A new year means a new perspective and goals for the future. Today I am outlining five minimalist resolutions that I am setting to start 2019 out on the right foot!

I have just finished up a four week series of declutter challenges. The process was hard work, but I have to admit that the house is looking pretty amazing. It’s impressive to see what even just one month of focused intention can do! I want to keep the momentum going into the new year, and have come up with a series of minimalist resolutions to help me reach my goal.

 

FIND INSPIRATION

Since we are just at the very beginning of our minimalism journey, it can be daunting at times to think about how far we have to go. Reading about others who have gone before us and seen success is going to be key. Finding inspiration is the first of my minimalist resolutions for the new year.

 

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BOOKS

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I have been wanting to read this book for a while, as it has received many great reviews. The author, Marie Kondo, was the one who developed the KonMari decluttering method. I used that method for one of my declutter challenges and found it quite effective.

Marie’s philosophy on decluttering has to do with keeping only the items that bring you joy. She has partnered with Netflix to create an eight episode mini series, where she teaches others to use her techniques. The series starts on January first, and you can be sure I will be watching!

 

Minimalism for Families. Because we are a large family, I am particularly interested in techniques to help our brood along on this journey. This book got good reviews not only because of the practical tips that are offered, but also because it helps the reader understand the ‘why’ behind reducing clutter.

 

 

BLOGS

The Minimal Mom: The writer of the blog, Dawn, is a fellow Minnesotan. She and her husband are raising 4 kids, and I feel like she is super relate-able. They have gone through an extreme decluttering process that has resulted in a new and more simple way of life for their family. Dawn also has a great YouTube channel with many videos that further explain the techniques they use. I definitely recommend you check out their laundry system video – a unique approach that works for them!

 

YOU TUBE

Break the Twitch: Of course, there is a ton of videos about minimalism on YouTube, and it will surely serve as a source of inspiration in the new year. One channel that I have recently subscribed to and am loving is Break the Twitch. Anthony uses humor to teach about why mimimalism is effective. He shows his audience that mimimalism is more than just eliminating physical clutter. It also has to do with a mindset shift in order to live intentionally.

 

NO SPEND MONTH

My second resolution is in collaboration with another amazing YouTuber. Shannon Torrens and her family have been walking down the path toward minimalism for the past year or so. It is really impressive to see all that they have accomplished in such a short time! Follow along with their journey by visiting her channel.

Shannon and I both recognize that a challenge can be a great motivator to reach a goal. Because of this, we decided to make January a ‘no spend month’. We will attempt to buy only consumable products such as food and toiletries for the entire month of January.

Doing this for the first month of the new year will be a great way to reset our spending habits. It is also likely to be quite eye opening. I will be recording how many ‘want items’ went un-purchased as well as the amount of money that was saved.

I am personally calling this our ‘Happy (NO) New Year Challenge’. Feel free to join us!

I’m excited to have Shannon as my accountability partner this month. Be sure to view her personal New Years resolution video and blog post, and check back here at the end of January to see how we both did!

 

FINISH DECLUTTERING

Of all of my minimalist resolutions, this is likely to be the most challenging. We have lived in our rental farmhouse for over four years now. There are still boxes that remain unopened from our move, sitting in a storage closet. And, of course, we have accumulated more items during the time we have lived here. Because Arrow Hill Cottage is smaller than the rental house, we need to be very diligent about which items we decide to keep.

I would like to have the declutter process finished by the time we break ground on the new house. This adds a bit of urgency to this resolution. We should be breaking ground in the spring – April or May. That gives me only 3 or 4 months to get the job done.

Thankfully, the December challenges gave me a great jump start. I definitely plan to use some of the techniques I used to tackle the rest of the rooms in the rental house.

 

GARAGE SALE

My husband really hates garage sales. He doesn’t feel that they are with the effort. However, with all the decluttering that is about to happen, we will have plenty to sell!

I finally got him to accept the idea by mentioning that the proceeds from the sale could be used toward items for the new house. And so, the fourth of my minimalist resolutions is to have one big garage sale near the end of the summer.

