Thank you for watching! Minimalism by the Numbers: A Detailed Inventory of a Minimalist Home -- find the printable worksheets here: cli.re/Minimalism-Inventory A $5 donation will go to Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala. To learn more, click here: www.theminimalmom.com/minimalism-by-the-numbers WHAT THE PRINTABLE INCLUDES: - 29 Full Color PDF Download - 16 pages of household inventory - Numbers based on "Minimalist", "Simple" & "Cozy" living - Spaces to record your current inventory & goals - Extra tips for decluttering ALL proceeds benefit Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala & their solar project...thank you for your support! - Dawn
@@maribelquesada5651 In my house, dish towels dry the dishes and the dish cloths wash the dishes. That is so funny I've never thought about someone using different terminology than that.
When I found your videos a month ago, I thought you were crazy to have so few dishes! I came home last week from work, my husband and 13 year old had been home all day. Not only did they not attempt to do any of the mountain of dishes, the 13 year old used SIX water cups 😂. I grabbed a tote and now we have one plate, bowl etc for each person. I left two water glasses, everything else is in quarantine. It has been liberating!! Love you and your channel! Thank you Dawn!!
I would not have done the dishes, I would have left them there. I did that with my ex husband and his children he had 4, I was working 2 jobs . Came home found a sink full and counters full of dishes. No one did anything all day. I left them. I turned around went back out, went and got myself dinner came home. They wanted dinner, I said well go cook it. They weren't happy that I wouldn't cook or clean up after them.
One morning I started to wash the dishes (no dishwasher). In the sink were 14, yes 14 spoons. There's only me and my husband!! He's just as bad with coffee mugs, glasses, plates, cutlery etc etc. So, I removed it all and left only 2 of everything. Two coffee mugs, spoons, knives, forks etc. NOW my husband has to rinse or wash something if he wants to use it again. It's a great system. I have hidden the rest of the stuff around the house in case we have visitors. I'm loathe to tell him where they are.
Yes! I have begun to store many of our extras (with just two of us here) and have found that when there's no clean glasses and the dishwasher hasn't been filled up enough to be run, my husband just washes a glass...kind of funny I hadn't realized we're already on this track! Not yet down to 1-2 dishes per person, but since adjusting, RARELY have I been overwhelmed by dishes in the sink and it is simply glorious 🙏🏻
So true - there are so many things I’m getting rid of that I now know I didn’t really need it! During lockdown Amazon deliveries increased drastically and stayed him but just recently it’s rare I buy anything….the postman rarely calls at my house!
I watched another vlogger who had a video titled organizing and decluttering her kitchen. She had so much stuff and hardly did any decluttering but spent hours organizing. She admitted how stressed out she was and even had to stop the video because she couldn't do it all. What a difference and what a breath of fresh air you are❤
Before I found minimalism I thought i needed to just organize better. I kept buying containers and giant furniture hutches and stuff. Now I’m getting rid of so much that i have so many empty containers, the giant $780 hutch i bought is now empty. It’s incredible. Someone should tell that TH-camr to do a deep dive into minimalism to make some sort of version of it work for them.
@@ElisabetTX she does have a large family. I only watched about 10 minutes and could see it wasn’t anything I needed. Like you, I have lots of empty spaces. My kitchen has 18 empty cabinets. It feels so good.
@@debbyjo123 … i went on to watch some of it and wondered how many kids she has because sooo many plates. We have 3 kids under 4.5 so i get it. Man i feel her so much.
A phrase came to my mind at the end: "Manage little so you can live a lot." When I consider the mind-boggling amount of time (and money) I've spent packing and unpacking, moving and moving something again, just to eventually get rid of it...I realize that I've been spending precious time dealing with stuff instead of enjoying my life. As I've purged and seen some benefits, I recognize the real reward of having less stuff is that I have the mental and physical bandwidth to have more fun! Thanks, Dawn!
I learned that lesson many years ago!!! One set of sheets per bed - wash them and put them back on!! I have a couple of spare flat sheets and about 4 extra pillow cases to use in an emergency but that's it.
@@mollym5587 i used to have flannelette sheets for winter, cotton ones for summer. Until i found out about bamboo sheets! I have 3 pairs, but i only change to a different pair if i want a different colour, or if it rains so much i can't get the sheets dry. (I line-dry my washing). They are expensive, but i got all mine at 50%off sales, which made them JUST affordable. They are the most comfortable sheets I've ever slept on.
I have one set of sheets for my master bed. I had 2, but one set was getting old and I let it go. Now my cat is having issues (vomiting on the bed sometimes) and I am sometimes washing sheets at 10 PM. Time for another set. Yes, we are working with the vet to try to figure this out. She seems super energetic and happy. She just throws up a couple of times a week.
OK... I never comment, but I've been a subscriber for a couple of years. Finally, our dishwasher broke and I had an epiphany! We had too many dishes TO GET DIRTY. That's all they were for...just having more that could be dirty while we move on to clean ones. WHY?! That's so nuts! So three months ago I put most of our dishes away into an inconvenient storage space (call it "time will tell"). Well, time has already told. I NEVER get overwhelmed by my kitchen sink anymore. We have four plates and two bowls and it is ridiculously life changing. 😂 Next step... Laundry!
I have been on a decluttering mission for a few years now, whenever I get stuck I come back to your videos. You are the kindest person with such wonderful, forgiving advice. You make the difficult decisions easier. I know that's your aim and it 100% works. I love your nature and your advice and always feel like you genuinely have our best interests at heart. I look at photos from even 5 years ago of my kids that have the lounge in view and realise how far I've come. Thank you so much, just wanted to let you know how much of a positive impact you've had and also that your kindness nearly brings me to tears when I'm so hard on myself that I can't keep on top of it or beating myself up about mess. It's like having a friend over when I need it, so thank you again!
Dawn you are awesome. I don't watch your videos anymore, but it's for a very very good reason - my house is at such a good place that I don't even need to really think about minimalism anymore! I decluttered and watched your videos until it just "clicked" as Joshua Becker says. Thank you very much for your message!
A few years ago, we did the dishes thing. Everyone in our family got their own color of plate/bowl/cup and their own style of silverware (one spoon, one fork, and one knife). If your stuff was dirty, that's on you and you can wash it before you use it again. There was no question about who was and wasn't doing their stuff :) Since then my teens have moved out, but we maintain the same system because it's so so easy!
I’d thought of using the color-coding system with my own kids in the future, but I hadn’t thought of using different styles of utensils for each person. Thank you! I will be adding that to what I do when the time comes.
I keep hoping to come home and find my house decluttered. It never happens but there is always hope. LOL My daughter was just home for a visit and we decluttered the kitchen, laundry room and pantry. It has made such a difference to have room to put things away. I can't wait for her next visit!
Ok everyone.. pray for me. I’m DOING THIS. I have 9 kids and pregnant with blessing number 10. I’m getting rid of the junk. I can’t take it. I want time with my family. Laundry is my worst enemy! Next will be kitchen declutter. I need willpower!
The more I follow along and simplify my home, the more I realize I'm very much a maximilist in lots of ways. 😂 As the day-to-day "stuff" becomes manageable, I find myself growing my houseplant collection (51 now) or curating gallery walls in different rooms. Getting rid of the *unnecessary excess* has freed up brain space for what I call my "delightful excess". ❤ Thanks for being such a great motivator!
Yes, exactly! My husband likes to collect leather books, and we had a huge bookshelf built for them that covers a whole wall. But the rest of our house is plain and bare because we like being minimalist. 😊
Ah I just love your videos! I started watching your channel in the beginning of 2021 and started going through my apt and decluttering as much as I could. Fast forward a year later, we moved with a one week notice. If I had not found your channel and done all that decluttering in the last year there's no way I could have packed our entire home up in a week. All our belongings fit into our SUV and sedan when we moved. We didn't even rent a U-Haul. Now we live in a 43' RV with two littles and it doesn't even feel cramped! I can't imagine continuing to hold onto things like I did before I found your channel. It has truly changed our lives! Thank you!!
Until I started watching you…before pandemic…I truly thought I “owed” storage or care to EVERYTHING I had ever bought or received as a gift. It sounds crazy now but I that is how I was raised. After watching you and joining the Take Your House Back when I started watching you three ladies it was an epiphany how the growing inventory was stressing me every day. After loads and loads of good things donated I am enjoying a calm house. 69 years young and glad to make this change now. Bless your heart and thanks.
GOD BLESS YOU DAWN!!! I am a law student in Guatemala!! I can not even begging to explain how much the help is needed, I personally don't know casa Shalom but have heard about the much needed help they provide. Last year as I investigated about international adoptions for my international Law class I found out the very sad reality in my country and why the adoptions stopped. I wish I could help, it just brings tears to my eyes to think on how many kids are suffering in the system right now and this I assure you will help tremendously. Again God bless you !!!
