MegForIt

"Bohemian Mom Adventures"


Tiny Home Living

Do Pets and Minimalism Mix?

by Leave a Comment

Image Credit: Pexels

 

Minimalism is often thought of as a way to keep clean and tidy all the time without excessive stuff. When you look at magazines, minimalism is usually displayed as a near empty-room with just a few materials used in the design. White paint and concrete floors are almost a cliche by now!

 

But the reality is that minimalism is more than just an obsession with white paint and clean lines, it is a lifestyle that incorporates every aspect of life from financial health to how you spend your time. The minimalist lifestyle is linked to living a mindful life, using just what you need to be happy and fulfilled without the excesses pushed onto you by capitalism and an obsession with “stuff”.

 

With this in mind, you might like to ask how pets can fit in with a minimalist lifestyle? A fish might settle in without much of an issue but what about a puppy or a kitten? Can the chaos of bringing a pet into your home fit with your minimalist ideals?

The Practicalities of Pet Ownership

If you see a pet as a thing you own rather than a member of your family, you are going to struggle to adapt to this new presence. All pets have personalities and so you must learn to get on with them just as you do your family. In a practical sense, this means that you must have time to help a new pet settle in as well as plenty of time during the week to give them the attention they deserve. In fact, many companies are now recognising the need to settle pets in properly by offering ‘pawternity leave’.

 

Pets need a lot of love and care but when it comes to the basics, they are usually fairly easy to manage. Making sure that your pet has enough food and water, has a place to sleep and knows where they can go to do their business is about as simple as it gets.

 

But there are a few other things to consider too. Just like humans, pets need a bit of maintenance to keep them at their peak. Brushing their fur, giving them suitable foods and ensuring they get enough exercise is still down to you. Just as you make sure your kids brush their teeth, you will have to work out a solution when your dog has bad breath!

 

Pets need to have plenty of toys and things to do otherwise they will choose toys for themselves from your possessions! Cats absolutely love playing with knotted string, especially if you drag it around the floor for them to chase. They also like toys filled with catnip and small balls they can bat around. Dogs also want toys and chew sticks are ideal for keeping them quiet for a while! The main thing you can do for a dog, though, is to take him on a long walk and play endless hours of fetch – good for you and the pooch!

Welcoming a Pet into Your Family

Pets will always bring a new dynamic into any family. Cats and dogs especially have their own unique personalities and will be pretty quick to get you all on board with their plans for napping, playing and cuddling. For all that you might be able to train them to some extent, they will certainly alter your family routines.

 

Pets like cats and dogs do require their own space and providing that from the outset is a good idea. For cats, a space that is relatively high up is usually preferred as this gives them a sense of safety and a good spot for spying on you and the kids! Cats do a lot of sleeping and though many are quite happy for you to cuddle them and will sleep on your knee, they also like to have their own quiet place for a good nap.

 

Dogs also need their own space where they can’t be disturbed such as a dog bed. Having their own space allows pets to take themselves off when they don’t really want to talk or play with you – just as you do when you need a bit of peace and quiet!

 

For a minimalist, this might be difficult to begin with, but a little bit of chaos is actually a good thing. Pets are wonderful companions and even the most aloof cat can form a fulfilling bond with you and your family. Though pets may not be able to talk, they can certainly share experiences with you and show you love.

The Benefits of Having a Pet for Children

Having pets is hugely beneficial for children, especially those who struggle to talk about their problems or tend to bottle up their feelings. A pet can offer them an opportunity to develop their emotional maturity and since a pet can’t judge, they are often ideal for helping children open up socially too. Horses have even been used to help children dealing with PTSD.

 

Children also benefit from taking a bit more responsibility for their pets. Animals are great at telling you when they are hungry or want to play and children will quickly learn how to communicate with their pet and respond to their needs. This is a brilliant way to teach children how to empathise with others, even when they may not have a shared language or many similarities. Even negative experiences with pets, such as getting scratched while playing, can help them to develop more mature emotional responses and understand the value of forgiveness.

 

If you have still not been persuaded then perhaps the most important benefit for children is that cohabiting with an animal like a cat or a dog is a good way to boost their immune system and reduce their risk of asthma. Kids are spending less time outside and our super clean homes minimize the amount of bacteria they are exposed too. Pets are a fun, fluffy way to introduce more bacteria into the house in a positive way!

Pets and Finance

It would be easy to assume that the minimalist approach to finance is simply to try to spend as little as possible but this isn’t necessarily true. Instead, money should be traded for things that will bring you joy or develop you in some way whether that means spending or earning less of it. In that sense, as long as you are living within your means and only spending on the things that will fulfill your life, it’s all good. A pet is a good example of money well spent.

