Have you always been a minimalist, or was there a moment everything changed?
Over the last few months, I've found myself making a pretty dramatic shift toward minimalism, and honestly, it feels like it happened almost overnight. I've started selling huge quantities of large furniture, appliances, and electronics that were otherwise just decorative and sitting unused in a counter, donating or giving away clothes and gadgets I don't actually use through local buy/sell/free groups, and trimming my wardrobe down to the absolute essentials. I've also been moving away from physical media almost entirely. Instead of shelves of books, I've been selling and donating my physical copies and instead pivoting to checking out ebooks and DVDs from my public library. I don't really miss owning the physical copies as much as I thought I would. Part of this is practical. I'm moving from Texas to Colorado and intentionally downsizing into a much smaller place because I've realized I hate having so much unused space, especially if I’m paying more for it. But it also feels like something deeper has changed. Out of nowhere, I've developed this strong desire to live as intentionally, frugally, and minimally as possible. I was never particularly messy or someone who accumulated tons of clutter, but I also never would've described myself as a minimalist until recently. Now it's like my brain has completely rewired how it thinks about possessions. Has anyone else experienced a shift like this? Were you always a minimalist, or did it suddenly click for you? If there was a turning point, what do you think caused it? I’m quite hoping this isn’t just a mental phase where I’m in a temporary spring cleaning mode. I would save so much money, time, and space in the long run if I truly do continue to value very intentional and frugal spending within a more minimalist lifestyle, but I’m curious what everyone else’s experiences are.