It is likely that we will be preparing to move near the end of the summer, or early Fall. That just happens to be prime garage sale time in our area. We are currently storing all the items for the sale in a large upstairs closet we have lovingly named ‘the sell room.’ Everything will be moved out to the garage for the sale. Items that don’t sell will be immediately donated.

Not having to pack everything into boxes and move, then sort again at the new house, is considered a win-win in my book!

 

 

ONE IN ONE OUT

After the whole house declutter and massive garage sale, we need to move forward by keeping things clutter free. It would be the biggest disappointment to put in all the hard work only to fill up the new house.

And so, my final minimalist resolution for 2019 is to practice the one in / one out rule. Essentially this means that before bringing any new item into our home, I will think about which item it will be replacing. The replaced item will then be donated, so that we do not continue to accumulate over time.

Items should be of like value or type. For example, purchasing a brand new power tool and eliminating a small hair accessory would be bending the rules. My year round capsule wardrobe will be easy to keep in check, since I want to keep it at the same number of items.

It would be really extreme to catalog and number every single item in our entire home. Instead, I plan to always be mindful of the things we do own, so that we don’t end up with duplicate items that serve the same purpose.

Of course, there will be a period of time while we are setting up the new house with bedding, curtains, and some new furniture. This will be the exception to the rule however, and for the most part this process should be complete within a few months of moving in.

I’m excited to see how the one in / one out mentality helps me to think critically about which items are brought into our home.

 

THOUGHTS ON MY MINIMALIST RESOLUTIONS

We are filled with hope and anticipation going into 2019. Our family has been dreaming about building our forever house for years and years.  Knowing that it is finally going to become a reality is beyond exciting.

Not only will the house be a special tailor-made place for our family to live, it will also be a clean slate for us. A chance to start over in some respects, and to create the family life we have been craving. A slower paced, intentional outlook on life – where we have deeper connections with one another. As our kids grow, these connections are going to be even more important.

I am hopeful that this year’s minimalism resolutions will be a jump start into even more positive changes in the coming years.

 

OTHER NEW YEARS GOALS

I have heard before that a goal is just a wish unless you write it down. And so as an effort to keep these things at the forefront of my mind, I am leaving them here to look back on when I need motivation.

 

FOR MYSELF 

Taking more time to rest, and enjoy the simple things in life

Saying ‘no’ to events and commitments that add unnecessary stress

Waking up each day with a positive attitude and clear mind

Cooking healthy meals for my family

 

FOR MY FAMILY

Spending more quality time together

Craig had an awesome idea, which we will be implementing on January 1st. We are calling it ‘Screen Free Saturday’. On the first Saturday of each month we will shut off all of our devices and connect as a family. We envision cooking all of our meals together, playing board games, and just getting to know each other better. Everyone in the family is really looking forward to this!

 

Reading books together

Leading up to Christmas, I read an advent story book aloud to the family. The kids all enjoyed it so much that they were constantly asking for me to read extra each night. I think it would be fun to start a book series that all of our children, ages 5 to 12, could understand and be interested in. One option I have thought of is the Little House on the Prairie Series. If you have any recommendations for captivating books in this age range, please let me know!

 

Celebrating the value that each member brings to the family

As a large family, it is sometimes difficult for each member to find their place. Even though it isn’t intended, some members definitely receive more attention than others. I would love to do some family exercises that could help us each recognize that even though we are all different, we bring something unique that helps our family as a whole.

 

FOR THE BLOG

I am hopeful that the things I have learned in 2018 will help me to grow the blog even more in the coming year. More specifically, I am going to be working on putting out great content that will be helpful to my readers. This minimalism journey that our family is on will be a big source of topics for the blog, but I will also be writing about healthy meals, organizing tips, and of course home design ideas.

 

Are you making New Years Resolutions? If so, I would love to hear about them and encourage you throughout the year! Here’s to a wonderful 2019!

 

MINIMALIST RESOLUTIONS VIDEO

 

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