Paring Down to Love - Business Edition

How Minimalism Took Over My Work and I've Never Been More Successful (and Happy)

2025 marks the fifteenth year I've been selling vintage clothing online. And while I love it more now than when I first began selling vintage (which is amazing), I've recently changed how I do this vintage gig. And it all has to do with the joy of minimalism.

At the start of my vintage-selling career, it was a matter of learning how to find the vintage items I wanted, add those pieces to my shop, and gradually increase the number of items to sell more things.

After all, if I have more things, I'll sell more things. These laws of business are basic but true and they take place in every consumer goods store, whether at a brick-and-mortar store or online shop.

But midway through my vintage career, I became a minimalist and if you really let minimalism have its way with you, you begin to see the error of your ways not just in your wardrobe and home but your work life. 

I indeed sold more when I had more items. It also meant more money which meant a paid mortgage and my kids' private tuition taken care of.

But, there were negatives to having so many items too. It wasn't all dollar signs and joy. I had to deal with more stuff. I literally had things falling out of closets, cupboards, bins, and drawers. I lost things and I forgot I had certain items. It was a mess, at times.

The increase in sales also meant an increase in customer complaints, lost packages, and negative feedback. With more responsibility comes ... more responsibility. And I had spread myself too thin. I had lost my joy for vintage. Things came to a head this last November. My work needed a change.   

I needed a change.

At the highest point, I had almost 800 items in my shop. That's a good amount and I sold many things. But having that many things meant overwhelm. Did I need to make my shop more minimal? My wardrobe was great, my home was great, and I had pared down to love; everything I owned and used I loved. So, why wasn't I doing this for my own business? 

I knew why: the bottom line. 

Yet, that quest for money - because I did need it - had created burnout. Instead of enjoying the profit, I was annoyed at all the stuff I had in my shop, having to constantly take care of it, field questions from customers, and make sure I had more new stuff coming in.  

I've been into minimalism for the last seven years or so. Obviously, because the minimalist lifestyle has only been positive for me, I knew it would be a wonderful change. But, I knew if I combined it with the fifteen years of vintage, things were going to change big time.

I just wasn't sure I was going to make any money. I'd been doing "Have More, Make More" for my shop all these years. How was a smaller amount of items going to make me anything? 

But, I knew something had to give and decided I would rather give up making more money to get my mind back. I'd rather give up having 800 items and instead only have about 250 amazing items. If it meant less money, fine. It also meant less of a headache.

Once I made up my mind I was going back to just the basics -- good stuff, but less stuff -- for my shop I began to stop relisting items I didn't like. I gave away a ton of stuff to friends and family, even giving some vintage items as Christmas gifts. 

I donated bags of vintage things I didn't want in my shop to my local thrift shop (I think I went about five times in five weeks) and changed my business tenet from "Have More, Make More" to "Less But Better."

That means I may pay a little more for better items, but it means fewer items to take care of. 

Since I began this shift in November, I've sold, given away, and donated about 400 items. Gone. Poof. Out of there. Was it hard to give away items I once liked and paid money for? Yes. That always hurts.

But here's the kicker: All of the items I once loved, I gave back to the thrift shops (I source most of my vintage from thrift stores and estate sales) and I don't even miss them! Because the calm and clarity of my business superseded any loss, it's as if they never existed. (This is the same method as going through your closet and getting rid of clothing you bought but never wore. It hurts to know you paid for something you didn't wear, but it feels worse to hold onto it.)

Today, I'm grateful to have a simplified, beautiful, quality vintage shop and to have my mind in order.

I'll find out how well this strategy works as the year progresses. But if December sales are any indicator, the "less is more" concept is going to work brilliantly for my shop. December 2024 sales were in the top five sales months of all time for my shop. Top five in fifteen years! January is already starting out strong too. I'm in awe. 

Maybe you have a business that is more chaos than calm. Perhaps minimalism may be what you need to start this year with a fresh start and a new mindset. 

Minimalism has infected all facets of my life and I'm now living a chaos-free, happy, and fulfilling life (and business) because of it. 

