Any minimalists about?

[Foureyedfox]

If you've successfully sorted your house out for a simpler, more organised life please share your stories/advice!
I've been Kondo-ing but only ever seem to get so far. I really believe having a more minimal home (filled only with things we use/love/spark joy) is the way forward for me and my family. How did you do it and what did you learn? I want to be one of you!!

Yes me! I don't think that I will ever be truly minimalist but I have been listening to these guys www.theminimalists.com/podcast/ and right now on day 24 of the minimalism game (day 1, one item, day 2 two items etc).

I stalled a bit with the Kondo approach when it came to dealing with all the smaller categories of stuff but the game is an excellent motivator and our house is much lighter than it was on the 1st of June.

Are you a minimalist or aspiring?

Forgot to add - their key question is 'does it add value' - approach to life, not just an approach to stuff.

Hi Velocity! Yey another aspiring minimalist!
I love the minimalists too. Joshua Becker is another favourite too. I haven't read about the minimalists game though, I'll check it out.
Have you heard of Allie casazza? She was a frazzled, overwhelmed mum too who has embraced minimalism/purposeful living. I am currently doing the kids toys (I have 3 LOs) Allie style. Getting there!
I'm still decluttering, but my goal is a simpler, organised and purposeful life too! How about you?

Sorry for the delay. Just completed the minimalism challenge so feeling great about that. I think my goals are around: I want to make it easy to say yes to people coming over at short notice (less stuff to tidy), DH's depression is helped by a more organised living space; a desire to accumulate less; to clear my mind by making fewer choices about things that don't matter. I also work full time and I don't want to spend my downtime constantly tidying up!! My next big challenge is to organise Evernote so I can properly digitise paper stuff as sooon as it comes through the post.

Thanks for the Allie cazazzassa 😀 link - will check out the podcasts and nice to have some good examples of how to do this stuff with kids (although I only have 1)

I loved light by coco but she recently deleted all of her videos which is a real shame. She is still on Instagram though. The minimalists film is good, it's on Netflix. Lavendaire on YouTube has some good videos and also sugarmammatv who is also a financial advisor. She still enjoys expensive items but will only buy what she truly values. Jacqueline Schmidt has an amazing tiny minimalist apartment with two kids although I don't know that I could ever get to that level. Off to check out Allie Casazza now thanks!

My dream home would be minimal-ish.

I'm doing OK with KonMarie, except it has shown how much stuff belongs to DP, not me, so has to stay. He thinks KM is pointless

I wonder how many of us live with people who have tendencies to hoard. I live with someone who washes out any type of disposable dish/milk carton etc to keep 'just in case'. It's infuriating.

Hello fellow declutterers and aspiring minimalists. Great to have some support.
I totally get the clear space = clearer mind. Ive been struggling recently with depression and anxiety, so I too am trying to cull & organise our home and belongings to make life daily living less stressful.
In fact I'm calling it my 'life cleanse' and I'm certain it will be worth it. The actual doing it has been a problem. Im one of those people who has probably read every decluttering book/thread, great on theory practice not so much!! But I'm getting lots better and procrastination is less of a problem. It becomes quite addictive and therapeutic the more you do and start to see results.
The kids and I 'properly' culled loads of toys and took them straight away to the charity shop (Mind) last weekend and wow their rooms are so much better! Hopefully some little kids somewhere will be joyful about their new toys.

Door I grew up with a mum who saved things just in case, she can't enjoy her home.
I've hoarded stuff too, ploughing through it now though- after lots of reflection and Marie Kondo digesting, I realise what a waste of time and energy it is. I want a new start! Anyone joining me?

Champagne just to say I did KM and never thought my DH would get involved, KM claims if you do it it will make others want to join in. A couple of months after I did my stuff and hadn't even bothered talking to DH about his he asked me how to fold his t-shirts...

That's good to know Champagne!

What do you all think constitutes a minimalist under sink area?! About to start mine. Remember being in a cottage once for a mini break, and it had minimal products but everything to keep the place clean.
What would be your essentials? Oven cleaner doesn't exactly spark joy and thank you long white candles for staying in a tub awaiting use for oooh 13 years is it?! Be gone, I release you to..erm? The garage? Nooo. Probs the bin. Sorry

YES! I hate clutter. We have no or very little on the mantlepiece, furniture, sides, etc, on display. Everything has its home. I totally subscribe to underbed storage boxes. If we don't use something within 12 months or its of no sentimental value then it gets binned or taken to the charity shop.

Is it possible to declutter with two small children at home? I'd love to get rid of some stuff but I keep thinking the kids need their toys. How many toys are too many?

