For example, when I got married, I thought I wanted to host parties and dinners. I had place settings, glass drinking glasses, barware, serveware, etc. Now, I dread people coming over and I only host things reluctantly. The thought of having a ton of people in my house now feels like a lot of work and stress.

I've also had family and friends be really off-put by china plates, glass drinking goblets and table linens. We come from a lower-income area, and a lot of our family and friends really never dined like that. I've even had friends put their plates back in the cubbard and go get a Corelle plate because they were worried about breaking the china.

Over time, I stopped putting it out and it collected dust. I realized that it was meant to serve an idea of who I wanted to be, not who I was. I donated it all, and hopefully blessed an enthusiastic host somewhere with my collection. I really don't miss it, honestly, and it makes moving a lot easier.

Now that I've trended more toward minimalism, I'm happy that I'm no longer living with failed past versions of myself every day.

I'm trying to pare down our 4-person family possessions, while keeping things fun and festive for my kids (and myself).

I was always a huge fan of seasonal and holiday decorating, but it's gotten so out of control these days. The amount of holiday junk in stores is astonishing. I'm too busy and tired to deal with much more than a pumpkin or a Christmas tree these days, anyways.

I recently realized that some of my kids books are seasonally themed, and I can make a little book display with them every couple of months on top of their living room shelf.

It doesn't need to be books we own, either -- sometimes it's library books! Our fall/Halloween one is super cute.

It looks festive, helps with book rotation, and doesn't involve more knickknacky decor. Just sharing for any parents or book lovers who might do the same.

Trying to preserve my clothes and keep the shirts in good condition. I try drying using the drying rack but they smell I guess it's not warm enough here.

Does anyone have any recommendations i.e. putting the laundry in the dryer on air dry for 20 minutes then hanging then out to dry?

I find the joggers at the waistband never dry properly when using the hang only method.

Thought I'd try to get further insight on this matter thanks!

Like emergency food and gear. It actually can look redundant if you live in city. Shops are everywhere. Like last storm here cut electricity in locations around city and left city with electricity and else running normally. Can't really remember any other supply cuts in last 5 years honestly. With previous being few hour electricity cut in city. For myself I don't see a point in buying more than I could consume in next week.

I have been on a journey towards a simple and sustainable life. Nothing flashy. Nothing fancy. I deleted social media back in April and life has been brighter. I initially ditched my fake nails and routine service appointments to just save money. Then I started to prefer my natural beauty. Now I feel ready to also stop wearing makeup. I’ve discovered eye cream, self love and sunscreen. I’m even thinking of switching from glasses to contacts. :) I love who I am without the extra stuff hiding my beauty and I feel better without a constant mentality of accumulating every paycheck to be a “better” person. I started decluttering clothes and cleaning out drawers. But how do I ditch the what if feeling? What if I need the dress.. what if I want to wear those shoes again. I know it’s unrealistic because I haven’t even thought about the stuff since I bought it. I still have a lot of toxic social media ideals. I feel like I can’t wear the same outfits over and over and be an attractive person (even though I feel the prettiest dressing simply girly and modestly). I’ve become comfortable with who I am but like I also know it isn’t considered optimal grooming to be bare faced as a lady in meetings at work :\ things like this trip me up. I also get asked if I’m okay or tired without makeup. I’m not a type A person but I really want to be more organized and I love the way I feel with a clean, feasible and simple life. I’m going to keep at it but I have some concerns. How much longer will this feeling be here? Or does this mean I only liked the idea of minimalism?

Hi hello. My bf and I were discussing cellphones and their lifespan. I was a tech enthusiast and used to switch phones semi regularly but not that I adapted minimalism in my life i have stopped. What’s your upgrade cycle and which phone are u using now?

Is there a list of the comfortable medium for what to own without it becoming embarrassing? Case in mind, plants, kitchen stuff, books, electronics, clothing, crafts, hardware. Moving. Already shredded a lot but need more motivation.

hi guys! im almost 21 and just moved across the world for the second time, back to another city in my home country. when i was packing up all my things before moving again, i was upset and disgusted by just how much i own. i ended up freaking out and throwing out almost all my stuff. my boyfriend felt the same about his things and our shared things. we’re in our new apartment with almost no stuff except our suitcases and furniture. in our positions where would you start? i used to be a huge shopper but being broke forced me to stop (thank god!) i wonder how you guys do it and what your tips are?

