Drowning in her possessions, Jennifer turned to a ‘freeing’ new lifestyle

“We know that when we live with more purpose and choices which line up with these values, we tend to report more life satisfaction,” Brewer says. If you’re ready to channel your inner minimalist, Jennifer says the best way start is to become clear on why you want less. Once you tap into your reasons for becoming a minimalist, she says it becomes easier to see what does, and doesn’t, belong in your life.

Each time you’re tempted to buy something new, ask yourself whether owning that object will help you stay aligned to your goals.

Each time you’re tempted to buy something new, ask yourself whether owning that object will help you stay aligned to your goals. Similarly, when sifting through your possessions, ask yourself why each item matters to you.

Nowadays, Jennifer is the mother of two young children. She doesn’t consider herself an “extreme” minimalist, but says she and her husband – who live in a two-bedroom flat with their kids – ascribe to the “just enough” style of minimalism.

She doesn’t shuffle along in the same pair of shoes every day, for example, but she has managed to whittle her shoe collection down from more than 100 pairs to just seven. Sure, Jennifer occasionally pines for a new pair, or has her head turned by other temptations. But she now knows the fleeting joy she feels after such a purchase pales in comparison to how liberating it feels – emotionally, physically and financially – to be a minimalist. “It’s really very freeing.”

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This article appears in Sunday Life magazine within the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on sale July 25. To read more from Sunday Life, visit The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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