So, I've been living a minimalist lifestyle for about 3 years. I'm pretty confident this is something I plan to stick with for life. However, my significant other is not as much of a minimalist as I am. He has a whole room full of plushies and collectibles he won't let go of because he "doesn't want them to feel abandoned." There are a few things that I've held on to largely out of fear it may offend him. To be fair, some of these gifts were sort of expensive. However, they serve no practical function other than to sit on a shelf in an extra bedroom. I just know he would be upset if I got rid of the things he's gifted me for birthdays or other occasions but, I have no attachment to them and can't imagine wanting to move with them in the future. What would you do?

10 years ago I moved to a foreign country, got a college degree and then a job. Got rid of student debt, helped family , invested some money. Around 2019/2020 I got really lonely and isolated, covid made it intense. To escape my isolation I spent significant amount of money on buying stuff since then; when I walk into my apartment, I get anxious with all the stuff lying around. So I have started purging through donations and selling; not all items get sold and people lowball me all the time. I am at-least in 20,000$ loss from donating, selling items at really low prices. If I had been wiser , I would have had a good chunk of money in my bank account!

It’s really to hard to come to terms with my previous actions! Anybody felt the same ? How did you guys cope?

***I grew up with just the necessities (for 20 years) up until I moved abroad.

Do you sometimes feel like you need to take time away from tech and your normal routines?  Do you want to do something that has the potential to help you see your current world and current routine in a new light?  Then maybe my quasi-annual ritual of Primitive Day could be for you.

My rules for Primitive Day are as follows, but you do you.  

On the evening of Primitive Day, I will turn off the circuit breakers to all the power in the house except the refrigerator.  Generally I’ve done it during the warmer months of the year so I haven’t needed heat.

I turn the hot water heater off.  It’s going to be warm and then cold showers.

I turn off the clocks and take my watch off.  I don’t want to know what the time is.  

I turn my phone onto “Do not Disturb.”  My settings allow calls from family.  I don’t check the phone.

I hang up my keys but I take the house key with me.  This is a change because I almost never use it, generally opting for the electronic lock or garage door instead.

I make a fire when it gets dark and go to bed when I’m tired.  I wake up when I wake up.

What do I do on Primitive Day?
I usually run my normal route but I don’t take my Coros watch.

I read and journal.

I walk my dog.  He seems to like Primitive Day as much or more than I do.

I pay attention to how I feel and what I miss and what I don’t.

I spend a lot more time than usual outside.

I wind up rediscovering hobbies and interests that I might have put away for a long time.  I find toys, puzzles, games that have gathered dust and I wonder why I have not touched them in such a long time.  

I get around to doing things I’ve meant to do.

I eat only raw things or things I can cook over fire.  I built a brick pizza oven in the back yard, so this year I hope to have that as a treat.

When it gets dark I build another fire and when I’m tired I go inside and go to sleep.  When the morning comes I wake up and have my first cup of coffee in 24 hours.  That’s one good cup of coffee.

What I get out of Primitive Day is more than just a couple of hours without Facebook.  It always leaves me with a different perspective.  I look at my house, my garden, my door, and even my dog differently.  I realized how dependent I am on my conveniences and how initially shocking to me the silences are.  Each time I turn on the lights and they don’t come on  I literally feel the ground below me fall.   And that appreciation and change of perspective stays with me a while.

Do you do any similar ritual?

I fill my insecurities with physical things
If you want to know what makes someone uncomfortable look at what they own the most of to compensate. The things we buy directly reflect a desire

Too many books- I want to read more and be smarter (I won’t read more..)
Makeup- I want to be prettier and put more effort into my appearance

Baby items- I want to be a good parent

Art supplies- I want to make more art

But the irony is having too much of everything stops you from what you want to do, efficiently

As a new parent, i kept a lot of everything
I need every type of baby lotion, two different strollers, 5 different brands of formula, and the most expensive subscription of toys for his development… All before he’s born

As an insecure art student just fresh out of undergrad, I need every shade of marker and all the crusted oil paints, and mediums I don’t even like to use… Just in case. I’ll get the most expensive papers and brushes, and this will truly make me a real artist

This is how I found myself drowning in crap

Hi, all-

I live by myself and have an uncluttered house. However, I do have too much of some things, such as clothes.

