Simple Living Inspiration
One of my all-time favorite blogs is Young House Love. They’re DIY + home bloggers in Richmond, Virginia who have a blog and podcast that I have followed for years. Their podcast is hi-larious! In recent years they have renovated two and a half homes in Cape Charles, Virginia on the coast (I really want to rent one sometime!) Recently, they announced that they will be selling all of their homes and moving to Florida fueled by the desire for simple living by the sea.
Simple living by the sea
If that doesn’t sound dreamy then I don’t know what does. I have always wanted to move to Florida myself. Like Sherry, I am drawn to warm weather. I love humidity and hot tubs and hot cars and sunshine and walking on the beach. And like both of the Petersiks, I crave simplicity. Ever since they made the big move announcement, I can’t stop thinking about it. While Thomas and I have zero plans to move, locally or across the country, I find myself brainstorming ways I can mimic the Petersik’s move without changing zip codes.
Just saying the word ‘simplicity’ makes me feel calm
I’m not looking to give away all my stuff and only sit on the floor, but I want to feel s p a c e.
- Space in my days to have a clear mind
- Space to relax on the floor with the kids and not think about what I should do next
- Space to be creative
To get more headspace I need to free up time. Time is our most valuable resource. So one way to get more time is to have less house to manage.
The Air B&B Thomas and I rented in San Diego was so tiny and charming! But we were feeling a bit crowded by the end of our stay.
Simple living is challenging for most of us
I know it feels like I have one foot in and one foot out. I talk so much about simplicity yet I am still having a hard time really embracing a simpler life. For example, I spend a lot of time sorting, organizing, picking up my kids’ toys. I really just want to have less toys. So why don’t I? I want to have less clothes. Less kitchen appliances. Less food in the pantry. I have chipped away at all of these areas, but it still feels like we own too much.
Here are just the coats I own:
- Big nice winter down coat
- Old winter down coat (saving for a muddy sledding day)
- Lighter winter down coat
- Sweater jacket
- Dressy wool coat
- Lighter dressy coat
- Cargo pocket jacket
- Ski jacket
- Rain coat
I wear all of these coats. (Except the old winter down coat I need to just donate.) I used to have even more. I constantly ask myself how I can simplify my coats. Would I miss them? I could probably get rid of these and be just fine:
- Old winter down coat (saving for a muddy sledding day)
- Dressy wool coat
- Lighter dressy coat
- Cargo pocket jacket
(Moving to Florida would help me get rid of most of these 
) These are the kinds of thoughts I have all the time when I try to minimize. Kitchen appliances are no different – I have maybe 10 different ones and I use them all. So how do you simplify items if you actually use them?
“What if I need it?”
I think the biggest reason I am afraid to jump down another level on the simplification ladder is the concern that I might need something one day. So I tend to go through phases where I test the waters. For instance, I’ll get rid of 20% of my closest and see if I miss anything. You could say I’m getting braver when it comes to living with less. I can’t think of anything I have donated that I have regretted, but there have been times I’ve gone looking for something and then remembered I gave it away (I think that was an extra comforter.) Truly simplifying is risky because you don’t really know if you’re going to miss something until it’s gone.
You can buy another
I always say though, although it sounds wasteful, you can always buy something again. Or swap with someone. Or find a used one just like you used to have. So it’s not the end of the world to miss something that is replaceable and that reminder alone should be reason enough to take the risk of simplification!
elle says
I love the idea of simplifying, but I also keep in mind that just because I get rid of something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in the world anymore (which I wish my neighbors, who seem to think that the junk they have piled next to their house doesn’t exist anymore…, would figure out) The most sustainable wardrobe is the one we already have, so paring down coats so that our closets are more sparse, and then buying more coats when we need them, just puts more coats into the world. I’m working on bringing less into the house, rather than getting stuff out of the house, since when my house has a little more stuff in it, it’s a good reminder that I need to live with my choices.
