30 Ways to Embrace Minimalism
STORYTIME:
In 2005 I was working at a branch in an older part of my town that we were going to be closing down. I was part of the closing team and one of the jobs we had to do was manage the safety deposit box transfer. We tried to contact the customers in a variety of ways, sent letters, called etc. At the time we closed, we had about 20-30 unclaimed boxes.
It was my job to empty out the boxes with a partner and inventory, bag up and ship to offsite secure storage to be processed into the unclaimed property division at the state. I will never forget opening one of the boxes and finding what appeared to be every single credit card a person had ever owned.
I was shocked to think that a person 1. had that many credit cards…(I was 20 and quite naive apparently), and 2. that in order to keep themselves from using them they had them locked all the way up in their safe deposit box.
Now I didn’t know if that was the real reason they were in there but it made an impression on me that I carry to this day… and that is, some of us need to lock our credit cards in our safe deposit boxes…I was one of those people in my younger years as well.
When I started embracing minimalism and really finding joy and gratitude for the things I had I began to realize that we get bogged down by way too much stuff! When we are more mindful about the things that truly bring us joy and really connect and ground in with the feeling, it will lighten us both emotionally and financially. So I am here to tell you, you don’t need another purse, pair of shoes or whatever makes you feel good in the moment, here are some more strategies to help you on your path to enjoying more by having less…
30 Ways to Embrace Minimalism
Minimalism is a lifestyle that promotes living with less. It is about simplifying your life, reducing clutter and distractions, and focusing on what truly matters. Minimalism can bring a sense of freedom and clarity to your life. Here are 30 ways to embrace minimalism:
Start by decluttering your home. Look around you, do you have things you don’t use, wear, like, or need just lying around collecting dust? Getting rid of things either room by room or some people like category by category, all shoes, books, purses, etc. Whatever works for you just do it, you will feel so much lighter. We have a rule that aside from groceries if we bring something new into our home, something has to go. This keeps us on track with decluttering…also a little TikTok organization inspiration never hurt.
Get rid of clothes you haven't worn in over a year. Don’t even get me started on the glut of clothing in this country. Most people have closets full of things they don’t wear or maybe never have worn…super guilty of this. I adopted a capsule wardrobe and now I barely ever shop for clothing and when I do it’s intentional and I stick to my capsule.
Audit your kitchen appliances, do you really need 2 air fryers? If the answer is no, donate them to a local women’s shelter or any place that helps people get back on their feet again. You will feel good and love the new space you’ve gained in your kitchen as well.
Only keep items that bring you joy or have sentimental value. This is totally from Marie Kondo, and although she did finally admit what we all knew, that her method doesn’t really work with kids, I think the idea of sparking joy is important. If something is just kind of meh when you look at it…get rid of it!
Use storage solutions to keep things organized. Now its easy to go a little overboard with storage solutions so definitely don’t break the break trying to be a minimalist but look for baskets, and containers you already have. If I get a cute box with a gift I repurpose it to store things in. Also garage sales are a great place for baskets and storage solutions.
Adopt a one-in, one-out policy for new purchases. I touched on this earlier but I think it needs its own section. Other than groceries, if you purchase something, get rid of something. Making this a rule and sticking to it will ensure that your house doesn’t get overrun with stuff again.
Learn to say no to freebies and promotional items. Just say no to water bottles, keychains, koozies or any other free stuff you get for doing a thing. Honestly it just sits around, you never use it and most of the time the top gets separated from the bottom.
Unsubscribe from unnecessary email lists and newsletters. Sometimes you may have to throw the whole email account away… if its one of those that you have given to everyone and it is now overrun with spam. Just remember to save your important contacts! Otherwise, make it a point each week to go through and unsubscribe from emails you don’t want anymore. Digital decluttering is really rewarding if you are like me and work on the computer all the time.
Limit your time on social media. There are several apps that will help with this. Even most phones have a built in screentime monitoring capability. Because lets face it, the more we scroll, the more we are bombarded with ads trying to sell us all the things. So limiting your exposure will help you save!
Simplify your wardrobe by sticking to a neutral color palette. This is what I meant when I said dressing in a capsule style. I always choose clothing in my pallette that all matches eachother so I never worry about not having something to wear because everything is interchangable. My pallette is Green, denim, grey, black, tan and white or cream and gold. I only buy clothing in these colors. It makes shopping easy and cuts down so much on impulse buying.
Invest in quality items that will last longer. I remember going to Dots when I was in my bar hopping days and getting a shirt I only planned on wearing for the night… thats how cheap their clothing is yall. Now I am like a used luxury super sleuth. I buy 90% of my clothing second hand but I still like to be cute so I seek out consignment stores that sell high quality goods. I can invest less than new but a little more than used and get awesome long lasting pieces that will be staples in my wardrobe for years.
Use natural or eco-friendly cleaning products. When we started on this journey to minimalism I was surprised at how many cleaning products we had. There was something for every little thing. Ive found that you only need a few basics. If you are interested in some easy cleaning supply recipes see this post.