Love to see Dawn, her family and community work towards helping others and along with this channel and the instructional/guiding videos the message is clear, simplifying life gives you more peace and ultimately time to spend with one another. Inspiring to see regular people make such a positive impact on other's lives and these are easy and approachable strategies to lead an easier less stressed life at home. Most of us in the first world are so blessed with excess, it's worth considering how to live more simply. Great channel! @TheMinimalMom
One of my favourite ‘minimal’ mindsets about how much we need starts with the question “How many do I need?” The answer is to start with 1 . If after a trial period you really realize one is just not working and it is NOT ENOUGH then add one more. How do I know if 2 is enough? Only have 2 . And after a trial period, if 2 really isn’t working and it’s actually making your life more difficult then add 1 more. Etc. This is how a ‘time will tell’ bin can really work. Plan on using 1 and just put all the extra into the time will tell bin and pull items out only if 1 isn’t working etc. Shop your ‘time will tell bin’ until you find the ‘right’ number for you.
Genius! I shall do this going forward, as I still tend to think I need multiples, especially with clothes - 4 pairs of identical jeans, 4 shirts in same style, 2 cardigans in same style - 🤔🤔🤔 brain overload! 😂
That was very helpful, thanks! I'm at the beginning of my journey and tend to overthink. It takes the stress out, stress of having to make the right/final decision right away. Love the concept of "bin shopping"!
Thank you sooo much for doing what you do! Yesterday I took my five kids to clean my sisters house (she’s a few week’s postpartum so isn’t fully back on her feet yet) today I went and got her all her groceries. As I was driving to her place feeling sooo grateful that I get to help out in any way I can, I couldn’t help but think that it would have been impossible for me to have the “bandwidth” (thank you also for teaching me that word lol) to do things out side my home for others if I was still DROWNING in our stuff like I was a year ago. I actually found your TH-cam channel over a year ago and I can’t fully say I have arrived but oh boy how far we have come! Thank you so much! I religiously consume your content to keep me focused and motivated. Weeks like this one, make it all oh so worth it! We finally get to serve people and spend quality time with them. Living and loving life. 🤗 if you’re ever in SC we’d love to meet you!
Applaud that you have bath towels for family that are worthy of guests! Admire that you have continued to find the "right" number of items for your home, and, and you realize it is dynamic. Love that you are raising funds for another worthy cause:)
I like it when you talked about emergency stuff like extra bedding. You said, "I'm fine with my kids sleeping over towels until their bedding are clean" SO true! Stuff made us lose our creativity! There is so many options for emergency if we think a little bit outside the box, outside the "primary function of stuff". Love that!
I cook a lot, it's my hobby. I don't have a lemon squeezer or a garlic press. I smash garlic with the flat of a knife and I squeeze lemons into my hand and scrape it with a spoon. I do have a lemon zester because its easier to use (and clean) than the tiny grater on my box grater. I find that I use my 12 inch cast iron frying pan the most and my Revereware double boiler. I also find that a small saucepan and a Dutch oven are handy but like I said I like to cook and have the time. We just moved and it's amazing how much we got rid of before moving now I am reevaluating what I packed. I love that phrase "season in life". I feel better when I am not surrounded by clutter, the things we have meaning to us.
Dawn, Thank you for this timely video. I am celebrating the freedom of a minimalist life as I dropped off my “last” donation yesterday! I was always a very neat and organized “cricket”, but never realized how stressed I was dealing with more than I needed. I realize that even as a single, I really can’t handle much inventory at all. I have decluttered everything to the barest minimum for this season of life; even the tough sentimental stuff like books, pictures, family stuff, and things I love but don’t really use. I am dancing for joy for the new lease on life thanks to you. BLESS YOU!! ❤
@SL: I'm struggling with many sentimental items from my grandmothers that I don't use: bowls, dishes, 77 rpm records from the Big Band era, and other originals that are now considered collectable treasures. I'm not the type to sell on eBay and such, and I'm running out of endurance as a senior. How did you part with the items that pulled at your heartstrings?
@@monicacollins8289 I relate as I’m also a senior and have chronic illness. I just don’t have the emotional bandwidth to go through the process of selling even though some of my sentimental things were actually quite valuable. I waited to declutter those things last. I remembered that my memories are not contained in the things but rather the person, and kept only one or two things that were special to me. I reminded myself that the things should be used to be honored. I gave things away to shelters and church and donations. Those that have them now are blessed by them and it gives my heart such pleasure to have been a blessing to those who have great suffering to have something beautiful to treasure. Dawn has great videos about this. Search “decluttering sentimental items”…in fact, I learned all this from her! God bless. The struggle is real, but so worth it in the end.
@@monicacollins8289 I kept one or two pieces of sentimental items. Like a dishes set of my moms, I kept a couple of decorative bowls. So, I have that small reminder without having to manage the whole set.
I looooooooove your channel! Found you 2 weeks ago and can’t get enough. You have a great way of sharing what you do without judgement and knowing it’s a process. Thanks so much!❤
I broke my favourite kitchen spoon last night making brownies. I'm doing a no-buy year, so I won't be replaced until January 2024 at the earliest, if at all. I'm feeling pretty badass about it tbh! 👍👍👍
YAAAASSSS! We downsized from our family home 2 years ago as far as inventory. We empty nested 3 years ago. That was a HUUUUGE home at 3k square feet, 5 bedrooms, all with extra large walk in closets. It felt like I could breath and relax by having empty upper shelves in the kitchen. Empty cabinets in the "kid's bathroom" and empty linen closet. Once we saw all that, it was one of the many reasons to sell that home and downsize that as well! NOT a single thing came into the new home unless it had the space that worked and made sense. It had to go into a space/storage area of the house where it wouldn't get lost and completely visible when opened. We were absolutely GIDDY when we were forced to rid ourselves of even more and simplifying. We moved last September and still have 1/2 garage of "stuff" as well as a 10x20 storage unit to go through. Those represent the last of 3 10x20 storage units, an overwhelmed attic and a full oversized garage from the last house. We are mighty proud with our current indoor living area and the rules we established. Those items in storage we are slowly selling on marketplace, pocketing the $$$ and sleeping with calm and ease with all decluttering in the last 16 months. Ohhhhh... and books were definitely the hardest. As former home school family with 12 six foot bookshelves FUULLLL... we are now down to 3 in a guest room only half full and and 3 in my husband's office artfully and ease of use arranged. Your channel was ALWAYS playing in the background, especially as I tearfully went through every item from the attic. It took a week, every day 9-3 breaking only for meals, to do so! Even after all that... I'm feeling the urge to go purge my bathroom towels! Seriously... 2 adults 8 oversized bath towels is stupid too much!
@@pennynickels5216 It's 2500 square feet. Although 500 square feet doesn't seem significant downsizing, it's the closet space that's not counted in the living square footage that was significantly reduced. My current panty is barely walk in-able. My husband and I each had a walk-in closet in the primary suite of the old house.. I had a year's supply of food storage in one walk in closet, and 4 of our six foot bookcases in another with the short term food storage!
It's like you learn to live with it...I didn't realize how stressed out I was until I started decluttering. I actually get excited when I donate stuff, whereas I used to have that excitement for shopping
I think this is my first time to comment, even though I've been following you for a couple of years. My heart just melted when you showed the orphanage in Guatemala! We adopted our gorgeous daughter, Julianna from Guatemala when she was 7 months old. She is now 21. That country has my heart. Although she was not in that orphanage, we did get to travel to the country to bring her home. We were only there for a couple of days, but I love Guatemala, and there is such a need for help in these orphanages, since adoptions were shut down shortly after we brought Julianna home. Thank you, Dawn, for partnering with such an important ministry!
I watch a lot of decluttering and organizing videos. The irony is they all start with good intentions of decluttering and minimizing stuff but then later, they all start suggesting bins, organizers, those Dollar Tree knick-knacks, and what not for organizing. The way I see it is you just start collecting more stuff to contain your stuff! As someone rightly said, you do not have an organization problem, maybe you have a too-much-stuff problem. You make more sense to me than anyone else on living simply.
I love your house, the colors used. I get inspired in spurts and today was one of them. Thursday I was going to Goodwill so I went through cupboards where I knew there was inventory that needed to donate. If I haven't used it in the 41 years (yes I have items like this) of marriage it's bye-bye. I cleaned that cupboards out of different food items and found some with over 10 years on the sticker! Feels good. Hope spring arrives soon in MN. The 6" of snow from last week is mostly gone.
Just an hour ago I was telling Mom about you, your YT videos, and how you don't have extras in your home except a couple of plates; only what your family needs. And then I see this new video. How timely! My friends and I call this a "God wink". 😊
The season we're in makes a huge difference! Now it's just my dh and I. I could get rid of soooo much, but I fear the company some day. My niece though once said then get paper plates and plastic cups. YES! LOL. And yes; I am 62. Time is flying and the stuff you thought you'd use or want "later" isn't the stuff you necessarily want later. Interests change and when time is starting to fly, the last thing you want is to deal with things you don't love anymore. I love this channel.