Pare down to love and bring calm back to your wardrobe, home, and business. It's worth it.

Doing Without │ The Art of Choosing Not to Buy Anything New For a Year

Just reading the title of this post makes me squirm, or rather, it did.

How does one not buy anything new for an entire year? Is it possible to live a year with only the things I already own? Can people do this? Is this logical? Why would I do this? 

On January 1st, last year, I asked myself all those questions and decided to dive in and do it anyway.

I tried this "No Buy" thing for a year which meant I didn't buy anything new to add to my wardrobe, my house, or anywhere else (of course, I purchased food and basic necessities). Instead, it was just me and my favorites tied together by a mutual love of each other. And guess what? It was the best "non-consuming" year of my life.

Here's how I did it, why I'm doing it again, and why you should try this too.

We don't need what we think we need

Let's be honest: We want because we want and are used to getting what we want, particularly if it's cheap. Think Target, Amazon, and the like. That's why our houses and closets look like they do. We're so used to consuming and justifying the purchases because they're inexpensive. Now we have more than we need, living chaotic lives surrounded by the very stuff we thought we needed - that we don't use. I try not to buy off of Amazon if I can help it. It's maybe once a month, and it's usually home essentials I can't find anywhere else (like specific vitamins or organic dryer sheets). But occasionally, something else random will hop into my cart, like a t-shirt or a cute pair of sandals.

But during this year of not buying anything extra, I may have put those things in my cart, only to take them out when I realized how easily I fell into my old ways. It was hard, but also very eye-opening to see how normal it was to buy extra little things. And it is a powerful thing to go without. Instead, I used the t-shirts I already had and wore the sandals (seven pairs!) sitting in my closet.

We have everything we already need.

If you've minimized your closet, you know this to be true. My closet is very minimal (minus shoes, ha!) A great idea that many minimalists talk about at the start of the new year is turning all of your hangers around to see what you do and don't wear. When you wear something, turn the hanger back the right way. By the end of the year - or really, in just a few months - you know exactly what you wear (and what you don't) by how the hangers sit.

Now, clothing wears out. I had to replace two tops with two new ones because they had holes. I also had to replace one pair of shoes. I also added one pair of jeans, but that's because I donated one pair. So if I did buy something new, it was only to replace an unwearable piece or an item I didn't want to wear anymore. I also purchased two new purses but got rid of two that I never used or had wear beyond repair. I only replaced six or seven items in my closet for the year. 

Honest moment: I thrifted one sweater to wear for Christmas last month and then donated it back to the thrift shop when it was over. I believe that was the only "unnecessary" purchase I made, and I gave it right back to where it came from.

But for the rest of the year, clearly, I had everything I needed to wear, and believe it or not, I've pared down my closet just a couple items more over this last year. 

As for the house? I didn't purchase anything the entire year except for one small vase - a vintage, thrifted vase. Nothing else. No artwork, no dinnerware for the kitchen, no utensils, and no throw pillows. In fact, I gave away some throw pillows that I wasn't using. So, over the course of the year, I actually ended up with negative household goods.

It's empowering to choose not to consume

Choosing not to consume is like going to the gym: It's hard, and I don't want to do it. But when I find myself choosing not to buy (and using what I already have and love), and I do this day after day - by focusing not on what I want on a whim, but rather being intentional with what I already have - it's not just freeing but empowering. It makes me feel like I can do anything! It gets easier to say no with every day that passes when I don't give in to consuming needlessly.

Of course, there will be emergencies and special occasions when we need to buy something extra. My son is getting married this spring so I had to buy a dress and jewelry for that occasion. Yes, it's only for that one occasion, but it's also a momentous and very special event! Those purchases (to me) don't count for the non-consuming year I had undertaken. And the dress I bought I will be able to wear again. 

I also had a birthday and celebrated Christmas, so I still got things I wasn't planning on adding to my life, and I'm grateful for them. We get - and consume - so much more than we realize. So the reality of not buying anything for a year was doable, challenging, and rewarding.

