I live out of boxes and it is awesome!
Are you at your home/house/room/pad as you read this? Look at the stuff around you. Did you wish your space was something like pictures on Pinterest? Is your space always cluttered and out of control?
The uphill journey with stuff
I’ve lived in some pretty ugly houses. I moved to Bangalore about 5 years ago. I lived in a paying guest accommodation where I got my first taste having to wear slippers inside the house. Then, I lived in a government quarters (allotted to me, yes thank you) where I had to clean pigeon and rat poop. I have lived in a space that was right above a cow stable and I have lived in a house where my room which had almost no light or fresh air and the view from my bed was a Indian-style toilet. Plus I lived with my brother without a choice. My brother and I didn’t get along well because as adults we were our own different people with habits that clashed. This made me miserable for the longest time. I wanted to live alone, in a space that I could use in the way I wanted.
I could have changed this by simply getting a job I loved doing and moving to my own place. Parents could be convinced if I stood my ground but I never tried. You know why? Because the fact that I didn’t have the the chicest clothes, shoes and bags bothered me more than my living quarters. I was so tunnel visioned. I thought if I dressed better my problems would go away. I was ever unhappy no matter what I bought. My mind was ever coveting the next shiny item on Myntra/Flipkart/Amazon and meanwhile my relationships both professional and personal went downhill.
When you fix the biggest problem in your life, you want less stuff
My biggest problem in life was that I lived in a shitty house in a shitty locality with terrible memories. I had to get the fuck out of that place ASAP. The day I moved out and settled at my new place, I was SO MUCH happier and ready to take on challenges. I had more energy to finally get a life i wanted.
Still though, I had to shed more stuff before I could say I felt any lighter. Some said “why don’t you just chuck it in the cabinets, you have all this storage space!”. Na-uh, been there done that and regretting it. Storing/plain-organizing is NOT decluttering/downsizing it’s simply decorating your shit! Plus if you stash it, it’s only ought of sight, the problem doesn’t truly go away.
As I begin yet another purge, it occurred to me that how much I bought were simply to compensate for the lack of facilities that inherently needed to come with the house.
Then there is that itch to…
I prided myself on being one of the top 250 reviewers on Amazon.in. Again a sentiment I had right but executed badly. It’s true that reviews help you make informed decisions but it’s not true that they prevent you from buying shit you don’t really need. Even as I committed myself to being more agile in my domestic concerns (cleaning, cooking), I bought stuff on amazon that I didn’t absolutely think through.
This skill of having to think through before making a purchase only become more shaper with time and repeated mistakes because hey! my savings :(
So, the journey towards minimalism was gradual and painstakingly slow. So slow that despite having given away given away bags and bags of clothing/stuff more than 10 times following which I said “OK now I have enough”, I had more stuff to give away! FUFUF!?!??!?!
Curb-side discarding, give-aways and selling
When I first started purging when I didn’t know what to do with the excess clothing and when Bangalore was still not awake to the idea of surplus personal clothing, I left my stuff on the streets near garbage bins for someone to find them and salvage. A little later I found people willing to take these away and then malls that were giving out discount coupons in return for clothing to donate to charities. From expensive 60 USD jackets to bags to cheaper yet branded Indian made goods. I’ve bought them all and given them away. So much money earned and squandered away. The clothes I wore to please the people in my life all left one by one.
Enough!
My boyfriend passed away this May. Invariably, I had to deal with his stuff as well. Stuff just kept dragging me down. It was a never ending train that I couldn’t get off. It made me so anxious and stressed. I couldn’t see a single space in my house free of stuff.
Then, with every deep breath, I imagined my mind filling with more patience. Using this made-up strength, this time I was determined to have the life I wanted, to attract the right kind of people and pursue a happiness that wouldn’t diminish after a purchase.
Storage bins
As my living spaces got smaller and harder to maintain because of the commute involved in the day jobs I held, I started downsizing aggressively. Initially I bought large laundry bins for storing my stuff and told myself that I won’t buy if my bins are full but that wasn’t so easy. Out of sight, out of mind. I went home to visit family and there would always be a trip to the mall and some clothing item bought because well it’s cute and I had indulgent family. I was also in a crazy phase where I’d want two of a clothing item I really liked simply because maybe I’d never find it again.
My saviours
A little later, I found these boxes at M.K Retail store:
Transparent, rectangular in shape and has small wheels at the bottom. I bought 6 of them over time and haven’t looked at stuff spilling out ever since It’s these boxes that helped me move from one house to another stress free recently. They really have been the secret to my minimalism! I can see everything I own all the time, which makes me mindful of what I have and what I want to buy.
Clothing box
I can’t remember the last time I bought a clothing item. It’s been over 6 months now! :)
This box includes all the clothing I need for all seasons. I don’t have any clothing stashed elsewhere. Not at my permanent address, not at a friends place, nada. Clothing items are easily accessible simply because the box is see through. And no it’s not hard taking things out of a box :) Maybe almost as hard as it is for you when you open a closet to pull something out.
