Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

It's Memorial Day in the U.S., which is usually considered the beginning of summer. School's out, or nearly so, and everyone is thinking about longer, warmer days, vacations, and plenty of time to play, relax, and maybe even complete some projects we've been promising ourselves to get to "someday." Someday is here! I know you're probably looking forward to summer days spent lounging by the pool, picnicking in the park, or hiking through the forest. You aren't imagining a marathon cleanup at home. Yet I have never met anyone who regrets having given their home a thorough clean and at least a light declutter. In fact, they value and appreciate the results. Once they actually get busy and start to see the effects, they don't want to stop. They're proud of their accomplishment and enjoy the outcome. Now, I don't love cleaning. It's never first on my list for "what should we do for fun today?" It's certainly a grungy, tiring, endle

Now that I've written almost 490 posts for Maximum Gratitude Minimal Stuff , I'm in the process of revising my older writing.  And some of those older posts are quite useful. But many of you are newer readers and have never seen posts that were written in 2018, 2019, or even last summer or fall.  And if you've been a faithful reader for quite a while ( thank you , by the way), you've probably forgotten.  I wrote the stuff, and I've forgotten parts of it! It's worth visiting what we've written, read, or thought before, as both a reminder and for new insights.  So on selected Thursdays, instead of posting new content, I'm going to direct you toward posts of the past that I think are worth a re-read. Minimalism should be more mainstream than it is.  After all, we're all looking for happiness.  And minimalism is about removing what you don't need and what gets in the way so you have more room, time, money, and energy for what you really care about –

My dad saved film canisters of old Laurel and Hardy movies, thinking they'd be valuable someday. Nope. My mom saved piles of costume jewelry, thinking my sister and I (or our daughters) would want them. Nope. It used to be common for parents to pass furniture, china, silver, and other "family heirlooms" to their children, and some Baby Boomers are no doubt planning to do the same. In reality, these pieces may be more of a burden than a blessing for heirs, who do not want them and need to somehow dispose of them. You thought wrong. It might be hard to learn that most of the stuff we value isn't valuable . Even the things we worry about the most, the things we think are so good that we hardly use them for fear of breaking or staining them, have little or no resale value. The market has been flooded with castoffs such as china cabinets, entertainment centers, tea sets, crystal, collectible figurines, and more. Millennials, the next generation of buyers, don't want th

There's a reason you decluttered, and it's not so you could let clutter take over again. Maintenance is every bit as important as decluttering in the first place. I'm not an extreme minimalist, but my husband and I live very comfortably in our 800-square-foot apartment, with three young grandsons who visit and play there regularly and even stay overnight sometimes. We own art and books and have hobbies and toys, but it's all very manageable. It's easy to clean, and it's comfortable and welcoming when we come home or if we relax around the house for an evening or the weekend. If you long to create your own minimalist home, it's important to realize that living with less requires a shift in mindset. If you don't change the way you think and feel about possessions, you won't stay clutter-free for long. Meanwhile, here are maintenance tips I've found helpful, with some that might surprise you. Related article:  How to Think Like a Minimalist   6 main

We hang on to clothes that clutter our closets for all the wrong reasons.   I'm in my early 60's.  As far as clothing sizes go, I've worn everything from a size 5 (briefly) to a 3XL.  I can relate to someone's desire to hold on to their skinny clothes until they fit again.  After all, you spent good money for them.  They remind you of your younger days, and they're still in good condition.  Yes, I know all the excuses. Home organizer Bonnie Borromeo Tomlinson is blunt about it: Hands down, the number-one reason most clients hold onto clothes that they no longer wear is the agonizingly inaccurate "incentive" mentality – the holding onto of clothes, one-to-several sizes too small, as inspiration to get thin.  It's a popular tool, and one that rarely if ever actually works.  Of all the motivational measures you may find to lose weight, this isn't it. The awful truth In the meantime, that old pair of jeans is working against you.  Consider the self-tor

Now that I've written more than 480 posts for Maximum Gratitude Minimal Stuff , I'm in the process of revising my older writing. And some of those older posts are quite useful. But many of you are newer readers and have never seen posts that were written in 2018, 2019, or even last summer or fall. And if you've been a faithful reader for quite a while ( thank you , by the way), you've probably forgotten. I wrote the stuff, and I've forgotten parts of it. It's worth visiting what we've written, read, or thought before, as both a reminder and for new insights. So on selected Thursdays, instead of posting new content, I'm going to direct you toward posts of the past that I think are worth a re-read. For Mother's Day, I've rounded up posts about establishing habits, having fun at home, taming toy clutter, and the importance of protecting children from rampant consumerism. Even if your own kids are grown, you might want to pass these posts along to s

One of the biggest concerns about minimalism is the worry that we'll declutter something we wind up needing later. It's why we hang on to twice (or more) of the dishes, tools, or clothes we actually use. When it comes to keeping things we don't need, "just in case" might be the most tempting rationale of all. But it's a little like an alcoholic's "Just one more" or an unfaithful partner's "Just this once." It's the top of a slippery slope . An extra bottle of hand soap, some canned food, and spare rolls of toilet paper are useful and appreciated during a power outage or a bad storm. But when do extras become something more than a convenient supply? When does "just in case" go beyond practicality and tip into fear? 3 warning signs to watch for 1. The extras number beyond common sense. If you have eight sets of sheets for your bed, 27 Tupperware containers, and a gross of ballpoint pens "just in case," you'

There's yet another "personal storage facility" being built in a nearby town. This one has a tower in the center and palm trees around the perimeter fence. It looks like a small Mediterranean walled town with a citadel. Not only is it a rather exotic design for a storage place, it's only about 1/2 mile down the road from another, older one. What is this craziness? Did you know that in the U.S. there are more than twice as many storage centers as high schools? There are more storage centers than McDonalds and Starbucks combined ? Did you know personal storage is one of the fastest-growing sectors of real estate investment ? What's more, storage centers are where people turn when their garages, basements, attics, and yard sheds are already full. Now, if you can't park your car in the garage, you're kind of missing the point. But if you're paying for additional storage space for stuff you don't have room for (or even need, obviously , because it's