Hi Minimalists! As the title says, I’m in search of book recommendations with the topic of “Quality > Quantity.” I Googled, and searched this subreddit, but didn’t see anything that really stood out. So why not make a post. Thanks in advance

It really doesn't matter what other people think. I'm just curious to know other people's opinions on this. I own 4 pairs of the same black athletic shorts, and one pair of adidas track pants. Every day I pretty much wear one of those as bottoms, and a t-shirt (which are all different but most of them are black). In the winter I just put a hoodie and a jacket over the hoodie if it's really cold. All my socks are identical but I imagine that's pretty normal. I only wear two different pairs of shoes, either running shoes or crocs depending on what I plan to do that day. I wear the same hat pretty much every day too. I will buy work specific shoes depending on job necessity like steel/comp toes if necessary. I feel like a lot of people think it's weird I basically dress the same every day.

For the ladies who wear makeup, how do you keep your desk minimal? I have a 3 tier cart full of makeup and misc getting ready items (hair, perfume, jewelry box) I wanna completely get rid of the cart but where do ya’ll keep these items?

I've been a minimalist for the last 8 years or so. I even ventured into extreme minimalism for awhile (not really by choice) and lived out of a suitcase, yet for some reason I can no longer figure out how to pack lightly!

It's like I pack all the belongings I DO have left. I'd love to be able to travel with just one bag or something, but I can't seem to figure it out.

To be fair, I do use all the things I bring. It's not a matter of bringing things I never touch again, I just know that the things I'm bringing I don't necessarily need but can't figure out how to not bring with.

Like I bring a change of clothes for every day, never re wearing any, I probably could stand to rewear some while travelling right? Maybe? Does anyone do that? And then don't even get me started on my "activities." I like to bring entertainment with me like books, my tablet for writing, etc and I use them but how can I survive with not using them for a bit maybe? How can I tolerate being bored?

I recently was hit by a car and put in a nursing home because I can't walk or take care of myself anymore (broke all my limbs...) and I have so much junk here! It's not entirely my fault as I'm not the one bringing things here but still! Why do I have so much?!

Anyway, just looking for advice and ideas as to what you guys do when travelling or when you're stuck somewhere (like a nursing home lol) for awhile!

I always see people saying that minimalism makes people richer, including The Minimalists

But is that actually true? Like, does simply consuming less and buying fewer things make someone rich? Or does minimalism just help people save money and manage their finances better without necessarily making them rich?

I live with a relative in a two-bed house. We split things 50/50 but I noticed every room (apart from my bedroom) is filled with their stuff. I'm usually minimimalistic but my bedroom still contains a lot of my possessions. When I'm around clutter, I can't focus. No idea why but it stresses me out. I've been looking into buying for the first time and I'm considering buying a studio apartment and experimenting with extreme minimalism. Ideally, I like to get to a point where most of my belongings fit into a backpack and/or one suitcase so I can go travelling. Has anyone does this and do you have any advice?

I’m a long time minimalist (10ish years). I’m moving in with my partner in September, with my 5yr old. Both me and partner are minimalistic thankfully. I’ve been trying to declutter as I’m moving into the new place on the 1st August. I know we’ll have to declutter more when we have all our stuff in the one spot but I feel after moving out on mine and my kids own for the first time a year ago we’ve accumulated more than living in a small bedroom with family lol. Any lists or ideas of things to declutter I may not have thought of? Thankfully my kid is also pretty dang good at decluttering themselves as I’ve been involving them in going through possessions since they were 2

I grew up watching my parents spend EVERY weekend "organizing" or cleaning out the basement or garage or something. I vowed never to be like that as a kid... but somehow I feel very similar to them still.

I don't have NEARLY the amount of things they do (they are hoarder level) and I feel my house is neat and fairly minimal. But I still have drawers to clean out, bath products to clean up and get rid of, etc. Is this just normal adult life? I have a kid, a cat, and a lot of plants, but only some of that is related to them.

Is there anyone out there who DOESN'T feel like they spend a lot of time "managing" their things?

Preface- I am a recovering shopping addict. Collections can be meaningful and beautiful to others but for me it is a real addiction that isn't good for me. This is just about that.

I've been holding on to a lot of things. Making the excuse that the time, money and energy getting these things meant that I could never let them go.

Then I started thinking about my body in a coffin covered in these things that I think defines me. Why do I think plastic defines me?

I don't like the idea of people just seeing things instead of me when I'm gone.

I'm getting older quickly. I have more things than accomplishments I am proud of in my life. I need to change that. I will change that.

I started small today. I let go of 20 pins that had been sitting in my closet for years. They were gone in an instant. I no longer have to look at those and feel bad that they're just taking up space. Now, I'm doing my extremely expensive backpack collection because why the hell do I have 11 backpacks?

The time and money spent aquiring these things is already gone. There's nothing to mourn.

Here's to becoming a better version of myself who does not buy more but who does more instead.