I have a 10 month old. Its so hard to keep everything clean. I'm also just having more and more stuff as a new parent. How do I maintain order with a new baby? My parents help babysit so we can catch up on chores but on days it's just me and him, it gets out of hand real quick. My mother in law is also moving in. She is disabled but loves to shop. She buys a lot of stuff and packages come into the house daily and it can pile up really quick. She has a tendency to buy and then the whole house gets cluttered and then she declutters everything and gives it all away. It's a whole cycle after it gets out of hand. My husband had to clean her house every time he went to visit. Now we are living together.

I know I'm generalizing and it depends on where you live. A lot of places tend to be expensive as far as rent. I don't know if you cut out a lot of spending or material stuff and just stick to your basic needs that it changes a lot or if its just expensive no matter how much you try to save.

I've been wanting to buy a minimal phone for a while. So I bought the nokia 105. I actually wanted a flip phone, Ig this might be a start for now. I'm trying to use my phone less and slowly adopt a more minimalist lifestyle. One thing at a time. For those of you who've tried minimalist living, what are some simple changes you've made that actually made a difference in your life?

This is the third time in five years that I’ve had to move because of water damage in my appartement. Every time it’s been an entire moving truck full of stuff. How is it possible that owning things can limit me so much and keep me from being free?! I don’t want this anymore and now it’s all gone!

I have 2 suitcases left. One with clothes, the other with bedding, jackets and shoes. One box with folders and electronics, one box with personal belongings, one box with household items and one box with tools and car stuff. That's it!

The whole process took about four weeks. I bought a scanner and digitized all my paperwork (I kept the scanner though). I sold a few things, but only things that sold quickly, mostly furniture. I gave away quite a lot for free, especially clothes and decorations. The main goal was to get rid of everything quickly.

I made sure my clothes were functional and easy to mix and match. Anything you can only wear “once a year for a specific occasion” had to go. My "new" wardrobe has fewer than 50 pieces. The old one, well I stopped counting at 300...

I actually wanted to keep my TV because it was new. But of course, in the middle of all that chaos something fell on it and broke it. Now I’m almost glad it happened. One less huge thing to deal with and I can watch movies on my tablet anyway....

And suddenly, I can handle the entire move on my own because I have so little stuff left. The new apartment is furnished, smaller and cheaper!! There are literally only upsides. It still feels weird, I'm still shaking a little and I'm a bit scared that maybe I went too far... But the relief outweighs everything else.

My friends didn't react all positively to this change. But they’re not the ones dealing with the stress and cost of moving over and over again, so... I’ve already told them that from now on, I only want gifts that can be used up or consumed in some way.

Minimalism has fascinated me for a long time. But other than occasionally decluttering a little here and there, I never really managed becoming minimalist because I was still emotionally attached to my stuff. But this time something just clicked, probably because I just couldn't deal with the stress of moving anymore.

I really hope things work out. It somehow feels like the beginning of a whole new life...

I feel like I can't be a minimalist because I have many items kept as “backstock.” For example, different sizes of sheets of paper kept in under-bed storage because I’m still in design school and might need them. Along with that, things like glue and paint and other materials or tools that I’ve kept organised in boxes, but can’t seem to let go of the “just in case.”

I got rid of many jewellery but the stuff I still have (& do wear) is “a lot.” A container of perfumes, a drawer of makeup. A shelf of bags inside one another and another container in storage of the extra straps that come with them. It all feels like a lot but I don’t know what to reduce from them. One thing I know I should declutter but don’t is the sentimental papers, books, and photos from childhood.