I love how you talk about managing inventory for the season of life and also the ease of decluttering for the season of life. It makes decision making so much easier for someone who has been struggling to declutter even further! Thank you
I discovered your channel a few days ago and it's no exaggeration to say that you have changed my life! I felt so overwhelmed with trying to declutter my house, and your kind words and wonderful energy have helped so much. The main thing is the way you encourage us to give ourselves permission to let go without guilt, and thank you as well for telling us about the Clutterbug organising styles. I took the quiz and discovered that I'm a butterfly and suddenly absolutely everything made sense: this is why traditional organising doesn't work for me no matter how much I try! Now I feel confident that I can actually move forwards and finally get the peace of mind that comes from letting go of all this clutter. Thank you ❤️
When people find out I only have 1 pair of each style of shoe (sneakers, boots, sandals) for each member of my family, they think I am insane! But we only have one set of feet and kids grow quick!
My kids are 12, 14, and 16, and I'm a stay at home mom. Even with that being our "season of life," I have found that my threshold to manage stuff is even lower than it used to be. I used to think it was normal to be picking up the house all the time and cleaning around stuff, but my patience to do that gets lower with each year. I think maybe because I have seen how quickly life does pass, and I don't want my kids to have their memories be of their mom cleaning all the time.
I can't thank you enough for creating the take your home back, because I've been decluttering my home and cleaning out closets without ending with a bigger mess at the end, now I get my donation box, my trash bag and my keep and take stuff where it belongs and let me tell you I've been enjoying cleaning out every corner of my house. ❤ I can finally say that I can see my counters in my kitches, I don't have pile of papers in every corner, I can easily access anything I need or find anything I need. Thank you once again.
I have been watching your videos for a month now and I can say, you have truly changed my life. I don't know why I chose to suffer for so long. Thank you for you!
We have only one set of sheets per bed, and every couple of years we get new ones. I love the question of "what if someone gets sick?" I'm not putting brand new sheets on in the middle of the night anyway! When my kids were little, and on the very very rare occasion they got sick, they slept on the floor in my bedroom on an air mattress.
Definitely helped me get my spark back! I’ve gone through our entire apartment multiple times but it was still feeling too much to manage 😮💨. I’m ready for another decluttering round!
Thank you, thank you, thank you‼️❣️ I started 'Swedish Death Cleaning' a few months ago. (I turn 70 soon. Different season of life.) I watched your channel and decided that I could comfortable go down to six dresses, four pairs of pants, six tops, three nightgowns and eight sets of underwear. At first I thought that I had better keep one some of my other clothes in a bin, just of in case. 🤪 Lo and behold, I use three dresses, two nightgowns, two pants and three tops. And it feels as though I could use less. The clothes that I like, are my go-to ones, so I just don't use the others. Same in my kitchen. I use so much less than I thought I needed. 😮 Thank you for bringing this to my attention and your boldness and honesty. Thank you for your ministry of minimalism that has helped so many. ❤ Thank you for your generosity to the children in Guatamala. ✝️. Thank you for lessoning to your calling and being kind to others. 😍🥰
YES! Hobbies. I've done jewelry, crochet, scrapbooking, sewing, quilting, wood signs, etc.... so I have everything still for each. And I just don't enjoy most of those things anymore. And now I don't have time or space to work on things I would like to do because of everything that has accumulated. I have guilt for it sitting there, staring at me, screaming at me, as I try to just enjoy sitting on the couch, watching TV with my husband and our dogs. :(
The q-tip part had me laughing out loud. Thanks for the video. I loved when you made the video about letting the container be the bad guy, it was real great for my house. Like rags and dish towels, I actually need a lot, I have 6 kids and they spill alot(especially my 5 year daughter, she can't go through her day without spilling a drink, hers or someone else's) so the number would be too much for minimalism but I have a foldable fabric bag and that is the boundries.
Just got your book today! I opened it to see and the first thing I read hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m so excited to dig into the study. Been following for the last year. On my own now and breaking generational cycles. Grew up in a hoarded home and needed some simplicity to my life thank you to you and Diana for being such good role models and encouragement in this life. Love you guys!
I grew up poor in a family of 7. I am pretty sure we only had 4 towels and maybe 2 wash clothes and one set of sheets per bed. One closet for the 7 of us including coats. I remember when my mother saved enough money to buy something decorative for on top of our TV. Really didnt need anymore
Thank you so much for your continued example of organizing your life. I have gone through my clothes and shoes several times and still need to again, as I have donated lots. My husband has been quite questioning about this. I told him, I am clearing my life of things that make it hard or cluttered. It truly has helped me! And surprise, he has also done this a little. Baby steps is what we all can do.❤
Hello Dawn, thank you for all the videos I just wanted to add something I haven’t seen your comment upon . When you have a complete list of all your possessions you have a list for contents Insurance. And what’s more you might find that you can actually reduce your contents insurance because you don’t have as much as the insurance companies presumes if you don’t give an exact figure. If something terrible happened you also have a list of possessions so you can replace them quickly. I am in Australia and we had a lot of flooding and bushfires and so on so contents insurance is something on many people’s minds. Thank you again
You are so right. And even living in a place that does not see natural disasters, house fires can happen. Having that inventory list is a great way to determine if you need insurance and making sure you do not overinsure.
I'm working on my house and I think you giving me permission to bin things was what made a difference. I look at spaces and want to get rid of so many things and now I'm just doing it ! Thanks Dawn.x
This is really helpful for a realistic idea of what it takes to keep a family going without creeping into clutter territory. So many people declutter but keep way too many 'just in case' or 'but I like it and it works' things when they actually are way into extra and duplicate item territory and then have to organize and clean it all! Thank you!!!
Love this. 👏🏻 I wish I had a husband who was willing to go along with this, but I figure if I at least minimalize my stuff, it will still make a difference.
Yes to keeping food storage containers and lids together. I'd suggest putting the lid upside-down under each piece. You can still stack them this way. But, it allows air to access the containers, helping to prevent them from getting musty/moldy or retaining smells.
I’m what my friends call “extreme minimalist” but I know I’m not, I still find myself managing inventory that I do not wish too to keep people (not those that live in my home) comfortable when visiting. Lately though I’ve felt reinspired to tackle further clutter and keep going, this is spurred by all the times I have to tell my kids sorry I can’t play with you right now I have to clean or cook dinner or the million other things on my to do list to keep our lives running smoothly, but I’d rather not have to think about those things (or figure out how to more easily automate them) so I can spend time doing what i know is my most important thing, spending the moments watching my kids grow and playing right alongside them ❤ thank you for the inspiration dawn
I understand the guilt. I feel so much better having got rid of stuff. This was interesting. I have way too many towels. Going to donate to the Humane Society. Your videos give me ideas and nudges. Love it!!! I grew up with a hoarder and a bit too much clutter basically freaks me out. Your videos have been so helpful.
Love this video! I use the same concept, also because my kitchen is half the size of yours. People always ask me, how I manage it, and my answer is: limit the amount of stuff and have only the things you actually use on a daily basis.
I don't even have an OVEN in my kitchen, just an induction cooktop. I cook very simple and healthy meals and I'm ok with the induction cooktop that I clean it very easy, in one minute.
Sadly, this video rather stresses me. I'm fine to have more than a place setting per person in my kitchen cabinet. Not a clothes horse, but I do like choices. I want more than one towel per person. I love that you are so understanding that this is what works so perfectly for you. Super appreciate you making sure to emphasize this is "descriptive" not "prescriptive". I truly enjoy your videos; Pretty sure I'll never be at this level of minimalism, however.😃 Your new project in Guatemala you're supporting seems like a need to be filled. Looking forward to seeing reports of the progress there.
And that is fine! I don't think I will ever reach this level of minimalism either. I don't live alone in the house, plus I like more towels so that I don't have to stress about running the washing machine at a certain day etc.
It's shocking when you realize just how little is needed to live! It could should would save tons of time and money, allowing us to actually work less if we figured it out earlier. 😊💛
Your home is beautiful! I love your advice. The older I get, the less stuff I want to have around and the fewer things I need to be happy. I just moved. My old place was so unorganized and cluttered. I've had a ton of fun setting up my new home to be easy to clean and organized in a way that really suits my habits. Very satisfying!
Making easy meals when you're so busy and your children are still small and possibly not wanting to try anything too weird, makes perfect sense to keep your cooking simple. We all have our loves and in my case I'm not fancy but I make very nice meals for friends. I would never stencil a wall or redo an entire trailer because of the wood grain cabinet not being aesthetically pleasing! 🎉 You are a great mom, influenster, artist, etc etc who manages to get food on the table! I live alone but I have four bath towels because sometimes I have three guests and I would be aghast as to not be able to offer them a towel!
