For those who appreciate simplicity in any form.

This might be construed as a view biased by correlating minimalism with not being well off. But to a good extent, many might see themselves as minimalists not by choice but by the virtue of being in particular circumstances. So, once the society starts to flourish and a lot of things are affordable to a lot of people, would minimalism still be a relevant topic of discussion?

Hi everyone,

After 2 kids my body shape, size and weight has changed so much that before firstborn, in between the 2, after 2nd and couple of years after 2nd feels like a whole new person.

Until last year I donated a lot of clothes, really good clothes. Primary reason being , I had no time communicating on fb marketplace. Some of the decisions were not so right. I had some really good office clothes (Oxford and different brands) which might have been useful.

Even after reducing , I still have a big collection in my opinion. I can fit all the clothes (irrespective of the reason) in the wardrobe which is currently being shared. But I still feel there is a possibility to reduce. Which can create space (right now it’s fully packed) and also easier to find options when getting ready.

What do you think is the ideal way on reducing without feeling guilty about what-ifs they become useful in the future, depending on different seasons and laundry and everything what should be min no of clothes (I go to office once a week)

Any ideas, suggestions are welcomed ❤️

In the past year I have let go of some of my hobbies that were less valuable to me than the space they took up.

Motorcycling, snowboarding and RC planes seem to be in a middle grey area where they are beneficial to my mental health, but also take up more space in my life than I'd like them to.

I've reduced my snowboarding gear to just a board and one big bag with the essentials, but I need a whole garage for my bike, and the gear takes up a lot more space. Keeping it on the street just felt wrong, and I was constantly worried about it.

I guess I either have to accept my hobbies the way they are or do something about them. Right now I'm in-between and I need some clarity to know what I want.

How do you guys keep your hobbies minimalistic? I'd like to hear your perspectives :)

Hi y'all,

Ok so I received (unasked) an electric "stainless steel" kettle. I'm very health-conscious and wouldn't have bought a metal kettle from China made with God knows what metal. The Amazon listing says it's 304 grade stainless steel, but it doesn't say so on the kettle or its packaging so I'm skeptical. It's a very delicate situation because the people around me will get mad at me for not liking/using it. But we had gift lists and the person who picked me decided my list was "lame" (their word--thanks) and that they would find something better instead, and came up with this idea. I'm posting this here because I strive for a minimalistic environment and while I could keep it for when this person comes home, I'd rather not.

I can't openly say I dislike it or that I find it "not healthy enough". So what pretext could I use to justify why I gave it away? It will 100% come up.

I recently got divorced, left almost everything and bought a new house. It is very bare but it makes me so happy and less anxious having very little in my house. Literally everyone who has come over has remarked on how bare it is and offers to give me things that they have and aren’t using. Almost insisting on giving me things and I have to explain over and over that I don’t want it.

I don’t know if this belongs here, but I thought this community would appreciate it.

I used to use Amazon like a personal assistant. Anytime I needed anything, I just hit up Bezos. It was bad. I had so much pointless junk. I gave him SO MUCH MONEY… for junk.

About 6 months ago my Amazon account got hacked. (That’s a whole ‘nother story for a different day.) At first I thought my life was going to end. But luckily I only had my debit card linked and an employer card. I quickly deleted both and asked for new cards. I filed claims and did the whole nine yards.

The hacker got to keep my account tho. Amazon could not retrieve it for me.

I haven’t used Amazon since. I don’t need anything. I already bought everything I could ever need during the years when I had my account. Now I just buy replacements as I need them during my monthly Target or Costco trips. I have saved SO MUCH MONEY by not having an Amazon account.

It’s wildly obvious. My wallet is significantly fatter.

I’d love to scroll and see this community and their version of minimal spaces or minimized collections? I like seeing OneBag for this reason and the occasional minimal space that comes up in DesignMyRoom or malelivingspace ahah. But looking for a dedicated minimalistic spaces one.

I can google image minimalistic homes but it’s often staged interiors, not lived in, or luxurious spaces with lots of space and hidden storage which isn’t the case/accesible for everyone who enjoys minimalism.

Even less aesthetically pleasing minimal spaces give me a sense of peace.

Sometimes I get stuck to my phone either because I'm still working answering emails and Slack messages even though I'm out of the office. (This is the overwhelming part).
And sometimes, more frequently than I would like, I find myself (after 8 hours of being in front of my computer working) scrolling for long periods on social media. (This ofc is the unnecessary).
Do you feel yourself sometimes overwhelmed by your phone?

