Minimalism and Motherhood – Secrets to Making Room for What Matters

As an individual, minimalism is not hard to follow. But as a minimalist mom, it’s nothing less than a hassle. The difficulty comes in when you are trying to be minimalist with other family stuff. Plus, your family members, especially kids can be stubborn and might not always agree with you. You would have to ask them a million times before you could persuade them to get rid of one toy. In the end, you would end up thinking that motherhood and minimalism might not go hand in hand.

But the fact is they do. You just have to be persuasive enough, take the matter into your own hands, and make use of these 5 secret tips that will simplify your life!

Minimalism and motherhood – 5 secrets to making room for what matters

1. Never throw away stuff, rather donate it

Kids can really be stubborn when you ask them to let go of some toys they don’t

play with. They might not have touched the toys in a long time yet they would refuse to let them go. They might be broken or worn, or they might be in good shape and someone else can enjoy them. 

But if you tell them that it’s for someone who needs it more than you, someone who is not as privileged, someone who is alone, they might give you a go-ahead, being as kind and innocent as they are.

Just so you know, you will be teaching your kids kindness and compassion this way. They will be more giving in the future, which we do need to emphasize, is necessary.

2. Head to laundry

More laundry = more workload = stress

That’s what the laundry equation is. This is why you have to be minimalist when

you are handling laundry. The key to do that is to persuade your family to own fewer clothes. The first step to that is, you can ask them to get rid of worn-out and old clothes. There would be plenty and thereby would make space.

Secondly, ask them to be a little stricter. There’s no need to keep 50 pairs of socks. And 20 sweaters. You can ask them to cut down. If they are unwilling, then you need to step in and persuade them to declutter their closet.

3. Never buy more

Your home is bound to pile up with objects if you keep on buying more. So, control your shopping instincts here. Don’t be an impulsive shopper. Only buy what you need, not what you want. The same goes for your kids. Raise them in such a way that they are not stubborn about getting more toys. Don’t comply with their stubbornness and buy them what they point at and cry for. Be adamant here. Always submitting to their wishes, might make them materialists in nature. You do not have to do that.

I learned the best way to go about this is a Want vs Need lesson. I speak more about this in my blog post, Amazing Things Minimalism can do for Kids, where I helped my kids learn the difference in the two words. It helps tremendously in helping them really think about things.

4. Be a mindful grocery shopper

When you are incorporating minimalism in your life, you have to include it in your

grocery shopping as well. This is where you need it the most. We are all in the habit of stocking up everything, even the sauces that we do not ever use. Consequently, it leads to a messy kitchen and a lot of waste.

Minimalism in grocery shopping just means the same, buying only what you need. You can do so by making a list, and then picking up only those items, nothing else. You can ask the kids to do the same, make their lists and buy only those items.

I struggle with this myself as well as my husband. When Steve takes the girls to the grocery, they play a game to see how fast they can fill the cart because he doesn’t like grocery shopping. So, they come home with food I would never buy but they eat it generally.

5. Create a minimalist environment

As a parent, it can be daunting to teach your kids minimalism. You cannot just ask them to follow minimalism one day. Instead, you have to make sure you build minimalist habits in them. Be creative, challenge them, create treasure hunts and other games, make minimalism fun for them, and they’ll certainly learn.

 

That’s it from us. As a minimalist mom, remember you have to be consistent with your kids regarding minimalism. It’s nothing too hard, just do your best and you are sorted.

Are you a minimalist mom? Feel free to share your experiences and stories with us in the comment section.