:)

I used to love moving. I moved once a year or more. It began out of necessity (woop woop, being poor) and became a sort of high after a while because it was an excuse to tear through all my things and “start fresh.”

I’m in a home I own now with my partner and several pets. We have a bigger space to account for our pets and the possibility of a growing family, but everything in my being itches to give it all away and move into a tiny studio again. A tiny studio forced us to have little, but I know it won’t support the life I want long-term.

What do you do when you’re in need of that high of starting over? I’ve already decluttered a lot of my spaces so far, and I bring very few items into the home so it’s not like I’m able to continue the minimizing.

I did an experiment that gave me an epiphany about how few clothes we actually need.
I listed my most common clothing items. It turned out to be 5 bottoms and 7 tops. I then calculated how many clothing combinations I could make with these items.
It turned out that I can go 35 days, a full 5 weeks, with a different combination every day.
Isn't that amazing?
I hope someone gets inspired.

Hello all,

Maybe a bit of an odd request. Has anyone read books about the elimination of desire? If so what are they? I feel desire and/or focus on externals are intertwined with minimalism, and I’d like to go down this path. Buddhist philosophy comes to mind, but I haven’t read much into that yet. Any recommendations would be great!

I find it so funny that almost all the minimalism influencers constantly push their audience to buy something and then they dive right back into “✨jOys oF mInImAlIsm✨”

its like someone saying don't do drugs they are bad but oh hey try this drug because its more bEtter, SuStAinAble, OrgAniC, GoOd fOR pLaNet blah blah and use my coupon code for 10% off.

I cannot take these influencers seriously when they are literally contradicting themselves.

Minimalism itself is capitalistic these days, people have built careers preaching something they themselves don’t follow..

All business operate for profit, i refuse to believe any organic, ethical, sustainable, good for planet business is actually all that…

My parents are wonderful, and I appreciate all they’ve done for me. I moved into an apartment 2 years ago. They know I’m minimalist, don’t need much, but sometimes I think they don’t understand how frustrated I am when I have an item I don’t need in my space. It’s not out of frugality, but more about being clutter free.

They bought me a pie dish (I only make pie once a year on Thanksgiving and my mom has plenty of dishes in her home, they live 10 mins away, that she has let me use with no problem), crockpot, and a coffee maker. They got me an air fryer too. Somehow I kindly convinced them to keep the air fryer instead. I use my oven all the time and have no need for an air fryer for my diet or how much I eat. This was after I asked them kindly to please not purchase any apartment items for me. I rarely drink coffee and if I do, I just get it from a coffee shop. I love my parents and they’ve been very generous. I know they’re doing it because they care and I feel guilty selling these items. Worried they will find out when I move again someday, etc. What to do? I know receiving unwanted gifts is a very common frustration. I also just don’t want anyone spending money on me for something that I realistically won’t use. It makes me feel sad. I’m a simple person. Getting a meal together is a gift enough. I haven’t found a way to combat unwanted items without sounding unappreciative or stuck up/ holier than thou.

My apartment is 525 sq feet, so kitchen area is very small. Right now those kitchen items take up room, and on the rare occasion, get used.

You can get them cheap on Amazon, Ikea, etc. I got a silicone one but there are other options if that's not your thing. They lay flat and are easy to wash if you need to.

I’m have been trying to become more minimalist but I have been struggling with trying to balance this lifestyle and my hobbies. I enjoy various types of art and am struggling to downsize my supplies and works. I’ve donated a bulk of supplies and art pieces but I still have a lot. I have been trying to use up the supplies I have by making as many things as possible but it feels overwhelming. I can’t help but feel guilty for adding more things to my home even though I enjoy making them. Are there any fellow artists out there trying to be minimalist? How do you balance your hobby and lifestyle? Is this lifestyle maybe not for me?

I’m having such a hard time getting rid of clothes. The dumb things are 1) I work from home and rarely wear anything other than pajamas, 2) I am not a fashion-girly and wear mostly black t-shirts and khaki pants, 3) I live in a very HOT state & only need cold weather clothes for a few weeks a year (but they are my favorite!), 4) if someone forced me to pick my 20 favorite pieces, I could probably do it. I don’t have this issue with many other things when decluttering, but for some reason the clothes are hardest for me. I wind myself up, get excited to start, then end up walking away with, “Nope! Not today!”

I've been going through our storage and hit upon a box of my old stuffed animal collection. I thought it over and I feel like it makes sense just to keep my first one and get rid of the rest. Space-efficient, right?

Unfortunately, long-term storage hasn't been kind to them. They're not in good shape to give to our own kids or donate and I'm not sure toys that old are safe anyway. Tossing them feels so bad though. How do you deal with that? People always say to take a picture but I don't think that would make it easier.

I can't stop thrifting cute baby clothes for a steal price & putting my kid in cute outfits. Once he has worn something, it's even worse, because I will remember all the occasions he has worn this piece and it's sentimental now. I have a good memory and lots of photos to remind me. 🫠 (I have donated a few things in the past and looking at photos where he wore them makes me feel guilty.)