 

Even a free pet from a rescue centre will cost you some of your monthly income. Pet food and toys should be factored into your grocery bills. You should also put some money aside each month as a buffer should you need to take your pet to the vets for any reason. Another potential cost is that of kennels and cat-sitters or dog walkers.

 

Pets bring something new to the house that you are unlikely to find anywhere else. They aren’t self-conscious, will offer unconditional love and respond to your emotional needs. As a minimalist concerned with cleanliness and perfection, a pet might feel like a stretch too far but please be assured, a pet will bring you so much joy and fulfillment, you won’t care about the shoes that get chewed up ‘by accident’ or the muck trailed in at the back door.

 

In answer to the question, do pets and minimalism mix? The answer is a wholehearted yes.

 

Minimalist Mommy Tips For The Kids’ Rooms!

by Leave a Comment

Minimalism and kids, can it work? Well, yes, it can as long as you stick to a few provisos including not going too far, thinking carefully about what you invest in and what you get rid of, and educating and motivating your kids to embrace the lifestyle. Happily, all these things, and more I can offer you advice on in my post below. Just keep reading to get the minimalist details.

 

Image link

 

Kids and clutter tend to go together. Something that can be problematic for a minimalist lifestyle.

 

The problem with kid’ stuff

 

Kids, they sure do have a lot of stuff! In fact, our own hoards can pale into comparison when it comes to all the clothes, toys, and art and craft material that seem to collect around the little ones. Of course, the critical issue here is that you don’t want to deny them things or make them sit in a bare room with a single toy, but you don’t want to get to the point when stuff is overrunning your home either!

 

In fact, it’s all about striking a balance, as listenmoneymatters.com suggests a middle way. The idea being that they don’t have too little, but that they also don’t have so much that they can’t possibly use or play with it all. Something that, in fact, can interfere with them actually having fun because they are distracted and then move straight onto the next item.

 

A change of mind

 

To achieve this middle way, it’s important to change how you and your children think about the things that they own. For us adults, it can be easier to see that value of getting rid of anything that we no longer need, want, and love. However, our little one’s sense of self is less concrete, and so their attachment to items may be stronger. Therefore approaching this issue from a different angle may be helpful.

 

 

The primary way you can do this is to highlight the benefits of having less stuff to them. In fact, laying out the motivation can be a potent tool for everyone trying to achieve a more minimalist life when you have kids.

 

For some families, the motivation will be about having less stuff to manage and clean and spending more time together as a family doing fun stuff. For others, as becomingminimalist.com discusses it’s all about emphasizing that things don’t need to be loved, but people do. In fact, even the youngest of children will often grasp the idea that they can give away some of their old items to other children to help them. A lesson that teaches them not only to be less attached to objects but also to think of others apart from themselves as well.

 

A plan of action

 

Once you have explained to the kids the reason for becoming more minimalist, you will need come up with a plan of action. In particular, don’t try and clear out all of their items in one go. This is because not only will be overwhelming for them (and you), but they can quickly lose interest in the process as well.

 

Image here

 

In fact, choosing one area to minimize at a time is the best approach. Also before you start, be sure to have three boxes or distinct piles that you can sort item into. One for charity, one for broken or no longer usable items, and one for the stuff you are going to keep.

 

Toys

 

Picture source

 

Once you have your overall plan of action in place, you can start on one of the areas in your home that need the minimalist treatment. The most obvious of which is usually wherever the kids keep their toy stash! Of course, depending on how out of control their toy collections have become, even dealing with just this one area can take multiple sessions, so don’t feel bad if you don’t get it all finished inside of an hour.

 

 

When dealing with toys be aware of facing some challenges as well, as there will be some items that the kids just flat refuse to get rid of even though they are broken or not played with anymore.

 

If you do come across such an issue, it can be helpful to put them in a separate pile and come back to them at the end, but remember if they still insist on keeping them it’s best to respect their wishes. After all, while you may not value the item, they still do, and getting rid of such items give them the message that they are not a part of the process, something that can cause more resistance or problems in the future.

 

Furniture

 

Next, when dealing with minimalism and furniture in the kids’ rooms, remember that you can get around a lot of issues by thinking carefully about what you buy in the first place. In particular, buying items that can be used for several different purposes like the bed at mamasandpapas.com that converts from a cot to a toddler bed is a great idea, as then you only need one item for a longer length of time.

 

Additionally, choosing furniture items that can be easily refreshed if they become worn is always a smart move. Luckily, there are all sorts of furniture items that allow you to do this, including the covers you can get from places like at Fombag.com now, for oversized bean bags. These being the perfect minimalist item for the kids’ rooms as they are both fun and comfy, and are much more in line with the minimalist lifestyle because they are multi-functional, as well as easy to refresh.

