I am a 31-year-old woman and I recently deleted Facebook, Insta, and LinkedIn to break with my past. It’s brutally hard because I was always so active, but I kept falling back into old mindsets. My goal is a 2-year break before starting fresh. Anyone else done this? How did it go?

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…

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 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?