I know this may sound like a very depressing topic, but honestly, I feel like this is what my blog has always been about. I’m only just realizing it now. If you are following along with me on Instagram, you know my stepdad recently passed away after a 3 year battle with brain cancer. Truthfully, every time I have lost someone in my life I gain a new perspective, and new life lessons from death. There is so much we can learn from death if we just take a moment to reflect. Here’s what I’ve learned so far…and why my blog writings are completely based on these lessons.
You know how there are a few random memories that stick around from childhood? Well, one of mine is my dad telling me about a really rich guy he knew. We pulled into the driveway of an average sized American home (probably even below average.) My dad looked up at the house and told me he knew a really wealthy man that lived in a house just like this one. He said this guy had so much money but he lived like he was poor. It was something he didn’t understand and the seven year old in me didn’t get it either. Why not buy a big, huge mansion like Minnesota’s famous Glensheen? (My childhood…and adult…obsession.) Now that I’m an adult, I understand why this man lived like this…so that he could stay wealthy and live simply. I can’t say for sure if he was one of the penny pinching people who hoard their cash or if he just chose to live a more simple life. I prefer to think the ladder. Our society these days doesn’t often see wealthy people living just like the rest of us; or does it? Do we walk amongst millionaires each day and have no idea because they decided to just be “regular” people? Probably. But the celebrity house tours only want to show you the $20 million dollar mansions. When walking the red carpet, most people are decked out in designers. These are the images we see the most. Wealth being used extravagantly. However, there are a big chunk of rich people who choose to live with less. Big names in Hollywood and beyond have made the choice to live simpler lives and use their money for better things. So let’s talk about these lesser known celebrities.
Minimalist Home Makeover: 9 Frugal Ways to Create a Cozy Home That’s Unique to You
When we made the move from our big house to our “starter home,” I knew I wanted to make our home feel cozy and authentic to who we are as a family. I didn’t want to spend all my time shopping for brand new things that most of my neighbors also had in their homes. Creating an original home was important to me and now, every day (when the dishes are put away) I feel content and cozy in our little house. I accomplished this more simple look by changing the way I decorated. A minimalist home makeover is totally doable without breaking the bank. Here are 8 frugal ways you can create a cozy home that is unique to you and your family.
Life on the Road: How One Minimalist Family Finds Comfort in Tiny Living
Today’s guest post is from Brynn of The Mama on the Rocks. She shares her family’s personal reasons for choosing the RV life and how they make it work for them.
When Downsizing Just Doesn’t Work: One Family’s Failed Attempt at the RV Lifestyle
We’ve all seen them: those amazing articles about the families who ditched the traditional lifestyle in favor of experiences and life on the road. Whether it’s an RV or a tiny house, the message behind those articles is that downsizing can bring with it an almost ethereal bliss and, while there might be some “growing pains,” the family ends up stronger, happier, and more
fulfilled.
How Downsizing Saved My Marriage, Finances and Children
Often times when people hear that I’m a minimalist they assume I am a hippy who lives entirely off the earth in a corn fueled van and I have renounced all my possessions. I have tried to be quite clear that minimalism to me is about simply clearing the clutter to get back to what’s really important. Despite my efforts, some people will never understand; and I’m ok with that. Beyond clutter and possessions, there is something much deeper that is plaguing the entire world now more than ever: depression. Minimalism for me has never been solely about stuff or what I own. It runs deeper than that, to a place that no one can see. After our family moved from a townhouse into a large 3,400 square foot home we never could have imagined that this big upgrade in life would actually start tearing us apart. You can read the full story about our downsize here: How Downsizing Changed Our Family. I touch a bit on why we decided to downsize and what went down to make it happen. Today I want to reflect after a year and a half, get really honest and break down for you exactly what has changed in our lives for the better since the day we ditched the big house for a tiny “starter home.” Basically how downsizing helped our family overcome depression, avoid divorce and reunite us as a whole.
