“There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little.” —Jackie French Koller
From the moment we’re born, we’re told to pursue more. Advertisements from every television, radio, newspaper, magazine, billboard, and website scream to us on a daily basis that more is better. As a result, we work hard hours so that we can spend countless dollars purchasing the biggest homes, fanciest cars, trendiest fashions, most popular toys, and coolest technologies.
But we all know it’s not true. We all know, deep-down, that happiness can not be bought at a department store—more is not necessarily better. We’ve just been told the lie so many times we begin to believe it.
But what if, in reality, there is actually more joy in pursuing minimalist living and intentionally living with less?
That truth would change almost everything about us. It would change the way we spend our hours, our energy, and our money. It would change where we focus our attention and our minds. It would change the very foundation of our lives. And if it were true, it would free us up to pursue the things in life that we most value. In other words, minimalist living would be a life-changing and life-giving realization.
Unfortunately, for some, the idea of minimalism is just too counter-intuitive. It’s an approach to life they have never been introduced to or have never been invited to explore. The benefits of minimalist living have never been articulated. As a result, it’s too far a leap… too long a stretch… and jumping in with both feet is just not going to happen.
But maybe there’s an easier way than jumping in with both feet.. maybe living as a minimalist can just be sampled for a bit. Oh, one may not experience all the benefits that are afforded to those who jump in with both feet, but they just may taste enough to continue along the journey.
To that end, allow me to offer 7 areas of life where living with less can be sampled. They are designed to be picked one-by-one, risk-free. Conducting each experiment for 3-4 weeks will give a good feel for the practical benefits of minimalist living, but hey, it’s your experiment. You decide the length.
7 Ways to Sample Minimalist Living and Living With Less
1. Clothes.
According to statistics, we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. That means that many of us have closets full of clothes that we no longer like or no longer fit us correctly. They are just taking up space.
The simple exercise of going through your closet and removing all unused clothing leaves your closet lighter, your mornings less stressful, and your wardrobe full of things you love. Give your lighter wardrobe 30 days to work its magic… you’ll never miss those unused clothes.
2. Decorations.
Many of the decorations in our homes hold no personal value to our lives. They just simply happened to match the color of the carpet or be on sale when we walked into the store. Unfortunately, they are distracting you and your guests from the decorations in your home that share your story and highlight your values.
Take a moment to walk through your home with a discerning eye. Leave only the decorations that are the most meaningful and the most beautiful. Your home will begin to share your story in a beautiful way. And your old decorations will likely end up on sale at your next garage sale.
3. Toys.
Too often, we fall into the line of thinking that says more is better… and so do our kids. We begin to purchase and collect far too many toys for our children. As a result, our children have no need to learn how to be creative, helpful, careful, or sharing. In that regard, fewer toys may benefit your kids in numerous ways.
Although you may want to consult your children before you relocate their unused toys, there’s a pretty good chance that after only a few weeks the old, unused toys will be forgotten (except by whoever used to pick them all up).
4. Cooking Utensils.
There never seems to be enough storage space in our kitchens. Yet most of our grandmothers cooked far more often, far more elaborately, and far better than many of us today… in much smaller kitchens. The truth is that when it comes to cooking, simple is almost always better. We need far less cooking utensils than we currently own. As a result, our drawers, cabinets, and countertops can be far better organized and useful if we simply owned less.
To give this experiment a shot, check out this article from the New York Times: A No Frills Kitchen Still Cooks. Then, store all your unnecessary utensils in a plastic bin, put them away out of sight, and see if you just enjoy cooking a little bit more in your new, clutter-free environment.
5. Televisions.
According to Nielsen, the average person watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television each day. And the average American home now has more television sets than people. That threshold was crossed within the past two years. There are 2.73 TV sets in the typical home and 2.55 people. In the average American home, a television set is turned on for more than a third of the day — 8 hours, 14 minutes to be exact.
We are literally sitting on the couch while life passes us by. Experiment with owning less televisions. As a result, you will watch less. And when you do, you will be more apt to do it together as a family.
6. Counter-tops.
Clutter is a form of distraction. It pulls at our attention and redirects our thoughts – even for just an instant. Everything sitting out on your countertops competes for your attention. Unfortunately, we have become so accustomed to these distractions that we don’t even notice them anymore… until they are removed.
Experiment, even for just 7 days, with keeping your countertops completely clear. Store things in drawers, cabinets, pantries, or temporary storage boxes. After one week, you’ll likely return some of it for the sake of convenience, but I’d bet my bottom dollar that you won’t return all of it.
7. Furniture.
It may require some heavy-lifting, but if you’re up for the challenge, removing excess furniture from your rooms will immediately open up significant space and airflow in your home. The rarely-used pieces of furniture in your home are quickly recognizable and taking up more space than you realize.
Oh sure, this experiment requires a place to store your furniture during the trial period, but it’s a quick and easy way to remove some of the largest clutter from your home.
Breaking it down like this makes minimalist living seem a lot more approachable. There is no speed requirement of how fast you have to pare down your belongings. No deadline to living with less.
Start as comfortably as you’d like.
Lindy Bean says
Oh, yes. Gotta get rid of all the stuff magneted to the refigerator. Are you with me there friends? And goodbye to most of those old snapshots, articles, cards, calendars and kiddie “art.” Why should I be tied to the past? often it’s someone else’s past anyhow. (Family “heirloom” stuff is an especially tricky snare.)
And one more comment: I hate tripping over things, I love space–so what is this junk doing in my life, in my home. This blog has me looking very critically at some of my in-the-way furniture.
Emily J says
I’m committing myself to get rid of something everyday for 30 days, and this was perfect to read on day3 of my challenge. It’s getting easier to toss things and helpful when I do just a little at a time. Doesn’t seem as stressful or that it will never get done. I’ve had an end table sitting near my entryway for over 2 years now and was going to sell it. I started piling it with other things I was going to sell, and eventually got rid of those things but never the table. It’s sort of in the way, doesn’t really serve a purpose, and after reading this post I’m completely ok with getting rid of it. Good thing tomorrow is bulk trash pick up day.
Kirsten says
I love the idea of “trialing” simpler living.
I have tried this with a whole lot of puzzles that I’d been keeping around because they still use them occasionally and also because my last child hasn’t got to them yet. It felt so great to clean up the shelves and not have to agonise over which to keep and which to get rid of. As it happens, one of the ones I put away has been asked for and come back out. The rest are waiting for me to look in that box and probably retain and few for my 2 year old, and get rid of the rest.
I am going to talk to my kids about trialling two things – less toys, and less clothes. Where they really struggle with the idea of giving away toys, I think they might be more accepting of putting them in a box for a month and seeing what happens – *and* that way we can get rid of a lot more at once, which will make more of a difference. And I will probably do better with getting rid of clothes this way too! Thanks, great post!
indigo lopezi says
Dear joshua becker,
So if i western union you the $800 into where ? you minimalism church will help cure
my sick father i sent the rest of my other money I think my father is a little better it’s amazing you can cure the cancer i can sell my family’s silverware as well or i can send this to you ,did jesus speak to you again?
Erica says
Thank you for posting the article about the kitchen. I know we are definitely fond of gadgets, but after we moved across the country (also to AZ, from NY) we learned to give up most of them. We do utilize our convection oven, rice cooker and crock pot a great deal though, we have found that they not only use less electricity than the ancient oven we have, but they don’t heat up the house either.
I’m going to have to try your countertop thing this week!
Sherri Dunham | The Budding Lotus says
Before my husband and I moved to Costa Rica, we really pared down our belongings in preparation for a minimalist move. We loved it so much that we wouldn’t wait to get on with the move so that we could get rid of nearly everything! Even if we hadn’t moved to Costa Rica, we still would have gone in the direction of minimalism. Getting rid of stuff was about as addicting as the process of accumulation, but better. :-)
Delena says
Hi Joshua, I have just discovered your site (via Daily Health Boost) and I am loving what you are doing here! I’m putting you on my blogroll and look forward to promoting you blog in the near future. (I’ll let you know when I do.) My blog promotes ‘making do’, repurposing, living a simple life… I love how you provide concrete ways that people can start living with less right now. Take care! Delena
Tucker says
Joshua-
I am interested in your thoughts on food itself. Have you and your family pared down, streamlined what you put on your table? I find that I have become overwhelmed by the number of choices at the grocery store and on menus when eating out. I appreciate being able to get exactly what I want, but feel disappointed that I cannot be content with fewer choices. The American “bigger and more” mindset has warped our brains. I bought smaller dinner plates to encourage smaller portions. My current quest is to declutter my food cupboards and meals.
Jo@simplybeingmum says
Tucker – may I interject? Food is the one area I have successfully minimized… other areas I am still working on. My main piece of advice is to meal plan. Only buy what you need for 7 days if at all possible, and use the lot up. We don’t live in a world of scarcity, so unless there is a very valid reason to hold food stocks (such as being at threat of being isolated due to extreme weather – or something similar) then you can manage with a ‘lean’ supply in the cupboard, fridge and freezer. I’ve been doing this week in week out for 12 months, and not only have I reduced my grocery budget by 50% at 37 years old I believe I may be in the best shape of my life… p.s – tiny fridges work well to keep you on track!
clothespin says
I’ve recently dramatically downsized in living arrangements, including the kitchen. And while I think it is a great idea to have a weeks worth of working food items, the idea of going without a back up smacks of irresponsibility. Yes, we live in a world of abundance, BUT we are at the whims of companies to provide this. During normal day to day life, the stores have enough food and other items that we need not worry about finding the basics. However, during pending disasters… this is NOT the case.
During the Katrina/Rita hurricane disaster, my medium sized city was under direct threat of being hit by the storm (despite being hundreds of miles inland). Within a DAY the store shelves were totally empty. The gas stations drained and there was not a flashlight or battery to be had in the city. Those of us who had a decent stash of canned goods and emergency items were never worried,
As disasters like this can often not be predicted (earth quakes, wild fires, tornadoes…) the prudent person keeps on hand a 2 week stash of food for the family, batteries, water, toilet paper, medicines, pet food… This can certainly be kept in a storage box someplace else, but please have it. And, once a year, rotate out the batteries and food so that your stash stays fresh. Emergency services are not capable of providing for everyone when the sky falls!
This is certainly within minimalist ideas – you minimize the need to get assistance from others when the sky does fall. As one who has recently gone through a massive disaster… well, be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.
Denise says
My thoughts exactly. Also clothing and diapers (if necessary) in a “go-bag”.
Living the Balanced Life says
Great ideas Joshua! I find that many of these areas is an ongoing journey. I get rid of some things, and then a few months later I realize I have done just fine and find a few more things to get rid of. My closet is almost to the point of only things I love to wear, which makes getting dressed SO much easier!
Love the book too!
Bernice
8 ways to reduce stress this holiday season
Sara says
This article is fantastic! Last June my husband and I decided to downsize so I could take a job with a non-profit and so we could get out of our massive student loan debt. We decided to move to a 330 sq.foot studio and this blog has helped me tremendously with living simpler and paring down my crap. I’m still working on one last box but we have unloaded 3/4 of our earthly possessions and we feel freer than ever before! We even opted for a smaller fridge and as a result my husband and I walk everyday to the grocery store and get exercise and get to catch up on our day. We saved so much money that are going to start making double student loan payments so we can get out of debt even faster! Thank you!!!
Anna says
hi – love this comment. I’m about to move into a 300 square foot studio – from a 650 square foot one! I’m decluttering and simplifying every day.
If you any more tips re: moving into a very small space – and how to make it work best – I’d appreciate it.