Minimalism is a lifestyle that has gained popularity in recent years, and for good reason. By simplifying our lives and focusing on what truly matters, we can experience greater joy, clarity, and freedom. Read on for tips on how to become a minimalist and embrace a more intentional life!
While I don't technically consider myself a minimalist, I do try to simplify and reduce clutter so we can live our lives more fully. But, I didn't always feel that way. And when I started to consider embracing a more minimalist point of view... I had no idea where to begin.
We're all busy, we homeschool, we homestead, and I didn't think we could ever reduce a lot of our stuff because we would need it, right? I'm also frugal and holding on to things so that I don't have to turn around and buy what I donated again in two months is important to me... or so it seemed.
But, while all of those things, the homeschooling, homesteading, three dogs, three kids, lots of farm animals, and gardening and canning stuff is a lot... I was tired of all of the stuff, even the things I deemed essential, taking up hours, days, and weeks of my life to organize.
So, I figured out how to make minimalism work for me. While a lot of people think of it as having nothing, it doesn't have to be. Minimalism isn't really about what you own, or how much of it you own. It's more about why it's there taking up space and time in your life in the first place.
If you're wondering how to embrace a more intentional, simplistic lifestyle of less stuff, read on because I've got plenty of tips to help you become a minimalist, no matter what lifestyle you embrace.
How to Become a Minimalist
While a lot of people think getting started with minimalism means decluttering, it doesn't. While having less clutter is a part of the bigger picture, it's not the whole story. These tips will help you learn how to become a minimalist, and declutter!
1 Find Your Why
The first step in embracing a minimalist lifestyle is figuring out why you want to do this in the first place. Saying you want to declutter, become a minimalist, and get more organized is much like most New Year's resolutions... you start with good intentions like wanting to be more healthy... then you peter out and you fall off the wagon before you ever really begin.
So, finding your why, and looking into the benefits of minimalism can help you gain a minimalist mindset and guide you on your minimalist journey to living with less.
2 Start Small
When it comes to decluttering or just embracing the mindset, start small. Declutter one shelf, practice a no-spend weekend instead of a week or month... make it manageable, break it down into chunks, and celebrate each small goal that you reach.
This not only helps you from getting overwhelmed, it will help you stay motivated enough to continue. Throwing out all your stuff and going through every nook and cranny of your house in a weekend is a surefire way to get burnt out, quit, and continue living with a consumerism mindset.
3 Determine Necessities
All that stuff... do we need it? A minimalist home is full of things that make us feel good and have less stress because there isn't so much Again, don't go overboard and declutter the entire house and think you only need one coffee mug. Instead, sit down space by space and think about what you need in your everyday life. Try to keep your emotions out of it.
I recommend starting with something like the dining room table because it often becomes a catch all of various things and it's a quick, easy way to start going through things, determining what is necessary, and living with fewer things.
4 Stop Shopping
Okay, we all have to go shopping at some point. But, that doesn't mean we need to buy all of the things. Make sure you're asking yourself if you really need something before you buy it. Think about the hours of your life it is going to require.
To do this, you can consider the initial cost of the item and how many hours you had to work to gain that much money and then you can take into consideration how much time it's going to take to keep it maintained. If it's a trinket, think about the time spent dusting it, moving it to dust around it, etc.
5 Donate and Sell Items You No Longer Need
Have a bunch of socks winding up with mysterious holes in them, but for some reason, they keep winding up in your dresser? Clothes that haven't fit you in 4 years that you kept for someday?
Go at your own pace, figure out what you need, and donate or sell the items that are no longer serving you. I know it can be hard to let go of things you are keeping around for a long time, but keeping them around is costing you, too.
6 Consider a Capsule Wardrobe
Fashion has never really been a thing for me. A few jeans and T-shirts, a couple of dresses and I'm good.
However, a capsule wardrobe is a great idea because it provides you with versatile pieces that mix and match well while keeping things simple. Why is this a good idea? Because let's face it, when we are dressed like we care about ourselves... it boosts our mood. Walking around in yoga pants or torn-up clothes all day never boosted anyone's mood or confidence.
7 Go Digital
I had a rough time with this. Not so much bills and receipts, but things like movies and books. I am a person who loves to hold a book in my hand, flip through the pages, dog ear important pages, and just feel a book.
I also prefer to have copies of movies that we enjoy watching. Before a few years ago, streaming wasn't even a remote possibility where we live so having hard copies was important or we wouldn't have anything to watch (don't subscribe to cable or satellite!).
