Friday, August 28, 2015

Be Happier? ~ by Magdalena Scott

Due to interest in my posts concerning minimalism, I thought I’d touch on the subject again this month. (Quick background: in 2012 I became a widow, sold our house and most of our furniture, etc. at a huge auction, and moved into a studio apartment. I went from 3,000-ish square feet to around 500.)

I recently read a blog post listing 21 benefits of owning less. I completely agree with, and relate to, 20 of them, including Less Spending, Less Stress, More Freedom, Easier to Clean. The one that stopped me—and when I clicked the reference link I was still shaking my head—is this one: Be Happier.

Don’t get me wrong. I am happier with less, but I’m not certain this is a realistic guarantee. If I lived alone in our big house as the curator of all our possessions, I’d be miserable. I’m guessing that each time my son and daughter-in-law came to visit, I’d try to foist something off on them.

Another fact to consider is that each of us may have our own definition of minimalism. A bit of guidance I use is this, by William Morris: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”  

Happiness is never guaranteed, but if you’re interested in dabbling without committing, here are some ideas:
  • Box stuff up that you don’t love, and see what your place looks like when it’s streamlined. (It’s important to ask yourself What do I want to keep? instead of What do I want to get rid of?)
  • Use your favorite dishes, pack the others up for donation (but don’t donate yet), and see if you miss what’s no longer in the cabinet.
  • Put your seldom used clothing, shoes, handbags in the back of the closet, or another closet, and experience a smaller wardrobe for a while. (Confession: I still haven’t conquered my wardrobe!)
  • If you have grown children whose belongings are still in your home, invite said children to come and pick them up. Perhaps they will, or perhaps those items are just there because nobody’s had the heart to re-home them. (Warning: this work is not for the faint-hearted. It can be quite an emotional drain.)
  • Live in a smaller portion of your current home and “try on” small space living. (Hint: Windows help the small space seem larger.)


Owning fewer things and renting a small apartment has set me free to travel (photo above is in San Francisco this month), do the work I love, and donate to charity. I like to help spread the word about this lifestyle, but I know it’s not everyone’s cup—or dozens of cups, with matching saucers—of tea. You get to decide.

Magdalena Scott


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Magdalena is a USA Today Bestselling Author, and writes sweet romance and women's fiction with small town settings. Connect with her and read about her books on her website: www.magdalenascott.com

Recent Release: Book Two in the Serendipity, Indiana series, Emily’s Dreams. Emily Kincaid is recovering from an auto accident, and sheds her past—emotionally and physically—in order to move toward her future. Stories in the Serendipity, Indiana series always have a surprise ending, and I think you’ll love the resolution of the nudging voice Emily hears throughout her journey.

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15 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this post. Thought provoking. I've been saying for a while if I have to dust it I don't want it. I'm not adding much now, but I still have tons of stuff I don't need or use from the past.

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    1. Margaret, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I agree--I'm all about cutting down on dusting!

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  2. My husband and I recently had a garage sale and Salvation Army trip that made us both feel tons lighter. It's amazing when I look at things I so fanatically collected in my 20s and 30s and now they are just dead weight. I applaud your minimalist approach and am trying to do the same!

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    1. Karen, you remind me just a smidge of the heroine in Emily's Dreams, who looks at her lifetime (25 yrs) of collecting and decides to make big changes.

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  3. Love your approach, Magdalena. I try to annually weed out things I no longer find useful or beautiful, but I still have a long way to go! :)

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    1. Wow, Shanna. I'm impressed with being so organized that you weed out annually. Nudge me next time and maybe I'll start being annual too!

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  4. I admire you for doing this, Magdalena. It's a constant journey!

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    1. Yep, it is a constant journey, Melinda. Sometimes I look back and wonder how I accomplished (with help!) such a major downsize. Then I look at my closet and wonder why I still have so much!

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  5. Magdalena, if you ever find a way to deal with your wardrobe, I'm all ears. I would have to say I'm probably not a minimalist, but I have had to downsize several times when we have moved. Each move meant getting rid of things. In our last move to Arizona, we had to deal with the contents of 3 houses. We made our last big downsizing project when we emptied out our storage unit in Florida. We decided that if we ever wanted to furnish our rental house there, we could buy new rather than paying the rental fee on the storage unit. In this last move, I got rid of lots of stuff including my wedding dress and high school and college year books. Some people were appalled that I got rid of them, but I never looked at them anymore. So why keep them?

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    1. Wow, Merrillee, it's hard to wrap my head around doing three houses. I did my parents' house a little less than a year before ours, and the process was exhausting. It has inspired more than one story, though! Have you put any of your downsizing into your books? So far I still have my wedding gown, but I sure don't know why. So it sounds like you're ahead of me on wardrobe! What do you think of this: I'm going to Ireland this fall and I'd like to take just 3 identical merino wool dresses and tights to wear, a pair of sturdy shoes, boots, raincoat, unmentionables, and a few toiletries. Do-able? Ridiculous? Somewhere in between?

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  6. I love the idea of doing with less, and I also believe less clutter (and fewer possessions) can increase happiness. It seems like Hubby and I are constantly "weeding out" but somehow we still have way more than we need. We're aiming to tackle the excess little by little. Like you, I still haven't gotten to the wardrobe. :) Great post, Magdalena!

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  7. Thanks, Ginny! Your minimalist wardrobe at RWA was great. Made me look waaay over packed. Good luck to you and hubby with the weeding out. It's wonderful that the two of you work on it together!

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  8. Wow, I admire you. So sorry for losing your husband though. That must still make every day a little bit difficult.

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  9. What a great post, Magdalena. Inspiring - and I totally agree. I used to have a garden and loved it, now it's only a balcony. When the weather is nice, I sit outside and read while those with gardens have to weed . . . lovely, and I'm surprised that I don't miss my garden at all.

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  10. Hi Magdalena, I went through downsizing ten years ago, from a big house to an apartment. I distributed, donated, sold so many things it was a heartbreak at first. But I kept the best to decorate my apartment and never regretted my decision.

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