My news source for the past 10+ years was NYT. I got a subscription as a gift back in 2014 and have kept it ever since. I grew up in a family that subscribed to multiple newspapers and supporting news and reading it from a reputable source matters to me.

Now I'm rethinking where I get my news in this new era in the US. I've started reading a bunch of places and now I think it's time to minimize for emotional health.

Thoughts on

• NYT
• Reuters
• AP
• ProPublica

I am willing to transfer the money I spent on NYT to one of these other organizations, even if the news itself is free, just to continue to support good, unbiased news especially in these times.

I'm just more at peace when everything in my life has a purpose. So I'm very intentional with what I have in it.

.

I had an allergic reaction to something and I have no idea what it could have been from. I had hives all over my face and hands so I assume it was something in my skincare routine. (I’ve been tested for food allergies and nothing came back). Only issue, nothing I use has been changed in months. I’m a creature of habit and if I like something i continue to use it and then rebuy it when it’s out.

My dermatologist confirmed it was an allergic reaction and I have a prescribed routine to help the rash and block all the histamines. Luckily that is working wonderfully because I was about to scratch my face off.

She suggested, though she is not an allergist, that I stop using anything that touches my skin and slowly reintroduce things one by one.

So I started with body wash and deodorant. Those are hygiene my non-negotiables. Luckily those didn’t irritate my skin. But as soon as I was ready to get to my skincare (moisturizers, serums, etc), I freaked out. I don’t trust any of it anymore. I hate to throw it all away, but this whole ordeal has put into perspective how little I need. I’m now down to only a cleanser, spf, and moisturizer. And I actually use them each and every day!

We really don’t need that much :)

Ive been sleeping on the floor for years now. Just a yoga mat and falling asleep on my back. It's amazing.

Now I'm starting to pretty much do all of my work on the floor:

https://ibb.co/1Ggq9ZgG

I'm not gonna lie, my legs are kind of sore, but this also happened when I started sleeping on my back 5+ years ago. Lasted about 1-2 weeks and then afterwards it was so amazing, getting the best sleep ive ever gotten in my life.

Wondering if im going to get productivity or general health results by doing everything on the floor too. I'm a couple weeks in now but its been on and off, making the move to full floor work now though.

Hey there,

Brief history: Lived in a house for 10 years, father passed away unexpectedly, mother moved in with my sibling in another state and I decided to live abroad with my husband and our animals for 2 years. In the span of 6 months I both removed all the unnecessary items unrelated to our new life from my own home and took in family heirlooms and memorabilia from my deceased parent and the other who was downsizing.

We packed ourselves into 4 checked luggage, 2 carryons and 2 personal items (read: our dog and cat), everything else was placed into a 10'x10' storage unit near the in-laws.

It's been 2 years and we've moved back to a different state and have collected all of the storage unit items and everything we own into our new rental. I'm severely overwhelmed with boxes upon boxes of memorabilia from my childhood, my deceased family members (my dad had a lot of his parents things), and more.

Can someone please explain or provide guidance as to how one's supposed to move through these items and get control back of their things? We have shoved most of the memorabilia and heirlooms into a room dubbed "the room of requirement" and I'm not sure where to start. Without divulging too much, we have quite a lot of family history we need to preserve for legal reasons, so I'm just not sure how to proceed.

I checked the sub to see if there were situations similar and didn't source up any. Thanks in advance.

Sometimes I mindlessly scroll facebook marketplace (I should stop) and I see something I've always wanted, never pulled the trigger to buy, and at an incredible price. What do you do? Do you buy it? Do you not? I'm very conflicted.

For context, saw this travel backpack online that I've always wanted to try. Basically it's designed to fit everything you need in one backpack. I don't have a bag like this. I want to stop paying for carry on fees (which this bag would allow me to do..). I do plan on traveling a lot more these coming years.

Part of me is like I should get it since I've wanted one for over a year now and traveling with less space equals less buying. But the other part of me is saying I shouldn't since my north face can work, less efficiently, but can work.

idk. Very conflicted. Posting here for advice. But maybe also just trying to create justification for buying. Want to hear your opinion on this. What do you do when you want something for a long time but still want to practice living and buying less?

I'm a college student and I'm suffering from severe back pain because of my school bag. No matter how much I try to lessen the amount of stuff I put in my bag, it still remains heavy.

