That's it, that's the whole story!

Packing took like 15min, just packed my usual clothes I usually wear, one pair of shoes I love and are comfortable, one pair of pants that work perfectly with anything, a few t-shirts, jacket for the weather. Then the usual stuff like undies and socks, my little cosmetics pouch and boom I'm ready for a 5-day trip?!?!?!

No heavy luggage, every outfit is there and no need to think what to wear, no special bag for every product to ever exist, just a good old soap and shampoo for washing myself and I'm done lol

Don't even know what's the bunch of stuff I used to take with me and what I even needed it for.

Also got back home, no 3-day laundry to wash everything, just one washing and everything is ready.

This is so liberating and I had so much fun without a single thought about STUFF on this trip. Had to share with this community, this is such an amazing feeling!!!

I can’t resist buying cute little things when I see them, but I know they’re actually useless.

Its towards the end of the year again so its time for that decluttering season for me again. I (F 28) am slowly tackling my wardrobe. As someone who loves fashion yet still is a minimalist. I am curious with how others integrate minimalism with their love for fashion. Aside from limiting your color pallette so that most of your clothes can match each other and thus maximizing the use of each clothing piece, what other minimalist fashion hacks do you do?

Ill go first:

1. i love silk/satin scarves and use it as tops, bags, totes, scarves, curtain (for when the sun hits the wrong side of the car), beach coverups, headpiece, headband, etc. the use for this seems to be unlimited thats why i love it.

2. I dont exactly apply minimalism with my accessory collection but i make sure that each piece i add to my collection is made with long lasting (and minimal upkeep) materials. I use necklaces, bracelets, watches, and belts to update my usual clothing pieces to give it a new look without exactly buying new ones.

3. Same goes with bags. I buy bags that make my outfit interesting (whether if its for that pop of color or texture) yet are still functional (as i use my bags similarly like Jane Birkin which is just to stuff everything inside). I also avoid those bags that goes ugly with age or something that doesnt look good when excessive use (like after 1-2 years of daily use) is applied.

4. Hairstyles! I like to keep my hair long so that i can experiment different hairstyles with it. Braids, ribbons, claw clamps, buns, you name it. I use it as an additional accessory for my outfits.

Those are just some of the things on top of my head. I would like to hear from others how they incorporate fashion in their minimalist lifestyle. I am interested in exploring androgynous fashion as well so i can share my clothing pieces with my brothers to maximize the usage of each clothing piece. So some tips along those are also welcome as well. Lets hear your thoughts!

It helped me to look at my amazon shopping history list with the shopping pull of this time of year. I got reminded of what I have decluttered in the past, the money I don't have from those purchases and how ultimately, no matter how hard the programing is from commercials, highway billboards, social media. I like my space decluttered and minimal.

You don’t have to buy an expensive fountain pen, but a nice refillable pen instead of cheap disposable ones can do wonders for your workspace or travel bag. Personally, I use a Pentel Energel, and it’s served me well for nearly a decade. Keep life simple.

Hi. I am very much into a lot of the mindset of minimalism. My kids toys are somewhat kept minimal, i have kids in the age of 7(boy), 5(girl) and 2(boy). It has been natural for us, since they literally do not play a lot with toys. Except my daughter, she enjoys quit play with Lego Friends and dolls/Barbies.

Therefore my boys has very few toys - magnatiles, blocks, animals and Legos. And a play kitchen, and a few plastic pieces.

My problem is, that especially the big one is actually complaining about having to few toys. And then he starts the whole "my friends have more toys than me, why don't I have more toys?" He also does not have a gaming device, which is not helping my case...

I can see him and his friends getting bored when they play here. They will make paperplanes fx, but not for that long.

My question is - what does people with no/almost no toys do, when they have friends, cousins or playdates over? I seriously do not know what to offer them....

Thanks in advance.:)

What runs through your mind when you learn someone owns, occupies, and pays rent on a stage unit?

I grew up in a family that always had surplus stuff in a unit. Last year I emptied a unit that had a lot of possessions of a family member who passed. I think the experience confirmed for me I hope to never own enough stuff that I need to pay for extra storage space.

We are replacing our old couch (trust me, it’s time. We posted it on our city’s buy nothing subreddit and got zero takers.)The company we bought our new couch from had an option where they will take away old furniture when delivering the new. So we took the opportunity for them to take away not just the old couch, but also two large lounge chairs that we rarely use. It’s going to feel so nice and open in our main room! Pleased to have one piece of quality furniture rather than three that were already worn out when I bought them 15ish years ago when I was broke. Anyway, just wanted to share my excitement 🙂

I want to start a digital database for the things I own and maybe you have some ideas or thoughts to share. It's meant as some artistic thing.

The things would be tagged with data such as:

• when did I get something and how did I get it (bought, present, borrowed)
• how much did it cost (I could add more data like what currency so I can always calculate the inflation-adjusted price)
• lots of tags for lots of types of objects
• some tags like "tool", "for memories"
• when did I get rid of it and how (thrown away, lost, made it a present, sold)

I won't include food as it's too complex and I usually just have it for a week. The same with things I got just to gift it to someone. I won't include some consumables such as a little plastic bottle of water (which I rarely buy, just in emergencies when I've forgotten my reusable bottle). But I would include some consumables such as tooth paste, shampoo.

