we move a lot. And the less there is to pack and unpack, the less time we can spend in upheaval. Our last move was only about 20 miles from our apartment, but I was 7 mos. pregnant with baby #3, and we did the whole thing ourselves. We were unpacked in less than 48 hours. It was glorious!

 

Intentionally spending less money on material possessions leaves us with more money to spend on experiences.

We live 2300 miles from home and family. We like to visit! But plane tickets can be expensive. So the less we spend on toys that will be broken, or movies we'll only watch a couple of times, the more money we have to put towards plane tickets!

 

Our children will take their cues from us.

I want my children to grow up good stewards of their possessions, but not to be obsessed with them. I don't want them to put objects over people. And you can be happy without owning everything you see on TV. Really, you can.

 

What about you?
Are you working towards minimalism?
What are some of your reasons?