I don’t know if you’ve done this yet but I’d love to see a video from your kids and husband of how these things have helped streamline their lives/ how they have implemented this minimalistic style into other areas like work or school and the impact it has etc. also super interested if your kids keep minimal closets. I know we all go through that phase where we want the trendy new stuff and lots of it! Lol but I think maintaining a more minimalistic closet with staple pieces is not only more realistic to an “adult” life style where you have to pay your own way but it also seems way more conducive to creativity and really learning to bend the limit of what each item is capable of being with just a few tweaks. I think that’s a super cool concept when it pertains to kids especially and the skills it builds for them. I’ve heard that giving children less towns and cycling through them in a specific way actually encourages better bonding and creativity with each toy as well as has a bunch of developmental benefits. I’ve read a couple studies on the specific method but I can’t for the life of me remember what the specific name of it was. I really wish I was raised in a more minimal environment like this. I suffer from severe ADHD and I’ve never received medication. It was debilitating for most of my life. Once I got older and discovered TH-cam and minimalism and became a mom I started implementing this lifestyle slowly over the last year or so and it changed my life in ways that I genuinely didn’t know were possible. Areas where I had uncontrollable and crippling anxiety, depression, etc. have subsided DRASTICALLY once the clutter was decreased. All my life I had no idea how much those issues were truly environmental and connected to the physical space around me. I’m so glad I discovered this change while my kids were wee little so they will be better equipped than I was in that area. Minimalism and fresh air and sunlight really have changed my life in a lot of ways. Even as far as being able to reach out for medication and therapy that was needed as well. The environment around you really does impact you so dramatically. If downsizing the amount of objects you have to manage is enough to get you to the next step of healing more easily like it was for me then I’m all for it 100%. Even if that further healing might be meds or therapy or more structure whatever. I think what you’re doing and teaching is really incredible.
I have and entire house of my moms si ce she passed away to organize. And she liked to keep everything! Like things from 70's and 80's that went out of style and are now back in style she still has! I'm loving you channel and energy! I now can't wait to declutter and get started on this! Thank you for the motivation. I get to declutter 60 year of stuff, here we go!
I love to see you going by how much the container fits in some cases! That can be so much less overwhelming. And also so nice to see how your containers aren’t stuffed :-)
At a few points in my decluttering process ive thought, "well that's that.* Then i watch another of your videos and have a revelation that I can actually live more happily with fewer items. I just realized dishes are piling up again, and it's because our stash of party dishes stayed upstairs after Christmas. I had thought we had developed good habits, so the dishes could stay in the kitchen. But in fact, it was having fewer dishes available that kept the kitchen clean.
books: blood pressure went up when I saw your books. I have over 1100 books and have a list I need to add. Good Books are as valuable as gold in my mind. Especially more now with the state of our public libraries
I totally agree with you Dawn. I don't think humans were even designed to manage tons of stuff, cos we don't need tons of stuff in the first place. Like Jesus said, we don't need very much!
There are just 2 adults here now. I made a whole house inventory. It was an eye opener. I’m working on thinning it out. In as much as my husband will agree.
I love what you said at the end of this video. It really resonated with me. That we're not meant to be stuff managers. We are meant to live simply in order to enjoy the life we are given. That isn't the exact quote. But that is how my heart heard it. Thank you for sharing your message with us for as many times as we need to hear it, so we may finally listen.
Dawn...nice to know that as long as I have been into minimalistic living, that there is always something you add to attitudes and encouragement and more ideas to give us freedom to focus on living life, not for stuff. We all know we are never done, and never too old to learn....so thank you !
Dawn you must have read my mind…I was literally wondering to myself yesterday ‘how many dish towels do people have’ and you’ve given me the answer! I know the number doesn’t necessarily matter but it is helpful for me to have boundaries to experiment with. So Thankyou 😊🇦🇺
I recently inherited my father's dish towels, my drawer is over flowing and I was just thinking I need to declutter them. You kinda gave me permission to do that
Hi Dawn! I started watching some of your videos quite a while back but never really did anything….I am now in the season of life that I just crave Simplicity, so here I am back to binging your videos and have actually started! Empty cabinets make me happy and it feels so good! Keep up your work, you are making a difference! Thanks friend! 😊
Hi all, recently seperated and feeling overwhelmed with work and kids. Going to try and keep just ☝️ plate/bowl/glass/coffee mug for each. And probably 2 frying pans, 2 saucepan, 1 Dutch oven
I enjoy your channel so much. I am in a weird season right now because one of my 4 kids is going to move out soon, and one is going to bring a wife into my home until he finishes school. So I am keeping a few things around to give to them to help them establish their own homes.
Thank you for this video and the worksheets. I discovered that I had 18 dinner plates, 13 salad plates, 30 drinking glasses, 6 large frying pans, and 8 sauce pans for a family of 3. No wonder dishes felt so never-ending. I've cut the amount in half for now, and we'll see if I feel I need to at least do some more in a month. So if someone remembers, remind me in a month to reevaluate my inventory.
Minimalism has been a long journey for me. I used to count the items i got rid of my because I'm compulsive but because it motivated me. Thousands of items. It all came to a head last year when we needed to move out of our large farmhouse with a basement and our buildings to a single story 2 bedroom villa. I'm so glad for what i had done before but we still had tons of stuff which we just have away. Like you, there is nothing i miss. Since everything "fits "in our new home i thought i was done by through your videos i realized it is not just a one and done. So now I'm in my happy place looking through drawers and closets and counting once again as I get rid of things I've kept but don't use. Thank you for your inspiration!
Great video, Dawn! We have followed in your footsteps, and I just can't say enough about the freedom and peace that a simplified home brings! Once you experience this, you will never go back! You have more time for the people and activities that you love!!! ❤❤❤
Food storage containers with the lid on is definitely life changing! I did it and will never go back. My next declutter venture in the kitchen will pare it down even more.
I have so many kitchen rags. 4 fabric cube bins worth. Wash closthes as napkins. Flour sack towels in place if paper towels. Microfiber cloths. And old hand towel rags for cleaning up spills. I have a lot but i Alsi have a lot of kids. Im constantly cleaning up spills and use rags instead of paper towels. My 3 year old will wash her hands, take out a rag and throw it on the floor lol.. by the end of the day there will be washcloths all over the house lol
Would love to see your tool collection included next time. It's an area we struggle to be minimalist in I know you guys do a lot of projects so I would love to see what a functional minimalist tool collection is.
Your throw pillows are my hand towels. I have maybe 20 decorative ones. It’s how I decorate for the holidays without clutter. Holiday or season change means changing a few hand towels 🤷🏻♀️
Stopped mid-video to get rid of a couple drawers of fabric. The last time I did any sewing was probably five years ago and really don’t have any interest in pursuing that hobby anymore. I was inspired and needed to do it RIGHT THEN! 😄 BTW, nice haircut! Very cute.
That’s so funny! Sometimes I see the title of your video and I think oh I’m not interested in that one. But when I’m bored I come back and think well we can at least try it. And it is always so nicely made and you just have a talent to make a video like counting your stuff totally interesting for me. Loved it! ☺️
Thank you for your wonderful channel!! You have such grace and compassion, and I appreciate that you say over and over, "it's ok." You and your sister's positive spirit are helping me have a more positive mindset in life, in addition to my decluttering journey!!! Thank you for sharing your passion and heart and ending your videos with "I love you" Hugs from Florida ❤
Count or Container! Oh thank you so much Dawn for your channel. I appreciate your pure & authentic energy, coupled with practicality. I came to your channel via Dana K White. Listening to her Container Concept then listening to your videos dovetails nicely for my ADDness. ❤ from Seoul.
Dawn, great video! As I'm watching your video, I look over in the corner of our bedroom & I see 2 totes of clothes that have been sitting there since last summer. I've not thought about them, so I need to make sure they're not just summer clothes to trade out. Then, I need to have a conversation with myself to get rid of anything I'm not going to wear. I've already done that in my kitchen, but I know I could make another sweep through there & get rid of more. Thank you for the encouragement! 😊
"Bought" the book even though I don't care about the numbers. :) Thank you for all you do to help vulnerable populations and inviting us to help along with you! 💗
Thank you for watching! Minimalism by the Numbers: A Detailed Inventory of a Minimalist Home -- find the printable worksheets here: cli.re/Minimalism-Inventory A $5 donation will go to Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala. To learn more, click here: www.theminimalmom.com/minimalism-by-the-numbers
WHAT THE PRINTABLE INCLUDES:
- 29 Full Color PDF Download
- 16 pages of household inventory
- Numbers based on "Minimalist", "Simple" & "Cozy" living
- Spaces to record your current inventory & goals
- Extra tips for decluttering
ALL proceeds benefit Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala & their solar project...thank you for your support! - Dawn
Dish towels vs dish clothes what’s the difference
I loved the bit about q-tips 😂
@@maribelquesada5651 good question! Like a wash cloth vs a dish towel 👍
@@maribelquesada5651 wash with cloths, dry with towels
@@maribelquesada5651 In my house, dish towels dry the dishes and the dish cloths wash the dishes. That is so funny I've never thought about someone using different terminology than that.
When I found your videos a month ago, I thought you were crazy to have so few dishes! I came home last week from work, my husband and 13 year old had been home all day. Not only did they not attempt to do any of the mountain of dishes, the 13 year old used SIX water cups 😂. I grabbed a tote and now we have one plate, bowl etc for each person. I left two water glasses, everything else is in quarantine. It has been liberating!! Love you and your channel! Thank you Dawn!!
Excellent response!
I would not have done the dishes, I would have left them there. I did that with my ex husband and his children he had 4, I was working 2 jobs . Came home found a sink full and counters full of dishes. No one did anything all day. I left them. I turned around went back out, went and got myself dinner came home. They wanted dinner, I said well go cook it. They weren't happy that I wouldn't cook or clean up after them.