Kath Younger says
Yes I agree with you. Clothing swaps are a great way to trade and get something “new” without creating more. I have a friend who does one once or twice a year. I usually take clothes and don’t bring anything home : )
Karen says
I’ve found the best way to simplify my things is to simplify practices. If I find myself needing 10 kitchen appliances to cook, it’s time to simplify meal planning and cooking. If I find I need multiple jackets or outfits that seem excessive, it’s time to simplify my activities. Our daily lives dictate our things, not the other way around. Often we buy or acquire things because we believe it will spur us to do new activities–and then the things pile up. A better way is looking at the activities we really, truly want to do, and sort our belongings by those. For instance, I’d rather bake than make lots of dips or things that require a food processor–it’s hard to clean, but a mixer is easier–so when we moved recently, I used the opportunity to get rid of my breaking-down food processor that, while I did use quite often, I dreaded cleaning and putting away and getting out. I simply don’t worry about recipes that need a processor, and nobody really misses those anyway.
Another example of buying things to create activity: a long time ago my parents hopped on the NordicTrack bandwagon–remember those? My mom kept saying things like “We’ll get so healthy!” “We can exercise without leaving the house!” But in the long run, it wasn’t the type of activity they enjoyed. My mom preferred gardening or walking in a nearby park, my dad preferring golfing. So the NordicTrack sat there, taking up room, for years. It didn’t spur activity.
Kath Younger says
Very good point!! (And yes I remember the NordicTrack commercials!! Great marketing)
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Great tips! I’m looking to declutter and simplify my living situation too!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Dani says
I don’t think you want less food in your pantry while there’s a global virus outbreak!
Kath Younger says
Very good point!
Julie says
If you have the closet space for all of your coats, it doesn’t seem like having them is taking up any of your head space or time. I don’t see the harm in keeping them. It’s easy to compare yourself to others, and Sherry Petersik may have great reasons for not having many clothes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what’s right for you. In fact, having various coats for different purposes probably saves you mental energy by not having to think about it and order a new one when something comes up that you need a different coat for.
Kath Younger says
Good flip side perspective. I think it does still give me some stress when i look in the closet. There is little room to breathe in there.
Mollie says
There’s also the climate impact of buying clothing items as well to consider.
I bring this up not to make you feel guilty but because I also occasionally have to weigh the pros and cons before donating something– I don’t want to add to the environmental burden by re-buying. It helps me be more intentional about it as well– I only buy something (or continue to keep it if I own) if I needed it more than once in the past x number of months or years.
Kath Younger says
That’s why I said if you did re-buy to look for something used or free (like in a buy sell group). I agree buying new again feels super wasteful.
Libby says
Love this. Maybe you should remodel your master bath and see what happens? ? I also agree about needing space. I was telling my husband the other night that my car was a mess and the laundry room was a mess etc. and I had so much anxiety. I definitely feel like I need outer order for inner calm (like Gretchen Rubin says).
Kath Younger says
Hahahha – I get the bathroom joke!
Tracy says
Bahaha! Took me a sec but I got the joke too!! lol
Suzanne says
We tend to fill the space we have so it has to be an intentional choice to resist.. I moved from 3000 sq ft to 1500 sq ft two years ago with 2 kids and a dog and it’s been a dream. I got rid of about half of our stuff, pared down clothes, furniture, books, toys, etc and just kept what we really needed. Kids chose what they wanted to keep and have to keep their stuff in their rooms or in the basement because I just don’t have room for their clutter in the main spaces. It’s been SO nice not to have to physically or mentally inventory SO MUCH STUFF. I LOVE the simplicity of less. And, if you have less, you’ll really find you need less.
That being said, I also own many coats. I live on the east coast too and since we have all types of weather, I have a light coat, heavy dress coat, super heavy puffy coat, rain coat, etc. It’s maddening, but I hate being cold, so I’d really rather give up almost anything than a coat.
I’d also like to plug the community facebook group buynothing. I joined my local group and it’s a great resource for sharing/gifting.
Kath Younger says
I love the buy nothing groups! The world needs more of those.
The Many Thoughts of a Reader says
OMG I am so about getting rid of things and my husband is of the ‘what if we need it.’ It drives me insane. We actually cannot find our waffle maker and he blames me because I apparently made him take it downstairs because we never use it? I didn’t even know we HAD a waffle maker. Clearly we NEVER USE IT. We got new dishes and he ran them downstairs to ‘save’ them for when we get a beach house. Ughhhhhhh. I am all, dude, I could sell these now and buy ones I ACTUALLY LIKE, later. I spend time each Thursday going through clothes and items to post on market place and keep a donation bag going.
