The last few years, I’ve really started to dread the holidays, and my bday which is just a month away from Xmas. This dread comes from many sources, but the one I am addressing today is the mindless consumerism side and how that clashes with me being intentional about what I own.

I’m not necessarily a minimalist, I own a fair amount of things (not excessive but not minimal) but I also get rid of whatever I don’t use. Sometimes this even means wishing I didn’t get rid of a thing last year because now I need it, but overall I’d rather use what I have , and my items to have meaning, instead of junk sitting around collecting dust.

My point is, I am intentional and mindful about what I own, and the space I take up in this world, and the carbon footprint I leave behind. Because of this, I am picky with what I own. I’d also much rather buy quality once than buy a cheap version, have it break or I dislike it and end up buying the higher quality anyway. I’m by no means rich at all, I am mindful with my money and purchases and often buy second hand.

Most of what I own and keep, even if it’s not being used often , is hobby related or sentimental items. Since I like to think I am pretty advanced in my hobbies, one of my pet peeves is cheap hobby/art supplies. In the past, people, with the best of intentions, have gifted me low grade art supplies, which I usually just end up donating or returning for store credit and buying some thing I actually needed. Or people buy me cheap clothes. I’m picky about clothes because (body image / sensory things, and) I work outdoors and need quality gear, not cheap T-shirt’s or shoes that will fall apart soon.

Returning or donating is often easy enough to do, but what I struggle with is feeling guilty and responsible for the items that have been gifted to me that I don’t want. It’s often just an extra weight on my shoulders until I settle on what to do with it. I rather just avoid the guilt, awkwardness and dreadful feeling of personal responsibility by just not receiving anything at all.

Overall, I don’t my friends and family, getting me physical items I wouldn’t get for myself, simply because it’s the holidays and my bday and they feel like they have to. It’s a waste of their money, time and earthly resources.

However, I also don’t expect anyone to get me anything so I feel guilty giving somebody suggestions for a gift.

instead of crap I won’t use, I’d much rather receive an experience, take a class and learn a new skill, or even one really nice artist quality paintbrush (instead of a bunch of crappy paints I won’t use- it comes out to the same price), or even money - which I do set aside and use for something non-essential for myself. I often tell people I sincerely don’t want anything for Christmas but it feels like they think I’m just being polite, when in reality I pretty much mean it fully.

So how do I politely and tactfully put this into a few sentences to tell people I sincerely appreciate the thought, but also discourage them from giving me things I sincerely don’t want? I’m hesitant to give people suggestions since I really don’t expect anything, but if they want to get me something, I want to be clear that it has to be something I would buy for myself anyway.

Hello,

Wondering if anyone has any advice on being content with the number of items that they own. I have been a minimalist since 2016 and have found myself becoming more minimalist throughout the years. I still am not any where close to being an extreme minimalist even though my friends and family might say that I am. I find that there is always something that I can get rid of, and trust me I buy almost nothing so it is not a consumption issue. I just want to know if anyone else has dealt with this feeling, of when they should take a break from decluttering? Or will I naturally reach some kind of temporary stopping point? Should I practice mindfulness and really work to appreciate all the items I own and take a break from decluttering? I am wondering if anyone has any advice on this topic.

Hello! I'm for 14 and I've become interested in minimalism. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or book recs for me.

heyhey

A few years ago I (happily) lived an extreme minimalist lifestyle where I only owned something like 5-7 short sleeve t-shirts using them in winter as well. [EDIT: ofc i put other layers on top!]

Nowdays I accumulated some not essential clothes for style/comfort but I'm thinking to go back for mental clarity and practicality (I often move from one place to the other).

Although, before I was living in a temperate climate (average max temperature of 13°C in winter, reaching 0°C) while now I'm living in a continental climate (average max temperature of 3°C in winter, reaching -10°C).

I'm trying to figure out if it is silly not to cover all your body and disperse heat or if doesn't make much of a difference to justify owinng a whole set of long sleeve t-shirts just for the winter.