Might try this with my lot 😂😂
One morning I started to wash the dishes (no dishwasher). In the sink were 14, yes 14 spoons. There's only me and my husband!! He's just as bad with coffee mugs, glasses, plates, cutlery etc etc. So, I removed it all and left only 2 of everything. Two coffee mugs, spoons, knives, forks etc. NOW my husband has to rinse or wash something if he wants to use it again. It's a great system. I have hidden the rest of the stuff around the house in case we have visitors. I'm loathe to tell him where they are.
Yes! I have begun to store many of our extras (with just two of us here) and have found that when there's no clean glasses and the dishwasher hasn't been filled up enough to be run, my husband just washes a glass...kind of funny I hadn't realized we're already on this track! Not yet down to 1-2 dishes per person, but since adjusting, RARELY have I been overwhelmed by dishes in the sink and it is simply glorious 🙏🏻
A friend once told me that we spend the first part of our life acquiring and the rest of our life getting rid of it all. So true.
So true, lol. In the getting rid of stage now.
Sadly true
So true - there are so many things I’m getting rid of that I now know I didn’t really need it! During lockdown Amazon deliveries increased drastically and stayed him but just recently it’s rare I buy anything….the postman rarely calls at my house!
I watched another vlogger who had a video titled organizing and decluttering her kitchen. She had so much stuff and hardly did any decluttering but spent hours organizing. She admitted how stressed out she was and even had to stop the video because she couldn't do it all. What a difference and what a breath of fresh air you are❤
Boy, I’d like to watch that video!!! I think it would make me feel better.
@@debbyjo123 More with Morrows!
Before I found minimalism I thought i needed to just organize better. I kept buying containers and giant furniture hutches and stuff. Now I’m getting rid of so much that i have so many empty containers, the giant $780 hutch i bought is now empty. It’s incredible. Someone should tell that TH-camr to do a deep dive into minimalism to make some sort of version of it work for them.
@@ElisabetTX she does have a large family. I only watched about 10 minutes and could see it wasn’t anything I needed. Like you, I have lots of empty spaces. My kitchen has 18 empty cabinets. It feels so good.
@@debbyjo123 … i went on to watch some of it and wondered how many kids she has because sooo many plates. We have 3 kids under 4.5 so i get it. Man i feel her so much.
A phrase came to my mind at the end: "Manage little so you can live a lot." When I consider the mind-boggling amount of time (and money) I've spent packing and unpacking, moving and moving something again, just to eventually get rid of it...I realize that I've been spending precious time dealing with stuff instead of enjoying my life. As I've purged and seen some benefits, I recognize the real reward of having less stuff is that I have the mental and physical bandwidth to have more fun! Thanks, Dawn!
Silly but for me the best thing about just having one set of sheets per bed is never having to fold a fitted sheet!
I learned that lesson many years ago!!! One set of sheets per bed - wash them and put them back on!! I have a couple of spare flat sheets and about 4 extra pillow cases to use in an emergency but that's it.
Amen!
I have warmer winter sheet set and one regular set so only have to fold (wad) a fitted sheet twice a year. 😂
@@mollym5587 i used to have flannelette sheets for winter, cotton ones for summer. Until i found out about bamboo sheets! I have 3 pairs, but i only change to a different pair if i want a different colour, or if it rains so much i can't get the sheets dry. (I line-dry my washing). They are expensive, but i got all mine at 50%off sales, which made them JUST affordable. They are the most comfortable sheets I've ever slept on.
I have one set of sheets for my master bed. I had 2, but one set was getting old and I let it go. Now my cat is having issues (vomiting on the bed sometimes) and I am sometimes washing sheets at 10 PM. Time for another set. Yes, we are working with the vet to try to figure this out. She seems super energetic and happy. She just throws up a couple of times a week.
OK... I never comment, but I've been a subscriber for a couple of years. Finally, our dishwasher broke and I had an epiphany! We had too many dishes TO GET DIRTY. That's all they were for...just having more that could be dirty while we move on to clean ones. WHY?! That's so nuts! So three months ago I put most of our dishes away into an inconvenient storage space (call it "time will tell"). Well, time has already told. I NEVER get overwhelmed by my kitchen sink anymore. We have four plates and two bowls and it is ridiculously life changing. 😂 Next step... Laundry!
I have been on a decluttering mission for a few years now, whenever I get stuck I come back to your videos. You are the kindest person with such wonderful, forgiving advice. You make the difficult decisions easier. I know that's your aim and it 100% works. I love your nature and your advice and always feel like you genuinely have our best interests at heart. I look at photos from even 5 years ago of my kids that have the lounge in view and realise how far I've come. Thank you so much, just wanted to let you know how much of a positive impact you've had and also that your kindness nearly brings me to tears when I'm so hard on myself that I can't keep on top of it or beating myself up about mess. It's like having a friend over when I need it, so thank you again!
Dawn you are awesome. I don't watch your videos anymore, but it's for a very very good reason - my house is at such a good place that I don't even need to really think about minimalism anymore! I decluttered and watched your videos until it just "clicked" as Joshua Becker says. Thank you very much for your message!
Wow Victoria, this is so awesome to hear! WAY TO GO!
Same!
@@TheMinimalMom thank you so much!!
Same! But I still enjoy the videos since Dawn’s demeanor comes off as a friend “coaching” you along. Thanks Dawn!
@@dawnmountaingirl643 oh definitely, Dawn's kindness and joy are still so delightful!
A few years ago, we did the dishes thing. Everyone in our family got their own color of plate/bowl/cup and their own style of silverware (one spoon, one fork, and one knife). If your stuff was dirty, that's on you and you can wash it before you use it again. There was no question about who was and wasn't doing their stuff :) Since then my teens have moved out, but we maintain the same system because it's so so easy!
Love the colour coded idea that might work in my house!
I’d thought of using the color-coding system with my own kids in the future, but I hadn’t thought of using different styles of utensils for each person. Thank you! I will be adding that to what I do when the time comes.
I keep hoping to come home and find my house decluttered. It never happens but there is always hope. LOL My daughter was just home for a visit and we decluttered the kitchen, laundry room and pantry. It has made such a difference to have room to put things away. I can't wait for her next visit!
Ok everyone.. pray for me. I’m DOING THIS. I have 9 kids and pregnant with blessing number 10. I’m getting rid of the junk. I can’t take it. I want time with my family. Laundry is my worst enemy! Next will be kitchen declutter. I need willpower!
The more I follow along and simplify my home, the more I realize I'm very much a maximilist in lots of ways. 😂 As the day-to-day "stuff" becomes manageable, I find myself growing my houseplant collection (51 now) or curating gallery walls in different rooms. Getting rid of the *unnecessary excess* has freed up brain space for what I call my "delightful excess". ❤ Thanks for being such a great motivator!
what a lovely way to put it :) making space for the voluntary, chosen "delightful excess" :D
Yes, exactly! My husband likes to collect leather books, and we had a huge bookshelf built for them that covers a whole wall. But the rest of our house is plain and bare because we like being minimalist. 😊
i love this!
Ah I just love your videos! I started watching your channel in the beginning of 2021 and started going through my apt and decluttering as much as I could. Fast forward a year later, we moved with a one week notice. If I had not found your channel and done all that decluttering in the last year there's no way I could have packed our entire home up in a week. All our belongings fit into our SUV and sedan when we moved. We didn't even rent a U-Haul. Now we live in a 43' RV with two littles and it doesn't even feel cramped! I can't imagine continuing to hold onto things like I did before I found your channel. It has truly changed our lives! Thank you!!
Amazing! 🎉
Until I started watching you…before pandemic…I truly thought I “owed” storage or care to EVERYTHING I had ever bought or received as a gift. It sounds crazy now but I that is how I was raised. After watching you and joining the Take Your House Back when I started watching you three ladies it was an epiphany how the growing inventory was stressing me every day. After loads and loads of good things donated I am enjoying a calm house. 69 years young and glad to make this change now. Bless your heart and thanks.
Yes! Same! So glad you’ve been able to do so much to help ease the mental load! ❤️❤️❤️
GOD BLESS YOU DAWN!!! I am a law student in Guatemala!! I can not even begging to explain how much the help is needed, I personally don't know casa Shalom but have heard about the much needed help they provide. Last year as I investigated about international adoptions for my international Law class I found out the very sad reality in my country and why the adoptions stopped. I wish I could help, it just brings tears to my eyes to think on how many kids are suffering in the system right now and this I assure you will help tremendously. Again God bless you !!!
Love to see Dawn, her family and community work towards helping others and along with this channel and the instructional/guiding videos the message is clear, simplifying life gives you more peace and ultimately time to spend with one another. Inspiring to see regular people make such a positive impact on other's lives and these are easy and approachable strategies to lead an easier less stressed life at home. Most of us in the first world are so blessed with excess, it's worth considering how to live more simply. Great channel! @TheMinimalMom
One of my favourite ‘minimal’ mindsets about how much we need starts with the question “How many do I need?” The answer is to start with 1 . If after a trial period you really realize one is just not working and it is NOT ENOUGH then add one more. How do I know if 2 is enough? Only have 2 . And after a trial period, if 2 really isn’t working and it’s actually making your life more difficult then add 1 more. Etc. This is how a ‘time will tell’ bin can really work. Plan on using 1 and just put all the extra into the time will tell bin and pull items out only if 1 isn’t working etc. Shop your ‘time will tell bin’ until you find the ‘right’ number for you.