I don't have any issues when it comes to any other belongings, but this topic is getting to a point where it's stressing me out. The entire storage is full of clothes he has grown out of (I am expecting the next baby & will reuse) and sizes he will grow into during the next year.

Should I just embrace being a minimalist-ish person with a giant baby clothes arsenal?

Firstly, I don’t drink beer. Secondly, I hate clutter and have absolute bare essentials when it comes to cutlery and crockery. He said I know you don’t drink beer but you can use them for other drinks. He genuinely thought I’d like the style as they are skulls and I love skulls. But they are huge and ugly and I’ll never use them. Hes the type of person to ask where are the glass mugs? when he comes over. As he’s done this before with a previous gift!! Which was a poster and I put it up on the inside of my cupboard door. What should I do? Hes very very sensitive. They were expensive too!

Hi guys I'm an aspiring minimalist and I'm struggling most with clothes. I'm going the Marie Kondo route not true minimalism (but maybe in the future). I feel like this should be easy because I already wear he same 4 things every day and it's clear what sparks joy but I keep extra clothes for when I'm not getting laundry done. My problem is nothing sparks joy except like 5 things. Some things I actually hate but will wear as PJs. I don't like being wasteful so I haven't replaced these things.

For example I have 2 pairs of sweatpants. One I love and could wear everyday and another I hate because they're a bit too big and baggy and the colour is off. I do need 2 pairs though so would you just keep them both until they get worn out or get rid of the one you hate and buy a different pair? Finding clothes I love takes so much trial and error though so there's no guarantee I'll love new ones but wearing the other ones low-key ruin my day. My other option that I've been trying to do is to change my mindset and be more neutral with my clothes. Like I love it because it keeps me warm and has pockets etc not fussing over aesthetic details. I feel like this is a more sustainable mindset and will translate to everything but I also feel like I'm lying to myself because I obviously care how things look and have cared my whole life. The pants is just one example. Another example is all my t shirts are oversized. I like most of the designs though. In a perfect world jd have these same t-shirts 2 sizes down but it'd be crazy to rebuy them all 2 sized down but I don't really feel good in the shirts as is so I'm stuck. I really want to love everything I own. When I've found something I love I never feel the itch to look at or even think about other things I feel so at peace.

Anyway looking for any advice

I've been wanting to downsize a lot of my stuff to prepare for a handful of moves I'm about to do. I've been feeling the pull to quit owning more than I can handle. I often don't even remember owning something and it's a wonderful surprise when I stumble across it again. However, I jump from hobby to hobby, and I've accepted that this is just who I am. I like having all the tools available to just pick a hobby right back up, but I recognize those tools build up. I hoard yarn, fabric, computer parts, books, electronics, etc. My motivation for downsizing is tanked when I have all the necessary junk around to start a project, no need to buy anything new.

All this to say, did anyone else have a similar problem? How did you integrate minimalism into your life?

I have around 11 jeans and 3 pants and I am thinking I may be a jeans collector. I'm really interested in how many jeans (I live in Northern Europe - cold) do you guys have, especially if you live in a cold climate.

I started selling on Vinted in 2024 after discovering minimalism, recently I got the notification that I’ve sold more than 400 items and the only thing I felt was disgust. If you visit those apps you see an insane amount of posts being uploaded every minute, most of those in price ranged lower than 10 bucks. People also sell anything in there, from dirty clothes to unopened shampoo bottles. To me it’s an app filled with regret, people desperate to just get rid of their bad decisions. I’ve made a fair amount of money, but it’s less than half of the value those items were purchased for. Because of my bad decisions I spent hours arguing with random people for 3€ T-shirts. I’ve sold things that i used to consider invaluable to me for 80% off the original price, this experience made me finally understand how worthless everything is. The expensive branded bag or shoes, the fancy top or cool looking accessories are all at the end of the day the same trash I will want to get rid of someday, and for an extremely low price at that. Every time I want to purchase something I think back to that site, to acquire 20 bucks you have to sell more than 6 normal items if you’re lucky. With apps like this people find new excuses to spend because “you can just resell it later”, but the experience is honestly not worth it at all and certainly not as profitable as people think.

Hi folks 👋 I’ve been practicing decluttering, with the end-goal of sustainable minimalism, for a few years. I’m looking for a guide of sorts to help me reduce my belongings down to what I need, use often, or really love. You could think of it as a minimalist checklist, though I recognize that everyone’s lifestyle and home life are unique to them and their situation.

For context, I grew up in a stuff-forward household, wherein we over-consumed and over-saved broken/cheap/useless/sentimental items out of a scarcity mindset. I want to reclaim my space and spend my energy on life—not stuff and fear of scarcity.

Thanks!

TLDR; do you use or recommend a guide to help you pare down your essentials?