Aspiring here, not necessarily minimalist but definitely ditching the clutter and embracing organisation. I also like a lot of youtubers like Lavendaire, Jenny Mustard, Clutterbug for inspiration. There's a new channel called Messy Minimalist who is an aspiring Minimalist decluttering and filming each step, not so many hints and tips but definitely motivation and a sense of solidarity!

When dd and I moved out of family home is was a new start and we took so little with us.The house doesn't take long to clean as we only have 'nicknack'on a bookcase and these are beautiful small things rather than clutter.
It's not a big house so keeping it down and tidying is essential.
The exceptions are my desk which is like a magnet for things that need a home and the inevitable undone ironing in the spare room.Visitors staying just means I have to sort it so no bad thing.
Cool colours also make rooms look clearer.
It's not a show home by any means but we don't let things accumulate.
My dd has all her clothes folded kodo style and hides her messy side in a big 5×5 IKEA storage units 10 big baskets with the empty sections having been organised to look good.
We have just recycled stuff we put in the loft originally and hadn't missed.

I hate to say it but being able to ditch 'things made at school's,was great.

How do you do the Kondo thing when you live with people who have awful taste?!!!!

I did kondo- sorted all my clothes, kids clothes, toys, 'heirlooms' and things handed down to me, paperwork etc. Books and CDs, photographs (seriously, I had literally hundreds of photos of zoo animals). Did this before we moved house and it was so liberating.

Now we are in our bigger new house I am actually wanting for a few more 'things' around. I still have that Kondo mindset though, so I spend ages looking at vases and things to sort of accessorise the space and then find I'm not quite 'joyful' enough about it. The empty space remains. So while it's made me much more selective and discerning it's also made me much harder to please.
I find it hard to buy clothes too, as I have a 'try on and wait an hour' policy which means I virtually always talk myself out of it, but then I'm still looking for a swimming costume or a t shirt after several shopping trips. I have no 'this will do' ability anymore, but sometimes I need to just grab something and go!

And wombat yes, I did ours with two little dc around. They really don't need all the toys. First get rid of anything broken, damaged, annoying (Alfie v-tech bear anyone?). Sort into boxes. If you have a garage or loft then you can rotate boxes around. We threw away boxes of shapes from sorters, jigsaw pieces, McDonald's toys and party bag stuff. We then culled the good stuff. So split the dinosaurs into 2 lots and gave half away, put away half of the track and trains for ds's b'day/Christmases. Even books, we gave loads away and just kept the good ones on the basis that our boys will continue to get b'day and xmas gifts to replace the stuff we get rid of.

We're a growing community! I'm taking a break for the physical decluttering and trying to deal with some digital stuff - using every more and scannable to store DS's drawings, physical notes from school etc. I still think my place looks too cluttered but constant decluttering also takes up a lot of mind space

I am a hoarder. My DP suffering with depression/anxiety and I think a tidy environment will help him so I need to try. I will try ways to help him but I feel my natural relaxed personality is being swallowed up so I will keep one room the way I would like .

How do you do the Kondo thing when you live with people who have awful taste?!!!!

You don't Kondo other people's stuff. Do your own clothes, books, papers, miscellany, any spaces that are just yours. Parents will Kondo their younger children's stuff to help teach them the mindset. A lot of us find those around us start copying a short while later when they see how much we're benefitting from it.

And as for tacky stuff that my partner loves - it brings him joy, so it brings me joy to see him happy, as long as it doesn't add to my workload/stress (I'm not expected to clean it/it doesn't get in my way/look uncared for and depress our shared environment). Just like a potato masher doesn't bring me joy, but eating homemade mashed potato does.... sometimes you need to look a little harder to find the joy!

Done and maintained here. It is great.

We have 3 small children and not many toys and the littlest is the easiest to entertain... coincidence???

Re under bed storage: getting rid of mine was a day that felt good. It is not great to sleep on a tonew of junk.

I have kinda loSt track on what is minimal because it is our way of life but maybe:

• only have one coat, swimsuit etc each
• only have clothes in one chest with space to spare (Dh a I hang work clothes)
• simplified shopping- more homes cooking, multi use food, one type of pasta, porridge or granola for brekkie

Etc

I do my minimalising once a year after Christmas before going back to work. Think that is when clutter reaches its peak and I've had enough!

I go through every bit of the house bit by bit and am quite brutal. If I don't use it and don't love it, it's gone and that includes things I spent a fair bit of money on, gifts others have bought me but I have no use for, etc. Everything goes to a charity shop/gets recycled where it can. I also firmly believe in everything having a place - I don't use the loft -because it creeps me out and a bird once died in there- because it just ends up as a place to chuck stuff that has no place.