Friday, 11 January 2013

Minimalism


A link my friend Leanne made to Joshua Becker’s blog Becoming a Minimalist kept me reading through an extraordinarily hot summer night. Minimalism intrigues me, clutter stresses me and, in the process of greening, simplifying and decluttering, minimalism seems like a fine goal.

I have minimised Becker’s 100 physical things that can be reduced in your home to the seventy nine that apply to me. I’m going to work through this list within the next year. 

My plan is to whittle one category each week. Some items such as #15, #16 and #58 will take very little time so I’ll double or triple up on such weeks. Items such as #2 and #11 will take considerably longer.
  1. Glassware
  2. Cookbooks
  3. Kitchen gadgets
  4. Kitchen appliances
  5. Pots / pans
  6. Mixing bowls
  7. Tupperware
  8. Water pitchers
  9. Magazines
  10. Newspapers
  11. Books
  12. Over-the-counter medicine
  13. Make-up
  14. Cleaning supplies
  15. Personal beauty appliances (hair dryer/curlers, electric razors)
  16. Bottles of shampoo/conditioner
  17. Photos
  18. Photography supplies
  19. Sewing supplies
  20. Craft supplies
  21. CD’s
  22. DVD’s
  23. Decorative items
  24. Candles
  25. Figurines
  26. Crystal
  27. Vases
  28. Audio/visual components
  29. Audio/visual cables
  30. Computer equipment
  31. MP3 players
  32. Furniture
  33. Shirts / shorts
  34. Pants
  35. Coats
  36. Dresses
  37. Hats
  38. Clothes hangers
  39. Shoes
  40. Winter gear
  41. Jewelry
  42. Purses
  43. Coins
  44. Pillows
  45. Towels
  46. Linen sets
  47. Candle Holders
  48. Televisions
  49. Items on your bulletin board
  50. Magnets
  51. Artwork
  52. Mirrors
  53. Home office supplies
  54. Pens/pencils
  55. Old batteries
  56. Tools
  57. Hardware
  58. Rolls of duct tape
  59. Coolers
  60. Manuals
  61. Phone books
  62. Sporting good supplies
  63. Glass bottles
  64. Automobile fluids
  65. Automobiles
  66. Scrap pieces of lumber
  67. Brooms
  68. Rakes
  69. Shovels
  70. Garden tools
  71. Plant containers
  72. Empty cardboard boxes
  73. Board games
  74. Puzzles
  75. Stuffed animals
  76. Suitcases
  77. Alcohol
  78. Processed foods
  79. Christmas / seasonal decorations
So this week is glassware: let the Minimalism begin.
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10 comments:

  1. Now that sounds like a great way to start.
    Rose the second link is not working properly.
    PS love the new header photo!

    ReplyDelete

  2. Great list Rose.

    My daughter, unlike me lives a minimalist life. I have so much stuff I dont know where to begin. I have done over my bedroom with just the basics left in there, so just need to incorporate it into the rest of the house...

    x

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  3. Good luck Rose....Im hoping that when we finally go ahead with our renovation that it will be the catalyst to let the clutter go...I will either cull as I pack, or pack and then cull when we unpack it all..either way, our house will be bigger, but less will be going back into it....... :)

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  4. Good luck! I'm finding each time I come to an area again (been decluttering/letting go for a few years now)I'm ready to let go of MORE things. I would never of believed I'd only have ONE book shelf for cookbooks GASP.. but I have. AND I feel next time I hit the cookbooks more will go.

    Love Leanne

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  5. Rose, I'm not sure I could function being a minimalist. The second I let go of something you can bet that someone in the house needs that exact thing! I'm not a hoarder (at least not in my definition), but I do need STUFF around me to live life. Take for example #72...we always save boxes for mailing out either soaps or baskets. It would be sooo easy to just throw them all away...but then we'd be stuck without shipping containers when orders come in. I'll admit there are some things on the list that either don't apply to me or I could see donating to a hospital for example (stuffed animals), but in general I don't like to toss things. i think I'll have plenty of things to stock the kids' homes with when they have their own. They'll probably thank me then. :)

    ReplyDelete

  6. I cleaned out two of my large kitchen drawers this morning and tossed out an armful of useless gadgets that had accumulated. I also boxed up some jars (to use for jams etc) and put them out in the shed. I kept a few in the drawer. I'm happy with that!

    Cheer - Joolz

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  7. Oh what a lovely post Rose! I can't wait to explore Joshua Becker's blog, a very nice list you have made. Good luck to you as you go through it this year. I like this idea and can see myself enjoying a list like this. The less I have to take care of the less stress I have. If I don't see it, and don't use it, why have it? :)

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  8. What has helped me (and I am still far, far from being a minimalist) is accepting that this is a process, and not a one-off task. As Leanne says, with every pass through the cookery books you will see more candidates for the charity shop. But the list is a great one and a fantastic starting place.

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  9. Good luck! I always have good intentions, but when it comes to actually getting rid of things, those good intentions are put on the back burner x

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  10. I tried being a minimalist once, but found it wasn't in my DNA. :) But I wish you great luck with your journey and admire your goal! x

    ReplyDelete

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