Minimalism For Families

Minimalism For Families:  Practical Minimalist Living Strategies to Simplify Your Home and Life by Zoe Kim        Paperback Book:  152 pages           

Excellent book on becoming a minimalist family.   Great tips on basing your needs up against your haves and your wants.    If you are spending way too much time cleaning, stepping over, stressing over and/or being overwhelmed by all the time you have to spend sorting your family stuff, if your rooms are way too full of furniture, sporting equipment, magazines, newspapers, books, toys, etc. it is time to consider minimalism so that you can spend more time enjoying your family, pets, friends and being able to leave the house without freaking out over all the chores that are going to be waiting for you when you re-enter the door.   If you have less stuff, you have less decisions to make.    If you stop saying yes to every invitation you will allow yourself to say yes to a relaxing evening or taking a vacation to treat yourself and anyone you take along.    If you feel like life is not fun and when you leave work at 5:00p.m. you feel as though you are starting your second shift when you get home because there are piles of laundry to do, dishes in the sink that need washing, furniture that needs to be dusted and carpet that needs vacuuming.   Zoe Kim suggests limiting your wardrobe, cull the items in your home, if you haven’t used something in 6 months, decide if you really need it or if it is used so seldom that selling it or donating it would serve your life better by making a space in your home, office, garage, attic, basement you name it.    Zoe has minimalized down to a core wardrobe including only the jewelry she actually wears and only keeping accessories as truly required.     She has taught these principles to her husband and four children as well.    Before going to bed they all as a family do a sweep of the house and their personal space to pick up things that do not belong, return things to where they live – books back to the shelf, paperwork and toys to their designated home, trash and recycling put in their proper recepticles.    She has downsized her dishes and utensils so there isn’t that much to wash anymore, she has used her creativity to think outside the box on repurposing items to find a new life purpose and continue to serve rather than going to a landfill.   She quotes a professional organizer that states most American homes contain 300,000 things from forks to bubble bath to sofa cushions every thing in a home which 80% of is not serving the inhabitants in any useful way.   After learning that statistic she was determined to keep an eye on just how much waste goes on in her own home and is teaching her family to be mindful citizens and try not to add to the waste in the world.    Really good read here.  If you are looking for ways to live better with less, Zoe Kim is your girl.   She also preaches no matter how good the deal or the sale you really don’t need to stock up on 5 years worth of shampoo.  She makes really good points and this book is so inspirational and so full of wisdom don’t be surprised if you find yourself creating your own Zen-like environment within your home and garden that nourishes your soul foregoing the life sapping clutter and overload many are in the throes of as we speak.   YAY Zoe Kim, you rock.