Trying to be Minimalist?

As part of my "journey," I've decided that I want to live a slightly simpler life. I like things like sweet tea and porch swings (or even just porch sitting) and the outdoors. Don't get me wrong, I like some material things as well like my books and (some of) my cds and dvds. I've always had a dream of owning an extensive book collection and showing it off in my own personal library, and I think that dream is going to stick around, but maybe I don't need everything. I moved recently so I've already done a little paring down of my belongings, but it could definitely use some more. In my first attempt to fix this problem, I went through my closet last night and took out everything that I haven't worn in the past year (please keep in mind that I also did this about a month-and-a-half ago, but didn't have the guts then to part with some things).

I really love the red sweater at the top of the picture, but it got caught in the wash and now I have to patch up the hole every time I wash it. And the hole keeps getting bigger and bigger. Also, it's was my ex's favorite sweater so I didn't have the heart to wear it last winter (we broke up last October). So, I think it's time for it to go. I also really like the skirt (I've had it for 8 years) but I've never had a top that would really match. The jeans are in practically new condition, but they cause my inner thighs to develop rug burn (for lack of better terminology) when I wear them because they're about a half size too small. The rest is just stuff that I haven't worn in a while. This will be my first contribution to my new "Goodwill pile/bag/box." Since I share an apartment, I really only have to go through my bedroom to clean things out because I only use about 15% of the storage in the bathroom and maybe 40% of the stuff in the kitchen is mine (including many of the countertop appliances, but they get used at least every other day so they seem to be doing their job). I think my next job will be for me to pick up the clutter in my room and to pack up the tshirts that I want to take to my parents' house for storage when I visit for Christmas (I plan on having a t-shirt quilt made from my sorority and college t-shirts for a nice keepsake).

As another part of my journey, I want to get ahold of my finances. Don't misinterpret me, I'm not in debt (except student loans), but I would like to save a little more money than I've been doing over the past few months. I've got three months of my paycheck (after taxes) saved up in case of emergency - Dave Ramsey would love me - but I want to pad it a little more so that when I move next year I will have a little to live off of if necessary. I've been keeping kind of a budget for the last four years, but that budget died with my computer which recently died (second computer to own in 5 years - never buying a PC again; now I'm using my work laptop for my home use as well). This afternoon I opened a mint.com account. I'm not sure how much I'll keep up with it. After a month or two I may decide that it's a bust and go back to managing my finances completely on my own. I just figured that since it's free to have an account that it wouldn't hurt to try it. My second goal with this is to put aside enough money to buy a good Mac before this time next year for when I go back to school. I've priced the one that I want at nearly $2000, which is higher than I'd really like to spend, but if it will last me through a PhD program then I'm willing to put down the dough. Plus, maybe by the time next year rolls around, Mac will have dropped the price a little (I doubt it, but one can hope!).