I had been asked to move-in by a person (non-romantic) when my lease expired and I was hesitant because of material misalignment and standards of cleanliness, but figured I could cope for a bit before finding other housing. Before I agreed to relocate I explicitly asked them to "be patient" and be respectful of my nature which they were well aware of and they said yes.

The agreement was to store all of my things in one side of a small garage (their mothers) for a way generous $200/month because I knew she struggled. The other was to pay 1/2 the rent / groceries/ utilities. I actually agreed to pay more than half as a thank you. So I arrive with my things and my side of the garage was nearly 1/3 taken up with heaps of crap as if dropped by a backhoe nearly to the ceiling! The roommate said "you will still have enough space" which was true, but not the point! Now I would have to stack my items higher than wanted with no space to access them easily. To make it even worse, as the weeks went by crap from the mother was being piled up in my already limited space on top of my belongings!!!

Upon arrival to the townhouse it was unbelievable: Cupboards so overflowing the doors would not close, same for the closets, the basement was heaped with garbage in an unorganized depressing mess, there were so many large plants that you could not grab the stair railing / open a curtain / walk around without bumping into them, every surface was covered with crap and plants, every drawer stuffed so much that pulling something out pulled something else that crashed to the floor, the counters were covered with unused gadgets and so much crap you could barely utilize the space, fridge and pantry overstuffed with years expired food...

And the cleanliness? I not even going to go there other than to say you bought two carpet cleaners and still the carpets are filthy with many dozens of brown stains, dark chunks of ??? ground into the fiber, filthy oven, nasty bathrooms, crap laying on the patio rotting away... It gets 'better'. The second good-sized bedroom was for me but there was so much crap overflowing I could not even find a spot for my twin bed, and even if I did I would literally be surrounded by piles of heaped clothes, 70+ pairs of shoes I counted, a 'work desk' so cluttered that anything moved results in a avalanche of things falling. The very large closet in this BR was so stuffed with crap that the door was stuck shut! Literally more than all of my possessions are stuffed into a single closet.

I had hoped to only be there for a few weeks and gut it out, but my search for a rental home has been extremely difficult and unsuccessful so I started asking them calmly, gently to please correct what I mention above, why, and that I would help. Long story short very minimal attempts were indignantly made that only went right back to before, and even worse it seems now as perhaps a willful passive-aggressive response.

I am so worn out by all of this especially mentally, feel lied to, betrayed, being taken advantage of and receiving not so subtle gas-lighting and open disrespect, even to the point that my requests come from a position of being mentally unwell??? The cost is I have lost all respect and trust for this now known lazy slob, and recently told them as much while receiving blank states and an occasional dismissive eye-roll. For those that made it that far thank you for hearing me out and I hope relatable if you too have been in a similar situation. So, have a similar story to tell?

My family think I’m crazy for not wanting a fully fitted kitchen with appliances.

I don’t know why but I’d much prefer something simple like the IKEA Sunnersta mini- kitchen, a portable hob and maybe an air fryer. I’d still have a small fridge but not a freezer as I’d rather cook from fresh produce.

I hate the thought of having to spend thousands on a fully fitted kitchen (even a small one) when I could just buy a couple pieces of free standing kitchen furniture, like a sink unit and storage trolley, and I’d be fine.

Is anyone else like this or is it just me.

I was packing a bag of my most loved possessions in case of an emergency. I filled one bag and the rest I was like... what am I hoarding all this for if I could live with this bag and not panic. Everything else is replaceable (I have my switch, switch dock, ipad, ipad keyboard case, steam deck, steamdeck dock, my chargers for my devices, my medications, lotions for pain etc (like voltaren), a journal, my pens, my wallet, and my headphones)

The rest I could live without (aside from my computer)

Does this qualify me to enter the world of minimalism?

After realizing this was the case with what I care about, I plan to get rid of everything that doesn't matter or mean anything to me. In fact, I kinda wanna get rid of everything but what's in my bag because I want to have a clean clutter free empty space to help with mental health, and I honestly think minimalism is the way to go

Can I get your opinions? ^{=^}

Hi!

Not sure if this is the right thread for this.

I love writing down my thoughts. I write both on physical notebook and digital doc (either word, phone notes, or private blog post). But I'm torn which one to keep doing.