I do go through my room periodically and always get stricter with what I should let go of (my biggest declutter was last night and I’m happy with the empty shelves and drawers now, being much more discerning with what I actually want, and what is kept bc I feel guilty about spending money on it), but looking at other minimalists’ rooms and seeing how little storage they have just feels like something I deeply want to achieve but never can. I live in a multigenerational home, so everything that is mine is in my room. But I can’t tell if that’s just how many things I have to have to live/study/work, or if there’s still a way to be even stricter with myself. The way I see it is by imagining if I had to pack up my room right now, and how many boxes I would need to do so. At current, it would be many more boxes than I wish to have to do it in, and there’s a sort of shame I feel with that.

edit: Don’t want to clog up the thread replying to every comment, so I just want to thank everyone here for the very kind words and assurance! :)

I have a bit of a dilemma. I really love manga, books, and art books. I sold most of my collection, and now I only keep my favorites or things I still want to read.
But lately I’ve been wondering if I really need to keep them. I do love these books, but I could read them digitally and keep my physical collection to a minimum.
The problem is that I can’t just let go of them. I have an emotional attachment to books, and they mean a lot to me. At the same time, sometimes I want to buy new ones, and then I’ll eventually run out of space again.
I only have one IKEA KALLAX with 8 compartments, so my space is pretty limited.
I don’t know… maybe I shouldn’t put myself in such strict limits? Has anyone else struggled with this?

They remind me of little me.

Been thinking about photobooks but there's something special about touching them.

I've also saved every birthday card I ever received. On the fence between making an album that I can continue to fill or just tossing 99% of them.

I’ve never personally enjoyed crafts. I feel like I’m creating something (garbage) that I need to keep because I worked hard on it, and everything requires a bunch of supplies. It just feels chaotic to me. Fast-forward, I’m a parent, I have a small craft drawer for my kids. Basically an eight pack of crayons, an eight pack of markers, some paper, scissors, and a glue stick. Yet, I feel like we don’t have enough. We were reading a kids magazine and there was a cool craft that involved making stuffed animals out of felt, a needle and thread, and stuffing. So now do I go buy all that? To do just one craft? And then I have to keep the homemade stuffed animal around forever because it’s their special project? Help I hate it

EDIT: the people thinking this is child abuse can’t possibly have children. If you buy your kid 1000 toys to keep them busy, you’re not really helping them at all developmentally. Minimalist principles apply to kids too. Montessori does great with this and says often the best thing is just nature and stuff outside, maybe a few open ended toys inside and they learn to play with them in different ways, or just repurpose household objects. It’s an extremely valid way of raising children. I was more asking how to branch off of those same principles for specific art supplies.

Me again. I'm still doing battle with the "stuff". Saying that, I was able to find and check that all 57 pieces of a mini lego set are still around earlier very quickly despite being messed with by three kids last weekend so its somehow ordered chaos.

Been feeling the need to pack a one bag recently. I don't need to have the holiday booked (I dont have one atm), but just had the pull to order things in the bag. Didn't do it.

In the process of back to processing as we had a whole lot of new boxes and things come in and we need to get them OUT. Spent ten minutes cutting up used wrapping paper received last week to wrap what we are giving out the next two weekends.

PS random note, for the little ones birthday we got her second hand books, a notepad, a Turkish towel and a cheap mermaid costume. We also baked enough cakes for her to blow out the candles three times.

I’m looking for YouTube channels that incorporate minimalist principles without being strictly about minimalism itself.

I’m not particularly interested in the usual minimalism-adjacent topics like decluttering, simplifying finances, slow living, frugality, not-buying lists etc. I’m more interested in channels where minimalism is reflected in someone’s lifestyle, approach, principles, or creative process, rather than being the main subject of the content.

Some examples of topics I’d be interested in are minimalist travel, urban lifestyle, photography/videography/music production, design, interior design, fashion or style, maybe some productivity or self-improvememt.

Essentially, I’m looking for channels where minimalism is more of an underlying philosophy than the subject of the channel itself.