What do you have to lose? A cleaner closet? A more organized house? Money in the bank? These are all gains and choosing not to buy anything for a year can reveal where each of our consuming weaknesses hide. Remember to ask yourself with every purchase: Is this a need or a want? Do I already have something that will work? You can do this "No Buy" year and you can do it better than you think.

The start of this new year means I'm trying this challenge again. I may add one or two items to my wardrobe. But judging by the way I've been handling my minimalist closet for the last seven years, I will probably add that item, only to remove something else I don't wear.

I'm in love with having less because it's freeing.

Give this "No Buy" challenge a try. Maybe you do great for a month and fall off the buying wagon the next month. That's okay. Get yourself back up and focus on the whole reason for this: You want freedom. And the freedom not to buy is a superpower. Imagine that? We have a superpower that benefits our lives all because we learn to live with fewer things.

Doing without has never been more satisfying because when you do life with less you realize how much you already have. 

Some Simple Christmas Ideas

Simplify Magazine, a wonderful quarterly magazine directly connected to the world of minimalist Joshua Becker and his fantastic website, posted this little photo with the perfect words. It was this:

This list is essentially what I strive to become a little more of every year. 

And this year, I'm giving three (or four) different vintage gifts to family members, that were very much thrifted! They're secondhand gifts, but there is nothing second about them. 

When it comes to unique gift-giving, give thrift stores a good look (you will need to go many different times, not just one time, as new merchandise comes in daily to these shops). 

It takes time to find "that perfect" secondhand hand gift, but trust me, visit thrift stores often enough, and you will find what you're looking for. There is something out there for everyone on your list and you don't have to spend a fortune.

Baking is one of the best things about the Christmas season. I hope to make a couple of special treats and give them as gifts and offer them at our Christmas Eve dinner.

If you're looking for experiences of the season that are free, take a walk in your neighborhood and look at Christmas lights, go to a craft fair, or make desserts, and give them to your neighbors.

Have a simple, real, secondhand, homemade, local Christmas this year. Forget the malls, forget the Christmas sales, forget brand new merchandise that will be old a few weeks from now.

Focus on family, togetherness, and making the very most of what you already have. The value of that is beyond what money can buy. The value of those gifts revolves around love. And love, well, that lasts forever.

Merry Christmas, my minimalist friends.

 

Thanksgiving is for Thanks

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, just a little reminder that you don’t need to spend a dime this Black Friday if you don’t want to.

There will always be a sale.

There will always be “another one” at that price.

There will always be an opportunity to get a good deal.

I know this because I own a small business. I will never not have a future sale. Black Friday isn’t the end all of all sales. It really isn’t. It’s just a way to generate customer anxiety so they’ll spend their money now rather than later.

It’s a hoax.

So, spend your money another time. After you’ve really thought about what you need; after you’ve gone through your closet and seen the excess; after you realize you should buy your family and friends experiences rather than stuff; after you remember that life isn’t about things but rather the time spent with them. 

Instead of shopping on Black Friday, try making that lemon tart you’ve always wanted to attempt. Meet up with a friend for a cup of coffee. Go to the gym (you might have the place to yourself!) Write your Christmas card list or create a holiday playlist from your favorite music station to listen to. 

For me, the goal this Black Friday is to be thankful for what I already have. To let the masses out there fight with the other masses for the best deal and for me to put my feet up. To shut down the phone to online shopping and instead only leave room for happy texts and silly memes.

My plan is to chill at home for the day, take a walk, enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers and remind myself that I have everything I need right now. 

I hope your Thanksgiving is filled with good things - those good things being family, friends, and laughter. Lots and lots of laughter.

-Heather

Thankfulness Year Round

How to Show Thankfulness in Seven Ways

Maybe it's because I'm getting older that I am more thankful for the simple things in life. Or maybe it's because I feel like my life is blessed beyond measure which creates my gratefulness for everything. 

Whatever the reason, whenever Thanksgiving rolls around, I often wonder why we have a holiday like this just to remind ourselves to be thankful. 