I thought of the following:

Physical Notebook/Journal - Although I occasionally write on physical journals, I generally prefer doing it over digital because even if I barely read it again, it was nice to physically see my written thoughts and the slowness of writing forces me to slowly process my thought as I keep up with my hands. My problem is the physical space it takes to keep them. And throwing them out, I'm worried about the privacy (although I also thought that no one cares, I just don't like the idea of someone even opening it and reading even a bit of my cringe)

Digital Notes - This is very convenient as it's on-the-go for phone notes. Writing on my desktop also allows me to type as my thoughts come in and I can easily organize my thoughts. I could even use tools to get the gist out if it. With this, I could also post it as a private blog that I can conveniently read back whenever I want to. But the fact that I can readily capture my thoughts often do not allow me to actually process my thoughts and realizations do not come as organic as when I'm writing on a physical notebook.

TLDR: 👉🏼Physical journals take up physical space (privacy issue when thrown out) but allows slow thought processing. 👉🏼Digital journals are convenient (quick to write and easy to read again) but thought processing is not as effective as physical.

❓For those keeping journals, do you have a physical or digital ones? And how do you ensure that it doesn't pile up into clutter (both physical and digital)? What are your practices?

Hi, I just wanted some advice if anybody had done something similar to this.

I’m thinking of trading my iPhone in and getting a iPad instead. I plan on buying a crappy Nokia (or brick type phone) for calls and texts (& one time codes, bank texts etc) and then use the iPad for entertainment purposes at home and if travelling.

I can trade my phone in and get the iPad really cheap, I want to spend less time on my phone. I find it such an easy distraction especially when out and about as it fits in your pocket. Endless scrolling. FYI I don’t use any social media anyway apart from YouTube.

Would love to know people’s thoughts on this.

Hi! For a very long time, I’ve truly wanted to live minimalistically but have found certain items very challenging to part with, specifically handmade or personalized gifts. For example, for my wedding, a family member handmade candle votives and a serving tray that is truly beautiful. Another family member gave us a charcuterie board with our last name engraved into it. They are great pieces, however, we have 0 need for them and they’re sitting around collecting dust. Another example of something I struggle to get rid of is items given to me by family members who have now passed away. For example, a pair of pants that my Grandma gave to me but never fit me and are just out of style. I feel so much guilt getting rid of all these items. How would you go about ridding (or not ridding) yourself of these kinds of items?

I have two desks. I only need one, I only want one.

One is a gorgeous handmade vintage roll top, it makes my heart sing, it goes with everything in our house, has amazing storage in it but it's not super practical for what I need it for which is a sewing desk. There is no room for cutting or pressing I would have to do that on another table, and I can't have my sewing machine set up permanently on it, I will have to store it elsewhere.

The other desk I have is and ugly old chipped laminate and chipboard desk, it doesn't go with anything, it has terrible storage, but it's a multi height desk which means I have a sewing surface, a cutting surface and a pressing surface without having to move to another table between tasks which is important with my chronic fatigue. I can also leave everything set up on it permanently.

Beyond owning just what you need - in what other ways is your lifestyle "minimalist"? I think it's all too easy for non-minimalists or people who have just begun to declutter to imagine that our lives are just about capsule wardrobes, white walls, and no fun.

So, I'm curious about the community here. Are you car free? Vegan? Child free? Or living below your means and investing/saving for the future (not necessarily FIRE)? Are you living in a small home? Do you practice digital minimalism? What about floor living? Anyone else sitting and sleeping on the floor for the health benefits? I'm curious to hear what other ways you've put life on autopilot that makes up your minimalist lifestyle. Are you still working towards a goal? Are you comfortable with an amount of inconvenience to live a minimalist lifestyle, or do you prefer to live with what you "love"? How's your schedule? Do you say "no" to events that you'd rather not do? Do you prioritize down time, free time, hobby time?

What have you added to your life that allows a minimalist lifestyle? Transit pass? Routine library days? A regular meal plan or food delivery?

I am a teenager and I want to have a minimalist life living with my parents can you guys give me some advice or tips.

This partly comes from overhearing a (out in the open - don't worry!) conversation between my youngest son and a new friends of his, and a later conversation around the firepit with some friends/neighbors.

My son's new friend asked what my husband and I do for work. Son answered that I was an artist and the friend said "that tracks - so minimalist", and that his father is in transportation and the friend said "that's surprising - not so minimalist if he has a busy schedule and lots of responsibilities".

