This might seem a bit off-topic for a truck build blog, but this does fit very much with our plans, and aligns with our values!
We’ve just rediscovered theminimialists.com and after starting their podcast (from 2016 – only a little bit late!) we’ve decided to take two of their tips on board;
- A Month of Minimalism (from even further back in 2015!)
- Don’t wait – start right now – because ‘someday’ might never happen
And from us;
- We’re soon to be selling our house to live in a truck!
So day 1/31 is simple; Ask yourself a question: how might your life be improved by having less ‘stuff’? The idea being to challenge the idea that having ‘that thing’ will make you happy and help you evaluate what brings true value to your life (relationships included – but more on that later down the line).
As Kerry shared a photo just this morning from @thejunkyardjournals on Instagram about challenging our behaviours around this time of year (it’s the 19th December!) and normalising regifting, sharing experiences and time together over consuming more ‘stuff’, this couldn’t have come at a better time.
Now we wouldn’t say that we own a LOT of stuff, in fact over the years with lots of moving around and travelling, we have de-cluttered a lot, or sold a lot depending on the finances at the time. We also feel less connected to ‘things’ and more to adventure and experience the more we travel and explore. But we do still have a long way to go in terms of reducing the things we ‘own’.
So, in answer to the day one question – as well as a good old clear out, our motivation is more the contribution to the concept of recycling, borrowing, lending and the community that this brings. Although this also brings about connotations of free loading or being ‘cheap’ – that’s quite simply not the case (and usually something suggested by the people who want you to buy their things!), why own all the things, when you can borrow something, or let someone borrow, something you’re not using right now anyway!?
So it’ll be a work in progress all the same, we do still have a LOT of things that won’t come with us to the truck, that will be difficult to part with sentimentally, but there are also a lot of habits and attitudes that we still want to challenge along the way.
Fancy joining us? Read The Minimialists post on their Month of Minimalism here. and let us know – we’d love to hear about it.
Kerry, Craig & Penelope
Click here for more details and lots of photos of our Penelope’s journey so far!
Kerry & Craig | Penelope the Truck 