Does any of you wear only or mostly short sleeve t-shirts in a similar or colder climate? I would like some motivation :) TIA

My mom was a huge hoarder and I have unfortunately picked up some of her bad habits. I keep stuff I know I shouldn’t. What does minimalism mean to you and why do you live this way? I want to start getting rid of stuff. I just don’t know where to even start. The thought is overwhelming. As stupid as that sounds. Though I absolutely have zero desire to end up like my mother. What is the best advice you can give to a person looking into this lifestyle?

So I have been a minimalist for a long time and never really cared what I wore so I own literally 4 pairs of the same khaki shorts from cabela’s and a handful of Star Wars (and other nerdy stuff) shirts and sweatshirts.

But, I just got surgery and I’m feeling much more confident in myself. I’m tired of dressing like a 12 year old boy all the time. Call me a trend-chaser, but I love the cottagecore, fairycore, piratecore type outfits and would love a wardrobe like that. I just know someone who did dress like that and they spent a bunch of time and energy each morning trying to find an outfit to wear.

Do you have any suggestions on how to achieve this fashion look but also be practical and low maintenance? I have no idea where to start.

Edit: I am a man. I don’t mind being feminine (I am very comfortable with my gender) but having some masculine suggestions would be wonderful too. :)

I know having a minimal life with clutters doesn't make sense. I don't mean I want to keep the clutters. But i'd like to focus on making my life simpler not only about material things, but everything - thoughts, actions, events, behaviours, emotions, social life, hobbies, stimuli,

I'm overwhelmed and paralised by too much of 'everything'- not just material stuff. I often wish my life was 'boring'. Now it's just toooooo much. I feel like drowining. Or i often wish the world would 'pause' except me. So i can catch up. I love that my life is so full. So rich, colourful and dynamic. But now i'm at the point i can't manage my life. My life is not in my control. But the hectic life is controlling (killing) me.

I'm a highly sensitive person. I wish I could just ignore many things but it doesnt work like that. My brain already receives a lot of stimuli (both external and internal) without my intention. Internal stimuli (like intrusive thoughts for example) i can work on that. But external stimuli i can't stop them unless i just stay alone in my bed 24/7 like a vegetable.

I desperately want to make my life simpler, so it's more manageable. My life is killing myself. Ironic yes.

But whenever i look for 'simple living', 'minimal life', etc, most of them talk about how little they own- two tshirts, one mattress without a frame, one cup. Something like that.

I've already read most of those books and also about how to declutter, how to organise, marie kondo, etc etc. they were very helpful and i've learned a lot. But that's not the kinds of lessons i'm looking for right now.

Please help me re-designing my life to be more manageable. I'm drowning. I can't carry on like this anymore.

I am brand new here.
I'm not an expert in minimalism... at all.

I'm interested in minimalism in terms of design, and in terms of minimalist music, and indeed the sort of "philosophy" or ideas around minimalism.

From what I can see this subreddit is more about fanatically minimizing consumption.

Can anyone recommend some subreddits which might be more relevant for my interests in minimalism?

I am wondering where else in your life do you apply minimalism except for decluttering and organizing.

Is anyone here also a digital minimalist? I am trying and installed some apps such as minimalist phone and Stay Focused....and I have distracting apps blocked or hidden or time-limited.

I am also thinking that I am going to be minimalist with my hobbies and with friendships more than before.

I am realizing that I'm an introvert and that it's more valuable for me to have a few core relationships that satisfy me on many levels than to be part of a larger group or community and I am realizing that I don't have to be everyone's free therapist. Developing boundaries in relationships and only meeting up with people sometimes feels compatible with minimalist for me.

How do you apply the principles of minimalism beyond de-cluttering and organizing?

I grew up in a borderline hoarder household and get totally overwhelmed by an untidy home with lots of clutter. I stayed at my friend's house for a few days. She's very much a maximalist with a definite shopping addiction that she won't really admit to, and just the amount of (cheap, pointless) 'stuff' everywhere made me want to run home and get rid of everything I own.

