Hey folks. I’ve been practicing minimalism in one form or another for a while now, but for the past 2 weeks or less I’ve trickled down to only owning things I’ll use within a month with the exception of some super essentials (tools, appliances, etc.)
I’m curious here from some of you out there about the things you keep and habits you practice to gain fulfillment from your possessions.
I’m a minimalist for sure but my husband and daughter are not. It’s a constant battle in my house. I feel if we haven’t used it in the past year, it needs to go. In that year, we have every season, holiday and occasion. I hate clutter! Those 2 on the other hand think we should hold onto everything “just in case we need it”. I have to clean things out when they’re not home to avoid these battles. My minimalist trait became more apparent in early sobriety, I needed to declutter to help clear my head.
I would love to be a minimalist. I have no problem getting rid of material possessions. I live in a climate with multiple seasons so no matter how much I de clutter I am always left with tubs labeled Winter or Summer.
My camping gear & outdoor gear are things I always keep. I like being prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store. These things add up quickly & can be quite bulky but what can you do?
Ah yes. My girlfriend complains about not having enough space in her bedroom, but I’m certain that if she applied the “yearly or less” rule, she could do away with at least 25% of it. There are plenty of ways to stay organized and declutter but of course the hardest thing to do is to let go of the things we think we’ll use one day. Fortunately I’ve pushed partially towards the extreme and can do away with things without almost any discretion. I live at home with my mother still after moving back 6 years ago, and she sorta suffers from the aforementioned trait of holding on to things that may be used only a handful of times in the future, and it’s driving me insane as we rearly have guests here, and everything is collecting dust. If it was left to me I would throw away and donate majority of what we don’t use, but I can’t. I have an relative who’s an actual hoarder, who believes their solution to having all the stuff is needing more room to store it.
You already have the most essential aspect of minimalism covered which is, letting go. For me minimalism starts by evaluating my belongs and deeming their importance and value. If I have products that cost less than $20 that I rearly use, I toss them. If something is expesive but doesn’t serve me, I attempt to sell it, but not always. After I applied the rule of doscardinhg things I haven’t used in a month or less, I’m down to owning things that are used weekly with the exception of some things that aren’t expected to be used often, but are very useful.
I always try to donate what I can, or just flat out give things away. In these past 2 weeks I’ve donated clothes and a wireless speaker to the salvation army, as well as given someone a faulty 42in TV, and a computer moniter to a random guy that knows my neighbor.
Keeping your outdoor gear is completely fine, in fact keeping anything that relates to healthy habits/a healthy life style is always good, unless you have a bunch of the same stuff that performs the same functions.
But again if you want to begin living that lifestyle just start with evaluating your belongings in terms of value and importance.
Thank you for your response!
You’re welcome, thank you for sharing!
I tried it and got rid of many things. For me now it is more important to think first when I buy new things. I try to only buy new things when old ones are broken like clothes. It often happened to me in the past that a trew away something bc I moved it 4 times and never used it and I came back to needing it 2 years later. So I got a bit hesitant throwing away stuff now. I am interested in many different stuff and cannot be sure how long it lasts. I am a fan of libraries.
That’s sorta where I am now. I usually buy things that are essential, and clothing when I feel necessary. Unfortunately, I’m addicted to food and the budget doesn’t really matter when I’m craving so I’m trying to focus on financial minimalism and digital minimalism now.
Minimalism is my goal! However it is hard being an artist who does many mediums and having years of work, journals, supplies, scraps. I hate throwing things away but ive gotten better about it.
Im moving soon and hope i can get rid of more shit in the next few months. Need to finally get organized!!
