We know minimalism and simplicity have great benefits for our lives, but knowing where to start or how to achieve this lifestyle can be daunting! Thankfully Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity and creator of the minimalist fashion challenge #Project333 breaks it down for us on this episode! Courtney shares her own minimalist journey and offers a great way to approach simplicity with your wardrobe!
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Thrift Stores: Need something to put in your house? On your body? Or for a Christmas gift for a person you feel obligated to buy for? Thrift stores. Don’t pay full price when you can get the same things.
Notable Notes:
We enjoyed talking with Courtney about her experiences with living a simple lifestyle, the realizations this brought in her life, and the ways in which she has maintained minimalism. Here’s a few of the questions we explored:
- What got you started down the path to minimalism?
Courtney shared about her diagnosis of MS and the ways in which this set the trajectory for desiring and achieving what she terms ‘soulful simplicity’
- What are the changes you made to achieve a simpler, healthier lifestyle & what fears did you work through to make them?
Courtney described experimenting with different things including diet, but also noticed the stress of ‘stuff’ and the subconscious cost of having too much
- How has this lifestyle of simplicity translated into your finances?
Courtney desired simplicity in all aspects of life, including finances; she didn’t want debt! The Dave Ramsey courses and books were helpful for Courtney as she sought to minimize spending, give more, save more, travel more – which led to no more angst!
- We all mess up. In times when we fall back into old habits how can we recommit to a simpler lifestyle.
Courtney described a ‘real’ and authentic commitment that she found which helped to not fall off the wagon. This of course took time, but there was a difference in the approach.
Courtney also noticed strong connections between freedom, simplicity, and health which helped to maintain motivation.
Courtney also encourages us to celebrate along the way, go gently and slowly, and to shift our perspective to “I get to do this” by recognizing the privilege of being in a situation to be able to pay off debt!
BILL OF THE WEEK – Courtney – thanks for sharing your bill about the peace of mind that comes with automatic bill payments!
- If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill
Lightning Round
Our ‘lightning fast’ final questions!
- What is Project 333 and what inspired it?
3months – 33 wardrobe items; inspired by ‘disaster closet’ 🙂
- What are your tips for someone who wants to do Project 333? 1.Remember it’s time limited 2.Don’t get rid of things – this just causes stress – just put it out of sight 3.Don’t buy new things for the challenge – that would defeat the purpose
- What do you do at the end of the 3 months?
Depends on the person, but it always allows for re-evaluation and greater self knowledge.
- If you want more from Courtney, check here out on these platforms:
Insta: @bemorewithless
Frugal Friends Book Club:
It’s June and we’re reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport for our book club
- If you want a free copy, leave us a review on iTunes or Stitcher, screenshot the review and send it to frugalfriendspodcast@gmail.com. We’ll select the winners at the end of the month.
See you next week!