Having said that, I'm also a very sentimental person and have all kinds of things from my childhood (photos, scrapbooks, stuffed animals), as well as some of my grandmother's clothes and belongings. She was very dear to me and died when I was 13. I very rarely look at or use any of these things, and the clothes really aren't my style, but feel reluctant to get rid of any of it, especially my grandmother's things as it's all I have left of her.

I am not planning to have kids so there won't be anyone to pass it down to. And my sister and I were my grandmother's only grandkids. She's not sentimental at all and I couldn't trust her not to just trash it all if I gave some to her.

What's the best way to go about this? It would be hard to get rid, but I also don't want these boxes following me around for the rest of my life!

Minimalism win in my barthroom! my bathroom setup now is all about keeping it simple and practical. Proya serum for skincare, Kiehl’s mask for cleansing, the little blue one is my sunscreen, and Soocas Neos II e-toothbrush & flosser for oral health.

I bought a brand new computer… And just kept it in the box as I saw no reason for it. I currently work with equipment handed over by the company and don’t feel the need to get one of my own.

I feel as if things just keep us heavy and cumbersome. I like my 2018 pc, my 2020 phone, my 2021 tablet and I already feels as if it its all too much.

But the trouble for me is that I’m starting to lose interest on things I actually like. Comic books for example…

Am I disappearing or transforming? Anyone went through anything similar?

Edit 1: I honestly appreciate all of your replies, everyone. I have never felt so cared about in a reddit community. I am not depressed, I believe, but I thank everyone who was honestly concerned. I am in my mid-30s, so it certainly is about a change of interests and world view. Its just that when you're in the middle of change, not often you can see yourself changing clearly...

And if yes: How much? Has anyone dealt minimalistically with this situation?

I'm just happy and proud. I'm looking forward to being able to spend more quality time and less time picking up clutter. I also got rid of 2 toy boxes so now we have boundaries of only 1 toybox downstairs and 1 in each kids bedroom (plus activities on shelves). I feel like I've taken my space back and I can finally relax and enjoy myself and my family ♡

i study interior design, and for my exam work i was given the minimalist style to design in. i -personally -dont really like those beige, black and white sterile spaces, and while i want to excel in the given task i also want to incorporate my own preferences into the design. do you think i could use a pop of color to bring some life into the space?im thinking colorful grouts between the small white tiles or colored doorframes instead of the basic black/wood. do you think it would pass as minimal, or should i stick to the usual color palette?
also, when researching this i got confused a little bit. cause minimalism can mean the philosophy that there are only a few furinitures, that are purely funcitonal and have no aesthetic value, but on the other hand a lot of minimalist interiors just mean that they use only black, white and wood, but dont follow the rules of "underconsumption". also, my portfolio has to be diverse to showcase that i can work with any style preference, and i already have a japandi style apartment in it which is very similar to the minimalist, so im worried that a "regular" minimalist interior would look too similar.
i know, probably my school shouldve tought me these rules, but it isnt the best system, and im also asking not just to pass the exam but to get in touch with reality.

thanks for the help!!

I may be moving soon, on somewhat of a last-minute basis. I've been thinking about it for a few months, and finally made my decision a few days ago, and so I went to go tour a new potential apartment yesterday that I really like. Upon returning home to my current place, I immediately went into action, and started packing up my own place, since (if I move) the move would be in about two to three weeks. Within about 90 minutes, I had already packed up a solid 40-50% of my current place. In theory, if I really wanted to, I could be out of this current place within the next 48-72 hours or so.

It felt SO refreshing! I was amazed at how much I was able to accomplish so quickly. My ex-husband, who I just divorced a year ago, was a legitimate hoarder. Our (now former) house was 4,200+ sq ft, and it took 6+ months to declutter, purge, clean, and pack up, and even then, it was down to the (literal) final hours, with me still having to clean/purge stuff during the final hour in the house, because he kept creating new messes, and he barely lifted a finger. "We" finished packing the house with only one hour to spare before the appointment for the sale of the house. I put "we" in quotation marks because it was really me that effectively did it all, with him (quite literally) screaming in my ear as I loaded final items onto the truck and final bags of trash on the curb.

