19TH: TEN THINGS I NO LONGER OWN

It seems that American-Norwegian sociologist, Elise M. Boulding predicted our era when she wrote these words in 1920's: "The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things." These words are beaming in wisdom in today's culture. I began practicing this minimalism journey summer of last year, when I read a book called: Goodbye, things by Fumio Sasaki. You may remember the book from my 2017 flat tour HERE. Fast forward 2018, and here we are. To be fair, I always have this identity crisis as a blogger even before. When I began blogging last 2011, it started as a make-up blog. However, I can't wrap my head around why I need to buy so much make-up when I know that a) I will not finish them because I'm not a make-up artist, b) it costs money and c) clutter. Inevitably, I stopped doing makeup reviews because, clearly, that's not my calling.


I realised that when you start to blog organically, the right audience will notice you. I am not saying that I will never buy a thing ever again because heck I still love shopping. I repeat: I still love shopping! So, does this sound counter-productive? This article encapsulate it perfectly. MINIMALISM IS INTENTIONALITY. It is marked by clarity, purpose, and intentionality. At its core, minimalism is the intentional promotion {buying} of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It is a life that forces intentionality.

Going back to my blog trajectory, I am happier now that I can freely write topics close to my heart. It is liberating, to say the least. Ah, the list:

1. Television. I have a compact projector instead. Very tiny compared to a television and it frees up my wall too.
2. Digital camera. I once owned a Canon G7X and whilst it's lovely, I seldom use it. So I sold it on eBay.
3. Audio equipment (dvd-players and dvd's). These are archaic. Thanks, Apple Music or Spotify.
4. Loads of make-ups. I only have one product of each kind and I take joy knowing they are all my favourites. Read: What's in my make-up bag?
5. Tons of shoes. I literally counted my shoes as of this writing. I have eight pairs (trainers or rubber shoes included).
6. Excessive accessories like gloves, hat or scarf. I don't even have a back-up which is a bit daring (think: -4 weather forecast in Vienna when I land for Christmas holiday).
7. Magazine collection. I got a free subscription of RED magazine and a penchant for getting my Waitrose print magazines each month (also free). The catch is, they don't linger in my living room. Off they go to recycling bin if they have already served their purpose.
8. Shelfful of bags. I've been using my KNOMO Beauchamp bag for over a year now and I couldn't be happier. I only have four bags in total and I don't feel restricted. I guess it just works for me. I'll be honest though, I am thinking of retiring my Fiorelli sling bag {see her HERE} soon in favour of a designer one.
9. Basketful of hair care products. I use Pureology shampoo and conditioner for my hair and one anti-heat protection spray {which I bought years ago} and that's it. I occasionally buy rose hair masks from Sephora but that's only whenever I go to Champs-Élysées in Paris.

10. Piles of beddings. I wash my beddings every 3 weeks to prevent pimples {do you know that germs in your pillow can cause spots too?}. I probably have four beddings in total but I have one summer favourite and one for winter too. And oh, 400 thread count Egyptian cotton feels like a million bucks! However, I only have two of these because it's on a higher price point. John Lewis sells premium pillow cases!

I noticed that when I swapped quality for quantity, I shop purposefully. As of right now, I don't feel any pressing need in my life. This last quote is spot on: "It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor." I encourage you to give minimalism a try. If you feel it's not for you, you can always go back to your default. Cheers to a clutter-free Christmas! -CMK