27F(Italy)
I feel like something needs to change if I want to achieve my goals.
I’m not into the minimalistic aesthetic. I love opulence and beauty and having cute stuff around me. What I agree with minimalists, is that objects take time and resources from other aspects of life.
I struggle at work and I struggle financially. I don’t really see how things could get better for me on those fronts. Yet I do have this feeling inside that if I try a little bit more I can do it.
And I think that “little bit more” could be the focus, freedom and resources that minimalism can give.

What’s your thoughts on this?
I’m just projecting on an idea to escape my problems? Or taking this path, despite not being a fan, is likely to help me get there?

Seriously considering going back to a flip phone as my daily driver.

My screen time has gotten way too high, and even after deleting apps, I still find myself mindlessly scrolling or finding some other way to waste time on my phone. At this point I think I need a hard stop than just app limits/deleting social media.

I currently have an iPhone 17 Pro Max, which makes this feel slightly ridiculous lol, but I’m thinking about switching to a basic flip phone for day-to-day use and keeping my MacBook for anything I actually need to sit down and do.

I’m completely fine getting rid of TikTok, Twitter/X, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. I also don’t really care about losing Apple Pay. I can just start carrying my wallet again.

The main things I’m trying to figure out are:

• WhatsApp, since I have family back home and use it pretty regularly
• iMessage/FaceTime, ideally through my Mac
• Uber for the occasional ride
• Google Maps/navigation when I actually need it
• 2FA/authenticator stuff for work
• Banking or other random apps that occasionally require a smartphone

Has anyone successfully made a setup like this work?

I was thinking maybe I could put my main number on the flip phone, leave the iPhone at home on Wi-Fi, and use WhatsApp/iMessage through my Mac when I’m home. Or possibly keep a cheap secondary line on the iPhone if certain apps absolutely require it.

For anyone who has switched from an iPhone to a flip phone, what setup ended up being the least annoying while still actually reducing your screen time?

I don’t necessarily want to become completely disconnected. I just want my phone to go back to being a tool instead of something I automatically pull out every 30 seconds. Oh also, which is the best flip phone to use?

Hi! I identified as a minimalist for about 10 years. I decluttered every year. Was very careful about my purchases and not having too many back ups. If I didnt use something within a certain time period, I got rid of it. Sure, I had my problem areas which I werent as strict with (books and knitting), but Id say I am very intentional about my purchases and possessions.

I did not earn a lot, and I still dont. But in those 10 years, my financial security has gotten a lot better. Also, the world climate has changed in recent years. The economy in my country is worse. Power and water outages are common. Cost of living is through the roof. Harvests are worse.

I find myself more interested in security. To let go of minimalism a bit so I can have more comfort and security. Prep for situations (have or hold on to extra water, food, clothing, toiletries, blankets, small amount of camping gear like gas cooker etc etc). I feel like I dont have the energy to constantly be intensely considering every purchase and not buying a few things which give me joy like home decor.

Is anyone else dealing with this inner conflict between prepping and minimalism? Minimalism served me well when I needed it, but maybe the world feels a bit more insecure for many people to be extreme minimalists anymore?

https://www.businessinsider.com/couple-doesnsnt-exchange-holiday-birthday-gifts-give-surprises-2026-9?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social_manual&utm_campaign=reddit_dist_r_minimalism&utm_content=manual_v1&utm_term=16f55784

TLDR: Putting my top 100 belongings in a box to decide what means the most to me.

I’ve been on and off the minimalist wagon for years. I lived comfortably in a 250 sq ft tiny home for 3 years, but after a critical illness and months of hospitalizations, I moved into an apartment.

While recovering and unable to live my normal active life, I started shopping. A lot. I convinced myself I was making my home my “happy place” since I couldn’t get out and enjoy the world.

I’m physically doing much better now and have decided to move back into my tiny home. I’ve been donating like crazy, but eventually hit a mental block and started rationalizing why I needed to keep things.

So I did an Uno reverse: instead of deciding what to get rid of, I got a box and gave myself a limit of 100 items for my most prized possessions. It helped so much.

Something about choosing what was actually worth taking with me made me realize: it’s just stuff. I almost lost my life. I don’t want to spend the next chapter clinging to noise.
So I’m packing away the noise and keeping the things that actually matter.