My first move into minimalism

Clutter in general and having a wardrobe bursting at the seems never seemed to bother me growing up. It actually got to the point where I was overloading the house with shoes and clothes soon after I began working in retail. The temptation to buy myself a little 'payday treat' was becoming more and more out of hand.

I'd sit in my room, surrounded by what I now like to call 'tat', and not have the slightest bit of interest in tidying or decluttering items that I'd not used in years. It was actually quite hard to 'let go' of my possessions back then, but I decided to give it a go after reading a book by Marie Kondo. It's called 'Spark Joy' and it's probably what kick started my move into minimalism.

Seen as though I couldn't actually close the doors fully, I decided to start decluttering my wardrobe first. I wish I'd kept a record of how many things I parted with, but I remember filling up at least three bin bags with clothes I'd barely worn. Off they went to the charity shop and I must admit, I felt much better that they were going to good use. I was hooked on decluttering from this point on.

In her book, Marie Kondo says that you should only keep the things that 'spark joy' within you. I realised that I kept a lot of my items just because 'I might need it one day' or I would be 'saving it for best', but I'd never wear them because they didn't feel comfortable or they just weren't in line with my style. This led me onto the concept of a capsule wardrobe - where I only have 30- 40 items in my wardrobe, including accessories and shoes.

It might sound odd to some, but simplifying my wardrobe has been one of the most therapeutic things I've ever done. Everything I wear makes me feel good and I've really managed to understand what my style is: I like simple outfits that don't scream too many colours or patterns. I now also like the aesthetics of my wardrobe as a whole; when I open the doors I like the colours and arrangement. I don't feel overwhelmed and, ironically, I feel like I have more outfit choices than ever before.

I've had a capsule wardrobe for about two years or so now. The years of hoarding clothes are long gone and its shaped other aspects of my life that I never considered beforehand: I've stopped impulse buying, I don't spend ages pouring over what outfit I should wear to a particular event, and when I do need to buy a piece of clothing, I know exactly what I need instead of being overwhelmed in a busy shopping centre.

This was my first step towards a more minimal lifestyle and so far I'm enjoying it. My next step is to declutter other parts of my bedroom and work my way forward from there.