But, now we can stream, and while I keep a collection of DVDs and BluRay discs in some simple cases like these, and I do have some of my favorite books on a shelf and regularly use the local library, I've embraced streaming one streaming service at a time and using a Kindle paperwhite which is surprisingly close to looking at a printed book, despite the fact it's plastic.
8 Make Experiences a Priority
The things we do, the memories we make, the time we spend with people we love... those are the best in our lives. Nothing can replace it.
Going on vacation, feeling the sand beneath your toes, watching your toddler walk along the beach... seeing your teenager hike up a mountain alongside you, or just watching your kid's face light up as you drive around and look at holiday light displays.
What we do with our free time is a big part of our life... spending it on experiences with a family member or friend instead of needing to reorganize clutter is a big part of the minimalist lifestyle.
9 When You Do Buy... Purchase Quality
And save up for it! We've been renovating our home to get it ready for sale and even though we're going to be handing the keys over to someone else in a few months, we're using cash (no home equity loan or credit cards) and buying quality while still maintaining a budget.
But whether you're renovating or just buying new things for your kitchen... saving up and buying quality over quantity is so important. Maybe you can only afford two nice knives instead of a whole block of cheap ones... just do that and save up for more later.
10 Shop Secondhand
Just because you're a minimalist doesn't mean you don't buy things. We all buy things and need things to live our everyday lives and sometimes just because a certain thing makes us happy.
Purchasing quality, secondhand items instead of new things is a great idea. We love shopping estate sales and flea markets to find quality items that have already lasted generations and will likely last generations more, this helps us reduce our consumerism and save money.
11 Use it Up
We will often buy bulk items at places like Costco, but even then I try my best to use up what we have before we purchase more. Yes, I will buy 10 cans of tomato sauce at one time, but then I won't buy more until I actually need it.
This is also true for many things in our daily lives from consumables like food and hygiene products to other things like clothing (if you have three sweaters that work, you probably don't need four more), storage containers, and the like.
12 Practice Gratitude
Something my mother used to say all the time is "Be thankful for what you have, and no what you have not." And I repeat the same mantra to my children even today.
Being grateful and practicing gratitude for all you do have, materialistic or otherwise, is a huge part of minimalism and embracing a life of less.
13 Create a Focused Budget
One of the benefits of minimalism is the effect it has on your bank account. When you're buying less stuff, it eases the strain on your pocketbook and can help you get out of debt.
Creating a minimalist budget can not only help you get out of debt, but it can also help you prioritize those experiences when you're settling your budget. Whether it be something simple like a few tickets to the local zoo or fuel money for a drive to the beach, putting money aside to afford those experiences will help.
These experiences don't have to cost money, to be sure, but even budgeting for the fuel to drive there or maybe some special food to make a picnic or a rare treat of eating out is important. If you prioritize these things in your budget, you're far more likely to actually embrace them and not spend your money on non-essentials that will just add clutter and overwhelm your life.
14 Adopt Mindfulness
Minimalism isn't just about your physical space, it is also about all that mental and emotional clutter we all carry around. Mental health is a huge part of the minimalist lifestyle, not just because of the benefits of fewer possessions, but also because it affects all aspects of your life.
Finding a daily mindful practice will help you stay calm and content. Overwhelm causes us to make rash decisions and do things that don't serve us. Learning how to be more mindful and intentional can help you reduce the clutter in your mind and life.
15 Simplify Your Beauty Routine
Beauty products can create a lot of clutter. Simplifying that to utilize more multipurpose items and finding a great morning routine to get you going is a great way to live with fewer items.
Using tallow balm to moisturize your whole body, including your face, using charcoal soap to wash your whole body. Keeping a very simple makeup pallet, can help reduce the clutter in your home and simplify your routine.
16 Meal Plan
Meal planning helps in so many ways. It can reduce food waste by implementing the use of leftovers, and it simplifies our lives by reducing mental clutter.
When we meal plan, there's no wondering what's for dinner. It's just a little bit of your time once a week, or twice a month or however you choose to do it, and then glancing at it each evening before you go to bed so you can be sure you've got what you need thawed and ready to use.
17 Become More Eco Friendly
Single-use plastic and I do not get along... at all. In fact, I have an entire article on how to reduce your plastic use if you're looking for ideas.
Finding reusable, recycled items to use instead of disposable items is a huge help not only in reducing your personal clutter (no more piles of plastic cups in your cupboards), but also the planet's clutter as you are one family not throwing "away" so much stuff.