 

Clothes

 

Clothes are usually a bit easier to apply the minimal treatment to when it comes to the kids, as it is pretty obvious when things are getting too small for them, or they are past the state of being able to be worn.

 

However, do remember that even if you have items that are no longer wearable, you can follow the instructions at kalynbrooke.com and cut them up and use them for cleaning and dusting rags in the home instead of buying brand new ones.

 

Something that can not only save on the energy and resources that are needed to create them but also on the amount of waste you generate as a family. This being pretty important a minimalist life because you are getting the most use out of what you have, rather than needing to consume additional goods all the time.

 

Craft items

 

Craft items can be hard to manage regarding minimalism because it’s often by having a vast selection that we can encourage the kids to get involved. However, just like toys having too much craft stuff can make it hard to organize and manage and even detract from the experience when we do use them.

 

To that end, when you are destashing the kids’ craft pile, it’s a good idea to think about what they use the most like working pens and pencils and keep those items first.

 

Image

 

Look to get rid of things that are bulky and taking up space, but never seem to get used such as cardboard tubes, foils, and pasta. After all, as the post at parents.com shows these items can usually be found around the house if need be, so there isn’t much point holding onto them and using up valuable space. Of course whenever you get rid of any craft items, if you don’t donate them be sure to recycle!

 

The value of storage

 

Storage, now that is something that is worth investing in if you are trying to love a more minimal life with your kids. In fact, having places to store items and keep similar groupings of things together is essential.

 

This is because once an item is no longer immediately in use, it can be placed away in its storage container, keeping it off the floor, and reducing the amount of clutter in your home. Keeping items stored by type like this can make cleaning and tidying a lot easier as well, as its only takes a quick clear up and things to look neat again.

 

 

Lastly, storing items in groups as they do in this post at buzzfeed.com is also a great indicator of when clutter is growing out of control. After all, if you can’t fit the dolly back in the doll basket or draw, there is probably too much stuff in there in the first place, and it’s time to do a clear out!

 

Dealing with gifts and celebrations

 

One area that can be difficult to deal with when it comes to minimalism and the kids is celebrations and the inevitable gifts that they will receive. Presents that you may not have bargained for, and could quickly become clutter that comprises your minimalist lifestyle.

 

Of course, when you are buying you can minimize the issued by going for the want, need, wear, read formula you can find out more about below.

 

 

However, when items come from others, you’ll neither want to seem rude or deny the kids that experience. Here I think the best thing is to go through them as soon after the celebration as possible and let the kids keep what they like, the rest can go to the charity shop pile.

 

Don’t be duped into keeping things just because you feel you have to here either, as this is a valuable lesson you can learn and in turn teach to your children as well. Something that should not only keep your home as minimal as possible while you have kids but also set them up to live a life that is more focus on people and experiences than material possessions.

 

How to become a Minimalist – 5 steps for success

by 4 Comments

minimalist bedroom
Minimalism is a journey. But this is a journey that for many has a beginning and no real ending. The simple fact still remains that we accumulate “stuff” without even trying. Something from a coworker, a souvenir cup from the movie theatre, or an impulse buy that really had no specific purpose other than cool. I have found that the minimalism journey that my family and I have been on over the past few years was motivated by the desire to be flexible and reduce stress. Start thinking about your motivation and we will build on that in the next few sections.

How do I become a minimalist? You don’t decide to become a minimalist you decide to shift your priorities and that results in a more minimalistic lifestyle. Let’s look at 5 very simple steps that will shift your priorities and jump start your journey.

Download this guide to help you outline your minimalist journey. You can print it out or keep a digital copy.
1. The Decision

What you need to do in this step is decide what your priorities are. Maybe not your current priorities but what do you want them to be. What is it deep down inside that inspires you and you wish you had more time or resources to do it. For me it was travel and adventure. With the responsibilities of keeping a house clean, yard in shape, and constantly moving clutter from one location to another I knew I had to make a change. I wanted to travel, that was a priority for my family and I but we just never could find the time or the financial resources to make that happen. We decided that we would start to eliminate all of the “things” that were getting in the way of our travels. That became our priority.

My Priority is TRAVEL and to reduce STRESS.

2. The Plan

Now that we have our priority outlined we need a plan for how to make that happen. This can sometimes seem overwhelming because in this step you will outline what is standing in your way. Lets look at each of the following items in some detail. Remember, this can become overwhelming when you look at these challenges on paper. However, if you do not start to face them they will go nowhere and neither will you. Truth hurts but lets face it together with a plan.

