A mum of four has revealed how she got rid of 70% of her family’s belongings to embrace a minimalist lifestyle, whilst also paying off just under £35k in debts ($46k).
Nici Garcia, 29, realised she needed a change after reading a book about minimalism and debt free living.
The day-care owner and her partner Robert, 34, from Arizona, US, took the step to uproot their hoarding lifestyle, getting rid of things they don’t use, and limiting clothing to 14 items per family member.
Items in the home aren’t all that the Garcia family have given up, they’ve also made other sacrifices in their daily lives from cutting back on eating out and budgeting for food shops and essentials.
Nici said: “When I first started out, I was really meticulous with money.
“We would put money in an envelope at the start of the month, like £894 ($1200) a month for rent and £450 ($600) for food and essentials.
MORE IN REAL LIFE
Woman reveals bloke proposed with a ‘monster’ ring which left her hospitalised
I’m a mum who lives with her mum, people say it’s embarrassing but it’s not
“Once the money ran out, it meant we couldn’t use any more money to buy things.
“The first three months were quite rough, and we would end up going over what we had or going through the budget in like two weeks.
“Eventually we got a hold of ourselves and ended up with money left at the end of the month – which we then put towards paying off debts and putting towards savings for a house.”
“In the space of a year we paid off our student loans and also saved £7,455 ($10K) for a house deposit.”
Despite losing a huge majority of toys, the children Remington, seven; Emerson, six; Charlotte, four and Sebastian, one, have all been fully on board, and have embraced the minimalist lifestyle.
Their house is now plain and militant with minimal pictures and decoration, with the families remaining belongings stored away neatly.
Most read in Fabulous
Dustbuster 
I'm a cleaning pro – my cheap solution will keep your home dust-free for a month
I’ve got 30HH boobs and there’s only one strapless bra I can rely on
Fashion fans go wild for Asda’s green skirt that’s perfect for summer
I work in a shoe shop and swear by a 29p hack to stop your shoes from rubbing
Nici said: “I had a miscarriage and was really struggling with bills and day-to-day life getting on top of me.
“Cleaning up after the kids could take hours, and then having to dust and clean the rest of the house just really took it out of me.
“When I came across ‘The Year of Loss’ by Cait Flanders, I knew it was the healthy change my family needed.
“We sold off and donated about 70 percent of our belongings.
“The children had so many things that they didn’t need, because when you have kids, people tend to buy things for them, that you never have the heart to throw away.
“All of their dressers were overflowing, and one of my girls had 57 t-shirts, half of which she had never worn.
FABULOUS BINGO: Get a £20 bonus & 30 free spins when you spend £10 today
“Because of this, we decided on the number 14, 14 tops, 14 bottoms, 14 underwear, 14 socks and the system really works.
“Each room in the house now has very minimal decoration, and we got rid of so much stuff through selling and donating.
“The kids were very involved and helped with what toys and clothes they wanted to get rid of, their piles were huge.
“It’s gone from hours at a time cleaning up after them, to between five and 20 minutes.”
Nici’s minimalist ways have garnered a mix reaction over social media and from her family and friends.
She added: “Some of my family members think I’m a little crazy, whilst some intentionally went out and bought more things for the kids after we
had gotten rid of all the things they didn’t use.
“It’s taken them a while to understand, but now we ask for things we need for birthdays and Christmas or for money to put towards something.
“On Tiktok a few people have said I’m depriving my children, but I’m not.
Most read in The Sun
NOW UC ME 
Date millions of households will get first part of £650 cost of living payment
Fury makes £200m retirement U-turn with Gyspy King training for AJ payday
Nine TOWIE stars BOOTED OFF flight after vaping and refusing to wear masks
Just ONE popular drink a day ‘increases risk of liver cancer by 78%’
“They may have less toys, but they are still treated fairly and get given new things, we just have a one in one out system now.
“They love donating toys and clothes they don’t use anymore.”
Source: Read Full Article