This minimalist sentiment of owning less goes in hand in hand with the deep seated understanding that clothes may make you look presentable, pretty even but it can’t make someone love you, adore you and respect you. Your body doesn’t clothes as much as it needs exercise and your mind, meditation (the answer is Yoga!).
This app: My Dressing is the simplest solution if you are the kind that needs constant reassurance that you have enough. It took me about 2 hours but I photographed all the clothes I had. Whenever I felt like buying a new top, I’d go through my collection in the app and see if I can make new combinations from outfits I already had and over time the itch to buy went away. I don’t even have the app installed anymore and I don’t feel the need to buy a new pair of anything now!
Cultural demands and making-do
My brother is going to get married in a few months time and traditionally that just means new clothes (oh no!) and I’ve decided to follow that the ‘one in, one out’ policy of minimalism. This means that if I bring in a new outfit, I have to chuck something else out. Think about it, why would you need more than say 3 pairs of “grand” clothing? Then again why would need these kind of showy clothing if you can rent them anyway? A trend that’s catching on in Bangalore.
If you really want to own some, then why not stick to cotton so they are easy to wear in everyday life?
Electronics
I “inherited” most of my boyfriend’s gadgets. It was a constantly saddening in the past 4 months when I was surrounded with more than stuff than I could possibly want and yet felt a incredible sense of loss because stuff didn’t fill the void I now had to deal with. After a major round of decluttering/giving away, this is how my 2 boxes of electronics/documents/memories looks like:
These are the things that not just serve me to be useful but are also dear to me and add meaning to my memories. I am happy to hold on to them. Plus they are something I would quickly pick out and run out if my house should it ever be on fire.
A minimalist kitchen
When you cook for one, you realise how little you need to survive. My 1-BHK rental has an open kitchen with well done cabinets but none at eye level for storing dry goods but that’s OK, cause I don’t need cabinets, ha!
This the stack of boxes next to this are more or less empty and will serve as containers to hold my dish-ware and appliances when moving out:
Space for quirks
I absolutely love natural fabrics such as canvas and cotton. Add to that I have an unhealthy obsession for bags. I was always on lookout for quaint fabric backpacks or totes.
I am still pretty undecided about why I need so many bags but for now I will hang on to them. Who says minimalism means you shouldn’t have your quirks? :)
Getting rid of stuff
It’s wonderful that second hand buying in India is no longer seen as a sign of being poor or someone (pitiably) unable to afford new. From gadgets to vehicles or clothing — reusing is catching up! So is the tech ecosystem and as a result you have marketplaces like 220, Koove, Freecycle, Garage sale and various other used goods sale/barter groups on Facebook. People are taking better care of their belongings so that they can sell it when they don’t need it.
There have been hundreds of books and authors writing about minimalism and decluttering. Here’s one Japanology video which talks about how the Japanese are obsessed with minimalism and decluttering:
I follow a huge list of amazing content presenters on youtube about minimalism, the ones that make incredibly good pointers about going the minimalism way with least fluff are:
Here is a list of stuff that I am selling/giving away.
Your stuff will outlive you
It’s amazing how while enjoying the comforts of our modern lives we conveniently forget that someday we will be gone. We don’t know when the day will be, it could be tomorrow shockingly or a fine day when you look up at the sky and think everything is OK or a day when you are doing something stupid as driving drunk…it could be any day for any reason.
Thinking about death, one’s own or other’s is considered dark, unhealthy, inauspicious and such. However, it is also undeniably true that nothing is more permanent and imminent than death. So just for a second, consider what would happen after you? My family and friends would be incredibly broken and sad if I died. It’s not something any of us can control but what we can make better now is how much stuff we leave behind.
Why would you want to add to their insurmountable grief as they make time to sift through your belongings and having to (without a choice), make decisions on which stuff to keep of you and which to discard? Why isn’t it possible to leave so little stuff that your family can properly grieve your demise. Sifting through belongings of a loved one that passed away is incredibly heart breaking. It does in someway slow down the process of healing from such a big loss. I wouldn’t want this for my family.
Minimalism is a kaleidoscope
Minimalism doesn’t mean you sleep on the floor (there’s no stopping you if thats what you want). Minimalism looks differently to everyone. Minimalism does however mean mindful living. You are mindful for your own comforts but also mindful to the time and world after you.
There is also the ecological footprint angle to owning excess stuff. It’s not just garbage that’s filling up our landfills but also stuff that nobody wants! All reasons for you to really re-think your belongings. Whichever reason you most care about, let it guide to you to live a life where you put experiences first, where you are mindful of getting to know yourself, being in touch with your emotions and there by being in touch with emotions of those around you.
