To ask has anyone gone minimalist…

[Merryoldgoat]

… and can I have tips?

My house is driving me mad. Have you gone from a more ‘maximalist’ house to minimalist and do you prefer it?

I have kids so it will never be a scandi paradise but I can deffo get rid of sone rubbish but I want to keep sone warmth.

How do I go minimalist but keep it feeling like a family home?

I put childrens toys up on "Nextdoor" and neighbours came to get them. They were so pleased.

I got rid of everything we don’t use/need/wear etc at the beginning of the year. So much easier to keep on top of housework now. Everything has a place so we know where to find it. The aim is not to bring more stuff in to the house; so far, it’s the party bag crap that has to be sorted regularly. 🫣

Minimalism doesn't appeal to me but I did have to cut down massively because I tend towards hoarder if I'm not careful!

Dana K White form A Slob Comes Clean has been the most helpful for me. I think the most lifechanging tip is no more "procrastination stations" which is what she calls a "keep box/pile" - if I'm keeping it then I take it to its new home and if the new home is overflowing I remove as much rubbish or things that I know where they live until the thing I want to keep fits in. If I'm getting rid of something it goes immediately. That means in the bin, if rubbish. If not rubbish, I have a book pile to go to the nearby book box, a clothing bag to go in the nearby clothing bin, and an everything else donation bag to go to a second hand shop that takes everything. Once that is almost full, I arrange the next possible time I can go there and put it on my calendar.

That also means decluttering one thing at a time so you don't have to pull everything out and make more mess.

We are getting ready to move house, which has been a real motivation to not take unnecessary clutter with us. Our house is fairly minimalist as it is but DH has hoarding tendencies ( wires, leads, bits out outdated tech). I'm down to the absolute wire with my belongings - he is still dicking about wondering whether to keep hobby equipment he hasn't touched in ten years . I've explained the sunk coat fallacy to him but to no avail yet....

Thanks!