Minimalism: Reasons You Might Resist Purging Your Belongings

I often talk about minimalism here on the blog.

In a recent post I talked about the process of decluttering your home.

Today I want to touch on some mindset issues that you might need to overcome to purge your belongings.

It dawned on me recently that I have been resisting clearing out certain belongings. Here’s why – see if you can relate to any of these.

I am afraid I won’t have enough left

I realized deep down I am afraid of getting rid of my old shoes and clothes because I feel I won’t have enough of them left.

As a female I’m a bit of an oddity, I don’t have a lot of clothes and shoes to start with. On top of that what I do have I wear until they fall apart (and I mean that quite literally). My favorite blouse ripped in two places last week because it was worn thin.

Part of me fears that if I get rid of everything that needs to go into the rubbish, recycling or goodwill I won’t have anything left.

Of course the truth is if I am getting by on the clothes I have now, I will continue to get by once I get rid of the ones I am not currently wearing.

I can’t afford to replace anything

Of course being a budding minimalist I don’t want to replace everything that I throw out or recycle.

Yet the truth is I do need to buy some new things and I simply can’t afford them at the moment. Because I can’t afford to replace anything – in my mind it makes sense to keep everything.

Since I do need to buy a few things, the trick is to be strategic and smart about it.

Make up a list of the bare basics that will fill in the essential gaps in your home or wardrobe once you purge everything else. This exercise doesn’t need to an expensive one. Small things can make a big difference. Once you have your list, allocate some existing funds to the project or save to reach your goal.

Related post – The Real Cost of Buying Stuff

Having things in the house makes me feel abundant

This is a double-edged sword because having a lot of broken or worn out possessions also makes me feel well a bit broken and worn out.

The feeling of abundance is both fake and fleeting.

So what is the real reason I should finally man up and purge my humble apartment?

The idea of purging is to make way for the new and no that doesn’t mean that throwing out a pile of shoes means that you rush out and buy new ones.

Making way for the new, making way for growth and opportunity might actually mean that you are more creative or inspired (especially since your mind isn’t worrying about the crap accumulating in your cupboard that you haven’t dealt with yet).

Purging is freeing. It’s about clearing a path. Purging the broken, worn or no longer relevant  leads the way for transformation, freedom and abundance.

Are you ready to purge your life to make way for the new – whatever that may mean in your life?

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