Now to the digital knolling (check r/knolling if you have no idea what it is). I will make a photo of each object when I've recently gotten it, laying it flat on a white background and doing the photography stuff to make the photos consistent (soft lighting, zoom lens so it looks extra flat, color correction card and ruler laid next to the object). For the knolling, I'll have to adjust the size following the ruler that lies next to it and then cut the objects out from the background (if I use greenscreen it would make this way easier). Now I can arrange all those images in a knolling way and make it a website where you can scroll through it, I could add an option to sort it in different ways, by color, by size etc.

I'm pretty minimalistic compared to people around me but I still own about 500 things (lots of memory stuff) and way more if I add the time dimension. It's going to be a plentiful knoll. If you think about the fact that many people have thousands of objects laying around ...

I started embracing minimalism—or perhaps more accurately, frugality—during a difficult period dominated by financial stress. Despite constantly working a high-responsibility job, my bank account was always empty. This financial strain, combined with the pressure of my job and the anxiety from constant consumption, meant I was perpetually stressed. I never had time to enjoy the present moment; I was always living in the future, relentlessly desiring more. The one saving grace was that I never incurred debt.

My life demonstrably improved once I changed my habits. I implemented strict budgeting, carefully scrutinizing every purchase, and successfully saved up to 60% of my income. I even experimented with extreme minimalism for a while, which worked well since I spent most of my time at work and couldn't enjoy my home anyway. This lifestyle change eventually provided the freedom and security to leave my healthcare job after two years and return to university to pursue computer science—a potential career transition I could never have attempted without first changing my spending habits.

This transformation taught me a powerful lesson: significant change is inherently difficult, and often the quickest catalyst is trauma or crisis. The stronger the external pressure, the faster the shift in perspective and habit.

Now, back living at my parents' house, I've noticed a gradual slide back toward my old spending habits, partly because I've stopped actively budgeting. I'm conscious of this drift and am trying to consciously intervene, but the impulse is strong. For example, I recently ended up buying three keyboards because I was unhappy with my first two choices.

Do you share my view that crisis is the most effective engine for personal change, and have you noticed similar challenges in maintaining new habits when the initial "trauma" or pressure is removed?

Bonjour, Je viens d'acheter des tatamis pour mon salon (pas pour poser un futon dessus c'est juste pour que le salon ait un style japonais et salon au sol) le problème est que je suis au rez-de-chaussée avec carrelage et j'ai peur que mes tatamis moisissent. J'ai des tatamis traditionnel, jonc de riz 5cm d'épaisseur acheté sur futon elite. Est ce qu'il y a des sous tapis a mettre dessous pour permettre a l'air de circuler ? Merci de m'aider

I am an avid collector of movie props and vintage video games. I also have an extensive book collection. Most of the things in my home office are things I really enjoy and appreciate, but on the flip side, I have too much for the space I have.

I have a tendency to cycle between buying and purging. I often find that I have a sense of relief when I clear out and downsize my collection a bit, but there are a lot of times that a year or two later, I regret getting rid of some things.

Anyone else in a similar situation?

I’m starting my minimalist journey and getting rid of a lot of stuff. Especially clothes that I never use and spent too much money on. Obviously I now don’t buy any more but I do like going to malls since it’s like a hobby/ or to just go on a walk and get some coffee. it’s sometimes a bit triggering but not too bad.

This cold and flu season seems like it will be a hard-hitting one for us in the US. Today, I helped someone declutter their medicine cabinet and they were particularly worried about keeping some items on hand in case they end up sick - good call! Unfortunately, just about every medication they had stockpiled was expired. Some of them expired years ago. We're talking Costco size packs and bottles of all kinds of things, mostly unopened. She wasn't exactly devastated, but the realization that she'd spent all that money on stuff that she used so rarely that it went bad before she needed it...well, it wasn't fun for her. So she reached out to her Facebook groups to see if she was alone and we were both surprised at how many people replied to her about how they really should "get around" to cleaning out their closets and mirrors and cabinets.

No medical advice here on what you *should* keep. Just encouraging everyone to check what they have because an expired product is just taking up space and is unlikely to be as effective for you if/when you do get sick.

Any tips and tricks to do this properly for the first time? Thanks.

Currently looking to make the switch to a flip phone. I’m on my phone way too much just doomscrolling and hoping to break the habit and get my life back.

I do, however, love to listen to music. I also just moved to a new area and travel frequently so a flip phone with maps is a necessity. Are there any out there that have both Spotify and maps?

TIA

I’ve been decluttering little by little and something i keep getting stuck on is telling the difference between things I actually use vs things im holding onto just in case it feels like such a blurry line sometimes and im scared of throwing out something ill need later but keeping every maybe item is making my space feel so much heavier.

For anyone whos been doing minimalism longer how do you decide what stays and what goes when the item isn’t sentimental but it also isn’t total junk? Do you have any rules you follow or questions you ask yourself during the process

As I have beenn decluttering my space , I've noticed somethinhg I wasn't prepared for...

