What is all this stuff? On minimalism.

My huge storage unit that I refused to pay for after two years.

If you follow me on Instagram you know that I have been purging the last few months. I have made up my mind and I do not want to own a lot of stuff anymore. I HAVE ENOUGH STUFF. I have enough pants, shoes, purses, belts, scarves, shirts, sweaters, etc, etc, etc. I just don’t need anymore. I used to be a shopaholic, completely unable to avoid purchases during J. Crew’s final sales or Nine West’s end of season clearances. I had a problem. I had (have) an addiction to shoes.

I am not saying that I am completely healed. Happily I haven’t purchased anything in the last four months, save for a cheap bracelet and anklet while in South America, (oh and a really cute trench coat which was a major deal), and I must say I feel great! I feel free. Going through my clothes and sorting them into keep, sell, homeless shelter, and Uganda piles has been difficult but cathartic. I’ve never gotten rid of so many clothes in one go. I am a long way from finished but my goal is to sort my different clothes into 17 gallon containers. That means one container for bottoms, one containers for dresses, etc.

Keep. Sell. Homeless shelter. Memories.

Thanks to my friend, stylist Ayanna I was introduced to the app Poshmark. It is an app that easily allows you to sell your clothing items by setting up “Your Closet”. It is quick and easy and I have already made one sale! Check me out if you are on there. My closet is @jnambowa! I will be putting up a lot more items come this summer when I have more time.

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Addicted to Etsy and she wrote a post on minimalism as well which included a great NY Times article. In the article, the author speaks about all of the things he used to have and how he is now living a minimalist lifestyle. Oprah also offers her take on purging here.

Accessories pile.

Living abroad for over five years, I have had a chance to see how people live in so many different countries and the varying relationships with material goods. It is an amalgamation of people, cultures and experiences that has brought me to this point. I truly feel free now. I never worry about are my shoes on trend and do not have the “I’m going to an event I need an outfit” urge. It takes work, but if you want to, you too can be here. Looking at my closet and the boxes that are all over my mother’s house really gives me a feeling of shame and guilt. When traveling the world I see that some have so much while others have so little. I realized that I am one of the people with so much and I am choosing not to live my life in that way anymore. I would much rather spend money on traveling or give it away. The accumulation of stuff just disgusts me now. I do not say this to judge anyone because the awesome thing about life is that we can all live it the way we want to.

So are you ready to purge? Do you want to purge? Are you happy with your walk-in closet?