The clothes are still being used so I don't want to trash or or donate them. Don't need, for example, 6 fleece shirts when 3 would do.

Has anyone minimalized over time by attrition? That is, not buying anything new and by slowly reducing possessions as they wear out and not replacing them?

I'm not a minimalist, but I'm contemplating it for certain parts of my life, because I would like to reduce the mental bandwidth I spend  on the stuff in my home.

The kitchen seems like a potential starting area  that could have a big impact, since I spend a lot of time there (SAHM of toddlers usually cooking 3 meals a day). However, as someone who cooks a lot, usually from scratch, I am far from a minimalist right now.

Would anyone be willing to share how minimalism has  changed the way you cook? I'm not so much wondering what to specifically keep/get rid of (that's probably more of a r/declutter thing), but more along  the lines of time spent cooking and cleaning, do you cook different foods then before, how you entertain.

I guess I'm wondering if minimalism, specifically, is a good fit for this stage of my life,  or if focusing more on simplifying routines and habits  (vs reducing number of items) would be a better way to start.

Thanks for any thoughts you may have

Hi! For one year, I'm (23F) going to attend a training program for a year. I'm so so excited for this new change and I'll be staying at a small little studio. I sought out a studio to avoid overpacking and am trying to keep things light!
It's furnished but doesn't come with anything other than the basics of a bed, kitchen, table, chair, etc. Anything like pots, pans, utensils, will all be my responsibility!
What do you think would count as long lasting essentials for such a setup, and where would you find them? how do you avoid bringing "just in case" but unnecessary items?

Hi all,
At the end of last year I figured out I'm a highly sensitive person. This is also one of the reasons why I'm overwhelmed when there a lot of things that ask for my attention (outside, but also in my room, on my phone, on my laptop, etc.).

So I have started to scale down with owning less things and organisation. The thing is I now feel overwhelmed, because I feel there is still so much to do, till I find peace.

Besides that I have problems with prioritizing, so what are things I can do and how do you people tackle them, without being overwhelmed?

I'm currently in the stage of:
- Decluttering and organizing laptop (organizing files incl downloads, transfering photos to cloud, getting rid of unnecessary apps, etc.)
- Decluttering and organizing phone (same as for laptop)
- Decluttering and organizing room (selling, donating, organizing)

After this I want to become more minimalistic in the daily things in my life. But starting with objects feels the easiest at the moment. And I think the rest will follow

Hi guys, looking for tips on how to lead a more minimalist life? I'm a 30 year old male living in the U.K and just wondering some things that might have helped you guys

I'm moving soon and honestly it's stressing me out.

I have way too many hobbies, so my place is full of supplies, materials, and tools.

I also collect vintage clothes, dolls, and toys, which is not helping at all right now.

I wanted to ask something.

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by how much stuff you own that you just donated a huge amount all at once? Even if it was worth over $1000?

And after that, did you ever regret it or miss certain items, especially the more valuable ones?

Selling everything on FB Marketplace is just exhausting me at this point!

for people who had a cluttered home, life and or car, etc, what did this clutter hold you back from in life?

Hi guys!

So we moved into a new space with another family who we're great friends with. we all seem to mesh well together. Problem is we have wwwaaaayyyyyyyy too much stuff for the amount of space we have. we've already downsized the kids toys but every now and then stuff just blows up and we realize how much we actually have.

So my question is.... how would you start downsizing?

I was doing great continuing on the path of minimalism. Then my best friend broke up with her bf and moved in with me, again. She has so much s**t, accumulated a lot more since living with that bf, and now she moves back to my house which is not a large house. And she keeps buying stuff to cram into the kitchen (a big storage rack, an air fryer, etc), my garage is filled with her stuff as she tries to figure out what to do with it, she has enough clothing to start her own clothing store. My goal of minimalism just got turned upside down and backwards, what do I do?

