Any minimalists out there (or aspiring minimalists)?

[stuffedwithstuff]

I have been decluttering for the last 2 years (yes, seriously, 2 years) and still have a long way to go. I just want to get to a point where I don't feel the weight of this stuff around me. I really just want a simpler life all round. Also we have moved a fair amount over the past 10 years and I just hate packing up all this stuff every time, when most of it adds no real value to our life.

I have 2 young DC so I don't find the process particularly easy, sometimes I find things I read a bit unrealistic for a family (after all, I can't exactly just chuck out everyone else's stuff). I'm just wondering whether anyone else is doing similar, maybe looking for a bit of support and advice on doing this as a family, together. How do you know that you've reached a happy zone? I feel like I've been doing this endlessly and we definitely have much less stuff than when I started, and yet I still feel it's all on top of me!

Me! I just want stuff gone.

I keep trying but my partner & daughter are not people who get rid of stuff.

I like The Minimal Mom on YouTube; I try to depersonalise things by referring to them as Inventory. Also, I love her Silent To Do list concept

Looks like it's just us @ChampagneCommunist! I have watched a little of The Minimal Mom too, and saw the bit about the silent to do list which definitely resonated with me!

Let me know if you ever find a way to get your partner and daughter on board. I feel like we're never going to get through the mountain of things.

Me!
I live with a man who refuses to throw anything out. Even if something breaks, we buy a new one and he puts the old one in the garage "just in case".

I also have 3 adult sons who have all left home and left cupboards full of crap behind them.

About 2 months ago I decided that I'd had enough. I started to clear out all the wardrobes etc. I put everyone on notice that I would send photos of items and they had 12 hours to let me know if they wanted it or not. Failure to respond and it got thrown out.

My husband was so alarmed at the amount I was getting rid of when left to my own devices, he started to help.
We now have a haven of loveliness in all the cupboards/wardrobes etc and a very neat and uncluttered loft and garage.

I lost count of the amount of trips to the tip and charity shops.

It feels wonderful to be clutter and dust free.

@stuffedwithstuff He knows that when he dies (whether at my hands or via a more natural route) the first thing I'm going to do is order a skip.

A really big one.

Me! Too much stuff makes me anxious and after moving twice in two years I'm on a mission to have even less.

I had three skips, charity runs and gave alot away on Facebook.

Some days I feel like chucking the lot out and starting again.

Well done @DidgeDoolittle. I hope one day to have the same. I'm hoping it's not mad to think it's possible whilst the kids are still at home.

@ChampagneCommunist I love the skip plans!

@user1471538283 I know what you mean We moved 6 months ago, and 2 years before that too. Each time we had a massive clear out, but still ended up with so much stuff we don't need or use that I didn't have the time and energy to deal with at the time. I hope one day to reach a point where we have just what we need, but it feels a long way off. I honestly wonder if we just had to walk away from it all how much of it we would truly miss.

I’ve just done a massive de-clutter.
I’m a single parent luckily so no man to worry about 😂
I read Marie Kondos book ages ago and did a few de-clutters but after almost 2 years in this house, lockdowns, work stress etc things had built up again. I just got sick of all the stuff and started following minimalism account and re-read the Kondo book.

I actually started with my ‘junk’ drawer in my kitchen and it just gained momentum from there. I pulled everything out and washed down all the drawers and cupboards and was really ruthless about what I was getting rid of and keeping.
Im on Sertraline for anxiety and it has numbed my emotions a bit so it was easier to let things go lol.

It’s strange, since I’ve finished the de-clutter my house hasn’t been messy once. It’s so quick to clean and because every item has a ‘home’, tidying up takes no time. Also so easy to find things. Life just feels calmer and the whole house has a serene vibe.

Just trying to figure out what to do with all my free time now!

@TwilightSkies I am jealous! I'm hoping to have a bit more time when my youngest goes to childcare a little more so that I can go through things a bit more systematically and follow through (at the moment I never get time to finish the declutter so have a constant corner of stuff to get rid of that the kids then pull things out of!). I'll have a look at the Marie Kondo book now too.

Yea definitely so much easier when the kids aren’t in the house. Buying plenty of bin bags and getting things bagged up quickly helps too!
Hopefully the book will give you some inspiration. I think it has to really ‘click’ in your mind then there’s no going back.
And don’t put too much pressure on yourself that you can’t get loads done in one go, just keep plugging away. It takes time but it’s so worth it.