18 Reduce Screen Time and Digital Clutter
Screen time is proven to reduce mood... especially when that screen time involves social media use. We live in an era of sharing all of the good, edited things while omitting the crap in our lives (unless we love to stir up drama).
When we see these things, we often compare ourselves even though we're only getting a portion of the story and have no idea what chapter they're on (we may be on chapter one in comparison to their experience). That comparison creates mental clutter... mental clutter creates problems.
Reducing our screen time and getting rid of all that digital clutter (like the 200 emails I just deleted one by one so I could 'unsubscribe' to virtually all of them) helps immensely for so many reasons.
19 Learn to Say No
Full, cluttered calendars are just as bad as a full, cluttered home. Learn how to prioritize what's important to you on your calendar and say no to less important items that you simply don't have time for.
Spending time at home with your family, spending time to decompress and just enjoy life and relax is so beneficial and reduces so much mental clutter. So, just learn how to politely decline some of those extras instead of scheduling your calendar so full you don't have a moment to breathe.
20 Live, Love, and Let Go
Find what brings you joy and do more of that. Let go of all the other stuff. Did you add a book club to your calendar but it isn't a good fit for you... let it go.
Did you purchase a new item you thought you would love and it isn't serving you or bringing you joy? Let it go.
This can also include people... sometimes letting go of negative people in your life that aren't serving you and have nothing constructive is one of the best decisions you'll ever make.
21 Decorate with Purpose
Our homes should be a refuge that allows us to destress and rejuvenate. If it isn't... what's there that isn't serving you?
And I get it... going down the decor aisles or just browsing your local Target, there are so. many. options. And it's overwhelming and you love it all, so you bring it home and you stash it on your walls and on your surfaces, and then... it's cluttered, overwhelming, and has no purpose.
It's a mix match of things that you bought because you could, and it probably felt good at the time! But, when we decorate with purpose, we use things we love, make each space have a purpose and allow it to invoke a feeling of joy that we want everyone else to see.
22 Purchase things that Align with Your Values
Keep your personal values in mind while shopping. This will help you make a conscious decision and make a positive impact.
So what does this mean? It means considering the impact beyond your own needs and wants. How will this purchase affect others in your family, how about the community, the world? Was it made in a sweatshop? Does this align with your beliefs... ask questions and think about the grand scope instead of just the immediate.
23 Let Go of Sentimental Items...
This has a caveat, though. Letting go of sentimental items is incredibly tough. Even if it no longer serves you, even if you don't love it and it doesn't bring you joy... feelings of guilt often accompany it.
That said if it isn't serving you and you don't love it... it's time to let it go. If you need some help on how to let go of sentimental items check this out.
24 Reduce Reliance on Convenience
Fast food, single-use, packaged foods... we all break down and utilize them sometimes. We live in the modern world after all, and we're only human, life happens.
That said, if you find yourself resorting to these convenience items more often than not... try to find ways to reduce that use by meal planning, using more eco-friendly items, and reusable items instead of disposable, convenient things.
25 Consider Downsizing
In the 1960s the average size home was 1,500 square feet. In 2022, the average size of a new home was over 2,500 square feet. Our houses have grown alongside our appetite for consumption.
Downsizing your home will help you downsize your belongings, which can be a great thing, but it can also help you gain financial freedom... though maybe not with these interest rates.
26 Remove Distractions
Distractions clutter our mind... this could be anything from a TV in a place it need not be such as the bedroom, to your cell phone always waiting for you to pick it up.
Be sure to spend some time with your cell not next to you, with the TV off... or remove it from the bedroom if you have one in there. This can help us be more mindful and intentional.
27 Spend some Time Tech Free
To expand on the previous thought... turn off the cell phone for the weekend, or at the very least put it away in a drawer or in a place that isn't your back pocket.
Don't turn on the TV and spend some time playing board games as a family... this helps nurture those relationships, refresh your mind, and reduce all that mental clutter. Remember, prioritize experiences... playing a game may seem mundane... but your children will remember it, especially if it is distraction-free.
28 Practice R&R
Rest and relaxation and self-care are important to our overall well-being. Put the phone away and take a bath in some lavender oil... budget for a weekend away with just you and your spouse, or schedule a camping trip for the whole family to just unplug and get away.
We live in a world where constant productivity is supposed to be the definition of success when in reality it's the cause of burnout and feelings of emptiness. Regular rest and relaxation are important to our overall well-being and productivity.
29 Embrace Imperfection
I am a recovering perfectionist. I've always wanted everything to be just right or it wasn't good enough. Now? I'm slowly embracing the imperfections in life.