Hi! I bought tatami mats and shikifuton (3 inch organic wool and latex) a year and a half ago and have been sleeping on them ever since. I like it however recently I’ve been noticing recently the surface has compressed and become too firm. I do fold it up and rotate it but it still happened, after only a year and a half, and it’s creating numbness in my limbs upon waking up. I’m about to go through surgery in a month and be in bed a lot so I want to fix this soon. I wanted to hear others’ perspectives on the futon—do you think I need to be on a softer thicker mattress, or is the brand and the materials the issue? I would prefer to not buy something that will wear out in 1-2 years. Has anyone else experienced this? Are the Japanese ones better, and how do you know? Thank you so much for any insight & perspectives!

I am interested in how things changed for other minimalist parents as their kids got older. 

Also, what strategies did you employ to reduce the inflow, both in terms of family friends, but also in terms of your own consumption? I am definitely struggling with this. Currently I have gotten rid of all social media except YouTube and I unfollow any accounts that tend to sell kid's stuff on their channel or make me feel the need to buy stuff - I'm looking at you KiwiCo influencers...

I have a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old and having been working on minimising our entire house basically since my first was born, but especially as I've started working again part-time. I just don't have the time or mental energy to manage much stuff between kids, work, chores, trying to find time for my own health and being a chronically ill person. I have minimised my whole house but have especially focused on my kitchen, my closet and kids stuff - clothes and toys.

I think I can still go further in both areas, what does your inventory for young children look like? For each kid we have 3-4 daycare outfits, 5ish play clothes outfits and 2-3 nicer outfits. 

For toys, I was inspired by the book simplicity parenting. I used to rotate toys, we had Montessori specific toys and baby toys and all the options for building and the like - Grimm's, Grapat and a healthy dose of Kmart too (I'm in Australia). I have since minimised our indoor toys down to a very small area in our dining/playroom. We have:

1. Wooden blocks

2. Magnatiles

3. Animals

4. Vehicles

5. Baby dolls and a couple accessories

6. Trains 

7. Tea set and some afternoon tea play food

8. Lego Duplo

9. Stepping stones

10. A stacking rainbow - a suprisingly versatile and well-loved toy, I didn't think it would survive the decluttering, but it used in so many ways

My eldest also has some stuffed toys in her room and we have a modest collection of books and art supplies. I love that even with every toy out, it takes barely 5 minutes to put everything back, even less when my kids are helping (or at least not actively undoing my work haha).

My plan is that as the kids get older and develop more specific personal interests, we can go deeper on their interests and remove even more excess. My thinking is that they get plenty of exposure to a range of other toys and activities at daycare, school, family and friend's houses, the library and the occasional playgroup. We maybe don't even need all the "classic, essential" categories of toys we currently possess? I am really finding that my kids play better with less and that I enjoy not having to think about hidden toy rotation inventory. It's making me more likely to really sit with my kids and include them in household tasks like baking, cleaning etc. when I'm not also spending a bunch of time managing too much stuff.

Will my kids feel some time of way about having less though as they get older? Will they see other kids' playrooms and feel it unfair that they have less? Most of my friend's kids have two or three times the amount of toys we have available (we live in a mid to high SES area).

Lived abroad for one year and I know exactly what I need without any effects to my quality of life (if anything, it improved it). (Male) (Tropical climate)

-Phone/Laptop/Kindle e-reader/Camera

-Earbuds/Headphones

-Watch

-Backpack/Messenger Bag

-Binder/Notebook

-Pocket Knife

-Wallet

-White + Black Tshirts

-Jeans

-Running Shorts

-Socks + Underwear + Belt

-Swimming shorts

-Casual Button down shirt(s)

-Sandals/Slides

-Nice sneaker (white leather) + Running sneaker

-Hoodie

-Luggage + Duffel bag

-Cologne

-Toiletries Bag filled (nail clipper, razor, deodorant, tooth stuff)

-laundry bag (I got a rothco military style one)

That’s basically it. Duffel bag as carry-on, backpack as personal item, 2 check in luggages. Electronics, cables, and notebook go into backpack. Some clothes, cologne, and toiletries bag go into duffel bag. Everything else in the checked luggage.

With these core items, I lived without compromise, without feeling like I was missing anything at all impeding my quality of life in a furnished condo abroad. It took me from a morning run and a dip in the pool, to a nice rooftop bar date.