Genius!
I shall do this going forward, as I still tend to think I need multiples, especially with clothes - 4 pairs of identical jeans, 4 shirts in same style, 2 cardigans in same style - 🤔🤔🤔 brain overload! 😂
That was very helpful, thanks! I'm at the beginning of my journey and tend to overthink. It takes the stress out, stress of having to make the right/final decision right away. Love the concept of "bin shopping"!
Thank you sooo much for doing what you do! Yesterday I took my five kids to clean my sisters house (she’s a few week’s postpartum so isn’t fully back on her feet yet) today I went and got her all her groceries. As I was driving to her place feeling sooo grateful that I get to help out in any way I can, I couldn’t help but think that it would have been impossible for me to have the “bandwidth” (thank you also for teaching me that word lol) to do things out side my home for others if I was still DROWNING in our stuff like I was a year ago. I actually found your TH-cam channel over a year ago and I can’t fully say I have arrived but oh boy how far we have come! Thank you so much! I religiously consume your content to keep me focused and motivated. Weeks like this one, make it all oh so worth it! We finally get to serve people and spend quality time with them. Living and loving life. 🤗 if you’re ever in SC we’d love to meet you!
This is SO awesome to read Nataliya! Truly what it’s all about! And we’d love to meet you, too ❤️❤️❤️
Applaud that you have bath towels for family that are worthy of guests! Admire that you have continued to find the "right" number of items for your home, and, and you realize it is dynamic. Love that you are raising funds for another worthy cause:)
Great video, Dawn! That's amazing how much was raised for Dorothy's House! Way to use your platform to make a positive impact! 👍❤
I like it when you talked about emergency stuff like extra bedding. You said, "I'm fine with my kids sleeping over towels until their bedding are clean" SO true! Stuff made us lose our creativity! There is so many options for emergency if we think a little bit outside the box, outside the "primary function of stuff". Love that!
I cook a lot, it's my hobby. I don't have a lemon squeezer or a garlic press. I smash garlic with the flat of a knife and I squeeze lemons into my hand and scrape it with a spoon. I do have a lemon zester because its easier to use (and clean) than the tiny grater on my box grater.
I find that I use my 12 inch cast iron frying pan the most and my Revereware double boiler. I also find that a small saucepan and a Dutch oven are handy but like I said I like to cook and have the time.
We just moved and it's amazing how much we got rid of before moving now I am reevaluating what I packed.
I love that phrase "season in life". I feel better when I am not surrounded by clutter, the things we have meaning to us.
Dawn, Thank you for this timely video. I am celebrating the freedom of a minimalist life as I dropped off my “last” donation yesterday! I was always a very neat and organized “cricket”, but never realized how stressed I was dealing with more than I needed. I realize that even as a single, I really can’t handle much inventory at all. I have decluttered everything to the barest minimum for this season of life; even the tough sentimental stuff like books, pictures, family stuff, and things I love but don’t really use. I am dancing for joy for the new lease on life thanks to you. BLESS YOU!! ❤
@SL: I'm struggling with many sentimental items from my grandmothers that I don't use: bowls, dishes, 77 rpm records from the Big Band era, and other originals that are now considered collectable treasures. I'm not the type to sell on eBay and such, and I'm running out of endurance as a senior. How did you part with the items that pulled at your heartstrings?
@@monicacollins8289 I relate as I’m also a senior and have chronic illness. I just don’t have the emotional bandwidth to go through the process of selling even though some of my sentimental things were actually quite valuable. I waited to declutter those things last. I remembered that my memories are not contained in the things but rather the person, and kept only one or two things that were special to me. I reminded myself that the things should be used to be honored. I gave things away to shelters and church and donations. Those that have them now are blessed by them and it gives my heart such pleasure to have been a blessing to those who have great suffering to have something beautiful to treasure. Dawn has great videos about this. Search “decluttering sentimental items”…in fact, I learned all this from her! God bless. The struggle is real, but so worth it in the end.
@@monicacollins8289 I kept one or two pieces of sentimental items. Like a dishes set of my moms, I kept a couple of decorative bowls. So, I have that small reminder without having to manage the whole set.
I looooooooove your channel! Found you 2 weeks ago and can’t get enough. You have a great way of sharing what you do without judgement and knowing it’s a process. Thanks so much!❤
Thank you SO much Hope and WELCOME, we're so glad that you're here!!!!
Keep watching! Dawn is awesome, and she’s had a positive impact on many areas of my life!
That is so exciting, welcome!! I found Dawn in 2020 and it's been awesome. Cheering you on in your journey, whatever it may be for you! 🥰
I broke my favourite kitchen spoon last night making brownies. I'm doing a no-buy year, so I won't be replaced until January 2024 at the earliest, if at all. I'm feeling pretty badass about it tbh! 👍👍👍
YAAAASSSS! We downsized from our family home 2 years ago as far as inventory. We empty nested 3 years ago. That was a HUUUUGE home at 3k square feet, 5 bedrooms, all with extra large walk in closets. It felt like I could breath and relax by having empty upper shelves in the kitchen. Empty cabinets in the "kid's bathroom" and empty linen closet. Once we saw all that, it was one of the many reasons to sell that home and downsize that as well! NOT a single thing came into the new home unless it had the space that worked and made sense. It had to go into a space/storage area of the house where it wouldn't get lost and completely visible when opened. We were absolutely GIDDY when we were forced to rid ourselves of even more and simplifying. We moved last September and still have 1/2 garage of "stuff" as well as a 10x20 storage unit to go through. Those represent the last of 3 10x20 storage units, an overwhelmed attic and a full oversized garage from the last house. We are mighty proud with our current indoor living area and the rules we established. Those items in storage we are slowly selling on marketplace, pocketing the $$$ and sleeping with calm and ease with all decluttering in the last 16 months. Ohhhhh... and books were definitely the hardest. As former home school family with 12 six foot bookshelves FUULLLL... we are now down to 3 in a guest room only half full and and 3 in my husband's office artfully and ease of use arranged. Your channel was ALWAYS playing in the background, especially as I tearfully went through every item from the attic. It took a week, every day 9-3 breaking only for meals, to do so! Even after all that... I'm feeling the urge to go purge my bathroom towels! Seriously... 2 adults 8 oversized bath towels is stupid too much!
How small/big is your new space? I relocated thousand of books. It was challenging! One more batch when I move
@@pennynickels5216 It's 2500 square feet. Although 500 square feet doesn't seem significant downsizing, it's the closet space that's not counted in the living square footage that was significantly reduced. My current panty is barely walk in-able. My husband and I each had a walk-in closet in the primary suite of the old house.. I had a year's supply of food storage in one walk in closet, and 4 of our six foot bookcases in another with the short term food storage!
It's like you learn to live with it...I didn't realize how stressed out I was until I started decluttering. I actually get excited when I donate stuff, whereas I used to have that excitement for shopping
I think this is my first time to comment, even though I've been following you for a couple of years. My heart just melted when you showed the orphanage in Guatemala! We adopted our gorgeous daughter, Julianna from Guatemala when she was 7 months old. She is now 21. That country has my heart. Although she was not in that orphanage, we did get to travel to the country to bring her home. We were only there for a couple of days, but I love Guatemala, and there is such a need for help in these orphanages, since adoptions were shut down shortly after we brought Julianna home. Thank you, Dawn, for partnering with such an important ministry!
Thank for your testimonial ❣️
I watch a lot of decluttering and organizing videos. The irony is they all start with good intentions of decluttering and minimizing stuff but then later, they all start suggesting bins, organizers, those Dollar Tree knick-knacks, and what not for organizing. The way I see it is you just start collecting more stuff to contain your stuff! As someone rightly said, you do not have an organization problem, maybe you have a too-much-stuff problem.
You make more sense to me than anyone else on living simply.
The Q-tip counting scene was hilarious. 🤣 You and Tom crack me up.
I love your house, the colors used. I get inspired in spurts and today was one of them. Thursday I was going to Goodwill so I went through cupboards where I knew there was inventory that needed to donate. If I haven't used it in the 41 years (yes I have items like this) of marriage it's bye-bye. I cleaned that cupboards out of different food items and found some with over 10 years on the sticker! Feels good. Hope spring arrives soon in MN. The 6" of snow from last week is mostly gone.
Just an hour ago I was telling Mom about you, your YT videos, and how you don't have extras in your home except a couple of plates; only what your family needs. And then I see this new video. How timely!
My friends and I call this a "God wink". 😊
The season we're in makes a huge difference! Now it's just my dh and I. I could get rid of soooo much, but I fear the company some day. My niece though once said then get paper plates and plastic cups. YES! LOL. And yes; I am 62. Time is flying and the stuff you thought you'd use or want "later" isn't the stuff you necessarily want later. Interests change and when time is starting to fly, the last thing you want is to deal with things you don't love anymore. I love this channel.
I store empty plastic bags in a used Kleenex box. You’d love it! Thanks, Dawn!!
