10 steps to a minimalist summer

Ahh, summer time. There’s so much you can do without having to spend a ton of money, here are some ideas to give your summer a minimalist twist.

how to create a minimalist summer

1. Spring Summer Cleaning. Start the summer off with a massive clear out of all of the things you’ve accumulated this year. Give it away, or check your local parks/schools for boot sale opportunities. Price low, don’t worry about making profits or getting you money back, just think of it as donating your things to people who actually want your stuff.

2. Take up a new hobby. Almost everybody has said this sentence before: “I’ve always wanted to try…”. Have you? What goes at the end? You decide, and make it happen. What better time to do it than now?

3. Picnic. Instead of eating out, why not call some friends and have a picnic? Or an old fashioned tea party? For cutlery and food, you can all contribute a little and put together everything you need. You can spend an afternoon chatting and catching up, and if you try hard enough, you won’t need to buy anything!

4. Don’t go shopping. Here’s a challenge, try not to buy new clothes this summer. Unless you really have to, why not dig out last year’s summer clothes, or cutting unwanted winter clothes, like old jeans? Summer clothes are the most simple and versatile, I bet you can find something to wear without having to buy it. Also, vintage clothes are in.

5. Clear your timetable. Without classes, lot’s of students take the summer as an opportunity to work. Of course it’s great to earn and save up money, but be careful not to work too much. Remember, the summer is for taking a break from work, not taking on more hours of stress to make up for not having any classes!

6. Walk or cycle. Take advantage of the nice weather and get out of those stuffy cars. Walk or cycle to places instead. It’s free, good exercise and you can feel the cool summer breeze run through your hair, isn’t this what summer is for?

7. Take a road trip. In many places, you can have a perfectly fun time without having to fly abroad. Get on a coach, bike or car-share and take a ride to the  beach/theme park/museum/aquarium/tourist city/countryside/lake. It’ll be greener than flying, plus it probably be cheaper, so you don’t have to work as hard to save up for it.

8. Find a summer course. Many universities, schools and adult education centers run summer courses every year. Most of the time, they’re established language courses, so if you’re interested in learning another language, give it a go! Otherwise, there are art classes, teaching-English courses, writing classes, drama groups, business workshops and I’ve even seen sign language and lip-reading lessons!

9. Review notes. Wait! I haven’t gone crazy 🙂 It might be a good idea to flick through your notes or books every now and again, otherwise you might forget most of it and you don’t want to have completely wasted this year. Plus, chances are that you’ll need to know the basics for the next year, and you probably don’t want to be trumped by a pop quiz when you return.

10. Get fit. Summer is a fantastic time to take up jogging. I love to run, but having heard a lot of good things about barefoot running, so I tried that too. Summer is also a fab time to start playing tennis, go outdoor swimming, or even to throw a frisbee in the park.

Summer only comes around once a year, so make it worthwhile!

What are you up to this summer? Have you got any more minimalist ideas? Please share them with everyone in the comments!

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