April - Learning about new lifestyles

My second blog post is a VERY late as this month has been busy with travel and preparing my life to move into a new house. I am writing this blog mid way through May! However, I’m pleased to say that I’ve continued with my shopping ban, and whilst there have been times of temptation I’ve stayed strong and am enjoying the experience.I’m 100% confident I can complete this challenge, and I am actually really enjoying it!

The only real urges I’ve had were on a trip to Norway - the clothes were beautiful, and Norwegian people are so stylish I couldn’t help but compare myself to their functional yet beautiful clothing. I’m glad to say though that I didn’t give in, despite being VERY tempted by a Norwegian sweater.

Simultaneously whilst doing this shopping ban, I’ve been reading to several audio books. As the name of my blog mentioned, I started my shopping ban after listening to Cait Flanders ‘the year of less’.

This month, I then listened to the following audio books;

The art of frugal hedonism by Annie Raser Rowland and Adam Grubb.

This was a great book and challenged the ideas of a consumer society. Living in the UK, we are very encouraged to spend money for entertainment and to constantly be keeping up with the Jones’s. It’s very easy to get stuck on a treadmill of spending all your money on a house bigger than you need, an expensive car and endless clothes. No matter the promotions and salary increases, you’ll always need more. This book challenges the reader to think more carefully about their spending, and find joy in the smaller things in life. It seemed a lovely way to live and helped solidly my resolve of the shopping ban.

I then listened to Make Space: A minimalists guide to the good and the extraordinary by Regina Wong.

I found myself interested in minimalism after listening to the first two books listed above. Regina’s book gave very practical advice to de cluttering not just physical objects but also mental clutter. It really made me question just how much stuff I have in my life that I don’t need, weighing me down. When I move, I know that I’ll be taking these principles with me to the new house. Continuing with a journey of minimalism.

I’m now listening to Tara McKenna’s ‘Don’t be trashy’ which has some great tips for living a more minimalist lifestyle and creating less waste. That's when I'm not listening to Stephen King!

Then came my trip to Norway - a country known for its minimalism, functionality, and exercise. Bordering Sweden with their philosophy of ‘lagom’ you can see the Scandinavian attitude of ‘just enough’ rather than continually striving to have more and more.

As mentioned at the beginning of my blog, I am getting ready to move house. The principle of lagom has been very helpful in decluttering. As part of this move I needed to deal with many of the items from my childhood and teen years. I had 6 big boxes of items, which in the end became just 1. I took photos in stead of keeping items, I really reviewed whether the item 'sparked joy' and let go of the rest. It felt incredibly empowering to let so much go, and I feel lighter now because of it. Not only am I now carrying less physical baggage around with me, I've also made some money which will go towards items in the new house that I actually need.

At this point in time, I am 100% confident I can complete the shopping ban. Aside from the physical space I have gained as a result of decluttering and my shopping ban, I have also gained more mental space. More on that in my next (highly likely to be late) blog post.