Let me say this straight up: I love minimalism! More than that though: I think minimalism is especially important for mums!
Before we bought the house we are in now, we lived in a couple of rentals. While most people hate moving houses, I loved it! It was the one time I gave myself permission to purge. It was the one time when it was OK to “lose” hand-me-down items that I didn’t like and only kept out of guilt. I always knew that decluttering during moves made me feel amazing! It was freeing and it made me happy. What I didn’t know, was that if I took it a step further than just disposing a few broken or unwanted items, it could be life-changing.
Minimalist mum: The importance of minimalism for mums
When you have young children, minimalism is especially important! We all know that most mums spend majority of their time cleaning! What difference in your life would it make, if you could sit down on the floor and play blocks with your toddler without the to-do list at the back of your mind? What if you could enjoy those special little moments because you knew that everything was under control? That the doorbell could ring and you wouldn’t have to panic? What if you could enjoy a relaxing bath after the kids go to bed at night? Or take the time to read the novel that’s been on your to-read list for months? Or spend some much needed one-on-one time with your husband?
That’s the sort of life minimalism can give you.
When you’re a mum, reducing the number of possessions in the household will create more space and time for you to focus on what truly matters to you. You’ll find that having less clothing, means doing less laundry and the ability to stay on top of it all with a basic routine. Less dishes mean that you won’t have 20 cups lying around to be washed by mid-morning, because your kids wanted a sip of water… Ten times! Less trinkets means you won’t have to spend an hour moving them around and back into place to dust! The list goes on!
Being a minimalist mum doesn’t mean living in an empty house. It means surrounding yourself with things that are useful, or give you joy when you look at them, hold them and use them. Minimalism means being intentional about your purchases, having more time to spend doing the things you love instead of cleaning. It means trading possessions for experiences and memories.
Most importantly: all of these advantages of minimalism for mums translate to a happier and less stressful life! A life in which you can enjoy your children, rather than just clean up after them!
Minimalist mum: other minimalism for mums articles you may enjoy:
Why I treasure every picture drawn by my kids.
Minimalism and laundry routine: Regain control and sanity!
Our journey: Minimalism – how it all started!
Minimalist Mum
Another great read!
We are slowly getting on the minimalism train. The one thing I struggle with is my toddler’s incredible memory of his toys. He seems to have accrued a lot of plastic crap and is unwilling to let things go even if they are broken.
Any tips on involving young children?
Amy x
Author
Thank you for stopping by again Amy! And thank you for a new post idea! 😊
It can be hard with little ones, especially if they’re before the age of being able to be reasoned with. I would start by stopping any further influx of toys into the house so that at least the toy situation isn’t getting worse for you.
Speak kindly to grandparents and family and request that rather than bring toys as gifts, they gift experiences.
From there, you’ll be able to slowly work your way through the toys as he’s losing interest or growing out of some of them. A great way to start if you’re afraid he’ll miss some of the toys is to put them into a tub and take them out into the garage/shed. If he remembers one or two, make them appear again (don’t let him see the tub!!). The ones he doesn’t ask for will be safe to donate.
As he gets older, you’ll find that you’ll be able to reason with him and he’ll realise that the more toys he has, the longer the clean up takes! My kids are at a point where they will walk out of their room with a toy and say “I don’t play with this anymore, can we donate it?”. And we’ve only been on this minimalism train for a couple of years!
Hope this helps! I’ll write a post on this topic soon! 😊❤️
Hey!
Sorry I’ve only just got round to seeing your reply, thanks for the great tips, I’m having lots of talks with Mr 3.5, he’s starting to get there.
As for the family gift front that’s a massive work in progress, with both (large) extended families living close by we do receive a lot of “stuff”. I guess the conversations will happen gradually.
Hope you’re enjoying the arrival of spring xx