Owning less stuff is freeing, refreshing, and liberating.
It allows us to spend more time, money, and energy on the things in life that matter most and bring us real lasting joy and meaning.
But even when we want to own less, and can see through the empty promises of consumerism, actually applying that desire to our stuff can be tricky.
This is a website full of motivation and practical ideas to help you own less. If you’re new, I suggest starting with my Most Popular Posts.
But for today, I want to lay out ten rules to help you own less.
Will these ten rules solve all of your decluttering questions? I probably wouldn’t go that far.
But I do think you will find all ten helpful in your desire to own less. And the more you apply them to your home, the less you will own (both now and into the future).
10 Helpful Rules to Own Less Stuff
1. The “Overflowing Space” Rule
Whenever a space begins to overflow, it’s a sign to declutter. Regularly assess areas like closets, drawers, shelves, and storage units.
If they’re filled beyond capacity, it’s time to thin out. And if every space in your home is overflowing, start with the easiest, most-lived space and get started there.
2. The “Past Its Life” Rule
Items that represent a past version of yourself or are from past seasons of life—whether it’s clothes that no longer fit your style, hobbies you no longer pursue, or items needed when your kids were younger—can be let go.
Additionally, this makes room for items that resonate with who you are now.
3. The “If I Own More Than One” Rule
Anytime you notice duplicates in your home, consider it a great opportunity to minimize. Choose the best and let go of the rest.
This rule applies to everything from kitchen gadgets to clothing, towels to coffee mugs, and Tupperware to scissors. Reduce redundancy and free up space.
4. The “Cost Doesn’t Count” Rule
Don’t hold onto items just because they were expensive.
The money is already spent and keeping something you don’t use doesn’t bring that value back. Even worse, they tend to make us feel guilty every time we see them.
Plus, they could bring someone else joy once you decide to remove them.
5. The “Yearly Review” Rule
This is a super-practical rule to help you determine necessity: if you haven’t used something in the past year, chances are you won’t need it in the future.
This is especially true for clothing and gadgets.
6. The “Borrow Rather Than Own” Rule
Instead of purchasing items you’ll use only once or twice, consider borrowing or renting them.
This reduces clutter and also saves money.
I know this is crazy thinking nowadays, but if a neighbor or family member owns the thing you need to use, you don’t need to buy your own.
7. The “Single Item, Multiple Use” Rule
Opt for items that can serve multiple purposes, particularly in the kitchen. There used to be a decluttering website when I first started blogging that created a satirical list of “unitaskers” (things like banana slicers). It was always hilarious the items they would find to feature. Avoid unitaskers.
This not only saves space but also simplifies your setup, making cooking more enjoyable.
8. The “Shopping Holiday” Rule
One month, every year, decide to buy nothing but groceries and consumables.
This one month, done annually, will do wonders to help you get ahead in your budget (just imagine getting a credit card statement once/year with $0 due).
But more than than, it will help reset your spending for the rest of the year. Plus, when you call it a “Holiday,” that just sounds fun doesn’t it?
9. The “Fad Filter” Rule
Be critical of trendy items that often promise more than they deliver. Fads come and go quickly (think: Beanie Babies, Stanley Cups, Fidget Spinners, Hard Rock Cafe T-shirts. Cold Plunge Tubs) and rarely offer any lasting benefit to our lives—other than proving that we can buy whatever everyone else is buying.
This rule helps you avoid accumulating items that quickly become obsolete or lose their appeal.
10. The “Clear Counters” Rule
Maintaining clear countertops not only enhances the look of your kitchen but also makes it more functional and enjoyable to use.
This rule encourages maintaining cleanliness and order daily.
These ten rules, I believe, if you apply them in your home, will bring about a brand new way of thinking about possessions. In fact, by following just a few of them, you’ll find it easier to make decisions about what stays and what goes.
And trust me: You’ll love owning less.
My parents are approaching 70 and decided to do their death cleaning… so we won’t have to. Mom came with a bag of shoes for the girls and me. One pair was so tiny (her feet are not!). “When did you get these?” “Oh, a few years ago…maybe 10?” Then I see the print inside: Made in West Germany. ???? Maybe more than ten.
I was doing death cleaning but was in beginning of a depression. It facilitated a deeper depression so I CAN NO LONGER call it that. I’m better now but choose to call it cleaning out or purging or fixing my space
I agree! Just hearing “death cleaning” brings to mind visions of a death watch and coffins, grey skies and cold rain. No way!
Better to use some funny expression. Make it a time of joy and reminiscing if family comes to help some, sharing history and origins of things? Or photos taken of things and save those instead of the item? The Family junk reveal? Junk and treasures hunt? Slim down days? Slim down or bust?
Becoming a minimalist is a personal choice and for many people it works well for them, but for others it’s a difficult transition to let go of sentimental items that have touched our hearts and our lives from the time we were little. I was also told to take a picture of those sentimental items, but instead of keeping them on my phone, I’m going to put them into a book with a little story about each item and have it printed. That way, I’ll have the book to cherish instead of the actual “material things” that are taking up valuable space as I’m attempting to downsize before my move. It’s definitely not easy to part with items you’ve loved your entire life, but sometimes, you have to make choices about what’s important to you as you move forward with the next chapter in your life.
