My grandparents were minimalists before it was cool and I'm jealous.

Hello people. I'm not a minimalist yet, but I'm wanting to be one. I've done a lot of research on it in the last few days and it's true that it can improve your life. As I read my grandma's memoirs I realized that they lived this type of life and were happy and content.<br><br>I live in a 1 bedroom apartment with my husband and toddler, but we are bursting at the seams. They lived happily in a 1 bedroom hut with our uncle and her parents and were happy and content. <br><br>From what I learned from my grandma's memoir is: <br><br>- She lived on the mountains in what she described as a hut. Not a lot of extra rooms. So they didn't accumulate clutter. One of her grandparents lived with them, two of her grandparents lived in a separate "hut" on the property. But they didn't have extra rooms. One room per hut. And they didn't have trouble sleeping. So if you have extra rooms, you could turn one into an office/ extra storage or turn it into a room for a roommate or sell your house and move into a smaller one and live in one room. <br><br>- They bought most of their things second hand. I think they only bought two new cars in their life. And they never owned more than one car at the time. They were able to replace their cars with better ones for a good price. I hear that buying second hand is better for the environment and it's less expensive and you get better quality. So next time replace something with a second hand one. <br><br>- They had a big garden. They were able to sustain themselves on it and were able to sell some of it for extra money. There's a lot of free videos online on how to make it with no money down. <br><br>- My grandma was also a seamstress. She made their clothes. So they didn't spend money on clothes all the time. They had Sunday clothes and everyday clothes, I think that's how everyone lived back then, although some had more than others. But she describes Sunday as an expensive day because they had to eat a more expensive meal than they did during the week. They would also make their own medicines from the plants on the property. <br><br>- My grandpa was great at fixing things. Which meant they didn't have to hire someone to fix broken things around the property. <br><br>- My grandparents did their own hair cuts and they didn't go to a beauty salon. They were able to be happily married and thrive without it. They were able to be confident and proud of who they were. They were able to be confident and proud of who they were and be well groomed. <br><br>- They didn't have to commute to work. They didn't pay for anything they didn't need to. <br><br>- They were able to be confident and proud of who they were. They were able to let go of the material things. They were able to let go of the physical world and see the spiritual connection to all of life. They were able to be confident and proud of who they were. <br><br>- They did a lot of things for free which also meant that they didn't have to do menial labor to make money. Which meant they had more time for spiritual activities. <br><br>- They only used what they needed. They used buckets to wash their clothes and to shower. They didn't waste any water or energy. They didn't need a lot of money to survive. <br><br>- They were satisfied with what they had. Even when they were older and made more money they didn't need a lot of money to survive. They didn't live in debt. <br><br>- They were able to be content with what they had. They were able to be proud of what they had. They were able to be happy and content. <br><br>- They didn't get jealous of others. They didn't compare themselves to others. They didn't feel competition with anyone. They were able to be proud of themselves and their accomplishments. <br><br>- They were proud of their accomplishments. They were proud of their family. They were able to be content with what they had. <br><br>- They lived in appreciation, gratitude and thankfulness. They were happy with what they had. They were able to be content with what they had. <br><br>I know that it sounds like they lived happily ever after, but that was true to some extent. There's no such thing as happily ever after. There are always bumps in the road. There's always good and bad. But they were able to be content with what they had. <br><br>That's my grandmother's story. I know that you also have a story to tell. So let's hear it!