Being a minimalist means you practice an intentional life and freedom from the passion to possess. Americans are known to be consumers and spending the majority of their lives working to buy things. Being a traveling nurse practitioner has put a lot of things into perspective. Since I cannot travel with all of my belongings, it keeps me from purchasing items on a regular basis. It also has led to me declutter both my home and life.
Before when I would travel abroad, I was that person that had to buy dozens of souvenirs. These souvenirs end up just sitting as decorations and collect dust in my home. Now when I travel, I have to remind myself that there is no point in buying souvenirs (or more than 1 item hehe) because the best part of traveling are the memories created – not the things purchased.
I used to have 3 tall bookshelves full of books. I have always loved to read and like owning books, and holding them in my hand. I later realized there is no point in keeping a library at home. It just becomes more things that collect dust and you need to pack up every time you move. I ended up donating or selling the majority of my books, of course keeping some of my favorite ones. Now when I purchase a new book, after I finish reading it I will just give it to a friend to share the love.
My other guilty pleasure is clothes. I have always enjoyed having a full closet, with many options – so when the time comes for a special occasion, I am already prepared. Luckily, I discovered the app “Poshmark”. This is an app where people sell their used clothes. I have made hundreds of dollars selling my old clothes on this app. This allows me to get rid of clothes on a regular basis. I now have a rule that whenever I buy new clothes, I have to get rid of the same amount of old clothing items.
Growing up 1 of 4 children, I lived in big houses. Thus, I always thought I wanted to own a big house when I was older. The more I travel for work, the more I realize I would actually prefer to have a smaller home. A bigger house means more items you need to fill it up, more time spent cleaning, and more money wasted.
How has being a traveling nurse practitioner enabled you to become a minimalist?
Not only am I a traveling NP but we also live full-time in our 24 foot travel trailer. Talk about being a minimalist! We sold our home that was 2300 sq. feet going down to a 24 foot trailer. You learn how to live in such a small space and look hard at something before buying asking if you really need this. I wouldn’t live any other way.
How cool! Not sure I could go to that extreme lol