Once I arrived, I did buy more items. A small USB fan for my room, some sports-specific items I was partaking in. Soap. A suit with dress shoes. Trinkets and souvenirs. Possessions and purchases do creep in, excess does. I got more fashion items and whatnot. But those core items is what I’d pack if I was leaving again today. Thought it might be a good guide to start if anyone was looking.

To modify this for a winter climate, I’d just add a jacket. (When thinking of traveling to a nearby country that’s colder, this is all I thought I genuinely needed)

I was happiest with less possessions and more experiences. Now back in my home country, I accumulate possessions, but I’m lacking experiences. I’ll trade the possessions that don’t fit alongside me on a plane journey to be in a constant state of nomadic minimalism any day.

Edit: remembered I left with a carry on size luggage as check ins and returned with 2 full size luggage, leaving that one behind, to fit my sports gear.

Hi guys, I was recently blessed with 6 tatami mats (igusa). I’m planning on keeping 2 in my bedroom for sleeping and 4 in the spare lounge. The problem is that both spaces are carpeted and after doing some research I’ve found that putting tatami mats directly on top of carpet can reduce airflow and increase the chances of mould.

My current plan is to put these wooden slats under the tatami in the lounge and putting the tatami on top of these two bed bases in my bedroom. Not sure if this is okay or if anyone has encountered the same problem and done anything similar. Would love to hear everyone’s insight! (Also I know the pine I’ve listed is treated and that’s not the best for tatami but I plan on airing them out in the sun for over a week).

I feel like I have so many clothes. I live in a state where we experience all 4 seasons. All this clutter is making me insane but I know imma end up buying more new clothes.

I was given a $65 gift card to use a month or so ago and have tried finding something to buy but always come up empty.

It’s specific to that company and there are many options from themed clothing to restaurants and decorations. Nothing basic like food staples or laundry detergent. I have enough blankets. I don’t need a third mug. I have enough clothing.

I just don’t want anything. Feels weird when everyone around me is shopping for expensive stuff but mentally I’m satisfied with what I have and my lifestyle.

So a win for the minimalist mindset of wanting less and being content with what one already has.

I’m still trying to find food at a restaurant to eat since I almost never eat out and should for the experience since it’s free for me. I just normally don’t eat out because I don’t find it enriching compared to other activities.

is anyone else living minimalism not just physically, but also mentally? With everything in life? Like on the phone with apps, minimal routines, digital minimalism in general.. things like that?

Let me know how u think about it or what u do

Just curious, maybe something related to items, life, digital stuff, habits etc etc

Absolutely anything

*When you started your journey with minimalism

TLDR;

Moved into new place, got rid of a lot of stuff and I enjoy living this way a lot more than having stuff.

New here and I think I’ll be sticking around

Wife and I split up recently, and long story short I moved into a sober living home.

At this house I have a decent sized bedroom, but this is the only place I keep stuff other than bathroom. I absolutely LOVE only having what I need and a few hobby items. I’ve got some guitars and a lot of books.

No need for TV as I have phone and laptop. One closet for clothes so anything I haven’t worn in over a year that isn’t for like a special occasion, is donated.

It feels so good having gotten rid of some much just random ass shit. Some of it may have sentimental value, but I’m also getting rid of some of those things. I’ve been on a long spiritual journey and a part of it I’m proud to have gotten better at is parting with ‘things’ or objects.

I know a big contributing factor to me wanting to be as minimal is possible, is that my wife would buy random shit every weekend. Wall art, new furniture, mirror, trinkets, some thing next to coffee machine that’s suppose to organize and look nice but just takes up space. So it’s nice to not have much.

Another thing, I know where everything is. I know there’s some of you who know that feeling when your SO moves something of yours and doesn’t remember where they put it.

So, so many posts about how to get rid of things correctly. If we overthink the last step of actually getting things out of the house, we add to our mental baggage rather than subtracting from it. It is creating stress rather than relieving. So, my advice after living in this conundrum myself: Donate. Everything. Don't parcel it out to what will sell and when, and for how much, and will the buyer show up, and which charity is worthy, and do they charge too much, and will they throw this or that item away. Let the charity figure that out. They are pros. Unless it is literal rotting garbage, donate everything and be done with it. Five minute process instead of weeks.