My minimalist journey. Week 98

in The MINIMALIST9 months ago

Happy New Week to everyone! Welcome to my blog for another kiss 💋 contest.

This week in minimalist, the question is

What sparked your minimalist journey? Tell us about the life factors, media

I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth but I was okay to some extent. Everything we needed not to the extreme such as school writing materials (important) was always provided, so we didn't need to struggle with that. My parents used to say these words * we are not okay but we are not hungry meaning we are not rich but we are not poor* Yet we didn't look elsewhere for comfort, we were contended with whatever we had as children growing up and seeing other children living a comfortable life.

After secondary school, I began to see another meaning to life because we lost our Dad at a very tender age. Everything became difficult to some extent but we all managed to further our education.
People who see me, think I'm not a minimalist because I don't look like one but I will say life sparked me to become a minimalist to the core.

During my University days, I had only four trousers and some tops to wear, my shoes were just two and I squatted with a roommate who nearly killed me(story for another day). But I never for once go beyond my level. I did wash and wear clothes during school days very well🤔

I became a minimalist because I had to survive on my own, there's no amount of what I see others do that enters my eyes, you can never see me passing my boundaries of the things I could not afford. I have been a minimalist right from my early age.

Do you know how much I used to collect for school between the years 2004 - 2006? #500 (five hundred naira). This money was my transportation (campus shuttle) to school Monday to Friday and feeding and I will manage the money for one week before I collect another🤔🤔

Life is not balanced

I started making my hair by myself because I could not afford the salon price. I see girls making beautiful hairdos but it never gets to me. People in my hostel used to live extravagant lives, some had TVs, generators, and other home appliances but I did care not.

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I still make my hair till date

At times, I might not have food to eat but I won't beg or look elsewhere. It has been their anthem in my hostel making jest of me to belong but I won't go extra to pass my boundaries. Sometimes, I trekked for miles just to save the little money I had.

A friend of mine called me one day to see her at the market, she wanted to get some things and we went. On getting there, she was picking things that were too expensive and I was cautioning her not to, but she burst into a rigorous laugh that I was too local for her liking. Am I local? I felt she was wasting money on irrelevant things🤔 How can I buy a bag just one bag for #60k, sixty thousand naira? That's not minimal at all 👌

During my wedding, as a Yoruba girl, a popular ethnic group in Nigeria. These people are known to love parties as in big parties. But, I said categorically I didn't want any elaborate wedding, I wanted something minimal. Didn't I have the money? I had the money but I didn't want it wasted on a day ceremony and I did my wedding simply with fewer people to attend (my immediate family and fewer friends)👌

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Our simple wedding

During my wedding, my husband said wedding dress but a minimalist behavior in me said NO, let me go for something minimal that I can still use again not an expensive wedding dress that I won't be able to wear again.

For a lot of reasons and the lessons learned through life, I can boldly say that the only thing that sparked my minimal journey was/is life👌

Note: Not that I cannot buy expensive shoes, clothes, bags, and other things but the minimalist behavior in me won't let me waste money on irrelevant things while I have the privileges who are seriously in need around me.

Life taught me that things I don't necessarily need I shouldn't get them. Life taught me that I shouldn't waste my hard-earned money on irrelevant things. Life taught me to be minimal and not go overboard. Life taught me never to compete with anyone
All pictures used are mine.

This is my participation in the Kiss Blog 98.

Thank you for reading 🤗

Yours in love @flourishandflora

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It is true, sometimes, culturally we are pushed to lead our lives in some way, or acquire certain goods and services that are not necessary. Identifying them is good for us, for our emotions and for our pockets. Greetings @flourishandflora

Exactly! Why go for unnecessary things? If people can understand this, the better the world would be but we can never be the same in reasoning.

Thank you for the kind comment 🤗

I love the reason you pick a minimalist wedding dress. This is same thing I say about people who sew clothes for lot of money only for them to wear it just ones… well I love it.

How can I wear a dress that costs 1 million for a day?

I wore my minimalist dress for some years before I gave it out👌

Thank you dear @beeeee

The most important thing is to be content with what we have, to manage money with good judgment and to have peace. I am glad you had a simple wedding, they are more beautiful for their warmth and above all for the absence of ostentatious display.

Special that you wore a dress you could put on another occasion.

Great 😉

Indeed!
Thank you sis

I'm sorry you lost your father so young. Those are things that impact our lives in some way and sometimes direct us down a path because we have to be there. I have not always been a minimalist, but the change for me was good. I've also learned to make things for myself so I don't have to pay for it. You look very pretty in the pictures 💟

Thank you so much, dear sis🤗

Your words are comforting to my soul, thank you for this beautiful comment.

Thanks for the compliment too

Change is constant!