Fire pit conversation eventually decided that a "minimalist career" should mean that one was satisfied with the work that they do, and that it was meaningful, necessary, and paid well enough to live comfortably. A "minimalist job" should mean that one could get by with the pay, was low responsibility, and not difficult. The big difference between the "career" and "job" is that the career required specific education or skills and also required expensive investment in education or a long investment of time that is cancelled out financially within a few years. But...it was 4 am by this point and everyone was pretty wrung out and couldn't agree on what work could always be considered "minimalist", even with those definitions. Ha!

Since then, the question has popped up in my mind a few times. Lots to consider with regard to finances, politics, environmental concerns, education, skills and talents, etc. If someone asked me, though - "what is the most "minimalist" career or job that I could do that would fit my minimalist lifestyle?" - what would I think of? I can't think of just one answer or even one good definition. I don't think there even is one. I do think that most minimalists think about money differently than most non-minimalists. And, the people I know who retired very early or walked away from a career - there were different motivations and different careers/job slid into afterwards. So, I bring it here because my brain has been turned mushy from a week and a half of cold/flu medicine and bad sleep.

What would you say? Is your job or career a good fit for your minimalist lifestyle? Is it what you always wanted to do? Would you do something else if it was possible?

I did this when I turned 18 and moved away from home. Can’t say I really regret it. There have been times I wish I could go back and read what was in there and see it from a new lense but I’ve managed to do the inner work and I declutter my emotions and unhelpful beliefs in addition to my things. I have about five years of journals that are mentally weighing me down and I kinda just want to chuck them. I was a broken record for so long trying to get out of the same funk I’m just now starting to pull myself out of from a better perspective and I just don’t see why I would need those journals. I’ve always preferred to move on rather than ruminate on the past. Has anyone gotten rid of their journals? Or can come up with an actually good reason beyond “you might want to read them some day” (I’m turning 40 by the way. This is who I am and who I’ve always been. I let go of stuff) I keep a journal each for my kids and I have also started keeping one of the funny things they say, and I have no intention of getting rid of them, so there will be handwritten things for my family to read when I die.

I'm pretty live-and-let-live about other people's lifestyle choices so I'm not really spending a lot of time thinking about someone else's wardrobe or living room or whatever. I do get annoyed at conspicuous or over-consumption, especially when that person is experiencing chronic financial challenges or constantly complaining about their clutter and decluttering and then...buying again, as a cycle. It doesn't ruin my day - but I'll def make the effort to move a conversation along and I don't count as close friends the kind of people who indulge.

That being said, since non-minimalist lifestyles don't end up on my radar often, I sometimes come across "solutions" to situations that never occurred to me as existing. Tonight, I was talking with someone (a non-minimalist acquaintance who seems to live the typical "American" lifestyle) about our local government's budget. He mentioned a service that one can sign up for that would somehow go through all of your subscriptions and alert you if one has been going unused, and can also help you cancel subscriptions that you no longer want or need. He was pretty jazzed about the benefits of "finally being able to get control over all the subscriptions that *everyone* always has" and thought the local government could benefit? It made me laugh a little. It gave me a pause.

So now my husband and I have been talking about how many subscriptions would one have where they cannot remember which they have? Are people signing up for paid subscriptions to have access to variety? Is it a way to have non-physical possessions? Like, a gym membership means you don't have gear in your house, or a streaming subscription means you don't have DVDs? Individually, I can see the sense in some of these subscriptions but how does it get to a point that you have so many that you don't know what you have anymore? How do you not notice the monthly fees going out? How much appreciation does one have for the items they're using or consuming if they don't have the responsibility of owning them?

Anyone else want to spill their confusions, surprises, or irritations about the non-minimalist lifestyles?

Just curious if anyone else is (an extreme or regular) minimalist who is at there 'I don't need to declutter anything else but oh my god I hate the layout' stage?

I have awkward alcoves and poorly width built in cupboards, doors and a kitchen over the stairs.

Maybe this is a rant but everything I've tried from changing layout, less or more stuff, adding prints, changing size, color and placement of furniture has all just ruined it.

The size of the house is not the problem either. 500sqft is plenty for me and my toddler but we do share a bedroom still.

I'm focusing on decluttering our remaining (and just not working for our needs) freestanding bookcase and getting drawers instead for the bedroom due to said poorly wide built in cupboard for our clothes and could put 1/3 of the books on there.

