My minimalist bedroom
I’ve been living a minimalist lifestyle since 2011 and it’s worked really well for me and the goals I have for my life. In a nutshell, minimalism is all about living with less – maintaining only what you need and not much else. While this lifestyle is certainly not for everyone, I receive a lot of questions from women in our community who want to learn how to live this way so that they can achieve their big goals.
Minimalism is an attractive lifestyle for many because it can help you:
- Save money
- Lower your monthly bills
- Travel the world
- Work less hours
- Free up income to invest in your business
- Pay off your student loans
- Get out of debt
- Declutter your living space
- Become less attached to material things
- Increase your appreciation for what you have
- Simplify your life overall
The photo of my current living space above will give you a quick visual of how I make this lifestyle work for me. Although my surroundings have changed since I first began experimenting with minimalism in the Washington, DC area, my philosophy has remained the same: living with less allows me to experience more freedom in my life. Because I have few belongings and no mortgage, I have a lot of options when it comes to where (and how) I want to live and work.
Right now, I rent a small furnished room in a condo in Honolulu, Hawaii which cuts my living expenses by about 50% in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I have just enough space for a bed, nightstand, chair and small laptop desk which reduces clutter (and the urge to buy more stuff!). I don’t own a car and I don’t have anything in storage.
At this point, pretty much everything I own fits into 2 carry-ons. I love that I never have to check my bags and wait in the hell that is baggage claim in most airports. I have an Adrienne Vittadini roller suitcase (the 21″ spinner fits perfectly in overhead bins) and a Lo and Sons overnight bag that holds my laptop and slides right under the seat in front of me on the plane.
Honestly, as long as I have a laptop, a few outfits and a couple pair of shoes, I’m good to go. Living this way means that I’m always ready for my next big move – or at least my next travel destination! Having a minimalist lifestyle makes it so much easier to get up and go when opportunities come up.
Is it time for you to consider downsizing your living situation to see what new possibilities open up for you?
Here are some of my best posts to get you started on your path to living with less so that you can experience more freedom in your life:
- How to Downsize Your Living Situation, Reduce Your Expenses and Make Room for What You Really Want
- Three Lessons I Learned in My First Three Months of Not Having an Apartment
- How to Become a Minimalist: 4 Tips for Downsizing and Living with Less (VIDEO)
- Eight Months, Four Rooms, One Nomadic Adventure (Photos)
- How Much Do You Really Need?
- I Don’t Own Anything
- How to Remove All the Physical Clutter From Your Life
- 10 Things That Happen When You Decide to Get Rid Of All Your Stuff and Move to Hawaii
Leave a comment: Could downsizing your life help you reach your big goals? If so, what is ONE THING you can do today to make that shift?
Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives.
I just want to Thank You for exposing me to the concept of Minimalsm.
Over the last year i have downsized to the bare basics…. The Shift has been Unbelievable.
Doing this has freed up the resources i’ve needed to start making my dreams come true- (Travel)
I am now able to walk into a store and buy NOTHING-
That was absolutely Unheard of for Me!
It’s just AMAZING how Little we REALLY Need.
I’m experiencing Freedom like NEVER before… I feel sooo LIBERATED
This is TRULY a Beautiful Thing!
Thanks for sharing photos.
Question: Do you share a bathroom with other people? Where do your prepare meals? or Are you eating out for every meal?
Aloha Tracy! I have experienced both living situations over the past few years – having my own bathroom and sharing. I definitely like having my own bathroom better, but your monthly rent will always be cheaper when there’s a shared bathroom. One of my “must-haves” is kitchen privileges so I can cook when I want to. Eating out gets really expensive and kinda defeats the purpose of saving money with a shared living space!
Aloha! :-)
Okay I asked because I was thinking if you didn’t have kitchen privileges how could you save. Thanks for responding and keep sharing. You’re inspiring me.
Oh and be safe. I watching the news and I see a hurricane is heading towards Hawaii.
Thanks so much for this blog post. Because of it I actually went to look at a shared apartment today. I’m scheduled to move into a fancy high rise apt in the DC area in 2 days at $1500/mo plus $150/mo for parking.
Instead I’m going to move forward with the shared apt at $675/mo w/utilities included and free parking.
My preference is to live by myself like I have been for 4 years now. But I also know that I LOVE to travel and prefer experiences over things–and saving over $1000 a month will help me do that.
Again thanks for the push!
Simone
Thanks for reading and sharing your story, Simone. I know from experience that $675/month in DC is an awesome deal! You better use that extra $1,000 a month to see the world :)
I think your overall concept of having a minimalistic lifestyle is good. Paying off debt & getting away from materialism are great things to strive for. However, I disagree with you when it comes down to having a mortgage. I strongly believe in owning propery. I own a duplex & it has been a great investment & provided many tax write offs. My duplex has provided great financial benefits because I have 2 people paying my mortgage, not just 1. I look forward to buying again & encourage others to do the same.
Of course, you don’t have to agree with my entire lifestyle – take what’s useful and leave the rest :)
What I love about minimalism is that there are so many ways to apply it to how you want to downsize and simplify your life. I personally have no desire to own property at this time, though I know it can be a good investment for many people.
Due to circumstances beyond my control last year, I had no choice but to downsize. Although my stuff can’t fit into the bags that you have, I got rid of a LOT. It DOES makes life a little easier.
Yes, life is a lot easier with less useless stuff. Sounds like being forced to downsize had a great silver lining for you :)
“At this point, pretty much everything I own fits into 2 carry-ons.”
WOW.
You know, I’ve been thinking seriously about how to downsize my life…in part because the demands of my obligations have required me to do so. There are some days that I think about making a radical shift (like I’ve heard about folks who literally moved into their cars for six months in order to pay off all of their school loans in a short period of time). But then I realize that that sort of all-or-nothing, black-or-white thinking is very similar to what got me into my financially-over-extended situation in the first place. *sigh* Still, two carry-ons. That is pretty amazing.
Downsizing certainly doesn’t have to be all of nothing. Many women find it useful to start decluttering their living space first to see just how much “stuff” they can get rid of in their living space. I began with my closet and ended up giving away bags and bags of clothes and shoes back in 2011.