My definition of Minimalism

Minimalism means something different to everyone.  I have read blogs of people living out of a suitcase or backpack, people living with 100 items or less and people like myself who just want to simplify.  The spectrum for minimalism his huge!  I believe everyone can have their own definition.  

For me minimalism means giving up frivolous items or excess items and not being a mass consumer.  As a family, living out of a suitcase is out of the question. Having less then 100 belongings would never work for us.  I strive for simplicity.  

I was the type of person to hold onto things "in case".  I'll keep this stroller in case my other one breaks. I'll keep all 6 pairs of scissors in case I can't find a pair.  I'll buy the large pack of light bulbs so I'll have extra in case I need them. When what actually ends up happening, in our house, is that nothing gets put away because there isn't room and then ended up getting lost. 

The in case items slowly took over my garage, and every spare space we had in our home.  I had a plastic, shoe size storage box full of ink pens, pencils, and markers as well as a catch all drawer over flowing with the same. I finally went through it all and ditched the majority. 10 ink pens are plenty in our house, and this smaller amount has caused me to be sure I put them back when I am done.  10 might be excessive to some people but for us, the number works. 

Don't feel that you have to meet a specific number of items to be considered minimalism. Others might disagree with this statement, but I believe you can make your own simplicity with whatever number of belongings makes you comfortable.  For me it's 10 ink pens.