Learn to distinguish between wants and needs. This is a biggy and I will turn to one of my idols Tiffany Aliche aka. the budgetnista. Tiffany breaks it down further by separating needs and loves, wants and likes. Basically, if you focus on the needs and the loves you will find your life is much more fulfilled and will stop the impulsive ‘like’ purchases
Use a reusable water bottle and shopping bags. This takes being prepared. Always keep several reusable bags in your car, so you aren’t stuck without one. I think most people use reusable water bottles nowadays but its worth mentioning that bottled water is pretty much the biggest waste of money ever. This is not to say you shouldn’t have it for emergency purposes but otherwise use a reusable water bottle. Boujie about tap water? Try a water filter, or buy a bottle that has a built-in filter.
Reduce your paper consumption by going digital. What kind of paper is coming into your life? Are you getting bills in the mail or online? What about other papers, junk mail etc. There is actually a company that will pay you for your junk mail… check it out. Try to make the shift to online statements…if you get a good budget spreadsheet you can download your transactions directly to it and eliminate the need for statements.
Opt for experiences over material possessions. This is my go-to for gifts for my kids. We barely buy any toys, only buy clothing used as needed and instead we go all in on experiences. Most people really appreciate an experience instead of more stuff.
Plan your meals in advance to reduce food waste. Meal planning is the silver bullet to saving money on food. It is so worth the time it takes. Here is a post on how to save money on meal prep.
Limit your home decor to a few meaningful pieces. My grandparents were antique dealers so I am very familiar with knick knacks and “conversation pieces”. This was hard for me to pare down my little decor items and honestly, I will probably never be in the minimalist hall of fame in this category lol but it is a place to start :)
Use multipurpose items to save space. Businesses spend billions to convince us that we need tiny specialized tools to address one issue rather than selling multipurpose tools that will do more than one thing. There are lots of ways you can pare down here, look at health and beauty items, kitchen gadgets, electronics, tools, dishes… do you need 5 salad bowls?
Choose quality over quantity in all aspects of life. This is very much tied to intentional living. Every decision you make has a higher purpose that can potentially benefit your future self. You are living with yourself in the drivers seat. When you choose quality over quantity (except for groceries for big families) you may need to save up or at least take a pause before you make a purchase. This makes you naturally question your behavior.
Eliminate duplicate items. Im not saying you can live with just one of everything but if you have 20 pairs of shoes or 40 tee shirts or 2 crockpots, even two cars :) If that made you uncomfortable… read this post.
Use a minimalist approach to interior design. This is more about making sure everything has its place and optimizing storage solutions at entry points to ensure clutter doesn’t build up. I recommend having a home command center that acts as a landing point for mail, the kids school stuff, flyers etc. This will
Choose a few hobbies instead of many. I have ADHD, so hobbies are kind of my jam. One way to help curb the hobby bug is to explore all the free and non physical parts of a hobby before you choose to purchase anything. Want to take up guitar? Watch all the free stuff availble about playing guitar, think youtube etc. even download a guitar app on your phone and take advantage of the free trial. After doing all of this if you are still interested, go ahead and make an investment in a guitar. Start with a used one and work your way up…dedication and discipline around your hobby should be the payment for better equipment and supplies.
Use public transportation, bike, or walk instead of driving. One of my go to frugal living resources is Mr. Money Mustache and he has a great article about why you should walk and bike more than you drive and that your car is actually a huge luxury that we often take for granted.
Keep your schedule simple and focused. I would say start with actually keeping a schedule. It doesn’t have to be so exact, but productivity experts have found that having a simple framework for how your spend your day. If you are struggling with scheduling or organizing your life, I recommend Notion. They are an awesome free database platform that allows you to build blocks and organize your life. If you want to learn more about Notion, go here.
Practice gratitude for what you have. Gratitude is a cornerstone of what we do. Isaac has done several gratitude challenges as part of his business practices. Being grateful for what you have gives the clear message to the Universe to send more things to be grateful for.
Keep your finances simple and organized. You need to track your money. I don’t care what anyone says, what you focus on expands and the same can be said for your money. If you don’t keep track and drive your money where it needs to go, it will drive you. You are the boss and part of that is keeping your finances organized. Wealthy people track their money and if you are looking to build good money habits it’s an important part of the process.
Use a minimalist approach to personal care products. Ulta would hate me for betraying them like this but I only use about 5 things in my everyday personal care regimen. I don’t use many of the things I have purchased on impulse. Part of minimalism is getting really clear on what you actually love, not like, not want but love. I absolutely love Aveda leave-in conditioner, it’s the only kind I use and I only need a tiny amount. This means I don’t buy anything else. I don’t have 3-4 others sitting around that I just want to try.
Choose quality over convenience. Everyone knows we pay for convenience right, well we do that in 2 ways. 1. Things that are convenient are always more expensive…bought any food at an airport lately? 2. Things that are convenient are usually poorly made and not healthy. So when we pay for convenience we are paying more for an inferior product. Choosing to pack your lunch is one of the easiest ways to do this… I guarantee the food will be better, and you will love how convenient it actually is when you can take your whole lunch hour to actually eat!
Embrace the journey towards minimalism and enjoy the process. Remember to give yourself grace through this process, it isn’t easy to deprogram years of conditioning that tells us we need more stuff to be happy. And it is ok to still keep things that are sentimental and things you love. Its when we move away from what we love and start to focus on our likes and wants do we find ourselves overwhelmed with stuff.
In conclusion, embracing minimalism can bring a sense of peace and clarity to your life. It is about reducing clutter, simplifying your life, and focusing on what truly matters. By incorporating these 30 ways into your life, you can start living a more intentional and fulfilling life.
