Simple VS Minimal

 As I continue to study simple living, minimizing, living with less stuff to create more time and peace in our lives, I am finding that I have a war going on in my soul.

For some, living simple means to only have what you need to live, for others it means living with less.  As I watch you tube videos on this subject of minimalist I find that it really looks different for each person.  Everyone has a personal journey and the end destination is not the same for any of us.

Personally I like to be prepared.  I tend to buy in bulk, a 1/4 of an organic grass fed cow, or 50 lbs of non GMO organic flour, oats, rice, lentils for example.  Is it simple?  Well, it saves me a ton of money and I have the peace of knowing that I have healthy organic food for my family on hand.

So here is the filter for myself that I am putting into place to help me decide if bulk buying will simplify my life or complicate my life.

Do we use it on a regular basis?

Do we save money and time by buying in bulk?

Do I have ROOM to store it and a storage system in place that will allow us to use it?

I must fight the urge to buy things simply because it is a good deal.  This kind of mindset leads to chaos in my home as I find we end up wasting the said bought items and we clutter up our house.

 It is not simple to buy a side of beef if there is no room in the freezer for it, that is obvious.  This principle holds true to all things we bring into our house, just as I would not buy the beef if I have no freezer space, I must not buy the toilet paper if I have no shelf space.

I do not think my family will ever be minimalists in the sense of living on next to nothing, it just is not in our personalities but learning to live as simply as possible thus minimizing our possessions and our purchases is something we will continually strive for.