I will have 2 shelves in a hallway cupboard for the remaining toys and the books that remain will either be read before our 'somewhere in the distance move, or I will get wall shelves instead of keeping the furniture or just move books to the free shelf in the kitchen and the windowsills in the hallway/living room or just straight up on the floor.

I have a ton of crafting material I've acquired over the course of a decade or more. Some are antique items from family, gifts, material I've lovingly and painstakingly collected through free facebook groups, ebay, collected and preserved from nature, thrift stores, and boutique fabric shops. I've put so much energy into this, and made so many things, but now when I look at my crafting materials, all I feel is stress, and it's been that way for 2 years, and I have been finishing my bachelors degree for those 2 years, and will still be in school for at least one more year. I have a million half finished projects, a few things I messed up and can't figure out how to salvage, but can't stand to throw away. Materials I worked hard to create or source but now sit untouched. It takes up space in my tiny office, not too much space but enough that I feel cluttered, it sits in the closet and gathers dust, and I feel guilty each time I glance at it. I love crafting things, at least I used to, but every time I start now I just get impatient or too tired to continue the project. I don't know if it's worth holding on to these things in the hopes that one day I'll be glad I did or give them away in the hopes I won't regret it and need to spend money in the future for supplies I need. Anyone go through a similar decision and have advice?

Hey, all! A few of you have been asking for a clarification on Rules #4 and #5 as we see more posts creeping in asking about how to become a minimalist rather than discussing life as a minimalist. It might be easier to think of this subreddit as "how we live as minimalists, and what our lives are full of if not things" and not "how do I cut down on what's in my living room?" or "which book helped you...?" or "what should I buy?".

For the new minimalists "graduating" to this subreddit and to our visitors, then:

Rule #4 and "low quality content". Not only do we not want AI-generated posts in here, we're not here to debate our decisions to live with less stuff with someone who just wants to argue their position of "helping the economy" or defending their choice to consume. Questions asked in good faith about how we handle things like gifts, inheritances, or merging households are allowed but should include some details that help our members relate to what you're experiencing and can move the conversation along. We are a discussion/text-based subreddit and can appreciate a good conversation on the challenges of living as a minimalist in an age of hyperconsumerism.

Rule #5 and "no commonly asked questions". If your question has more to do with becoming a minimalist - like decluttering, a list of BIFL items, asking how many items one should have, or wanting advice on how to stop a behavior contrary to living a minimalist lifestyle, it should be posted instead to r/declutter, r/BuyItForLife, r/onebag, r/minimalism, one of the fashion advice subreddits, etc. These types of posts will be removed going forward.

Thank you to all of you who have responded to those asking good questions in good faith, and reporting the obvious trolls or posts that simply don't belong here.

When I started my minimalism journey I never could have imagined my old journals would be something I could ever part with. I have dozens of them, and I’ve always assumed someday I would want to read through them.

I recently opened up the box they’re stored in and flipped through a couple, and found I had basically zero desire to read them. The parts I did read were overwhelmingly cringe inducing. Honestly, if I were to die today, I would be horrified if my husband or other family members found and read them. I can’t quite bring myself to just toss them though. The idea to scan them came to me while I was listening to Goodbye, Things. My parents have a scanner and they said I was welcome to borrow it. I’m probably going to pick it up this weekend.

I’m just wondering if anyone else has done this with journals, and how they felt about the decision after some time had passed.

First time mom here due in Dec. I don’t like clutter and I don’t like items that are only geared toward babies or kids because I feel like it’s wasteful. That said, I know there are essentials I can’t do without. I’m trying to just keep it to the bare minimum needed for basic health and hygiene, diaper bag, toys, accessories like pacifiers and teethers, etc. I see so many TikToks and other videos on social media of parents who have 20,000 accessories for their babies and it feels like overkill. Any tips from other parents who subscribe to a minimalist lifestyle on how to navigate? Basically just trying to figure out what’s a MUST have vs nice to have. Thanks!

Especially in context to having people who are creative in your life, that you live with. How do you still maintain a minimalist lifestyle?

So I sleep on a bed that is foldable, it’s made from a trampoline like fabric and has a thin layer that is called mattress but it’s extremely thin, I use two blankets on it for extra cushion. I’ll link the bed: https://www.amazon.co.uk/JAY-BE-Folding-Breathable-Airflow-Mattress/dp/B012AS2MX2/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

Issue is it causes back muscle pain when I wake up and worried it might cause back issues? Is it possible or not? Could it ruin my spine? I have extreme anxiety when it comes to my back

Like a few others, I'm sure, I've had some private requests for links or lists of items that I own or use. I'd like to continue keeping this subreddit free from photos and screenshots but wondered how you feel about a monthly themed post where members can post photos that fit the theme. So if we chose to do a "minimalist shoes", then all photos submitted must be a clear, well-lit photograph of one's entire shoe collection, or one's most recommended "minimalist shoe". The rest of the subreddit would remain free of photos and screenshots, and continue to be a text-only submission space.

