Minimalism – what I learned from getting rid of 34 items

June is over and our household lived with a focus on minimalism the entire month. I issued a challenge to the whole family to get rid of one item every day for an entire month. Our oldest has some hoarder traits and has a special bond with almost all her toys. We had good talks about how someone else can get very happy by receiving your used toys or maybe you can buy something new.

I spent some time pondering where I first heard about minimalism and finally found this post from Leo at Zenhabits.net.

The list is:

• Ice cream machine
• 5 books
• 10 hard drives
• Waffle iron
• Spare NAS
• Chicken holder for the grill
• Baby nest
• Gardening bench
• Baby seat
• Nature sway
• 5 toys
• Keyboard
• Sound card
• Clothing for new born
• Laptop
• Bedside crib
• Clothes I haven’t worn in a long time

The rules for minimalism!

The household appliances were easily disposable, some have been used fewer times than years we’ve owned them. The ice cream machine is the best (or worst) example. It was an impulse purchase a warm spring day during a clearance sale.

Rule number 1: Use the 72 hour purchase rule. If a sudden urge to buy something expensive appears, go home and wait 72 hours (you’re allowed to do other things). If the need for the ice cream machine is still relevant on a rainy day (or snowy, damn unpredictable weather in Denmark) go for it. Otherwise you just saved some space and a lot of hard earned money.

We clean out our closets a few times a year. Primarily to make room for new clothes. Once we found a pair of grey slim-fit jeans (that no longer fit me) with the tag still on. Same goes for colorful shirts that no longer suits my style and would cause quite the stares if I wore them to work.

Rule number 2: A purchase must have a defined first use date. Someday is not good enough and being a daredevil with my looks doesn’t justify buying a ridiculous shirt.

Old hardware and baby gear was up next. My better half is really good at selling and buying used baby gear through an app called Reshopper. Especially useful during the baby year where nothing gets really worn before the baby moves on to the next step. We like the idea of recycling instead of buying and throwing out, all while keeping expenses to a minimum.

Rule number 3: Evaluate your possessions regularly. Once the baby outgrows the bedside crip, sell it. Once your old computer is replaced with newer technology, throw away the old technology. Besides LPs, I haven’t seen a resurgence of technology and our kids leaving the bedroom is a one-way street. Twice a year we aim to go through our cluttered home to bring back some order and space.