Many are beautiful, many are necessary and perfectionism is really just procrastination wrapped up in a prettier package. So, let go of your ideas of how everything can be perfect and embrace the beauty of the imperfect.
30 Live in the Present
Dwelling on the past won't help, and looking too forward to the future doesn't help. Be in the moment. Life is incredibly short in the grand scheme of things and spending that short time constantly thinking about a different point in time is futile and a waste of the precious time we do have.
31 Let go of Material Attachment
It's easy to become attached to material possessions but these things are all replaceable. Instead, let go of that attachment and spend more time with the people you love making memories and doing things you enjoy. This will be a process, but so worth it in the long run.
32 Find a Balance
It's easy to look at minimalism as a "get rid of everything" type of lifestyle and go overboard with decreasing clutter, but that's not really what it's about at all, and what I consider minimalism and you consider minimalism is likely to be very different.
So, you must find your balance... what works best for you. Maybe having certain things is important to you for one reason or another, maybe using paper plates during a move or tough time is non-negotiable for you, and that's fine. You find your balance and learn that it's not an all-or-nothing scenario.
More Ideas on How to Become a Minimalist
- How to Easily Declutter Toys for a More Abundant Life
- How to Declutter Your Bedroom
- 117 Things to Declutter Right Now
Did you find this list helpful on your journey to become a minimalist? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below! If you want more recipe inspiration, make sure to follow me on Facebook or Pinterest!
Jamie @ Medium Sized Family says
I really hunger for simplicity. My mind just can't handle clutter! I love these tips, I'll be using them the next time I declutter (which is happening very soon!).
Danielle McCoy says
I hope they help you out! I know they help us, even though we're in our big house, we won't be for long and I love not having all that stuff lying around taking up space!!
Nancy Straughan says
I'm trying very hard to live a minimalist lifestyle! I've had to many clearing sessions and it really helps clear your mins too. I'm new to the Homestead blog hop and I'm making my way through reading all the wonderful posts!
http://nancystraughan.blogspot.co.uk/
Danielle McCoy says
Awesome! Thanks so much can for stopping by. Maybe my tips can help you toward your goal! 🙂
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
Danielle, thanks for the inspiration. I need frequent reminders to stay on the path to a simpler life!
Danielle McCoy says
Glad I could inspire you, Jean! I hope it helped :). We all need a nudge every once in a while!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
YES. We live in a small home, and leading with minimalism in mind is so important to keeping sane. We also like the minimalist lifestyle for raising our children!
Danielle McCoy says
It definitely helps keep you sane when you live in a small space. Honestly, I think it helps even if you don't live in a small space. No one needs all that stuff anyway! Thanks for stopping by!
Sara says
I love this! LOVE IT, I get anxiety with clutter. I want to be able to fit all my stuff in a couple boxes ( minus furniture) ... now to get my husband on board. Thanks you for this!
Danielle McCoy says
I am in that spot right now! I just want enough stuff to fill a box or two for each of the 5 of us.
As for getting your husband on board... Do one room and see how it goes. I bet he will be amazed how much simpler life is without all that junk. You may have just inspired a new post!!
Michelle @ Moms Are Frugal says
No wonder this post is popular..it is great. I am on a minimalist kick myself. It is crazy how clutter can take over and you get so used to it that you do not see it!
Danielle McCoy says
Thank you! I am actually amazed at its popularity lol.
Clutter really does take over. The more you own, the more it starts to take over your life. No one was meant to accumulate all this junk.
swathi says
Yes you right we too toss the one we don't also donate them if it is useable. thanks for sharing all these wonderful tips, to Hearth and soul blog hop
Danielle McCoy says
Thanks for hosting, and thanks for stopping by!
WILL PETERSON says
a GOOD LESSON i LEARNED YEARS AGO - DO YOU OWN ALL THAT STUFF , OR DOES IT OWN YOU ? THINK ABOUT IT !
Danielle McCoy says
Very good point, Will.
Gaye @CalmHealthySexy says
Hi Danielle - Thanks for sharing these great tips with the Let's Get Real Party. This will be my featured post at this week's party, which goes live at 5 PM ET on Thursday.
Danielle McCoy says
You're so welcome! Awesome! I can't wait to share and browse at this weeks party :).
