About 8 years ago, we had four kids ages four and under and we were drowning in stuff. And not just kids’ stuff. Extra clothing, extra kitchen items, extra of every type of item just in case we’d need it someday.

One afternoon I was listening to a podcast called The Art of Simple. Our oldest three were playing and our three month old was asleep on my lap. They had a guest on, Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist and he shared his story of becoming a minimalist. Basically, one weekend he was cleaning his garage and his neighbor said, “Did you know that you don’t have to have all of this stuff?” That was the lightbulb moment for him and me, too. I instantly thought, “We don’t have to have all of this stuff?” And frantically began learning anything that I could about minimalism.

At the time there wasn’t much out there so I vowed that if I ever got my house simplified that I would share about the process and show exactly how many of each item we keep. So about a year later The Minimal Mom was born and it has been such a joy to support others on the same journey.

Two things: 1) a pair of black dress pants 2) a camera charger (I was decluttering and didn’t know what it was for so got rid of it). That’s it. About $30 worth of stuff compared to the thousands of items that we’ve donated.

When you pursue a highly simplified lifestyle, you run the risk of getting rid of stuff that you could use down the road, but for us, the tradeoff has been well worth it.

I honestly don’t remember our stuff and what we used to have. Often when I was decluttering I’d think to myself, “Wow, I completely forgot that I had this.” Whether the things are still in our house or at the donation center, we quickly forget what we have because it’s simply too much to manage. So I can tell you with 100% confidence that I don’t miss it and would never take it back. The peace we have in our home now is too valuable.

You’re not alone! When we look around our homes it’s easy to get stressed! We created a “Getting Started” playlist on YouTube. It helps you to learn about our common terms and tools to get started and to be able to declutter quickly. You can find that here HERE.

This is a very common question! My best encouragement is to first model it to them. Simplify your things and spaces so that they can experience it for themselves. Next, begin to share with them why you’re finding simplifying so beneficial and worthwhile.

Most likely by this point you’ve been learning quite a bit about minimalism or simple living and have developed a value for it, but they haven’t been on the same journey. Begin to share some of your favorite ideas and reasonings with them so that they can better understand it.

Lastly, ask them if you can help them “organize” their spaces. The word “declutter” usually has negative and unknown connotations, but everyone wants to be more organized. As you help them organize you can usually help them declutter, too!