Minimalist-ish Family Series: Eliza, Minimal MD

When we arrive at a new place, people often ask where we come from. My nine year old eagerly responds that she is from Connecticut, her seven year old brother is from North Carolina, her dad is from Texas, and her mom is from New Orleans. Now we live in the Midwest. My husband is a teacher, and I am a retired MD. I do some consulting work and also some locum days for a great practice.

We have a variety of interests including music, reading, exploring nature, hiking, but this year, we’ve been able to travel a ton. I took the kids out of school for a homeschool or gap year of travel, and since my schedule is totally flexible, we have had a ton of adventures all across the US and a five week tour of Europe.

I first lived as a minimalist during my junior year abroad in England. I spent that year in a very sparse room with two suitcases of possessions. I remember buying a single lamp and a blanket for my room.

A few years ago, I found myself sitting with my family in our 4700sf home and knew we were rapidly on the way to having too much stuff. I could keep everything my kids ever made or used in our large storage rooms and not go through it for the next 4-5 decades. I didn’t want to be that kind of family, so we took some drastic measures.

We downsized aggressively to move to a 1700sf apartment and are moving to a 1350sf (plus basement) house in two weeks (you can read the full story at http://minimalmd.com/downsizing/). Some minimalists have mentioned to me that 1350sf isn’t small, but to me, it isn’t about getting to a certain number. Minimalism is about cutting out the things that detract from your joy so you can live fully with what you love.

The most challenging thing about minimalism is compromising. My ideal home differs from my husband’s ideal, and we also get vocal input from our kids. We have all grown into the minimalist mindset but at different rates, and what is essential to each person still differs. It is important for us all to be respectful of the needs of each member of the family.

I’m into minimalism so that I don’t have to spend my day cleaning/arranging/picking up. Smaller spaces and fewer items translate into more time to read/hike/play with my kids. It also allows me to sit in peace in my home, without visual clutter.

The second reward is monetary. Our new house cost $65,000 less than our previous home. The cost to maintain the home is also lower. We are using some of that money to put solar panels on our house, which will decrease our monthly living expenses. Some of the money has also gone to some pretty incredible vacations. I took my kids to stand on Europe’s largest glacier, see a show on London’s West End, and climb the Eiffel Tower. I could go on for pages about the travel, and I will on my blog. These trips are priceless. Every item I don’t buy; every item I sell = time and money for travel.

I see things changing when the kids are off to college. That would probably be the best time for us to perhaps build a smaller home that suits us perfectly. On the other hand, moving is a pain, and the recurring expenses on our smaller home will be minimal.

We can easily just close off the kids’ rooms and have a very reasonable living area. When they leave the house, we will go through every item and determine if it is something the kids want to eventually take with them vs get rid of.

We have come a long way in the past two years, but I’m sure gradual changes will continue to take place. I’d like to see our family be zero waste, so we will continue to take steps in that direction. Even if we can’t get to zero, eliminating waste to 5-10% would make an impact. It is more important to see progress than to be perfect.