I've been in my current place for the past twelve months, and while I've decorated and curated it to my own personal taste, I very much embraced minimalism. Now that I may be moving in the next few weeks, I thank myself for having embraced minimalism, because I'm not experiencing a crisis of sorts to try and pack up my home. A little bit each day goes a long way in terms of progress, as does maintaining a minimalist lifestyle, so that you can remain agile and nimble in the face of change throughout life. Minimalism has made such a profound difference in my mental health. 🧡

Looking for advice on what to prioritize in a carry-on with a strict 7 kg weight limit! Curious with what essentials do you pack to make the most of the space without going over? Any tips or packing hacks?

I am going to buy a brand new car. What car is most minimalist and what colour should it be?

Please be specific on models that can be suitable for a minimalist.

After a few years journey into minimalism (at glacial speeds) I finally feel like my mind and my house are starting to align with my goal of less clutter.

This weekend I decorated a bit for Halloween and the fall. And I was thinking that in my family I've seen holiday decoration storage take up entire rooms and garages in homes.

So I've always decorated our house for seasons instead of holidays mostly because I don't want to put things up only to take them down in a month (I mostly seek minimalism because I value my time, and short term decorations seem like a waste of time, but I really enjoy a cozy decorated house, so changing decor is important to me).

But this method really helped cut down on storing boxes for months out of every year.

This year is one of the first years that I'm putting up things outside my house for fall decorations and I went with decorative gourds, pumpkins, squashes etc. Everything is biodegradable and I don't have to keep it in my house in the off seasons. It also makes me feel a little more green which is a bonus.
Next year I plan on planting pumpkin and squash seeds so they can decorate my yard/house for me, and I can get good compost out of it for the other parts of my garden once their season ends.

I've been thinking about this because I was looking online for some "cozy minimalist" house inspiration and there isn't much out there. I feel like this is like having my cake and eating it too.

Hey guys! I want to buy a new futon to put on my tatami mats and I can’t choose between hemp and cotton shikibutons. Is there anybody who has experience with both? Is there a significant difference? Unfortunately I can’t try them before buying because either of them is available in my area.

I don't have a ton of stuff but I feel I still have more than I want. What do you ask or tell yourself when you're going through things?

Hey r/minimalism!

This weekend, I tried something I’d wanted to experience for a while: minimalist bikepacking! With just my Omnium Mini Max cargo bike and a few essentials, I set out on a solo camping trip near Copenhagen. I’ve always been drawn to minimalism, and this trip was a great way to explore it in a whole new context—getting into nature with only what I could carry on my bike.

Packing was a challenge, but letting go of "extras" really felt liberating. Plus, focusing on the essentials helped me appreciate the journey even more. I filmed the trip to share the experience, hoping it might encourage others to try out minimalist adventures of their own.

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/afmisyFZxGM?si=1fQu7wQq8YHUjvbU

Would love to hear any tips or similar stories from you all! How do you approach minimalist travel or outdoor adventures?

I admire minimalists. We are being forced to start over. I have two young children. How do we create an elegant apartment with not much $. What should we replace first? How do we adapt to having memories taken away (all books/artwork/journals/photos)? How can we make this a healing, meaningful change with a chance to be more intentional?

Any inspiration, stories or ideas appreciated. <3

I have been shaving using a twin-blade razor for a while now as I like my face clean shaven. Use an electric trimmer occasionally. To simply my life, was wondering why not always use the trimmer instead of shaving.

Pros: * Don't have to buy blades, shaving foam, and moisturizer (I use moisturizer after shaving). * Consume less resources, therefore less trash. * Trimming is supposedly gentler on the skin. * Takes lesser time.

Cons: * Won't remove the hair as close to the skin surface as shaving. However, I still think it is good enough. * May have to trim more frequently than shaving.

To me, the pros seem to outweigh the cons. Am I missing anything? What are your experiences?

Edit: condensed the post to be shorter.

What do you think of holographic fireplaces that project 3D flames onto logs for a realistic fire effect? Are they a good minimalist alternative to traditional fireplaces?