Living a Minimalist Lifestyle

By Maria Valles/ Staff Reporter

Minimalism is a way of living life with less by keeping and using little.

“Minimalistic people tend not to keep stuff, so they do not accumulate clutter,” said Lorraine Brock, professional organizer, family coach, speaker and owner of Get Organized, a Dallas-based company that specializes in helping clients organize their lives.

According to a documentary on Netflix, “Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important things,” when people declutter and get rid of stuff that has no value to them, they feel freer, happier and lighter. 

Geovanni Cruz, the social media director at Amarillo advertising firm Creative Cannon, lives a minimalistic lifestyle.

Cruz said it is a challenge to fight materialism and the constant pressure to acquire belongings. “People think buy, buy, buy and spend, spend, spend,” he said. He feels that society does not fully accept his choices. 

“I get a lot of crap from my co-workers about living a minimalist lifestyle. They always say I act like an 86 year-old-man and I am 25,” Cruz said.

“They say I am missing out on life experiences, but I don’t think I am. I started this lifestyle to get my mind focused on what’s important in my life, which is my family and my goals. All these little things I had were just a distraction for me,” he said.

Both Cruz and Brock said there are benefits that come with living a minimalist lifestyle. 

“The pros of minimalism are a less cluttered environment, which means more useable space, areas can usually look very open and clean, spending less time cleaning and organizing and it’s easier to find things,” Brock said.

Minimalism also saves time. “I have seen statistics that the average American wastes about 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own but can’t find,” Brock said.

Cruz said the benefits he has received from his minimalistic lifestyle are decreased stress, a more organized home, greater focus, increased ability to meet goals and fewer financial burdens.

“The money I spend has changed drastically. Since I have limited my spending habits, me and my wife are debt free and are able to save 75 percent of her income alone,” he said.

According to Cruz, anyone can live a minimalist lifestyle. “Begin to declutter things and simply ask yourself if the item brings joy to your life. If it doesn’t, toss it, donate or sell it. Also, be patient during this process because it takes time to fully organize your stuff,” Cruz said.

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