I tend to be anxious when I pack light because of my mindset "What if I might use this at school?" But I end up not using all those unnecessary stuffs at all. It just made my back suffer.

Do you guys have any tips on how to lessen my anxiety about this?

I’ve been trying to cut back on unnecessary spending and clutter. What’s something you eliminated from your life that made things simpler and better?

My husband and I are moving places in some weeks, so I started a big declutterring session that took some months.

At some point I found that I have some "decluttering fatigue" and feel like my decisions aren't that clear and concise anymore.

In this state, I stumbled over my teenage and young-adult diaries. I kept them because I felt I had to keep them and I always think of my mother who said "Don't get rid if your diaries, they will be important to you some day!" - But will they?

I started to read in these diaries and found myself reminded of all the bad times (I mean, probably pretty average teenage stuff, heartaches etc.) and felt the long way I was coming from. But reading this stuff and seeing what I was and what I am now also flipped my entire day feelings upside down, and I did not feel too good and overwhelmed by all this "time travelling" and some "what if's" etc. I also saw how much I already had forgotten and I felt a sense of finding my old identity or identities, which, on the other hand was also interesting and helpful. As if it could help to stay young to remember the younger me... I don't know, it's hard to explain.

So, long story short: what would you do or what did you do with your diaries? Is it useful to hold on to old identities? Or is it just emotional clutter? Is it important to not forget? Or is the only thing that counts today and tomorrow? What would you do in my situation? Thank you for your time 😊

This is more of a vent. A few days ago we had an unexpected leak in my apartment, in a matter of hours all of the wooden floors, walls and baseboards were full of water. We have to evacuate so they can dry and then renovation will start, they are planning to take around 1-3 months, and we'll have to stay somewhere else. I had to pack my essentials and leave, I'm gladly staying at my boyfriend's which is saving my life and making it so much easier.

I saw everything I own laying around, things that I haven't thought about for many years, clothes that don't fit, old bedding, all sorts of stuff that was just a burden, things that I had to think "what should I do with this? where should I store this?", and then I realized I don't need them, I need my essentials. I'm currently living out of a backpack and a tote bag while waiting to get more of my stuff. I put up a lot of stuff for sale online, trying to get rid of these problems.

In the same week, I, who have been living in my country for seven full years, almost risked going back to my home country because of immigration issues (thankfully not in the US, but still affected). I almost lost my job, my country, my relationships in this place, my education, I lost my house for at least the next month or how long it actually takes. I have never been in this amount of stress in my life. And now I realized, holding on to things, material or not, will just make me suffer. I suffered for the loss of the routine I had at my place, the loss of being in my apartment, the pre-anticipated loss of everything else that I haven't lost. Now, I am letting go and I will continue to detach, detaching myself from things I was holding on to so tightly that the mere thought of losing them (material things, objects, routines, lifestyles) was causing me severe anxiety.

I now have much less stuff than I used to, I realized what is truly important for me, and what minimalism truly is; letting go of what holds you back, physically and mentally.

Anyone else have this problem? My husband and I are such minimalists. Even with having toddlers we have managed to to keep a minimal household. My wardrobe was exactly how I liked it...until I got pregnant. Obviously my body changed and I couldn't keep up! Now I'm postpartum for the third time and all my clothes fit differently. My whole wardrobe is overfilled with stuff that may(?) fit me one day. Some is too big some too small. Just all the wrong sizes. And, like, I don't want to buy a pair of pants that will (hopefully lol) be too big in a few months as I start losing a bit of weight!

Also, side note, on top of this my family has been unhelpful. My mother is very critical of the fact I have been dressing for comfort over fashion in my pregnancy and postpartum (I do tend to look like Adam Sandler these days). She and my other family members keep giving me "gifts" of clothes that are (1) not my style and (2) are wayyyy too small for "when I lose all that baby weight."

Now my closet is overstuffed with random stuff and none of it really fits right now or is even my style.

Anyone ever been through this and can give advice?

I would like to get some exercise at home in my room and not have to go out anymore.

I had a crosstrainer once and actually liked getting some exercise on it while listening to podcasts and so on. But the thing was quite bulky and I was wondering if there are any more minimalist alternatives?

What kind of home trainer do you recommend?

Edit: I‘m looking for something that can be done automatically and without much attention. I already do situps etc. and find it’s not something I can do „on the side“ like if I went out on a walk listening to a podcast.

My husband and I are a little unusual in the minimalist category.