Katey says
Thanks for stopping by the Homestead Blog Hop
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
Danielle, I came back and reread this after reading your current post. Yesterday I emailed a friend who is a packrat "trying to pare down." I told him I follow the One In/One Out Rule. He replied that unfortunately he follows the 27 In/One Out Rule! 😀
Danielle McCoy says
Jean, that's so funny lol. Send him over my way and tell him he needs to stop that 27 in one out rule! There's more to life than accumulating more stuff. It takes over, it truly does. Thanks for stopping by!
Megan says
We are downsizing big time by going into the Airforce. We are going from a 4200 sq ft home to a 1650 sq ft town home. And we have 4 kids with our 5th on the way. We are working hard to purge our home of all the things we don't really need. Even old year books and beloved University books have now been outed. It is very freeing. I didn't think I'd end up loving the escape from my stuff so much. I highly recommend it.
Thanks for the post. You gave me a few more ideas on what to purge.
Sincerely,
Megan
Danielle McCoy says
Good luck on your move! I was incredibly surprised at how much better I felt after letting go of all the materialistic junk that was crowding our lives. Thank you for sharing your experience, Megan!
Elizabeth says
I love the whole concept of minimalist living, so thank you for this inspiring article! I did, however, hesitate at the suggestion to only keep one extra mug... Do you really only ever have one guest at a time?
Danielle McCoy says
Hi, Elizabeth! I do honestly only have one extra mug. I improvise if I have more than one guest, but it's very rare I need more than one extra. You can keep more if you'd like, of course, it just takes up valuable space in my very small kitchen space so I chose to purge :). Just think of what you would normally need if you had guests, and then just keep those.
Donna says
The only thing I don't agree with is coffee cups. I love having people over for coffee or tea!
Mirjana says
Hello from Croatia!
When you wrote that you are now living in "small" apartment, I had to smile. This is considered as BIG space in Croatia. We live in 42 sq meters for 15 years now: 2 adults and 2 kids. And I still think of downsizing of stuff that we own and I really do it on seasonal basis. I go by Chinese saying: one new thing in - one old one out. 🙂
Danielle McCoy says
It's amazing how differently we view and utilize space in different parts of the world. We don't live in that tiny apartment anymore but we went from 3,000 square feet to 1,000. It was a very large adjustment for us!
Kristina Ruiz says
Hi, do you mind if I share these in a private Facebook group with some friends looking to make the transition? I found these really helpful and could not have thought of all of this on my own.
Danielle McCoy says
That's totally fine! I would appreciate if you linked to the post, though! Glad to help!
Liss says
Im trying to download the 50 list, I've subscribed, looked around your website but can't find it anywhere. Is this your way to get subscribers?
Danielle McCoy says
Did you click the link on this post to subscribe? It should have forwarded you the download to your email address you subscribed with after you confirmed your subscription. I will send it to the email address you used to comment. Sorry! 🙁
Ana says
Great article !!
Fedga says
I love this! Thanks for this list, I'm sure it's gonna be helpful. About stuffed animals: my son used to have so many, it drove me nuts. And since it was very hard for him to let them go (ASD doesn't help with this!) I decided to not toss them, but put them in an old duvet cover. Then I tied a knot in the opening and let him use that as a fatboy. We were both pleased with this solution; maybe someone can use this idea!
Love, Fedga
Danielle McCoy says
Fedga, Oh my goodness that is an amazing idea!!! Thanks for sharing. I hope the list helps :).
Kathryn Arnold says
I put spare measuring cups/spoons into the containers that hold the (dry) things I often measure. If I'm scooping out a teaspoon of ground ginger every morning for my lemon juice tonic, why wash the spoon every day? And why have to wash a measuring cup because you needed a half cup of something? I use whatever measure is the one I use most often for that ingredient.
carole says
We truly have less "stuff" than the average American, but there are areas where I've hoarded. Being a mixed media artist, I've had difficulty clearing out, but I'm making progress. Focusing on what I know I will do, instead of what I "might" do someday.
As for generic everyday stuff, I've always had a dish/glassware fetish that has been difficult to curb. It's a work in progress, because I do slip on occassion. lol
Even with less overall, I still feel like I spend WAY too much time sorting. I find that the older I get, and the more chaotic the world gets, the more clutter adds to my stress. I want less stuff, less stress, less work, more peace and calm.
Vanessa says
It is interesting how quickly the stuff accumulates over the years, like the coffee mugs. Often, I don't intend to end up with so much, so the declutter effort must be intentional!
Danielle McCoy says
Absolutely!
Suzanne says
This was a good read! I agree that in many cases quality is better than quantity, especially in the kitchen!
Vicki says
I declutter regularly. If I was by myself, I would only have what I use.
