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Minimalism at home is about more than just an Instagram aesthetic featuring ivory walls, bare shelves, and pristine closets. Beyond decluttering, minimalism embraces simplicity and focuses on what truly sparks joy and adds value to everyday life.
If you’ve ever had a messy roommate or struggled with your own clutter, you know how much it can weigh on your mind. When I am in a cluttered environment, I find it hard to concentrate and feel motivated.
To compile this list, I visited some online forums dedicated to minimalist lifestyles and drew from my own personal experience. It was interesting to learn about different clutter problem areas people struggle with and which they don’t. Either way, this list will help you identify areas in your life you can look at to start living a more minimalist lifestyle. After you’ve read through the items on this list, I always recommend getting started with a good, old-fashioned purge.
1. Bills, Bills, Bills
Embrace the paperless lifestyle. Start by throwing out those random receipts that take up space in drawers, purses, and wallets. Keep only physical copies of valuable documents—create digital copies, too!
2. Still Planning for 2023?
Stop accumulating old planners. Instead, ritualize transferring important information into a new agenda every year. To reduce paper waste, use online resources like Notion, Google Calendar, and Trello to keep track of appointments and deadlines.
3. No Lid, No Tupperware
Bid farewell to the avalanche of lids and containers that topple out whenever a kitchen cabinet door is opened. Stay safe by tossing out mismatched, stained, or chipped plastic containers.
4. Banana Slicers and Snow-Cone Makers
Everyone has a drawer full of single-use, specialty gadgets that rarely see the light of day. However, the reality is that kitchen utensils are only helpful if they are regularly put to use. Think critically and be honest: does anyone really need an asparagus steamer?
5. I Heart NY Coffee Mugs
A beloved coffee mug is a fundamental part of a good morning ritual—often, the same cup gets used day after day. This begs the question: why own twenty other mugs? Free up cabinet space by paring the collection down to a reasonable number.
6. Keep Your Pantry and Fridge Free of Harmful Products
No kitchen cleanout is complete without checking the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer for products you won’t use. Old spices and expired condiments are the most frequent culprits, but punctured or rusted metal cans are the most dangerous. Improperly canned foods can house a fatal toxin known as botulism. Dispose of any unnecessary items to ensure a safe and clean kitchen environment.
7. Curating a Capsule Wardrobe
Let go of clothes that have not been worn in the past year or no longer fit. Focus instead on curating a wardrobe full of good-quality, versatile pieces that make getting dressed a breeze.
8. Pro Tip: Sort by Categories
Instead of cleaning out the entire closet in one go, sort through clothing in stages. Start decluttering by categories: pants, then tops, then sweaters, and so forth. Not only does this prevent cleaning fatigue, but it also breaks down the process into more manageable, bite-sized stages.
9. Clear out That Old Makeup Bag
Most makeup products last between six months to two years after opening. The mascara should be replaced every three to six months. Expired products are more than just a waste of counter space; they can also contain harmful bacteria that can result in skin irritation, acne, and styes.
10. An Excess of Linens
From college to an apartment, from an apartment to a family home—the linen closet only grows with every move. Limit the collection of towels and sheets to a practical number and consider donating the extras to a local shelter.
11. The Most Expensive Coat Rack
If the treadmill or stationary bike has become a coat rack, it might be time to let it go. Opt for exercises that require minimal equipment or utilize outdoor spaces. The best exercise routine is always the one that actually gets done.
12. Crochet, Candle-Making, and Collecting
During lockdown, everyone suddenly had the time to pick up a new hobby. Now, many desk drawers have become a graveyard for abandoned craft supplies. Consider donating these to someone who will use them.
13. Obsolete Electronics
Get rid of old chargers, broken headphones, and outdated electronics. There is no reason to own a VHS collection in 2024 unless the goal is to preserve these technologies as findings for future archaeologists.
14. Go through Unused Phone Apps
Digital clutter can be just as overwhelming as physical clutter. Start by deleting unused apps to free up storage and simplify the layout of that home screen. Use folders to organize them by categories and reduce time spent unnecessarily scrolling.
15. Too Many Subscriptions
In the United States, 86% of households pay for more than one streaming service—and 47% pay for streaming services they do not use. Over time, multiple subscriptions add up to hundreds of dollars a year. Save money by cutting down on unused streaming services.
16. Reclaim Phone Storage
If the number of emails has more than two digits, the time has come to clean out the inbox. The same goes for the camera roll, where screenshots, videos, and selfies take up an almost criminal amount of phone storage.
17. Bye, Bye Tylenol
Everything expires, even medications and first-aid supplies. Check use-by dates on all items in the medicine cabinet, especially prescription medications. Most expired medications become less effective and are not worth keeping.
18. Empty out the Junk Drawer
All houses have a designated drawer full of miscellaneous items—the final destination for kitchen scissors, takeout menus, and random bits of string. Clear the junk drawer, wipe it down, and find everything inside a designated spot. If the item does not seem to belong anywhere, that is because it belongs in the trash.
19. Baby Blankets and College T-Shirts
Having a life well-lived often means accumulating stuff. However, hoarding a collection of high school trophies is not necessarily the best way to remember the good times. Take the opportunity to carefully sift through keepsakes, explore ways to repurpose or digitally store them as photos, or even consider passing them on to someone else.
20. Going Step-By-Step
Embracing a minimalist lifestyle is a journey, and there is no shame in taking it one step at a time. Decluttering is only the first half of the process. Eventually, letting go of unnecessary items will also create room for a more intentional and fulfilling life.
18 Valuable Items Foolishly Thrown Away Daily
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure—this adage holds true when we consider the surprising items that often end up in the trash bin. From seemingly mundane objects to antique relics, some discarded items have far more value than we realize. Here are 18 high-value items that people unwittingly dispose of every day.
12 Keys to Embracing a Frugal Lifestyle
To some, living a frugal lifestyle might be sessions of extreme couponing. For others, never paying full price for anything could be a commitment. But what does it mean to live a frugal lifestyle? Are there general rules to follow, or is there an assortment of ideas you cherry-pick from? The first step is to understand what living frugally really means.
- Read More: 12 Keys to Embracing a Frugal Lifestyle