We downsized enormously over the last decade or so, moving from a stuffed 3 bedroom house to eventually a 600 sq ft apartment, moving 1400 miles in the process so we could live in the Sunbelt.

But we always wanted to travel long term and decided to go for it last year. So we sold or donated nearly everything we owned and took off last spring to travel around Europe.

We enjoyed ourselves immensely, but we ran into some roadblocks to doing that long-term. Mostly, the roadblocks were about our preferences, not our needs, but they led to us deciding that traveling was still important to us, but we'd prefer to do it for shorter periods of time and from a fixed home base.

So after 8 months on the road, we decided to move back to our original city in the north. We arrived on January 1 with one suitcase and one backpack each, containing everything we owned in this world.

We had to find an apartment, get a car, furnish the apartment with literally everything we would need, set up new insurance, driver's license, voter registration, library cards, everything you need to live in a place. In the middle of winter up north. While we both managed to catch a couple of the viruses going around.

It's been interesting, leading to good discussions on what we actually need vs want, what we can afford all at once, what's better to buy new vs. thrifted.

Our apartment currently has much, much less in it than any apartment we've ever lived in before. We own far fewer clothes than we've ever owned except while long-term traveling. And yet, mostly this is enough. It's been a real revelation.

So now, instead of the extreme minimalists that we were while traveling, we are now... essentialists, maybe? And we live in an apartment that is mostly bare, with closets and cupboards that are mostly empty. I think most people we know would feel sorry for us having so little, and yet we look around and see so much more than we owned just a month ago. It's disconcerting. And yet we still feel more free than we felt before our travels.

I'm not looking for accolades. More interested in knowing if anyone else has been in a similar situation and might have observations about the future and how things might go from here.

For the record, we're both over 65 and retired.

I'm trying to understand what kind of education do you pursue where you don't end up in debt. So many people nowadays can't pay off the debt because of no employment opportunities.

Do you use a password manager, or re-use the same emails and passwords? Im trying to find the most minimalist way of managing all my accounts easily and without thinking about it too much, while maintaining a bit of privacy and security. (I already fell in the privacy-security rabbit hole and it wasn't nice especially because I want to be minimalist)

Definitely had to detox. I blocked a few sites for the first few weeks, and then had to stop myself from splurging on a sale item. I added it to my cart and removed it / lost interest.

Aside from groceries / rent / bills, so far I've only bought:
- movie ticket to A Complete Unknown (worth it and allowed)
- dishwashing liquid, because I'm about done with my current bottle
- underwear - because it's cold and I'm lazy about lugging my laundry to the mat
- nail polish remover - I'm counting this as a hygiene item, only because I have a ton of nail polish I haven't used and want to start painting my nails again
- second hand sneakers - One of the two pairs I own is getting a hole in the bottom and will need to be replaced soon. They were in my size so I couldn't pass them up. I was good and didn't look at anything else in the store :D
- reusable shopping bag - I was basically forced into buying this because of the shoes, but I donated two bags this month so it's technically a replacement item

I have had several negative and rash experiences with sensitive, stubborn hoarders who refuse to accept it and start emotionally decluttering and throwing things out. I understand it is a difficult process, but please remain civil and remember you are talking to human beings. I know to get yelled is a common thing because you are are still obsessed with your 600 dvd collection because its in 4k quality is but then complaining you have no space because you are surrounded by useless things while yelling at us is not fair. In some cases they have basic items sitting in your house for decade or more and you still don't want to let it go, then it's okay just accept you are a hoarder and move on from there, please be cognizant of why you have chosen to post to r/minimalism.

If you don't want the members help, you can read or listen to works like Marie Kondo or other basic ideas as throwing things out if you haven't used. A lot of people in this community are just trying to help and we receive a lot of ridicule and unproductive hateful comments because some people cannot address their problems without a flood of defensive emotions.

But, we have no skin in this game other than to promote a healthy living lifestyle mentally, physically, and spiritually, based on reducing to just the things we need and maximizing light, cleaningliness, and space.

Therefore, if you post here that you have an epiphany several times and want us to help you solve hoarding behaviors but can only respond by lashing out in continous condescending manners or berating minimalistic ideas, please understand that we are human beings and we can only have so much patience. Understand we are just trying to help, and not everything is a personal attack. (i.e. if I say it's collecting dust, it is not a personal but literal fact)

Again, there is nothing in this for us who are trying to help you. If you cannot accept this, than please come back later when you have a better epiphany or post in a different r/ because this is not a platform to dump hatred to others. Thank you.