MJ says
That was a great write-up, Danielle! You have so many fantastic ideas for reducing stuff. I particularly like the idea of eliminating cable. With so many streaming services, most folks can take advantage of a much lower cost service to watch whatever they want. In fact, we cut the cable about seven years ago and haven't looked back.
Also, to piggyback on your idea to digitize music, I love it. We had hundreds of CDs (and their cases) littering our entertainment room. We've since given away most of them. However, digitizing the music has some copyright implications. It may not be legal to own the digital version if you don't own the physical copy, in some cases. Instead, we purchased just the songs we really liked from iTunes. We also signed up for Prime. Some may know movie and TV streaming come with the subscription, but it also includes music streaming. We use it with our smart speaker every day. They also offer the unlimited music add-on, but we find we don't need it. In any case, this or one of the other great options out there (Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, Apple Music, Slacker, etc.) may be of interest to your readers.
Tracey says
Also, you can donate those empty cd & dvd cases to your local library - items are always being returned in broken cases - thank you : )
Jessi says
I am psyching myself to get ready to purge piles and piles of papers that I just can't seem to part with even though they have layers of dust on them! lol This is what brought me here, but then I got to #5 in the minimizing the kitchen and behold!!! Another lover of cast iron!! It is the best cookware ever!!
Okay, enough procrastinating. Time to purge the paper. YIKES!
Danielle McCoy says
LOL good luck! Cast iron is my huge clutter habit, for sure.
Sierra says
Oooooooh, found this article on Pinterest and was excited to read that you live in Montana! I’m a born and raised Montanan! I live in Whitehall but I work in Bozeman. Are you near me? I’ve been wanting to organize a group that would meet up in person and talk about stuff like minimalism and low waste living, etc. I’d love to chat with you!
Danielle McCoy says
Hi Sierra!
Actually, we do not live in Montana anymore. We had to move back to Indiana. We did live in Bozeman when we were there. One day we hope to return to Bozeman, but we are here for now. We loved it out there!
Rafa says
Started last year, feels great. I spend less than $200 for clothing in past 18 months!
Paige says
Definitely need to throw out the dvds and cds! I'm working on my closet and making those tough decisions. This was a great article! It was to the point yet detailed.
Mourning Warbler says
If you might give your DVDs to a thrift store, they will be more likely to accept and resell them if they are in the original cases.
Wendy Coetzee says
Clutter and no organization gives me anxiety. And makes me feel really overwhelmed. I am a highly sensitive person which does make it even worse. This post is amazing and a life saver... I always was organized and on the ball. But went through a rough patch the last year or so. This post reminds me of who I was and need tk be once more...
Thank you
Barbara K says
Clothes are a difficult area for me because I don't own a washer/dryer. Any advice?
Danielle McCoy says
I would only keep things you love that will last long enough to get you through to the next wash day in that case.
Lexi McGuire says
Your whole blog is incredibly inspiring. I made your cranberry pork chops today, have your no knead bread resting on the counter to be baked tomorrow and now I'm about to throw out my excess clothes! Lol!
Pat says
Quality vs. Quantity. I dettached myself from things. If I dont use something regularily, I sell it or donate it. I sold 80% of what I had, and donated 15% to charity. I KEPT only the bare minimum I needed, about 5%. I even got rid of cable, internet, TV, .... started walking more, sleeping better, cook at home, I lost weight, ... and rarely eat out. I got rid of sugar, salt, red meats, cola, tea, coffee, sweets, no more packaged or canned food, I only drink water, ..... & I look & feel great. Years ago I sold all my jewelry, donated all books, even old photos of people or relatives who dont even care about me. I dont care to impress others, I enjoy helping others, care about my health, ... Less things, more time, I wiped out debts, saved money, ... best of all: I dont go crazy looking for things, it's all organized, easy to find. If we only buy what we need, we would have vleaner air, water, less inflation, financial freedom, and most of all a MUCH BETTER PHYSICAL & EMOTIONAL HEALTH.
Lynne Clark says
Great ideas and several I need to work on. And clutter is bad for your mental health.
I often read "Give up cable and use Netflix", but how do you access Netflix if you don't have cable? Or is "everyone" just referring to cable TV?
Danielle McCoy says
Just referring to cable TV. Netflix is a good alternative to subscribing to overly expensive cable/satellite providers. Personally, we have an antenna and DVDs and rarely watch TV. We have streaming available through amazon prime and Disney+, but don't use much of it, even with three children. More important things to do ;).
chad says
really good advice thanks
Danielle McCoy says
Glad you appreciate it!