Whether you’re single, taken, or taken-ish, you deserve to celebrate yourself, too.
This was my first time being single on Valentine’s Day for about a decade, so I decided to treat myself to three things that I enjoy: candles, wine, and flowers. Here is what I bought:
No one has ever bought me flowers, so I decided to buy my own roses this year.
I recommend setting a personal budget if you plan on spending any cash on yourself for your 1-3 items. Also, don’t be afraid to get a bit more creative when it comes to treating yourself, either. You don’t have to treat yourself to just store-bought items. You can go on a small trip, have a spa day, visit friends or family, cook your favorite meal, et cetera. Whatever you decide, have fun with it.
Care for yourself like you would for someone else you love.
This is for those of you who aren’t quite done yet with post-holiday cleanup around the home. Don’t feel bad if this is the case. 2021 has already been a hectic year and we’re only a little over two weeks into January. But if you want to start a productive home project for the new year, I recommend getting rid of excess holiday gift clutter if you haven’t already done so.
To be frank, holiday gift clutter includes the gifts that we’ve received over the holidays that don’t do much for us other than take up unnecessary space. There’s two kinds of holiday gift clutter: 1) the items that we love but need to make space for, and; 2) the gifts that we have zero intention of using or putting out on display. The process of decluttering holiday gifts includes getting rid of older, unused household items to make room for the new things that we have every intention of using as well as ethically getting rid of the gifts that we have zero intention of using. This process can help prevent a bunch of stuff from being unused, wasted, and forgotten.
Getting rid of holiday gift clutter can be a fairly easy task for many of us; but for others, this may be an overwhelming process. For complex psychological reasons, some of us hold onto things out of guilt or worry that we may appear unappreciative or that we are somehow causing harm to the gift giver. While understandable, please remember that gifts are not people, and gifts are not the sum the relationship between two (or more) people.
With this in mind, remember to always openly express gratitude to the gift giver regardless of what you receive. We should always be grateful for the friend, the family member, or the colleague who wanted to express their appreciation for us. But also remember: it is better to honor the gift giver’s intentions by putting those items to good use rather than having them not being used to their fullest potential. Keep the things you will absolutely use or keep the things you absolutely cherish. You can let the rest go in gratitude without shame. Remember to also be honest about your wants and needs for future gift-giving occasions amongst friends and family if you want to pursue a more minimalist lifestyle.
Below is a list of ways on how to clear out some of that holiday gift clutter (without the guilt or the burnout).
Don’t wait too long to de-clutter for the holidays. Dragging things out can make any task feel daunting. I recommend completing all of your holiday clean-up tasks before the end of January, if possible.
Space out and designate your cleaning times throughout the week. This helps tremendously if you have a bigger home, an overwhelming amount of clutter, or both. Try to save the bigger tasks for your days off. Also, try decluttering smaller, easier items throughout the week. Set a timer for each task from start to finish to help stay focused and avoid burnout.
Designate your cleaning zones. Rather than running around from room to room collecting miscellaneous holiday clutter, take it one zone at a time. Define your home’s specified areas (i.e.; entryways, rooms, dining areas, outdoor spaces, etc.) and take care of each zone from start to end. This can help us avoid feeling overwhelmed with each task.
Toss the obvious trash.To me, this is the easiest clean-up task before putting away the bigger items. Dispose of any used packaging items that won’t be used again such as boxes, used wrapping paper, and ribbons. I strongly encourage you to recycle, if possible.
Use the one-in, two out rule. This rule implies that for every one new item that is brought into the home, two similar items are moved out of the home. For example: for every brand new sweater I earn for Christmas, I find another home for two sweaters that I no longer need. With regard to your unwanted gifts or your older “two-outs” from around the home, consider selling, donating, returning, or even re-gifting them for another occasion. (Pro-tip: only re-gift brand new, unopened items.)
Finally, go through your cards and letters and decide which ones to keep and which ones to toss. For the ones that you want to keep, you can get creative with them by putting them in picture frames, photo albums, or scrapbooks. (I don’t recommend putting them in boxes. From my personal experience, I’ve found that boxes just take up more unnecessary space, so I use them sparingly.)
Essentially, your home is your sanctuary, so you decide what goes in and out of it. Be devoted to your space and honor your boundaries by keeping the practical and cherished items, but feel free to let the rest go in gratitude. I strongly believe that we should remember these rules in every aspect of our lives—not just for decluttering our homes.
Hi. I’m Jessica Michelle. I’m a survivor of year 2020. And if you’re reading this, so are you. Welcome.
Through a series of unfortunate events from that year, I rediscovered my love for home decorating. This hobby of mine unexpectedly became a healthy outlet for me during a time where I struggled with my own personal frustrations and hopelessness. A significant part of that process was getting rid of the household items that I no longer needed or wanted. Oftentimes these unwanted items were attached to a negative thought or memory. So with careful consideration, I decided to purge those negative and impractical things from my home and from my life. Eventually, I found a new appreciation for the extra space I had in my apartment and I began surrounding myself with carefully selected items that I valued the most. Seeing these valued treasures around the home reminded me of not only who I am, but also, who I hope to become. This enabled me to refocus my boundaries and refine my purpose in life, which is a continuous process. So to keep myself motivated, I’ve decided to start a blog on how to live a minimalist lifestyle.
On its surface, minimalism means getting rid of the unwanted clutter from our surroundings; however, practicing minimalism in our daily lives is not strictly limited to getting rid of tangible things. This can look like clearing, storing, or even transforming the things or ideas that take up space in our lives. One of my favorite quotes about minimalism is from Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist. He defines minimalism as “…the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” To me, this means setting a boundary between keeping what is needed or cherished versus getting rid of what is impractical or unnecessary.
I used to picture minimalism as white walls, modern Scandinavian furniture, and maybe a capsule closet with no more than 20 items inside. And everything is overpriced. No, the minimalism tips and tricks that I will be promoting here does not romanticize the kind of minimalism exclusively for the wealthy elite or trendy Instagram gurus. The kind of minimalism that I want to promote is achievable by all.
“Minimalism is about intentionality, not deprivation.”
D. Stojanivic
It is also important to acknowledge that our values can look quite different from one another. A minimalist lifestyle does not have one singular look to it, and it may change frequently depending on our circumstances. This can be an immensely personal matter that requires a deep understanding of who you are, where you currently are in life, and your own core values. It is a process that requires careful consideration and should not be done out of impulsivity or excessiveness. And while a minimalist lifestyle may not be for everyone, I believe a that some of its basic principals are achievable to those who seek it.
So, with all things considered, I will be blogging bi-weekly about miscellaneous topics revolving around the following objectives:
Less clutter, more space
Less debt, more savings
Less stress, more health
Less oversight, more intention
Practicing minimalism in our daily lives can help us adjust our mindsets to live more consciously by surrounding ourselves with the items that bring us purpose and peace. It is my hope that this blog inspires you to define what you value most and to live a more purpose-driven lifestyle. And please, feel free to reach out and contact me by either leaving a comment or by reaching me on one of my social networks if you have any ideas on what minimalism looks like to you, or the things that make your life easier and more efficient. I am always eager to hear from you.
Wishing you a better year than the last one. Cheers!