Sure, the holiday is based on the establishment of America: the sharing of a meal between the Plymouth colonists and Native Americans of the region hundreds of years ago. It is an incredible occasion that deserves to have a holiday of its own.

But, this time of year, the influx of thankfulness memes and "month of gratitude" posts pop up all over social media and I'm a bit nonplussed by it all. 

In a small way, it feels inauthentic. After all, we are given good things all the time. There are beautiful pictures to take throughout the entire year. There are things like the celebration of health, getting through a heavy heartache with family and friends, a good meal, a beautiful sunset, or the perfect cozy blanket you just thrifted. They're all good things and they happen all the time.

So, why are we not posting that regularly? And why wait until November to list what we're thankful for?

The longer I live my minimalistic lifestyle, the more I understand why minimalism is such a fantastic life trajectory. The more I'm thankful, the less I want. The less I want, the less I need. And the less I need, the more I can focus on all the beautiful things around me. It's God revealing Himself in the details no matter how minute. 

Want to add more gratitude to your life? Here are seven ways to add thankfulness to your life all year round.

1. Send a Thank You - The craft of writing is down to practically nothing these days. I rarely write a thank you note, let alone a letter. Perhaps you can thank someone for the meal they invited you to. Maybe that birthday gift really deserves a thank you, as well. Buy a box of thank you notes and start to add more gratitude to your life one note at a time.

2. Take a Photo - Want a way to be thankful for the beautiful day, the beautiful meal in front of you, or even the most perfect sunset you've ever seen? Take a photo of it. Every time you look at it, it's a constant reminder of how thankful you were to see or experience the event. If you're like me, upload it to your social media.

3. Give it Away - Show how thankful you are to have what you have and then... give it away. Does someone like your sweater? Give it to them. I've done this before. My mom loved my sweater, a sweater I didn't wear often, so I took it off (literally) and gave it to her. She's never forgotten it and wears it constantly. She's happy and I'm happy she's happy. I'm thankful it's hers now.

4. Write a Poem - Feel moved by the sunrise yesterday? What about that hummingbird that practically sat on your hand? Write a poem about it. The great thing about poetry is that it tends to be shorter than regular prose. It forces you to be sparing and succinct with your words. Poetry is a language that reveals your heart's joy and the pen writes out of the overflow of the heart.

5. Make a Phone Call - Want to thank someone for something they've done for you? How about actually calling them. I tend to be a text kind of gal, but sometimes hearing my friend's voice - or getting to see them on a Facetime call - fills a void of connection I need so badly. Talking to them is a way I can thank them for being my friend. Imagine that? Talking to a friend!

6. Bake a Treat - Thankful for your postal worker? Bake them a treat. Grateful to have friends and do life with them? Bake something for them. It's inexpensive, fun, creative, and forces you to thank them with food. Which, for most people, is probably the best gift to give. It is a consumable gift that won't sit around and collect dust.

7. Send a Text - Thinking about someone you're thankful for? Text them. I've gotten texts like these before. They're not common, but they sure are beautiful. I still think about them... even five to ten years after the fact because that text filled an empty spot in my life. An empty spot I didn't even know I had. It made me feel needed and in turn, made me grateful for them, too. 

Minimalism has been the impetus for living the most grateful life I've ever experienced. In fact, the "meat and potatoes" aspect of minimalism is predicated on thankfulness. By being thankful with less, and loving that less with all of our heart, we then can truly see how much we have

If you're looking to show thankfulness all year (and not just on social media), learn to find the good in every situation. And if nothing goes right (which feels like that happens many days), you still have the choice to appreciate your life. There is always something to be thankful for.

Take a cue from the theme of our holiday Thanksgiving and instead of one month or one day, do it every day of the year.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Book Pairing: Gratitude Journal - I do this every day! I write a few good things in the morning and afternoon and then as more good things come in, right before bed, I add a few more.

It puts me in a continual and constant state of gratitude and makes me aware of how much good surrounds me. It's overwhelming and humbling and I can't recommend this enough.