Me too!
I hope you mean an empty Kleenex box, not a box of used Kleenexes. 🤧🤣
I love how you talk about managing inventory for the season of life and also the ease of decluttering for the season of life. It makes decision making so much easier for someone who has been struggling to declutter even further! Thank you
I discovered your channel a few days ago and it's no exaggeration to say that you have changed my life! I felt so overwhelmed with trying to declutter my house, and your kind words and wonderful energy have helped so much. The main thing is the way you encourage us to give ourselves permission to let go without guilt, and thank you as well for telling us about the Clutterbug organising styles. I took the quiz and discovered that I'm a butterfly and suddenly absolutely everything made sense: this is why traditional organising doesn't work for me no matter how much I try! Now I feel confident that I can actually move forwards and finally get the peace of mind that comes from letting go of all this clutter. Thank you ❤️
When people find out I only have 1 pair of each style of shoe (sneakers, boots, sandals) for each member of my family, they think I am insane! But we only have one set of feet and kids grow quick!
I'm glad you went over the numbers because people don't always give such details
My kids are 12, 14, and 16, and I'm a stay at home mom. Even with that being our "season of life," I have found that my threshold to manage stuff is even lower than it used to be. I used to think it was normal to be picking up the house all the time and cleaning around stuff, but my patience to do that gets lower with each year. I think maybe because I have seen how quickly life does pass, and I don't want my kids to have their memories be of their mom cleaning all the time.
I can't thank you enough for creating the take your home back, because I've been decluttering my home and cleaning out closets without ending with a bigger mess at the end, now I get my donation box, my trash bag and my keep and take stuff where it belongs and let me tell you I've been enjoying cleaning out every corner of my house. ❤ I can finally say that I can see my counters in my kitches, I don't have pile of papers in every corner, I can easily access anything I need or find anything I need. Thank you once again.
I have been watching your videos for a month now and I can say, you have truly changed my life. I don't know why I chose to suffer for so long. Thank you for you!
We have only one set of sheets per bed, and every couple of years we get new ones. I love the question of "what if someone gets sick?" I'm not putting brand new sheets on in the middle of the night anyway! When my kids were little, and on the very very rare occasion they got sick, they slept on the floor in my bedroom on an air mattress.
Definitely helped me get my spark back! I’ve gone through our entire apartment multiple times but it was still feeling too much to manage 😮💨. I’m ready for another decluttering round!
Feeling the same! I think my threshold keeps adjusting the more progress I make. Keep at it, we're all in this thing together! ☺️
Thank you, thank you, thank you‼️❣️ I started 'Swedish Death Cleaning' a few months ago. (I turn 70 soon. Different season of life.) I watched your channel and decided that I could comfortable go down to six dresses, four pairs of pants, six tops, three nightgowns and eight sets of underwear. At first I thought that I had better keep one some of my other clothes in a bin, just of in case. 🤪 Lo and behold, I use three dresses, two nightgowns, two pants and three tops. And it feels as though I could use less. The clothes that I like, are my go-to ones, so I just don't use the others. Same in my kitchen. I use so much less than I thought I needed. 😮 Thank you for bringing this to my attention and your boldness and honesty. Thank you for your ministry of minimalism that has helped so many. ❤ Thank you for your generosity to the children in Guatamala. ✝️. Thank you for lessoning to your calling and being kind to others. 😍🥰
YES! Hobbies. I've done jewelry, crochet, scrapbooking, sewing, quilting, wood signs, etc.... so I have everything still for each. And I just don't enjoy most of those things anymore. And now I don't have time or space to work on things I would like to do because of everything that has accumulated. I have guilt for it sitting there, staring at me, screaming at me, as I try to just enjoy sitting on the couch, watching TV with my husband and our dogs. :(
The q-tip part had me laughing out loud. Thanks for the video. I loved when you made the video about letting the container be the bad guy, it was real great for my house. Like rags and dish towels, I actually need a lot, I have 6 kids and they spill alot(especially my 5 year daughter, she can't go through her day without spilling a drink, hers or someone else's) so the number would be too much for minimalism but I have a foldable fabric bag and that is the boundries.
Just got your book today! I opened it to see and the first thing I read hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m so excited to dig into the study. Been following for the last year. On my own now and breaking generational cycles. Grew up in a hoarded home and needed some simplicity to my life thank you to you and Diana for being such good role models and encouragement in this life. Love you guys!
I grew up poor in a family of 7. I am pretty sure we only had 4 towels and maybe 2 wash clothes and one set of sheets per bed. One closet for the 7 of us including coats. I remember when my mother saved enough money to buy something decorative for on top of our TV. Really didnt need anymore
Thank you so much for your continued example of organizing your life. I have gone through my clothes and shoes several times and still need to again, as I have donated lots. My husband has been quite questioning about this. I told him, I am clearing my life of things that make it hard or cluttered. It truly has helped me! And surprise, he has also done this a little. Baby steps is what we all can do.❤
Hello Dawn, thank you for all the videos I just wanted to add something I haven’t seen your comment upon . When you have a complete list of all your possessions you have a list for contents Insurance. And what’s more you might find that you can actually reduce your contents insurance because you don’t have as much as the insurance companies presumes if you don’t give an exact figure. If something terrible happened you also have a list of possessions so you can replace them quickly. I am in Australia and we had a lot of flooding and bushfires and so on so contents insurance is something on many people’s minds. Thank you again
You are so right. And even living in a place that does not see natural disasters, house fires can happen.
Having that inventory list is a great way to determine if you need insurance and making sure you do not overinsure.
$80,000!!!! 👏🏼 I went back three times to see if I heard right, that’s amazing!
I'm working on my house and I think you giving me permission to bin things was what made a difference. I look at spaces and want to get rid of so many things and now I'm just doing it ! Thanks Dawn.x
😂😂😂
This is really helpful for a realistic idea of what it takes to keep a family going without creeping into clutter territory. So many people declutter but keep way too many 'just in case' or 'but I like it and it works' things when they actually are way into extra and duplicate item territory and then have to organize and clean it all! Thank you!!!
Love this. 👏🏻 I wish I had a husband who was willing to go along with this, but I figure if I at least minimalize my stuff, it will still make a difference.
Yes to keeping food storage containers and lids together. I'd suggest putting the lid upside-down under each piece. You can still stack them this way. But, it allows air to access the containers, helping to prevent them from getting musty/moldy or retaining smells.
I’m what my friends call “extreme minimalist” but I know I’m not, I still find myself managing inventory that I do not wish too to keep people (not those that live in my home) comfortable when visiting. Lately though I’ve felt reinspired to tackle further clutter and keep going, this is spurred by all the times I have to tell my kids sorry I can’t play with you right now I have to clean or cook dinner or the million other things on my to do list to keep our lives running smoothly, but I’d rather not have to think about those things (or figure out how to more easily automate them) so I can spend time doing what i know is my most important thing, spending the moments watching my kids grow and playing right alongside them ❤ thank you for the inspiration dawn
I understand the guilt. I feel so much better having got rid of stuff. This was interesting. I have way too many towels. Going to donate to the Humane Society. Your videos give me ideas and nudges. Love it!!! I grew up with a hoarder and a bit too much clutter basically freaks me out. Your videos have been so helpful.
After C, I realized all the creative/craft items were piling up but never used. Donations made me think how I wasted all that money. Never again!😊❤
Every time I see you I get more and more inspired your videos to help me more than anyone else's videos!
Love this video! I use the same concept, also because my kitchen is half the size of yours. People always ask me, how I manage it, and my answer is: limit the amount of stuff and have only the things you actually use on a daily basis.
I don't even have an OVEN in my kitchen, just an induction cooktop. I cook very simple and healthy meals and I'm ok with the induction cooktop that I clean it very easy, in one minute.
Sadly, this video rather stresses me. I'm fine to have more than a place setting per person in my kitchen cabinet. Not a clothes horse, but I do like choices. I want more than one towel per person. I love that you are so understanding that this is what works so perfectly for you. Super appreciate you making sure to emphasize this is "descriptive" not "prescriptive". I truly enjoy your videos; Pretty sure I'll never be at this level of minimalism, however.😃 Your new project in Guatemala you're supporting seems like a need to be filled. Looking forward to seeing reports of the progress there.
And that is fine! I don't think I will ever reach this level of minimalism either. I don't live alone in the house, plus I like more towels so that I don't have to stress about running the washing machine at a certain day etc.
It's shocking when you realize just how little is needed to live! It could should would save tons of time and money, allowing us to actually work less if we figured it out earlier. 😊💛
Your home is beautiful! I love your advice. The older I get, the less stuff I want to have around and the fewer things I need to be happy. I just moved. My old place was so unorganized and cluttered. I've had a ton of fun setting up my new home to be easy to clean and organized in a way that really suits my habits. Very satisfying!
Thank you for saying that our things are talking to us, they really do!! They’re truly silent stressors
Making easy meals when you're so busy and your children are still small and possibly not wanting to try anything too weird, makes perfect sense to keep your cooking simple. We all have our loves and in my case I'm not fancy but I make very nice meals for friends. I would never stencil a wall or redo an entire trailer because of the wood grain cabinet not being aesthetically pleasing! 🎉 You are a great mom, influenster, artist, etc etc who manages to get food on the table!
