Why did I choose this Minimalism Journey?

When you think about decluttering and letting go of things, what emotions surface for you? For me, it used to stir up dread—dread of the process itself and fear that I might regret parting with something I “might need someday.” But over time, the anxiety of living in clutter grew louder than the fear of letting go, and that shift opened the door for me to embrace minimalism.

I am often asked what inspired me to start this journey towards minimalism. The short answer: clutter makes me anxious. But to understand my journey better, let me tell you a little about who I am.

I am a 40-something wife and mom of three. My family and I live in central Mississippi. I work as an accountant and moonlight as a social media editor. To say we are a busy family is probably an understatement! And when you stay busy, you tend to let clutter build. In the 21 years my husband and I have been married, we’ve collected a lot of stuff! Much of it came as hand-me-downs from family, which we gratefully accepted in the early years of marriage and parenthood.

Over time, however, we continued saying “yes” even when the pieces weren’t our style, simply to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. We also picked up odds and ends along the way just out of impulse. The result was a house full of mismatched things that didn’t truly reflect us. A few years ago, we began changing that by making intentional purchases, one at a time, to create the home we had always envisioned.

We started with our dining room and bought the dining table we had always wanted. We love hosting family for holiday dinners, so we wanted to have at least eight chairs. It has been a joy to have family over, and everyone has a place to sit. Then we moved to the living room, and it was then that the lightbulb went off for me. I wanted lighter-colored furniture, and if you are a parent to children or pets, you can imagine my hesitation about this. But I decided to just do it (and buy the furniture protection plan).

Once we emptied our living room and put only the new furniture in, something in my brain clicked. I thought, “Why can’t we only have these things and a few essentials in here?” It felt so calm and uncluttered. So, I decided to just try it. I added a couple of my plants, a basket for my son’s books, coasters, and a couple of blankets to make it cozy. The result? My absolute favorite room in the house.

After I got that peaceful feeling in one room, I thought, why stop there? I wanted every room in my house to feel that way. I’d been slowly working on my closet and dresser, so I wrapped that up and then headed for the kitchen.

Now, our kitchen is where we spend a ton of time. Maybe it’s a southern thing, but it’s always been our gathering spot, whether we’re cooking dinner or just sipping coffee and chatting. It’s also the first space we see when we walk in from the car, so it sets the tone for the whole house. And honestly? The tone used to be chaos. Counters piled high, important things getting lost in the mess, and more than once, we left the house without something we needed because it got buried under the clutter.

That had to change.

So I cleared it out. I moved important things to better homes, kept only the stuff we actually use, and gave the rest the boot. The difference? Huge. Now I smile every morning when I pour my coffee, and cleaning the kitchen takes a fraction of the time it used to. It finally feels like the calm, welcoming space I always wanted it to be.

And here’s the best part: enjoying those results every day lit a fire in me to keep going. For years, I’d just organized the chaos. But now? I’m determined to get rid of it altogether because the less chaos there is, the less there is to organize.

And that, my friend, is the long answer to the question: “Why did I choose this Minimalism Journey?” Simply put, it was necessary for my peace of mind. For the first time, I feel like I actually have time for things beyond cleaning and managing clutter. Time for family. Time for hobbies. Time for writing this blog.

And that’s what excites me most…I get to share this journey with you! I hope that as I keep learning and simplifying, you’ll find encouragement and practical ideas for your own life, too. Because minimalism isn’t just about having fewer things—it’s about creating more space for what truly matters.

Happy decluttering!