Minimalism – A 6 Year Old’s Take

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On the way home from gymnastics the other day, my 6 year old’s voice piped up from the back seat.

“Mommy? I was thinking something about minimalism.”

I turned off the radio. “What’s that?”

“Well,” she continued, “some people think if you get rid of something, you’re wasting money. But the secret is, the money is already gone. You’re not wasting it when you get rid of the thing. You waste it when you buy something you don’t want or need.”

I was blown away.

SOME PEOPLE TAKE THEIR WHOLE LIVES TO LEARN THIS.

I know it certainly took me far longer than I wish it had. It’s a hard lesson. So many of us keep trying to recoup sunk costs, long after we’ve already determined that an item isn’t worth our time (or space. or attention.) anymore. We save it for a yard sale. We intend to list it on a facebook marketplace, or ebay.

We take loads of items to the donation centers, but save a certain special few items that are “worth more.”

But like Anneliese said, the money is already gone.

And it’s time to let go.

When we arrived home, the kids changed into their nighttime clothes, and I set the boys up with their dinner. But I took Anneliese into the playroom to make a video with me before she had her meal. She seemed to have a lot on her mind about minimalism and its effect on people’s lives, so I let her ramble on for 15 minutes.

Now and then, I’d ask an open-ended question, like “Do you consider yourself to be a minimalist?” or “What item means the most to you?” but I didn’t prompt her words about minimalism in ANY way. If you doubt this because of the way she’s speaking in the video, this is what it sounds like when a super-thoughtful bookworm speaks. If you’ve met her, you know this is real.

Once the kids were tucked into bed, I went to my computer to edit the video. I took out the pauses and more repetitive bits, and was left with 5 minutes of solid gold, straight from Anneliese to the world.

She even plugged a few of her favorite books on the topic at the end of the video – again, COMPLETELY her. It was all I could do to keep from laughing and ruining the video with my shakes and giggles. She’s such a natural vlogger!

So I’m back here at Joyful Abode, after a long hiatus, to share her wisdom with you. Goodness knows I needed to hear it, as we’re preparing for our fourth cross-country move, and decluttering in anticipation.

I’m also decluttering and revamping my YouTube channel a bit, getting it ready for a lot more video content to come. So please hop over and subscribe if you haven’t already. I’ve been light on video, but I always LOVE making them when I do… and I’m making it a goal of mine to make a lot more for you in the coming months and years.

Books recommended by my daughter: