Hello Everybody,
Let’s try something different today and have a little bit of fun.
This past weekend, Becoming Minimalist reached a significant milestone I wanted to share with you.
We officially surpassed 100,000 email subscribers!
That’s a pretty impressive accomplishment worthy of celebration. It means more and more people are being introduced to the life-giving benefits of owning less. And it means our community and our movement continue to grow in significant ways.
Asking people to subscribe via email to receive updates from Becoming Minimalist has never been a huge priority for me. But recently, I’ve begun to change my thinking about that. For starters, there are many readers who appreciate the convenience of receiving an email whenever we publish new posts. I want to make sure readers know that is an option if that’s what they prefer.
Additionally, and equally important, I have just created a 10-day “getting started with minimalism” email sequence to people who subscribe. The sequence includes a PDF copy of my best-selling book, Simplify, as well as first steps people can take on their minimalism journey. It serves as a helpful touchpoint for people who discover the blog, find themselves interested in minimalism, and are ready to start owning less and living more.
If you would like to join the ever-growing email list to receive the free book and email sequence, click here.
For those who have already joined, all 100,000 of you, thank you for being a part of this encouraging community and providing opportunity for this celebratory post.
I’d like to offer a special thank you to everyone who reads Becoming Minimalist. Every month, we welcome over one million unique readers and our Facebook community has now grown to 800,000. These numbers are a credit to each of you who have so generously shared this blog and its articles with friends and family.
Thank you, thank you for supporting Becoming Minimalist and helping to share the inspiration!
To celebrate, I’m giving away 7 book bundles specifically to this community.
**UPDATE: This contest has concluded and winners have been notified. You can find a list of winners at the bottom of this post.
Each prize bundle contains:
- An autographed, hardcover edition of The More of Less.
- An autographed, paperback edition of Clutterfree with Kids.
- One free registration to our upcoming Uncluttered Course ($89 value) beginning on September 5th.
The prize is open to all readers from around the world—we’ll ship the books anywhere for free.
To register for the drawing, leave a comment below.
In the comment, tell us where you are from and which Becoming Minimalist post you remember reading first (or how you were first introduced to this site).
*I know some of you have been reading for many years and do not recall your first introduction, that’s okay, just do your best.
On Friday morning, we will use an online Random Number Generator to select the winners and begin contacting them via email. I will also announce the winners on this post.
Thanks again for being part of the Becoming Minimalist community and making my work so enjoyable. I am more grateful than you realize and I look forward to the comments below and subsequent interaction.
Here are the seven winners of the prize bundle: Jason R. (Houston, TX); Jen F. (California); Alex (Buffalo, NY); Tara P. (Sunshine Coast, Australia); Dana B. (Unknown); Selina C. (United Kingdom); Christie C. (Black Hills, SD). Each of the winners have been contacted via email to redeem their prize.
On a personal note, I am blown away by the stories that have been left in these comments. I have read as many as possible.
There are stories from readers who have been following this blog from the very beginning and stories of people who just found it last week. There are stories of people finding us through Facebook, through guest posts, through mentions in the media, through conversations with friends, through Netflix, through Google, and countless people who couldn’t remember exactly how they found it. It has been incredibly encouraging to me to read these stories from all over the world.
Thanks for being part of the conversation.
I’m from Brisbane, Australia. Can’t even remember the first article I read but it definitely piqued my interest in minimalist living – and for that I am eternally grateful!
I was introduced by the minimalists movie! I saw you guys on there as a family and thought I need to know more about how you do it as I have kids too!
I continue to struggle with my stuff, I could really use guidance. I can’t do it alone.
Thanks for being so inspirational!
I am from New Brunswick, Canada and I remember finding you on twitter many years ago.
I have absolutely no memory of when I first came across Becoming Minimalist. Whether it was via the website or the books, it must have been some two years ago when I first started exploring the idea of minimalism. I know I purchased most of your books for my Kindle (to minimise the physical possessions ;) ). But also because the books were simply not yet available here in Poland. Only recently has the interest in minimalism peaked here, so lots of publications by national and international minimalists have hit the shelves. So this year my interest in minimalism has grown in earnest and has finally translated into actions. Starting with reading “The More of Less”, finally published in Poland this summer, I delved deeper into minimalist podcast (The Minimalists), minimalist websites, videos and documentaries. And then the process started at home and is still going on. For two months now I’ve been stripping down our possessions, donating bags and boxes of books, clothes and decorations, selling stuff online, from kitchen ware to furniture, fancy dresses to sports equipment. And I never thought it would feel so good and mean so much. Minimalism is so much more then decluttering, even more than stripping your house of unwanted, not needed possessions. It is now becoming a completely new lifestyle, a guide and a principle to live by in every area of my life. My children are learning by example. My husband is starting to see the benefits. And my family is joining in. It’s a joyful, communal process that benefits all.
Thank you, Joshua, for your website and your books, for your inspiration and guidance.
I’m from California. This is the first post I’ve read. Wonderful intention. Thanks again for the giveaway.
I need simplicity in my life. Thank you for the book giveaway.
trying to become minimalist, really need the stress free life. TRUE about too many things not being healthy, they are stressful and mind clogging.
Your articles are like a breath of fresh air.
I’ve enjoyed your articles and we are continually downsizing
and loving it. Thanks for the inspirations!
Learning to declutter so that I have room in your head, heart and personal space for what really matters.
Oh my goodness!! I have been reading your magazine for months and months now. I have found so much valuable information to simplify my life. I am so very grateful. God Bless you friend. I was referred to your site by a friend of mine.
Desperately seeking advice on how to simplify and curate life, I took to Google. I found Becoming Minimalist in 2015 and have been reading and following from my little mountain town, Cody, Wyoming, ever since. The first thing I remember reading was about Joshua’s personal journey into minimalism. It was the inspiration and affirmation I was looking for.
I got into decluttering and minimalism nearly 2 years ago and have found it life changing and very liberating. I have been so inspired that I have helped 2 people close to me to have a major clear out. These books look absolutely fantastic and would help me to be more inspired and to inspire others to clear their closets out as well
This is amazing initiative by Joshua. This is will surely simplify the way we live our lives and provide an opportunity to mankind for enduring happiness , love and bliss.. God bless you.
There was an opportunity to purchase more home than I did at the time. Others were gobbling up two and three units to make one.
When asked why I did not follow suit to take advantage of the “bargain” price I said, ” I have been living in this much space for years. Why would I need more simply because the price is now lower?”
Adding- “As we age our resources- energy, time, money, and interest is usually less than before. The need for maintenance and the cost of it goes up. Do you want to spend the aforementioned cleaning, repairing, securing, and modifying expansive (mostly useless) space or doing something more interesting with your time, energy and money?
That little space I bought gets cleaned with three products + water and I could tend bar or wait tables and pay the mortgage.
Freer is better.
Simpler is freer.
‘Attachment is the origin, the root of suffering; hence it is the cause of suffering.’
– The Dalai Lama at Harvard, 1988, Snow Lion USA, p.37
The first post I read I think, not sure, was the one where you described the day you decided to become a minimalist cleaning out your garage and realizing that this was taking too much precious time. Your blog and book and the minimalist community you started on Facebook have made a huge impact on me. It’s taken a gradual effect, but I was just noting to myself how much I’ve changed over the past few years because of starting on the minimalist path. Thank you for sharing your journey and encouraging me and many others to do the same.
Hello Joshua!
I’m Yvonne Ang, from Singapore.
I first came across your site because I was feeling mentally cluttered… And bring physically cluttered in my environment did not help. I needed some help and your site popped up through the searches.
You were launching the Simplify course- together with your latest book, and it seemed like the right move for me, esp as I was going though a tough time career wise.
Your little blue book has become an inspiration, and I constantly refer to the Simplify site to work on my baby steps. These are difficult, being a hoarder for years.
Being on the Facebook community helped me emotionally though my difficult season, esp as the folks were so unjudging, and supportive.
Now, I am still working on things, and look forward to the Becoming Minimalist emails.
Pls keep up the good work Josh. Thank You for sharing so much with us.
I watched your movie and it was excellent. The entire concept is inspiring to be sure. Keep up the great work. There are so many positives to living with less stuff in your life.
I am in the process of selling my home in the hopes of living with less. I found your site in my search of decluteering and letting go. Love all the inspirational ideas.
I’ve followed you for years, and your approach to minimalism had a huge impact on my own approach as a professional organizer. Although I’ve left that profession, your lessons and philosophy still resonate with me. I especially like that getting rid of clutter makes room for the more important stuff — like spirituality. May God bless and reward you for helping so many!
Hello Joshua,
I have been enjoying your site over the last year.
I had been in search of ways to further simplify my life, and your blog and emails have been so helpful.
Thanks,
Tiffany from montreal
I love becoming a minimalist and your articles and tips and tricks have really helped me do that. This past year I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer. In my downtime, I realized how important people were in my life and not things. I have worked diligently to remove unwanted and unnecessary things from my home. Becoming a Minimalist has changed my life for the better. Thank you.
I am trying to simplify and declutter. I do see all the stress I am bringing to myself. I keep telling myself baby steps….
I am totally inspired by your blogs. I have so much clutter that it becomes hard to function at times,
It sounds like in addition to this wonderful blog you could use flylady.com. Check it out. It helped me a lot to get rid of things I didn’t love or need. She had us run through the house once a week with a garbage bag and throw away 27 things as a first step. It was inspiring. I’m still clutter free ten years down the road. This blog and fly lady will change your life for the better.
I’m from the Midwest, currently living in a too-big house due to my husband’s obsession with “status” & looking the part. I purchased “The More of Less” book to start myself on a more minimalist journey & hope to someday convince him of the joy of owning less of everything too! He has participated in declutering a few small areas so there is hope! I enjoy reading about minimalism & incorporating as much as I can in my life (without causing my husband too much stress at this point). :)
Tell DH that minimalism is the ‘status’ now!