Never heard of the word minimalism before?

Most people haven’t, so don’t worry.

But the movement that is sometimes known as simple living, is a lifestyle without owning an excess of materialistic items for the purpose of decluttering from stress physically and mentally.

Minimalists would rather save their money to spend it on experiences than on a bunch of little things that could add up to collections.

“Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom…. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom,” said Joshua Fields and Ryan Nicodemus, also known as “The Minimalists”. (http://www.theminimalists.com/minimalism/)

Although there are many different kinds of freedom, Fields and Nicodemus are telling you the truth when they say you can find freedom and happiness by owning less.

Are all the clothes in your closet, makeup products in your purse, shoes on your shelves, photos in your camera roll, or decorations in your house being used?

If yes, do they make you happy or bring a purpose to your life?

If you don’t love it, leave it.

If you don’t need it, let it go.

“We found a better way to live centered on more important pursuits. It has been a journey of discovering the abundant life is actually found in owning less,” said Joshua Becker as he described his results from becoming a minimalist on his blog, Becomingminimalist (http://www.becomingminimalist.com/about-us/).

As a non-extreme minimalist, there is a truth that in knowing that owning less stuff can lead to lower levels of stress and more passion in life.

Success isn’t defined by material items.

You cannot buy time; you can only spend it.

Experiences and memories can last a lifetime, but consumer goods cannot.

As I have found, minimalism is a great idea because it not only helps you save money, it can help you love to work, get out of debt, untie yourself from the past, give you more time on your hands, and more.

“What minimalism is really all about is reassessment of your priorities so that you can strip away the excess stuff – the possessions and ideas and relationships and activities – that don’t bring value to your life,” said Colin Wright in “Minimalism Explained”.