More is Sometimes Necessary

 Firstly, here is a link to a Notion template I have been working on that tracks all of my belongings ('Minimalist Life') often to the nitty gritty. What has been helpful to me is if I record this information in a different room than where the belongings are. For example, I will sit in the living room as I think about what clothes I have or what supplies I use while I am in the bathroom. It really makes me think about what is important. If I forgot I had that one hoodie when I was recording this information, is it really necessary? That is the question you need to ask yourself. I cannot give an answer to you about what is personal to your life. 

What I am slowly working on learning is that more is sometimes necessary. For me, this especially applies to my clothes. Not that I have not had enough clothes, or that the clothes I have do not take up enough space. I know that I have more clothes than I can even count on both of my hands. But, it does not mean that it hurts to have more. What needs to be considered is the purpose of the clothing. Will it be used? Often? What does it do better than another article of clothing that I might already have in my closet? 

For me this is important in this season of life because I just finished college and I am about to start my first year working in the adult workforce. As a teacher, this means that apparel is really necessary and specific. I am not allowed to wear jeans at this new school, and most of my "bottoms" in my wardrobe are either jeans or jean shorts (which is still a form of jeans, but it has the added layer of really not professional apparel). I have dresses- enough to wear a different one each day of the week. And that would be fine. Who cares if the students all notice that I am wearing the same clothes? I do not dress to make them happy, and there is nothing with wearing the same thing each week. I could even make it entertaining by having a "Monday" dress, a "Tuesday" dress, etc. However, if something happens to the dresses that I am wearing or simply for my sake of getting bored of what I have to wear, I would like more options. If it was up to me, I think a week and a half to two weeks (aka 7-10 days) of clothing appropriate to where I spend most of my week is worthwhile. This is especially true because the clothes that I would wear into the weekend (aka at church) is the same as what I would wear to school. 

I also need to remember that I do have a few options. For example, I have a skirt and some shirts that I could wear with them. This would add to that 7-10 outfits I need. But I literally have two skirts. So, five dresses, two skirts. I have hit my 7-outfit count. I could stop. And I might. But as I live my life now looking towards that job starting in the future, I am keeping my eyes open to new clothes for a purpose. I will not buy new clothes such as jeans or informal shirts. In fact, I do not even need any knew formal shirts, I just need to find pants that work with the professional tops I do have. 

The other six outfits that I have pre-folded in my room are my shorts with a matching graphic tee. This means that during the summer, on most weekend days, or days when I am not at the school such as on breaks, I don't have to choose what I want to wear. I already have a shirt and a pants pair that go together. I know that many people prefer to mix and match. And, if one was to go much more minimalist it is total possible that always having prepped outfits won't work if they only own two bottoms. However, I need to remember that minimalism looks differently for everyone and what I have is working for me. That is what matters when it comes to minimalism for me right now.