Getting back into minimalism
So roughly 15 years ago, I first got in to minimalism as a single person and it did work out for me quite well. I felt like it really helped me to enjoy my life at the time.
However, I think that I did get into the habit of getting rid of things only to rebuy similar things, almost like I was trying to own the "perfect" version of that thing.
I also think that I overspent on experiences, and now that I'm older I wished I had put more money in to savings instead.
Now, my life is very different. I am married and have a kid with another on the way. I own a home, but it is still quite small with limited storage and while we are doing renovations that will increase our storage space, there keep being delays and so for the time being our space feels overwhelmingly cluttered.
I want my minimalism to look/feel different than the last time I practiced it. I want to learn how to mend clothes and repair and repurpose things, instead of just throwing things out when they get a rip or other imperfection. I want to use up what I have, even if it's not perfect, instead of just donating/trashing and re-buying something else. I want to save my kids toys and clothes for the next one. I want to own decorations for each holiday that we can reuse every year. I want to save my pre-maternity clothes even if I'm not sure they'll ever fit my life and body again, because I put care in to choosing them and I love them even if I'm not sure I can use them.
There's also the fact that the repairs and renos that we need and want to do on our home are costly, not to mention the cost of raising kids. So I'm always thinking about the money that would be lost if I needed to repurchase something.
So, I feel somewhat trapped in this place of, I don't want to just get rid of things with the idea that I can buy them again if I need them. But also, our needs are constantly changing as new homeowners and people who's bodies are growing and need new clothes, and whose lifestyles are changing and need new items to accomodate that, and so it often comes down to... I have too much stuff but none of it feels like the right stuff. And this makes me want to declutter it all, but when I think about the replacement cost of all the items, I feel paralyzed. I also want to buy less, but then it comes down to realizing that I just don't have the item that I need for my new lifestyle.
Has anyone else experienced this shift in life that makes minimalism look/feel different than it used to? I'm feeling a lot of decision overwhelm and yet I know I need to start making choices about what to keep because I just don't have the energy to keep up with all the stuff we already have.