I live alone but I have four bath towels because sometimes I have three guests and I would be aghast as to not be able to offer them a towel!
I don’t know if you’ve done this yet but I’d love to see a video from your kids and husband of how these things have helped streamline their lives/ how they have implemented this minimalistic style into other areas like work or school and the impact it has etc. also super interested if your kids keep minimal closets. I know we all go through that phase where we want the trendy new stuff and lots of it! Lol but I think maintaining a more minimalistic closet with staple pieces is not only more realistic to an “adult” life style where you have to pay your own way but it also seems way more conducive to creativity and really learning to bend the limit of what each item is capable of being with just a few tweaks. I think that’s a super cool concept when it pertains to kids especially and the skills it builds for them. I’ve heard that giving children less towns and cycling through them in a specific way actually encourages better bonding and creativity with each toy as well as has a bunch of developmental benefits. I’ve read a couple studies on the specific method but I can’t for the life of me remember what the specific name of it was. I really wish I was raised in a more minimal environment like this. I suffer from severe ADHD and I’ve never received medication. It was debilitating for most of my life. Once I got older and discovered TH-cam and minimalism and became a mom I started implementing this lifestyle slowly over the last year or so and it changed my life in ways that I genuinely didn’t know were possible. Areas where I had uncontrollable and crippling anxiety, depression, etc. have subsided DRASTICALLY once the clutter was decreased. All my life I had no idea how much those issues were truly environmental and connected to the physical space around me. I’m so glad I discovered this change while my kids were wee little so they will be better equipped than I was in that area. Minimalism and fresh air and sunlight really have changed my life in a lot of ways. Even as far as being able to reach out for medication and therapy that was needed as well. The environment around you really does impact you so dramatically. If downsizing the amount of objects you have to manage is enough to get you to the next step of healing more easily like it was for me then I’m all for it 100%. Even if that further healing might be meds or therapy or more structure whatever. I think what you’re doing and teaching is really incredible.
I have and entire house of my moms si ce she passed away to organize. And she liked to keep everything! Like things from 70's and 80's that went out of style and are now back in style she still has! I'm loving you channel and energy! I now can't wait to declutter and get started on this! Thank you for the motivation. I get to declutter 60 year of stuff, here we go!
I love to see you going by how much the container fits in some cases! That can be so much less overwhelming.
And also so nice to see how your containers aren’t stuffed :-)
At a few points in my decluttering process ive thought, "well that's that.* Then i watch another of your videos and have a revelation that I can actually live more happily with fewer items. I just realized dishes are piling up again, and it's because our stash of party dishes stayed upstairs after Christmas. I had thought we had developed good habits, so the dishes could stay in the kitchen. But in fact, it was having fewer dishes available that kept the kitchen clean.
books: blood pressure went up when I saw your books. I have over 1100 books and have a list I need to add. Good Books are as valuable as gold in my mind. Especially more now with the state of our public libraries
I totally agree with you Dawn. I don't think humans were even designed to manage tons of stuff, cos we don't need tons of stuff in the first place. Like Jesus said, we don't need very much!
There are just 2 adults here now. I made a whole house inventory. It was an eye opener. I’m working on thinning it out. In as much as my husband will agree.
I just taught my husband the container method the other day for his bottle openers 😅
I love what you said at the end of this video. It really resonated with me. That we're not meant to be stuff managers. We are meant to live simply in order to enjoy the life we are given. That isn't the exact quote. But that is how my heart heard it. Thank you for sharing your message with us for as many times as we need to hear it, so we may finally listen.
Dawn...nice to know that as long as I have been into minimalistic living, that there is always something you add to attitudes and encouragement and more ideas to give us freedom to focus on living life, not for stuff. We all know we are never done, and never too old to learn....so thank you !
Dawn you must have read my mind…I was literally wondering to myself yesterday ‘how many dish towels do people have’ and you’ve given me the answer! I know the number doesn’t necessarily matter but it is helpful for me to have boundaries to experiment with. So Thankyou 😊🇦🇺
I recently inherited my father's dish towels, my drawer is over flowing and I was just thinking I need to declutter them. You kinda gave me permission to do that
Thinking of my belongings as inventory has made a huge difference for me. Thank you so much for that, Dawn. 🤗🌷💕
Hi Dawn! I started watching some of your videos quite a while back but never really did anything….I am now in the season of life that I just crave Simplicity, so here I am back to binging your videos and have actually started! Empty cabinets make me happy and it feels so good! Keep up your work, you are making a difference! Thanks friend! 😊
Hi all, recently seperated and feeling overwhelmed with work and kids.
Going to try and keep just ☝️ plate/bowl/glass/coffee mug for each. And probably 2 frying pans, 2 saucepan, 1 Dutch oven
I enjoy your channel so much. I am in a weird season right now because one of my 4 kids is going to move out soon, and one is going to bring a wife into my home until he finishes school. So I am keeping a few things around to give to them to help them establish their own homes.
Thank you for this video and the worksheets. I discovered that I had 18 dinner plates, 13 salad plates, 30 drinking glasses, 6 large frying pans, and 8 sauce pans for a family of 3. No wonder dishes felt so never-ending.
I've cut the amount in half for now, and we'll see if I feel I need to at least do some more in a month. So if someone remembers, remind me in a month to reevaluate my inventory.
Dawn I’d love a new video on meal ideas? And what about food ideas while camping? And packing while camping? I’ve watched the ones you have! 😊
Love you Dawn! I also go to a Guatemala orphanage, Casa Berabe. Love the children there
Minimalism has been a long journey for me. I used to count the items i got rid of my because I'm compulsive but because it motivated me. Thousands of items.
It all came to a head last year when we needed to move out of our large farmhouse with a basement and our buildings to a single story 2 bedroom villa. I'm so glad for what i had done before but we still had tons of stuff which we just have away.
Like you, there is nothing i miss. Since everything "fits "in our new home i thought i was done by through your videos i realized it is not just a one and done.
So now I'm in my happy place looking through drawers and closets and counting once again as I get rid of things I've kept but don't use.
Thank you for your inspiration!
Great video, Dawn! We have followed in your footsteps, and I just can't say enough about the freedom and peace that a simplified home brings! Once you experience this, you will never go back! You have more time for the people and activities that you love!!! ❤❤❤
Food storage containers with the lid on is definitely life changing! I did it and will never go back. My next declutter venture in the kitchen will pare it down even more.
I have so many kitchen rags. 4 fabric cube bins worth. Wash closthes as napkins. Flour sack towels in place if paper towels. Microfiber cloths. And old hand towel rags for cleaning up spills.
I have a lot but i Alsi have a lot of kids. Im constantly cleaning up spills and use rags instead of paper towels.
My 3 year old will wash her hands, take out a rag and throw it on the floor lol.. by the end of the day there will be washcloths all over the house lol
Would love to see your tool collection included next time. It's an area we struggle to be minimalist in I know you guys do a lot of projects so I would love to see what a functional minimalist tool collection is.
That book bin under the bed is brilliant.
Your throw pillows are my hand towels. I have maybe 20 decorative ones. It’s how I decorate for the holidays without clutter. Holiday or season change means changing a few hand towels 🤷🏻♀️
Stopped mid-video to get rid of a couple drawers of fabric. The last time I did any sewing was probably five years ago and really don’t have any interest in pursuing that hobby anymore. I was inspired and needed to do it RIGHT THEN! 😄 BTW, nice haircut! Very cute.
Your home is so neat, pretty and cozy.
That’s so funny! Sometimes I see the title of your video and I think oh I’m not interested in that one. But when I’m bored I come back and think well we can at least try it. And it is always so nicely made and you just have a talent to make a video like counting your stuff totally interesting for me. Loved it! ☺️
Thank you for your wonderful channel!! You have such grace and compassion, and I appreciate that you say over and over, "it's ok." You and your sister's positive spirit are helping me have a more positive mindset in life, in addition to my decluttering journey!!! Thank you for sharing your passion and heart and ending your videos with "I love you"
Hugs from Florida ❤
Count or Container! Oh thank you so much Dawn for your channel. I appreciate your pure & authentic energy, coupled with practicality. I came to your channel via Dana K White. Listening to her Container Concept then listening to your videos dovetails nicely for my ADDness. ❤ from Seoul.
Dawn, great video! As I'm watching your video, I look over in the corner of our bedroom & I see 2 totes of clothes that have been sitting there since last summer. I've not thought about them, so I need to make sure they're not just summer clothes to trade out. Then, I need to have a conversation with myself to get rid of anything I'm not going to wear. I've already done that in my kitchen, but I know I could make another sweep through there & get rid of more. Thank you for the encouragement! 😊
YES! We are just as worthy to have nice towels!!
Love your info I am trying to do these things. I am disabled and so it is “slow mo”.☺️
Love how your home just looks well kept and not bare. But looks homey, welcoming and clean!
"Bought" the book even though I don't care about the numbers. :) Thank you for all you do to help vulnerable populations and inviting us to help along with you! 💗