2025 has been one hell of a ride for most of us, and if we look inwardly, we would see that the year has brought several changes to our lifestyles, some poor and others very rich. Today, I want to share three things I stopped doing over the past eleven months that improved my minimalist lifestyle, in response to this week’s prompt:
"What are three (3) things you stopped doing over the last eleven (11) months, and what filled the space they left behind? How has this enhanced your minimalist lifestyle?"
1. Consuming Varieties of Soda
It’s very common for people to seek comfort in sugary drinks, especially in a country like mine where the weather is usually hot. I was no different. I took a lot of soda over the years, but this year, I chose to live more intentionally. I cut down on my habit of drinking different kinds of soda and replaced them with the required litres of water daily. Drinking water in those moments where I feel tempted to take soda has been a game changer for my overall health. I now have fewer random stomach aches and I rarely feel dehydrated these days.
2. Buying New Clothes Without Need
In today's world where it’s so easy to get caught up in buying new clothes to keep up with trends, I chose a different path. Eleven months ago, I gathered all my clothes and grouped them into categories. To my surprise, I discovered I had more than enough to take me through every event I would attend next year. Realizing this was proof that I had been buying far more clothes than I needed. So, I took note of the quantity in each category, wrote them out in my diary, decluttered a lot, and decided not to buy any more this year. In place of this needless shopping, I started styling what I already own in different ways. This has helped me maintain a minimalist wardrobe.
3. Upgrading Digital Gadgets Unnecessarily
I’ve never been the type to upgrade gadgets without need, but last year, I got sold to the idea of buying new ones just to stay abreast with new tech. This slowly became a habit that followed me into this year. Thankfully, I took some quiet moments in June to figure out whether these were needs or simply wants. After my introspection, it was clear that most of these things were wants that did not support the minimalist lifestyle I’ve been working toward. So, I made a conscious decision to quit upgrading everything within one year. So far, it has been one of my best decisions because it helped me save more, and I used that space in my budget to start buying necessary household items that served better purpose.
I know these changes may seem small to some people, but they are a big deal to me because eleven months ago, I didn’t think I would stop doing any of the things listed here. That alone is a win in my books. Now, my goal for the next year is to keep curbing habits that don’t serve my minimalist lifestyle and to fill the space they would have created with even healthier ones. And I hope you do just the same! Happy weekend, friends.🥰
PS: I'm super glad to be writing with the @minimalistliving community for the first time ever. I hope to meet new friends here, share more helpful lifestyle tips, and also read from everyone in the minimalist community.🥰
All images featured in this post are mine. When they're not, I make sure to credit the source.
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Definitely better to drink more water than indulge into soda drinks. So far, I've managed to kept my resolve of totally not drinking soda drinks even when most around me drink it on an almost consistent basis! I don't know how I managed to pull through it this past few years but I'm determined to maintaining this habit :)
Absolutely! Water is the healthier option, and I'm so glad to hear that you've made and followed the decision to avoid soda. It's such a big deal to me. Well done!
You have been manual curated and upvoted by @ecency
Did you know that @stresskiller is also a witness now ?
The one about clothes is good. Because it's very easy to take a look at your clothes and think you don't have enough. It always feels like they are never enough, even after buying more.
And soda, cutting off soda for years, is one of the best decisions I made for my health. And I'm happy I did it. Now when I look at soda bottles, all I'm seeing, is the added sugars, artificial colours and preservative chemicals added to them. When I think of them like that, the bottles don't look so attractive anymore.