Great idea!
Hi JUSHUA !
I have been following your many articles – so Introspective
and way beyond how most people think & so helpful !
Regarding Simplifying :
Women (white) from the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s in suburbia
were brought up to follow the “wife / mother / hostess /dress/
entertain/ in style/ to impress rule…… etc.
Daughters were taught that looks, appearance and status
were more important than anything else. This continued into
the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s with focus on accumulating things that
“made life easier, look better, give one status, and make “us”
happier. Well, now we’re 60, 70, 80 + yrs old and looking at all
we’ve accumulated and saved over the years, and overwhelmed !
Well, I was one of them and just want to say …having the luxury to downsize slow, I have made great ! progress since starting over 2 yrs ago. It reminds me of peeling layers of an onion. After each time purging a carload, it motivated me to go to the next box, drawer, closet, room to find what else could go !!! Just saying – this slow but steady way worked wonders !!! It gave me time to think, ponder and decide what I only need and really treasure and kept me focused.
Also, I also look back to realize that I had become a shopaholic
after a divorce, depressed and lonely, which didn’t help.
About sentimental items … I leave to the VERY LAST to go through !!! and decide on. I’m so glad that I had the foresight when I was in gradeschool to save old letters from my great-grandmother and my aunts from the 1950’s to look at ! I have small Hallmark datebooks that I kept since 6th grade in a small box that I can look back at my childhood any time I want.
Any IRREPLACEABLE items one has (old photos) need much
more consideration – with family, relatives or friends first !
such as old photos from the early 1900’s, etc. …
Great insight. I think every decade including the 90s, 00s, up to this day. Would always have the time in their life that they want to impress, be trendy, everything nice and matching as sign that life is good, succesful etc but eventually learn that those keeping up with trends and the thrill of having the latest and the greatest greatest would wear.
I think everyone needs to approach this in their own way. My mother married right before the depression hit. She and my father had the necessities and not much else. There was no China, silver, crystal and very few photos. I’m a minimalist. I guess you could say it’s in my DNA. I’m grateful that I don’t need a lot to be happy. My goal is to make things easier when I pass for my children.
I have been on a journey! I have twelve boxes to my name! After traveling I’m looking for a minimal lifestyle & where to settle with minimal housing needs. I like the free feeling, but need a permanent small place for a home base to call my own.
Renting is not for the frugal & minimalist mind set, in my opinion. Tiny home communities seem to be glorified campgrounds that charge more in leasing land. I like my privacy & quiet. Used to living small & love it…less than 600 sq ft. Any thoughts/ ideas?
Debra, seek a small acreage to buy with minimal building restrictions and either build your own small home or purchase a small manufactured or modular home. Privacy plus ownership, better than rent with no close neighbor.
How about looking at a small town not too far from your favorite airport that you use?
My husband was left with a bunch of family heirlooms…. Some furniture, linens, serving dishes, etc. I had a collection from my folks downsizing and a prior marriage. A lot of it we never used….
Covid hit and I found the uncluttered course with Joshua Becker. Made huge progress and don’t miss a thing. My China went to my nephew with matching wine goblets and flatware and some of the antique serving pieces…. Some went on eBay to others who wanted it. Donations abounded.
We don’t miss any of it!!
I love my clearer counters.
More to do. It’s a journey
My biggest sentiment to overcome when trying to declutter is my sentimentality. Gifts from long-gone relatives are difficult to part with, as I associate the item with their memory. The current thinking of “take a picture and let the item go” will only work as long as I have room on my phone; sometimes I just need to handle the item to experience the memory.
Hello Nancy, good call on your part. Sadly I took the wrong advice when my mother passed away three years ago and go rid of 99% of her possession’s. Worst decision I ever made! I’ve regretted it everyday since. How I wish I still had the cards she gave me, the kitchen containers she used that I liked, various little things along with a few pieces of furniture that we bought while shopping together. Please keep your sentimental items you can’t get them back once they’re gone. Taking pictures as many suggest makes the anguish all that more painful. Like you, I need to hold and look at these items, how I wish I could turn the clock back. Best Wishes, Kristine
A previous post of taking a picture and writing its story and making into a book resonated with me. You can browse the book any time.
Our local libraries have a “Library of Things” that can be borrowed such as kitchenware, musical instruments, games, tools, etc. to fulfill needs and avoid having to buy items used on few occasions.
I love that idea. I wish our library had that.
The “yearly review” rule only makes sense for some categories, such as holiday decorations that always get passed over for others. Some winters in Ohio, we get little snow. Others, we get a blizzard or multiple polar vortices. I’m not getting rid of my boots and winter coat just because this past winter was mild.
Likewise, certain tools and equipment. My husband has tools for repairing bikes and woodworking. If he “only” uses a certain saw, blade, or tool every two years, why get rid of it? Nobody else we know has them, we don’t have a tool library, and there’s no rental service for these items.
Our local library has a “Library of Things” which includes tools that can be checked out.