  • Debt – Debt grows and grows and before you know it any potential disposable income that could be invested in your priority (travel) is wrapped up in meeting minimum payments and fighting compounding interest. My husband and I have used many different budgeting tools to tackle debt over the years but one of the best and most inspirational teachers has been Dave Ramsay. Now as many of you know Dave Ramsay is a strong radio personality that lives to the extreme. He is not for everyone but the processes works and if you need some help and raw encouragement in this area check him out. Dave teaches that you list your debts smallest to largest and then devise a plan to tackle them in that order. For the purposes of this exercise let’s do the same. List your debts smallest to largest.
  • Time and what occupies it – Your time is your biggest asset. How you use your time determines if this asset produces returns or is wasted. If you have upgraded your iPhone lately there is a feature that shows your screen time. Take a look and you might be shocked at how much screen time you actually have. When I looked at mine it was shocking! Think through your day and what occupies your time. Now I do not want to strip you of your “relaxation” time but there is a difference between relaxing and wasting time. I am majorly guilty of wasting time so I know what its like. List your tip 1 or 2 activities that you could either do without or reduce.
    • TV
    • Social Media
    • Cleaning the house
    • Laundry
  • Regular expenses – These are the bills that are due every month. Evaluate your regular spending and see if you have opportunities to eliminate or reduce. Some examples are car insurance, cell phone, tv, Netflix, hulu or other subscriptions that you might not be taking full advantage of. We were able to cut our car insurance bill in half and eliminate cable due to the fact we were mostly utilizing Netflix and hulu.
  • Daily spending – This is where a budget comes into place. Again Dave Ramsay does have a tremendous budget tool called every dollar but it is, like the rest of him, very extreme. It is a great tool and it is free to use. Unplanned purchases that have no true plan are where we waste the most money. Forming a budget and utilizing shopping lists and discussing purchases as a family will tremendously help in this area. What you want to do here is eliminate the impulse buy and that is not an easy task. Instead of running to the store or jumping on amazon for individual items work off of a shopping list and evaluate your purchases before you make them.
  • Clutter – For us reducing clutter was huge. We wanted the flexibility to move if we wanted and not be tied down to cleaning a huge house or yard on the weekends. This is totally personal preference but reducing your “stuff” is a huge step in the minimalist journey. You will need to really evaluate the different items in your home and what their purpose is. Chances are you will have a lot of sentimental items that will be challenging to part with but trust me after you enjoy the memory for a moment and then move past it the stress of clutter will just peel off. Check out this article for a more in depth look at de-cluttering.

3. Executing the Plan

Now the real work begins. It is time to put into action the plan that you have out lined above. Finding a starting place, especially with the debt section, can be very overwhelming. That’s why I like Daves plan… start with your small debt.

  1. Debt – start with smallest to largest and pay it off, tackle your budget and stick to it, and finally make good decisions about your purchases. NO SPONTANIOUS PURCHASES
  2. Time – Now that you have carved out your time dedicate it to clutter and executing your plan. As you declutter a side job could be listing items on ebay and putting that onto your debt or travel fund.
  3. Regular expenses – Keep lists and stick to them. Make sure your purchases have a purpose and track this spending. Hold yourself and your partner accountable.
  4. Daily spending – no impulse buys. Stick to the plan you can do it!
  5. Clutter – the most well none minimalist journey is reducing clutter. As you use THIS PROCESS to reduce clutter make sure you start small, stay organized, and celebrate the small victories. You don’t need to clean out your kitchen in one day… just start with your cups.
Check out this video for kitchen inspiration!

 

4. Executing the plan

it is important to take some time now and again to reevaluate. Look at your debt, spending, time management, and clutter reduction. List your successes and your challenges! This is an important part of the process because it is easy to get off track. Reevaluate as often as you need to. Weekly monthly or every other month.

5. Success vs. Progress

Success is hard to measure because everyone’s journey and priorities are different. I do not see minimalism as a journey with a beginning and an end. Instead I see it as a journey with a beginning and a point where you feel satisfied… then the junk starts to pile up again and you jumpstart the process. Progress is the most important part of this journey. Forward motion towards your priorities. I want to support you in this journey! Drop me a comment or send me an email at megforit@gmail.comand let me know how you are doing or what you are struggling with. Send me your before and after pictures and I will use them in an inspirational video highlighting your personal success. GOOD LUCK!

Christmas Without the Clutter: Decorating Your Tiny Home

↑ Top of Page

Subscribe!

Stay close to the excitement when you are on the Meg For It mailing list.
I send out a delightful newsletter with recent posts and upcoming adventures.


Email address
Secure and Spam free...