Kath Younger says
Hahahah!! All the yeses 🙂
Andrea says
I wouldn’t say that I live simply, but I am definitely a great purger. I’m constantly getting rid of toys, clothes, shoes, and stuff. It doesn’t bother me at all and I never miss anything I’ve gotten rid of. It drives my husband nuts, though, and he says I’m mean (ex I throw almost all of my daughters crafts out immediately when they come in the house, she’s never noticed though)… “why can’t you keep ANYTHING?!” Ha ha
Kath Younger says
You and I are soul sisters!!
Jenny E. says
The list of coats is interesting! Being in Texas, this is pared down for me, but the differences based solely on geography are interesting. I’ve got the dressy wool coat (in grey), but otherwise only trench coats. I’m sure I don’t need three of them, but black, brown, and a bright red suit my needs for the almost all cold or rainy days.
My pantry, after stocking up on two weeks worth of food, has much more food now than previously. My family is thrilled because they never liked my minimal pantry style.
Sheryl says
You say you really just want to have less toys, less clothes, and less kitchen appliances but I think what you really want is fewer toys, fewer clothes, and fewer kitchen appliances. Per dictionary.com: fewer is only to be used when discussing countable things, while less is used for singular mass nouns. For example, you can have fewer ingredients, dollars, people, or puppies, but less salt, money, honesty, or love. If you can count it, go for fewer.
Kath Younger says
You get a gold star!!
Tracy says
I vote for moving to Florida!! 😉 That is also a dream of mine!
Coco says
I stop buying things out of the urge to owe more. I value experience and happily wear the same thing over and over again. Simple life gives me peace of milk and let me focus on what is important.
Tess says
As an older millenial, I find myself always being drawn to organizing, simplifying, minimizing our stuff and home. I am also a Virgo, so maybe that’s part of it. I find the generational aspect of this fascinating tho. This is generalizing of course, but many of us grew up in huge homes with excess of stuff, square footage, cars, etc. maybe it’s a generational thing because many of us can’t have all that our parents had due to stagnant salaries and insane inflation of the costs of so much other stuff. Or maybe it’s just to be different. Let me also say tho, that sometimes I wish these pressures to appear like our homes, closets, clothes, skin, hair, whatever didn’t have to look so social media perfect, or as you admit, much of this post is fueled based on a blog you read- something carefully curated to look perfect on the internet (tho she is very real to say it doesn’t look like that most of the time.) our parents maybe spent more time on things more important- playing with us, reading books, etc (this is not directed towards you or anyone, just thoughts on my own childhood vs my parenting life now.) anyhow just thoughts! Thx for letting me share.
Peyton Hargrove says
I have been thinking about the Petersiks like crazy! I even started looking on zillow for a smaller house! I downsized last year to a medium house and love it but do plan to go even smaller in a few years. I live in Central New York and need a lot of coats. Its a problem. I wear all of them in different seasons and could even use one more! I am just accepting my entire coat closet will be full of coats. That is my life. And boots. All the rain, snow and stylish boots! My best advice is to stop buying stuff. Its one of my favorite things to do but I am stopping. Only replacing what must be replaced and shopping used, thrift for things I want. There will always be shiny new fashion and home items that will make my heart skip a beat. We have decided to live like we lost our job for the rest of the year. What would you change if you didn’t have options? It makes what I own more special. If I can’t buy more stuff it makes me love the coat I have. I feel thankful for all my pretty dishes since I “can’t” buy any. I got rid of obvious clutter but the rest of our stuff is what we have to “shop” from the rest of the year!
Jill D says
I read / heard somewhere that we regret 20% of the stuff we give away/ sell. Rather than that giving me anxiety it brings me calm. I can live with 20% because that means 80% is gone without notice or is happily gone.
I inherited a lovely reproduction Victorian couch from my mother. I had it reupholstered but it still did not fit our home or style. I finally accepted that as much as I wanted to cherish my mother’s couch I was beginning to resent it. I sold it for a nice price to a man with a gorgeous Victorian home.. The relief after I sold it was immense. It opened up space in our house and the couch was in a “good home.” I used the money toward a vacation something my mother would have approved.
Kath Younger says
I love that, and your story
Amanda says
I loved this post as well as the comments and different perspectives above (even the mini grammar lesson ;-))!
I’m constantly trying to pare down, and when I think I’ve made progress I look around and see there’s still SO MUCH STUFF. Doesn’t help that my husband keeps bringing more into the home and is definitely part of the “what if we need it down the road” camp!