I'm an aspiring minimalist but have a preschooler and our house has now acquired loads more stuff (toys, books and children's clothes) than 3 years ago!! I find it really difficult to let go of some things but do want to live a calmer, clutter-free life. I did my wardrobe 2 years ago after reading Marie Kondo but haven't moved on from that. Like you OP, I'm planning on dedicating some time to decluttering when my little one is at nursery.

Happy to have found this thread! I'm mid declutter / reorganisation of the house. I aspire to be the same as you TwilightSkies where everything has a home. My youngest is 3 so I'm able to let go of loads of the baby stuff and I also want to train my two kids to tidy up after themselves and also give DS7 a few weekly chores. It's my third weekend doing it. I've been watching that Nick Knowles show to keep up the motivation!

I think it’s difficult when you live with people who are not interested in getting rid of stuff. You can’t just go around throwing things away. My DH has CDs & DVDs for example that he won’t get rid of ( I’ve edited mine and just saved a few ) and bank statements and bills arriving because he won’t go paperless. He’s also not good at filing them so they hang around for bloody months. This is before DD9 and the endless loom band production line and general kid clutter. It doesn’t bother them but I see the endless stuff and it makes my chest tight.

Me, I have lots of 'stuff' but don't want to take it to the tip/charity shop without trying to sell it online first. But with a busy job, I never find the time to do this. Argh.

Me! I worked out I felt really calm in holiday cottages and a big part of that was well organised things and zero clutter / minimalism.
We moved twice this year so was the momentum needed. Had a massive declutter, many many trips to charity shops, tip, sold loads on eBay and Facebook marketplace. Now we live in an easy to clean house with a few big pieces of art, plants and so on and it’s like being on holiday. Once you ‘get there’ it’s easy to keep on top of it. DD is the worst but I make her go through her stuff when it builds up.

I'm another one who'll have an extra large skip on standby if DH goes first. I've told him that I'll wait respectfully until the funeral is over though.

Try moving country with just a haversack, laptop and one cat with the car stuffed to the gills following with the other cats etc.

Then moving nine times in less than twenty years.

That'll fix clutter... lol....as soon as it started to accumulate... flooding, landlord ending tenancy... etc etc etc

Been here six years this time... a little more... well provided just now,

NB in low cost rentals in rural Ireland is an interesting life.. Hence the moves. I keep meaning to write a story about it.

Me!

I have been stop start decluttering this year as work keeps getting in the way.

My DH is now permanently working from home and his job is quite paperwork driven so we are setting up a proper office space for him with storage.

I also work from home now (I am a print and graphic designer and used to be based in a small business was centre which got closed down just before covid hit) and have lots of stock to store especially now xmas is coming up.

I want to try and have clutter free living room and bedroom so I can have a calm space which isn’t working space for either of us.

Really interesting how others feel calm in holiday homes. I have often felt that too.

Is anyone watching the new Marie Kondo series on Netflix?

I'm a chaotic minimalist, I do try but never seem to get where I want to be.

The feeling of being calm in a holiday home definitely resonates with me too @CatrinVennastin & @Onandoff.

I've managed to tackle a few bits over the weekend. Sorted our paperwork 'in tray' / overflowing corner in the kitchen and got another few bags of things out of the door to the charity shop & recycling.

I didn't realise there was a new Marie Kondo programme on netflix. I'll have to look at that. Need to find a way to keep my motivation up!

My TV recommendation is The Home Edit on Netflix. You do have to get over the gushing over Reese Witherspoon in the first episode but it is illustrative of the power of organisation. I ended up with massive storage solutions envy ( they have their own products you can buy in John Lewis). Not really minimalist as such but definitely inspirational from a de-cluttering point of view.

@Divebar2021 I enjoyed that programme too. You just have to roll your eyes through the first section with the celebs in their giant mansions.

@stuffedwithstuff there’s two Marie kondo Netflix shows. One is tidying up actual houses the second is helping a couple of businesses and lots of zen shots of Marie looking serene. It’s fab!

My wins at the weekend were getting round to assembling some Ikea shelves for the loft. I am going to slim down our camping stuff so it will all fit and be easy to find stuff.

4 more bags out the door this morning!