Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

A minimalist home is more than a neutral color scheme, modern furniture, and perfect organization.  It starts with looking inward and thinking about what you love so those things can be reflected in your surroundings.  As Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist says, "Minimalism is the intentional promotion of what we most value by removing anything that distracts from it." That's a good thing, because even though I'm a minimalist, and my home has neutral, warm white walls, my color scheme includes navy blue, apple green, and sunflower yellow.  I use my parents' 60-year-old Early American maple dresser every day, and decorate with vintage blue and white English ironstone. Be intentional. Minimalism isn't about owning the fewest things or about adopting a severe, utilitarian aesthetic.  It's about knowing what you need and letting go of things you don't.  You're rewarded with a more open space that leaves room for people instead of things, allowing yo...

As we enter the New Year, we start thinking about what we want the upcoming days to hold.  Many people make resolutions for self-improvement, and even if you choose not to codify your desires in that way, you probably still have some.  Maybe you want to lose weight, gain physical fitness, or save for a trip.  Whatever you're planning, the idea of a fresh start is exciting and hopeful. I've seen criticisms of minimalism that insist that it dampens your sense of progress and any desire you might have to grow and achieve beyond what you currently have.  One post I read by blogger Jack Waters included this reproach: Wanting things is the fabric that holds our society together.  If I don't want the promotion, or the better house, or the Porsche, then what am I working towards? His complaint is that if minimalism makes you satisfied with less, you stagnate.  By controlling desires and being comfortable with a simpler life, he argues, humans would cease creating....

My oldest grandson just had his 10th birthday.  Double digits!  It's a milestone.  His younger brother lost his first tooth not too long ago.  And the youngest of all is so proud that he's now out of diapers. Change is the one constant in life.  It's the one thing we can count on. Some changes are within our choice, such as beginning a new habit, starting a new job, buying a bigger house or downsizing to a smaller one.  Others are out of our control, such as births, illness, aging, or economic booms and downturns.  But even when circumstances are not of our choosing, we still decide how we'll respond and what our attitude will be. Of course, not all change is progress.  Many people immediately assume that any new technology or social movement must be an improvement, but that's not always the case.  Others assume that new trends or innovations are inevitably bad – which is also untrue. A new job can mean more opportunities and higher pay, but ...

Did you know that the second Friday in January has been dubbed "Quitter's Day"?  This year, that's January 9th.  The timing is rooted in the observation that most people abandon their New Year's resolutions by this date.  It's the date when initial enthusiasm fades and actual commitment and discipline become necessary. What will 2026 look like for you?  Instead of making elaborate resolutions that you'll probably fail at, try something that gives you more focus and more chance of success. I don't say this judgmentally, because I've failed as often as anyone.  So I want to talk about how to get past Quitter's Day and find success with some important goals in the New Year. Change the meaning Instead of letting Quitter's Day mean defeat, why not see it as a checkpoint to recommit to your goals?  And to make those goals achievable, let's streamline them and figure out how to reset our intentions over and over. What I find helps in achieving...

Welcome to the final post of 2025!  This is #104 for the year, and #753 for the blog, all created by me over the past 7+ years. Once again, I'm so grateful to you , my readers.  Nearly 90,000 of you visit each month, and there are 50% more of you subscribing compared to last year at this time. I also appreciate those of you who take the extra time to email me directly (karen@maximumgratitudeminimalstuff.com).  Not only are you kind and supportive, but you often bring up interesting points I haven't considered, which inspires me to think, research, and write some more.  Thank you so much!  It's wonderful to join with you on the journey toward a simpler life. I'm also thankful to all of you who purchase items I recommend and link to on Amazon.  Since I haven't allowed ads on this site, I count on the small commissions I receive every time you make a purchase.  They add up!  I never link to anything I wouldn't buy and use myself, so I'm happy to pass...

My dad was a history buff, so I'm pretty sure my interest comes from him.  I always think of him at this time of year, since his birthday was the day after Christmas.  When I was a kid, we always put away all holiday decorations (except for the tree) on the morning of December 26th so we could have birthday balloons instead.  Apparently, my dad's birthday was never really celebrated when he was young because of its proximity to Christmas, and my mom wanted to make up for that. If you're at all interested in history, and especially the way it applies and informs us today, don't miss the limited series Death by Lightning on Netflix, with fantastic performances by Michael Shannon, Nick Offerman, and English actor Matthew Macfadyen, who manages to sound convincingly like a Midwesterner. Shannon portrays the reluctant 20th U.S. President James Garfield , a Civil War general and U.S. representative from Ohio, who was staunchly anti-slavery and pro-suffrage.  Perhaps if hi...