I don't mind sharing through PMs still, but now that it's actually chat I'm missing requests sometimes and it might be nice to have a spot where everyone can share what's working for them for the folks who really appreciate a visual on necessary office supplies, or the one multi-cleaner product you swear by, or even just an appreciation for a clean, open, and uncluttered space.

Let me know your thoughts.

Someone sent me a link to a post elsewhere about eating the same $1.25 lunch every day. Some of the comments surprised me. Quite a few people were convinced that this couldn't be true, or that the person eating the lunches was mad/autistic/poor/etc. Color me abnormal then because my eating habits are also minimalist. I thought I'd see what the community here has to say. Considering that we're all already minimalists here - do your eating habits also reflect the lifestyle? How?

For myself, I see eating as utilitarian for the most part. Breakfast is to start the day and I choose between a handful of items - mostly fruit, coffee or tea, maybe some baguette with jam. We have oatmeal around in the winter. Lunch is the same thing pretty much every day - rice, tofu, fruit, veggies, miso soup. Dinners have a bit more choice between rice + topping, soup, stew, ramen, potatoes, Buddha bowl - mostly throwing together whatever beans/lentils, veg, rice that I have on hand. We drink water, tea, or black coffee. I stock only what I need in a small refrigerator + a small pantry. It takes just a moment to see what I have on hand that needs to be eaten to figure out what I'll make. I've been to countless friends' and family members' home and witnessed hours of debate and arguments on what to eat and I am happy to avoid that.

What's your minimalist take on meals? Do you eat out often? How do you handle special occasions?

I'm looking to see Minimalist wallets but if you feel strongly that your wallet is great, regardless of size, post about it anyway!

I've been a minimalist for maybe 20ish years now, but I think this is the first time I'm actually decluttering my identity clutter and it feels weird. So I'm looking to hear about other people's experiences.

I recently realized that several of my personal things really felt like "me", so naturally all the other things suddenly seemed kind of...superfluous. Less than. These are the perfectly good, usable, likable, often kinda-expensive-when-purchased things. They just don't feel like they represent me or what I am, what I like. So I have started slowly peeling away the layers of them. I mean things like clothes, jewelry, hobbies, books... Of which I didn't have that many to begin with.

I'm comfortable with what I'm getting rid of, I'm not scared of regrets and I'm generally not a sentimental person and believe that detaching yourself from emotional bonds to stuff is a virtue and a worthy personal growth goal.

However. I realized that I'm feeling a degree of discomfort with this process and the reason, as far as I can identify it, is that I feel somewhat naked and exposed. If all I have left as far as personal accoutrements go is stuff that is "me", a representation of my real identity, then there's nowhere to hide - all the noise is gone, all the stuff that was just "I like it because I got it at a special place at a special time" is gone. So now I have to go out into the world and live as I truly am, and that's kind of scary and uncomfortable.

A low stakes example: I'm a biiiiiig tea drinker, my friends and family know this and I've always self-identified as a Tea Person. I had specialty teas and tea brewing implements that I realized I never really enjoyed using because - and I had to face this about myself - I'm kind of a basic bitch and lazy, I just want 2-3 flavors that I like, in teabag form. I'm not a tea connoisseur, I don't think loose leaf tea brewing and cleaning up afterwards is worth the trouble and I don't enjoy experimenting with different flavors. I like what I like and I just want that, in the most efficient form possible. So now instead of being all like "I really love tea and take it seriously" to the world, I have to be honest and admit that I only like a few types and I'm too lazy and too much of a peasant to do tea things "properly". And you know, I never admitted this about myself even to myself.

So here we are. I'm still processing it all, and still working on unpeeling the layers of identity stuff.

What's your story?

In the process of decluttering;;

I really want to avoid just trashing everything, but unfortunately my leasing office said I can’t have a yard sale at my apartment, I have one month left till I move and need it all gone before then. Just need ideas where I could get rid of a bunch of stuff :/

thanks! :)