Minimalist Member

Jan 31, 2025 edit.

Alright everyone, let's move on. We've said our pieces good bad or ugly. If I'm a hypocrite bad misunderstood mean, person whatever, I'm just in keyboard warrior mode here and maybe getting bashed by the hoarder who defended to their death and lashed out at me over the 600 DVDs, in 4k, did trigger me.

I'll take all the remarks and strays flung my way it's fine I aint perfect. I'm not here to tell u throw out your house just live ur life and ill live mine in the context of how we interpret this subreddit.

Okay EVERYOEN break, let's move on.

So my situation/life isn't typical. I haven't bought a ton of unnecessary stuff, instead I've inherited a lot. Historical items, antiques, pieces of family history, a silk scarf from 1790 (I'm thinking of having this one framed), handmade birchroot baskets from the indigenous line of my family, medieval chests, a freaking pearl crown, a sofa that was a gift from a long-dead monarch, corsets and tiny little adult suits for tiny boys (hand stitched!), actual snakeskin heels (I'm going to wear these bcs they're in my size), a wolf fur coat, a freaking mangle made of solid iron and marble, books from the 1690's-early1900ds, reindeer-bone knives, a carriage and two sleds, two heavy iron sewing machines, a SWORD, bottles of "inkblack"(???), a freaking bull horn set in some kind of silver thing to make it stand upright (I think it's for drinking), beds that have doors on them like cabinets, wooden skis, an ENDLESS supply of copper cookware with little iron feet (they're in bad shape but could maybe be cleaned up), oh yeah a freaking HUGE loom, reams and reams of maps of the area from the late 1800ds through ww2, loose wood-framed windows full of bubbles (likely handmade), endless hand-embroidered sheets, ornate iron lamps, 2 HUGE tupperwares full of handwritten documents some of which have wax seals...

...what the fuck do I do? This isn't the sort of stuff you give to a Goodwill-like charity and I don't have the knowhow to care of things that belong in a museum. And is there any museum that would even want them? Most of them are at my family's old place and I just feel overwhelmed. I don't think I can take care of all this by myself, but I also feel bad getting rid of a lot of it. It seems wrong to drive it to the dump. It seems wrong to sell it. It's not stuff people who want donations would take. Getting rid of a lot of it would make me feel guilty too, like I'm betraying the family history somehow? Please give me some advice, I'm not a minimalist as such but I'm not sure where else I should ask for advice on this kind of thing. I did have a friend come through who catalogued most of the books and now they just sit in a cabinet.

EDIT:

Oh gosh this is so much! I thought maybe I would get one or two responses over the next couple days. It is late here right now but I promise I will go through and reply to every one. Thank you so much to everyone and thank you for your patience with my English <3

We try to focus on open-ended, quality toys (and repurposing household items). Daughter is turning 3 soon and I'm considering a Yoto player. If any parents with a more minimalist perspective have one, I'd love to get your thoughts.

I try to be very intentional about the things we bring into our home. I hesitate to get into a system where we have to keep buying expensive cards to get value out of it. I guess you can make your own cards but it kind of seems complicated.I keep hearing people rave about these to the point where I feel like maybe everyone's just falling for marketing hype? Is this solving a problem I don't actually have? Is this the Instapot for toddlers? (Instapot lovers, don't come for me lol)

Pros are that Daughter loves music. We steer clear of most electronics but she does have a toy "radio" with 50 pre-loaded songs (Leapfrog Let's Record Radio) that has consistently been a favorite toy for well over a year. Yoto would give her independent access to way more songs and also stories without giving her something with a screen. I also like that the cards would be something grandparents could get her for Christmas/birthday gifts, possibly for years, instead of stuff she doesn't want/need.

If you have one or decided against it, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

My boyfriend loves buying things on temu and Amazon. It’s come to a point where his room is starting to look a little cluttered. I have OCD and feel uncomfortable sometimes when I’m in his room. How do I stop him from buying unnecessary things?

Im trying to have more craft time for my 5 year old. I have two questions for yall. What are minimalistic crafts i can have her do thag we can enjoy seasonally and then dispose of? And what is a good way/time frame to display crafts. Think sculptures, paintings, 3D paper crafts etc. I want her to express herself as she loves crafts but I want to maintain organization. We already have memory boxes but we dont want them to over flow.