I am familiar with the idea of minimalism for around 6 years now. When I first found out about it, I got rid of a lot of clutter such as home decorations (endless candles, frames, cushions, blankets and ornaments) and useless kitchen utensils (melon spoon and lettuce dryer anyone?) What pushed me to do it, was the fact that I was spending almost entire Saturday to clean my one bedroom flat as it was so full of stuff. Dusting was taking me around 3 hours as every single surface in the flat was full of decorations. Kitchen cupboards where so full, they would refuse to close, as I needed 15 different baking trays even though I never had time to bake more than once a year. I remember the relief I felt when I saw all the surfaces finally empty. Dusting takes me now 15 minutes. I currently own two dinner plates, two bowls and two small plates so I find my sink always empty as I cannot keep taking another one from the cupboard.
A useful trick I use, is the order of the hangers in the wardrobe. I have around 10 sets of clothing, all black, white or grey so I can mix and match them all, and create an illusion that I have a lot of clothes. So after doing a big laundry, I would have these sets prepared on the left hand side of the wardrobe. As the month progresses, most of the clothes come out and when hanging them back, I place them now in the right compartment of the wardrobe. After 2-3 months it is very easy to spot clothes that I haven’t moved from left to right. I then consider donating the item and replacing it if necessary.
One thing that I cannot make myself minimise though is my library. I tried reading ebooks but then I miss holding a paper book and my eyes get tired. I have two walls covered already, and I keep buying so I do not really consider myself a minimalist as I completely failed on this front. 
I only managed to stick to a resolution to only buy second hand ones, usually in charity shops.
I love this thread. My husband and I were both raised in homes of collectors. We are on the same page as to how we should keep our 700 square foot home and generally follow a 1 in, 1 out rule with housewares, clothing and (I’m getting there) books. I’ve adopted a Little Free Library at my workplace so my read but not loved books go in there. I feel lighter without all that stuff surrounding me. 
I had to stop buying books and now just use the library, which ours is pretty awesome. I will buy a book that I want to have for reference or will reread, both t it’s not very frequent. Books really do take up some space, but they speak so much to the person who owns them. I always peruse others book collections.
It’s ok to keep your art, it’s one of the greatest forms of human expression and I admire folks who can craft, draw, paint, and get busy in the digital world. There is a limit to too much though. If you believe it’s occupying space and collecting dust, or you just have a bunch of excess supplies and materials, I would start by determining which of that is completely essential to you.
My recommendation is to start by discarding things you haven’t touched in at least 1 year, then 6 months. 3, then 1 month may be a bit too extreme, but that’s what I recommend to stay completely clutter free.
I’m a 1monther meaning about 80% or more of my posessions are used at least once ever 30 days. I don’t have much, but most of it is essential. The best part is the low maintenance in terms of cleaning and staying organized.
Ah yes, the convenience of low maintenance cleaning!! I’m sure that realizing the extra junk wasn’t necessary, the additional space you gained as well as the peace of mind from worrying less about stuff you don’t need felt amazing. I can relate with the closet, mine isn’t organized by outfit, but up until a few weeks ago it was certainly monochromatic throughout the years. When it comes to having excess of one category of things, this is where I allow an exception. I think the books are completely fine unless you’re kinda “stockpiling” them. I believe my exception will be clothing in the future, not too much, but I’ve always wanted a nicely decorated wardrobe once I achieve my desired fitness level.
I guess you can say we are somewhat minimalist. I retired in July at age 40. Walked away from a part ownership that would have paid out 1 million in 4 years. I did this to spend more time with my kids. We went from spending without worry to now living on a strict budget, having hens for eggs, planting a huge garden this spring, and going more towards a self reliant life and only getting what we need.
Thank you! Minimalism is very beneficial and it’s good to see the both of you are on board, I imagine it makes decision making around the house a little easier?
Well, that’s just beautiful!! You’ve leaned towards the essentialist lifestyle and that’s great. To have worked yourself into the position to be presented with the offer, then to turn it down and pursue a life of meaning and self sustainability is just beautiful! Man, I love that!
Cleaning too. We can clean our place from top to bottom in 2 hours. Small is good. 
Yes, I’m very careful about what I buy. I also shop at thrift stores. I’m going thru my books and donating them to library for their book sale. I’ve been on this path a long time and find it a worthwhile journey.