Jessica Rose Williams's cancer was cured six years ago, and it was a life-changing experience for the 25-year-old who decided to make some changes in her life.
After reading The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, who also have a show on Netflix, Williams decided to take Kondo's decluttering techniques to another level and used it for her entire life. It went from clothes to friendships, and even her job.
"I worked at a HR job for the NHS which I hated for 5 years. Now, I write and take pictures at the core of what I do. I love my creative job," said Williams who have 27K Instagram followers and a blog.
As Marie Kondo method suggests, the best way to start decluttering your home is with clothes because people are usually less emotionally attached to them (compare to books or photographs) and this exactly what Williams did.
“I had three wardrobes and suitcases full of clothes. I was very addicted to shopping back then,” the lifestyle blogger said.
Now 31, Williams swears by her under 50 pieces capsule wardrobe that consist of clothes that complement each other, intentionally chosen to last, preferably sustainable and timeless to avoid shopping too often.
She got rid of 80% of the stuffs she owed and made around £4,000 selling them on eBay and doing car boot sales and donated the rest to clothing banks.
"The more I grew aware of how influenced I was by consumerism, the easier it was for me to turn away from it because I didn’t want to be dictated to what I should buy, what house I should live in. I didn’t want to bite into any of that. I think the experience that I had before was a motivation for me," added the blogger.
Since changing her consumer-driven lifestyle for a budget friendly minimalist one, Williams feels happier and is debt free apart from her new mortgage.
"The whole minimalist lifestyle philosophy helps me do that and I rely on it kind of like a tool on my shoulder on a daily basis."
"I have more money now because I think twice before I buy anything," she said.
Williams keeps living a normal life and doesn't get in debt anymore like she used to and together with her husband, they buy less and better quality.
The Minimalists (run by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus), who are specialists, say this way of living is focusing on having "more time, more passion, more creativity, more experiences, more contribution, more contentment, more freedom."
"Minimalism doesn’t mean there’s anything inherently wrong with owning material possessions," said the duo.
"I tend to buy things that I made to last and they are usually more expensive but other than that we save a lot. We like to spend of travel. We are very much experiencers over things with our money," said Williams.
She moved to the countryside to the Peak District with her partner and downsized their house after they realised they didn't need all the space.
She agrees with The Minimalists and doesn't want her lifestyle to feel like a deprivation but it should "make life better".
Ideally, if she buys something new it is to replace something or she thinks twice before making a decision.
Williams said she makes more conscious choices when she purchase new items and she asks herself “do I really need this?” “Is it gonna add value to my life?” and if that answer is yes then why wouldn’t I want that?"
"I've got a little pile here that i've got to sale on eBay and I'll use the money to put forward anything new that I buy," finished Williams.