Minimalist Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Making Sense Of Cents

The Less You Own, The Less That Owns You

Last Updated: February 12, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 84 Comments

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I haven’t always been a minimalist, nor have I always been interested in minimalist living. I used to purchase crazy amounts of clothing, random items for my home, wasn’t interested in becoming a minimalist, and so on.

I hoarded lots of items, hoping that one day I would find a use for them. I often thought that I needed things, so I would purchase crazy amounts of them even though I should have put my money to better use.

Then, around two years ago, I realized that I had too much stuff and that I had an unhealthy relationship with material things.

Over the past two years, I have donated or given away the majority of my belongings. I now pretty much only have the things I need to get me through the day or week ahead. There is no extra, and before I purchase anything, I always think about what use I’ll get out of it. [Read more…]

I Still Wear Shirts That Have Holes In Them

Last Updated: March 19, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 73 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Over the last year, many people have asked how my life has changed with the increase in our business income.

We’re still the same people, just with high incomes.

I still wear shirts that have holes, and I am still conscious of spending money.

Most people we meet have no idea what we make each month, and most assume that we inherited a lot of money (since we RV full-time) or that we are hippies (funnily enough- also because we RV full-time, haha).

Recently, I had someone tell me that they’re surprised I don’t live on a plane (and own it), and another person thought it was funny that I still use coupons and look for discounts. [Read more…]

18 Ways To Simplify Your Life In 2022

Last Updated: March 18, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 55 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Life can be hectic, which is a big reason for learning how to simplify your life.

Managing your life can become difficult while planning for retirement, paying bills, reaching your dreams, etc. So, wouldn’t it be nice to simplify things a bit?

It’s almost the new year, and what better time than now then to start thinking about how to simplify your life for the future? The New Year is always a good time to make goals, and it is the perfect year to focus on simplifying your life. You’ll be able to apply that knowledge and experience for years and years to come.

Related reading: How To Reach Your Goals

Simple living can make you happier, be in better control of your life, all while enjoying it a little more.

Simple living is different for everyone, but in general it means that you are getting rid of all the extra noise in your life, so that you can have more time for the things you love and enjoy.

You don’t need to do everything on the list below, instead think about what you love in life, and work towards getting rid of the things you dislike and those that are not important to you. [Read more…]

Why Paying For A Storage Unit Is A Waste of Money

Last Updated: September 28, 2016 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 55 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The average home size in 1950 was less than 1,000 square feet. Fast forward to now, the average home size has increased to around 2,600 square feet, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Despite that, according to SpareFoot, nearly 10% of households also rent a self-storage unit.

That is a lot of storage units!

Just over a year ago, in July 2016, we cleared out our storage unit. We were paying $185 a month for a small storage unit, mainly for photo albums and childhood items.

We only had the storage unit for around 6 months, but in that small amount of time we had already spent $1,110 in storage unit costs.

That’s just an unbelievable amount of money to spend on things that we knew we weren’t going to need or use for at least several years. [Read more…]

What It’s Like Living In An RV

Last Updated: March 19, 2022 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 56 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

For the past year, me and my husband, as well as our two dogs, have been living in an RV.

Some people think we’re crazy (okay, most people think that), others are extremely interested and want to do it as well, but the most common question we receive from anyone is “What is it like living in an RV?”

Makes sense, as living in an RV isn’t the “normal” American dream.

Just over a year ago, I never thought I’d live in an RV either. It was never a dream of mine or anything like that. I never gave it a second thought.

However, one step into an RV and I knew it was for me. Living in our RV full-time has been the best thing ever, and we truly love living in an RV. [Read more…]

What I Learned By Donating And Giving Away Nearly All Of My Stuff

Last Updated: December 12, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 55 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

When we sold our house and moved into an RV, we had to give away a ton of our stuff so that we could start living minimally in a smaller space. We gave away a lot of stuff to family members, had neighbors come by and take whatever they wanted, we had Salvation Army come to our home to do a big pickup, and more. We didn’t sell a single thing, instead we gave it all away.

And, it felt great.

Now, we live in a 33 foot RV and are definitely living a minimal lifestyle.

We aren’t the norm, though.

The size of the average home in 1950 was less than 1,000 square feet. Fast forward to 2013, the average home size has increased to nearly 2,600 square feet (according to the U.S. Census Bureau).

We were fairly close to that size when we owned a house. The house we owned in the St. Louis, Missouri area was around 2,500 square feet, if you included our finished basement, and it was just for myself, my husband, and our two dogs. Our home in Colorado was almost as big, at slightly over 2,000 square feet (with no basement).

However, we decided to buck the norm and started living minimally by completely downsizing our life.

This isn’t to say that we are perfect, though. I used to keep pretty much everything I came across, and my basement was proof of that. I would always say “Oh, but I’ll use that eventually!” [Read more…]

Becoming an RV Family – How We Travel Full-Time With 4 Kids and 2 Dogs

Last Updated: April 7, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 73 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Today, I have a great post from a fellow RV friend. They are an RV family of 6, plus 2 dogs, who travel full-time in their RV living in a motorhome. We started RVing last year and I know that many of you have had questions about raising a family in an RV. Below is a post from Bryanna and she explains how being an RV family is possible, enjoy!

We built our family dream house on a 1/2 acre with a pool, swing set, and sandbox. We were set. Then we sold it all to buy an RV and travel around the US with our 4 kids and 2 dogs!

We have been living in our RV for over 2 years now and it has been a roller coaster ride of emotions and experiences, but it has all been worth it.

You’re probably wondering how we went from living the American dream to becoming homeless nomads.

Here you go!

Related content to living in an RV with kids:

Here’s how we do RV living with kids.

[Read more…]