Our Journey to Minimalism

Minimalism, for us, is a way of life, yet one that we are constantly practicing because as you know, practice makes perfect. We didn’t become a minimalist couple overnight.

Before the Minimalism Lifestyle Began

In 2008, we purchased our first home and we spent the next 8 years filling it with things that were pretty and shiny and would impress people when they visited- at least that is what we thought.

If we wanted something, we bought it. The more new and trendy items for our home, the better. We do not have human children, so I even made one of our guest rooms into my giant closet and made my (Shannon) smaller closet in my master, my tiny office.

Ger had his own “man room” with all of his music, books, guitar, and anything else that he wanted. Yep, that’s right. That is how our priorities aligned, at that time.

Then, something happened. Owning our business, which operated with staff providing 24-hour services, we were extremely busy, pulled into a thousand different directions. All of a sudden, we began to realize, that all of the “stuff”, meant nothing.

Not only did the stress from our business take its toll on our mental and physical health, but in this decision-making time, we lost two of our furbabies, grandparents, and with another one of our furbabies aging, we began taking inventory of what mattered in our lives.

The value audit no longer included all of our stuff- our material things. It was difficult to fathom why that stuff ever had any meaning. Having our minds constantly cluttered with business, we began feeling like we needed to have minimal, clutter-free space- a sanctuary where we could only reflect on what mattered.

Becoming a Minimalist Couple

We were on a mission to declutter our home and our lives. We sold many items that we forgot we had, then the things we didn’t need, and we realized that we were beginning to enjoy the process.

Purging “stuff” actually gave us a thrill, and our eyes began widening to our environment, people, and experiences we could have, by not having so much stuff. We began caring more about the items we had, valuing the quality of quantity, and paying more attention to our carbon footprint.

We became enthralled with searching for information. Books, documentaries, podcasts, blogs, and anything related to minimizing, living tiny, clutter-free, or simplicity, we consumed. We absorbed it all, like sponges.

Our obsession for things, turned into an obsession to enjoy the hell out of life and what our lives had to offer, and what we offered each other.

The Minimalist Lifestyle Began

We found the minimalist lifestyle as we began researching the tiny living movement. The entire minimalist approach speaks to us and we both got on board right away.

It spoke to our souls as we began to seek out a simpler, less hectic home life. We yearned for a sanctuary.

It seems that with tiny living, comes mindfulness, conservation, and sustainability. We began looking at our carbon footprint and attempting to reduce what we put into the world, again, all of the stuff that we as humans, call necessities.

The Adventure that Changed Everything

The biggest decision, one which was the catalyst to things changing, was made on a sporadic adventure, a short weekend getaway.

We were sitting in the surf at Bear Island (check it out, by the way. It’s a hidden gem on the NC coast, dreading going back home into the chaos that awaited us, wishing for just one more day.

The waves were crashing on us. We were somewhere in the middle of laughing and crying, and one of us said (we cannot remember who), “Why don’t we just sell the house, go tiny, and have adventures like this a lot more?

That statement changed our lives.

We came home, called our fantastic real estate agent, Jennifer Smith, and our plan began to set sail and became a reality. Our home sold in 24 hours, to an all-cash buyer, for more than asking. It was as if it was all meant to be.

Fast forward to today- the Arner Adventures continue!

How We Stay Focused as a Minimalist Couple

Living a minimalist lifestyle is now, just that. It’s our lifestyle, however, stuff can creep back into our home, and our lives, right under our noses.

For several years, in January, to stay focused on making sure that our stuff doesn’t rule our lives, we would play a minimalism game where you get rid of items each day- the amount aligning with the date. For example, on day 1, you get rid of one thing, on day 15- you get rid of fifteen things.

We then created our own 30-day Declutter Challenge. offering to others. We use it as a way to declutter the things that accumulate in our home and to declutter a negative mindset.

In 2021, we embarked upon a No-buy Year. We knew we needed something extreme to keep us on the right path. That year set the tone for what our lifestyle would be. Now, we hardly think about it being any different than before, or being out of the norm of how people live their lives.

Embark on this Minimalist Adventure with Us

So, there you have it. That is how we got here. We hope you will stick around and learn more about living minimally, sustainably, and with lots of adventures! After all, that is a life well lived.

Check out The Arner Adventures Podcast, where we dive more into our lifestyle, and lessons we have learned along the way.