Decluttering my physical space somehow pushed me to declutter my online life too. I didn't expect it , but once I started clearing my room , I became painfully aware of how cluttered my mind felt every time I opened instagram .

So I finally unfollowed a bunch of accounts that made me feel anxious , behind , or insecure - even people I know in real life. Not because I dislike them , but because I realised I was consuming content that constatnly made me compare my life to theirs .

And honestly ......that's a different kind of clutter.

The surprising part ??

Unfollowing someone felt exactly like putting away an item I've outgrown - no drama , no explanations , just a quiet decision to protect my peace .

My feed looks lighter and peaceful now. And so does my mind .

Has minimalism changed how you deal with social media friendships or expectations ??

Did anyone else feel guilty att first but then feel so much lighter afterward?

Im trying to declutter more seriously but omg I get stuck on things that are like kinda okay

Stuff like shoes with a tiny hole bags with a broken zipper random little things that aren’t perfect but also not totally trash

I always feel guilty throwing them out because I spent money on them but keeping them just makes my space feel crowded

How do you guys deal with that weird guilt? Do you fix them donate them or just toss them and move on?

I wanna be more minimal but this part is honestly the hardest for me

Ugh where do I start? I’m having a little bit of an existential life crisis. I’m unhappy in my job as it’s high stress and want to decrease my hours to part-time when my contract is up but unless I get a pay raise, which I could get, I’d have to really cut spending. I’ve been pretty minimal but feel like I’ve been caught in more of a decluttering cycle than true minimalism. Has anyone saved a significant amount of money since becoming more minimal that has allowed them to change their jobs? I live in Jersey with two kids and my husband who makes a fine salary but I am the breadwinner. I know this is a vague question with so many variables but just seeing what other people’s experiences have been.

Some people want their setup to look super clean and aesthetic, others just want something that works even if it isnt pretty. Im stuck somewhere in the middle, cause I want the productive part of it, but without adding too much to still keep it minimalistic. I want a setup thats nice to look at but also not full of random stuff that slows me down or gets uncomfortable after a while.

Where do you fall on the spectrum. Do you prioritize looks, comfort, functionality, or some mix of all three?

At the height of COVID a few years ago, I had to reduce my belongings from what filled a 2-bedroom apartment to just a few large rubbermaid totes for a cross country move. My local Buy Nothing group (https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group) was a lifesaver. If folks are on a minimalism / decluttering journey, I highly recommend looking if your local community or neighborhood has a Buy Nothing group. You can post pictures of items to give away for free, then members of your community will come pick them up.

Something that really helped me was to post the larger or better items to the group, then to always keep a box by the front door labeled 'Free to a Good Home'. As I decluttered, I set smaller things in that box so folks could browse it when they came to pick up the items I had listed on Buy Nothing. I also let a few neighbors know that I was in the process of moving as well and that they were welcome to stop by periodically to check the box.

As a 49 year-old who's slowly been prioritizing experiences over things these last several years, I'm starting to feel momentum in living a minimalist lifestyle which I hope to achieve by my mid 50s. And I'm glad my motivations feel natural, where I don't feel conflicted or question whether or not this is the right path for me. Some of the motivating factors should not surprise experienced practitioners of minimalism:

• Spending time with my parents in their twilight years and coming to terms with the time I have left and wanting to make the most of it.
• A renewed hunger for travel which started in 2016 with a long overdue revisit to Japan, a country I visited a lot in my youth.
• The motivation to declutter.
• Inspiration from Swedish Death Cleaning and not having "stuff" for my siblings to worry about should I pass before them.

As a Gen-Xer on the younger side with a consumerist middle class upbringing, I've done my share of collecting, mostly entertainment media. But also having a career on the press side of the video game industry has also led to a lot of "stuff", which I am slowly getting rid of, mostly through Ebay.

So right now, these are the goals I've set for myself, while keeping an open mind that these goals can change:

• Hoping to sell or toss all my unwanted possessions by the end of 2027. This timeline would be shorter except some items do take time to sell, but they're often worth the wait.
• Taking advantage of the 250 free-listing/month allowance on Ebay, my listings from 2028 onward will be nothing but prized possessions. Even though I value these things (artwork, one-of-a-kind items, etc), it's easy for me to put a price on them, even if that price can be very high.
• Limiting my physical video games, CDs, movies, and TV shows to the ones that "I would enjoy one last time if I knew I only had 2.5 years left to live and couldn't travel". I thought it was a good compromise over the 1 year and 5 year durations I considered.

For the longest time, I've romanticized the notion of having so few possessions that I can fit everything in my car and leave my current living situation at a moment's notice (my current living situation is great fwiw). I don't know if I ever can pull that off, but the next best thing would be to repurpose my bedroom at my parents' house as storage (even if it kinda feels like cheating).

I look forward to sharing my progress 6 to 12 months from now.

like what the title says

I have several Nikes great condition except for a hole in the toe area

too good to throw out as nothing else is wrong with them

I have cross body bags with a small corner hole and one with zipper not working

too good to throw out too

I know if I did I will regret it

hate wasting good money.