Living a minimalistic lifestyle presents itself with a few considerations and understandings. It’s more than just a millennial lifestyle or some trendy concept that will fade away in a few years. Think of it as something that will keep you accountable while freeing you up to live your best life.

I didn’t quite understand that when my husband was slowly convincing me to rid myself of my things when we first got married. Like that stack of magazines I kept and called it home decor or the boxes of books and other odds and ends that have moved with us everywhere but never saw the outside of our coat closet. Yes, my husband doesn’t much care for things. That’s a simple fact I had to come to terms with. Eventually I did, but I also felt he just needed to accept that I enjoyed making a home for us and that involved having said things. That is, until we found a common ground.

You see, living minimally doesn’t mean you need to set the house on fire and the only thing you can keep is what you can carry. It’s more than that. It’s about value and keeping the items or collections that bring you joy or has a usefulness about them. And it’s also okay to purge the junk and bring order to your living space, too. Minimalism is all about finding that balance.

So, after almost a decade of living minimally (even with a kid), here are some of the reasons why living this way really sucks.

It saves you a lot of money.

Let’s face it, when you’re spending your hard earned money on items that don’t bring value into your life it’s just wasteful. Instead of filling your home, closet, or computer with things that are fleeting, try saving your dollars. Or even save them up to buy that really nice thing or take that trip you’ve secretly been planning all these years. #treatyoself.

De-cluttering is scientifically proven to improve your overall mood.

When you fill your living space with things that don’t have a purpose or sentimental value, you’re distracting yourself from what really makes you happy. These days there are all kinds of studies (like this one) that link mental health benefits to de-cluttering. Living minimally, on the other hand, allows you to reflect on what things add value and what things you can skip on.

You’ll always know where to find things.

Isn’t it annoying when the thing you (or your husband) are looking for is exactly where you left it? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Having things with purpose paired with purposeful furniture allows you to have a place for everything. Get cute with it and visit your local Container Store (you’re welcome) for ideas on how to create storage or get organized with your stuff. That way there’s no reason your significant other should bug you again asking where something is!

It frees you up for more important aspects of life.

When you’re living a lifestyle that is conducive to being happy and only investing your time and money in things or people that add value, you’re investing in your ability to be present. There’s so much to life that is more important than your job, your blog, your stuff…

Living minimally focuses your attention to examining why you make the choices you do meanwhile holding you accountable for your own happiness. You can’t buy longstanding happiness, we can’t rely solely on others to extend it, and it’s not something we can hold onto forever. Happy can, however, be achievable when we begin to take little steps here and there and make ourselves the center of the decisions we make.

Consider these questions:

• What makes you happy? Are in investing in these things?
• Do you have a goal you’re working towards? Like travel, or a different personal goal?
• Where are you spending your time and money? Is it a stronghold for you?
• Does everything you own bring joy to you? What items do bring you joy? Save those things.
• What items can you donate, sell, or trash? Does it make you feel better to rid your space of these things?