Minimalism Q&A Home Edition: Part 1

I have really enjoyed these Q&A videos! I love answering your specific questions. This set of questions is specifically related to the home.

How to you organize your clothes? Is it by season, color, use?

I organize my clothes my type. I do have a really large closet. I’ve actually taken a rod out and used one rod to hang folded sweaters because I have so much room in there since embracing minimalism. 

I keep all seasons in the closet. However, if you have a really small closet I would recommend only bringing bulky winter items in your closet when it’s time for them. 

I hang all my skirts on on rod together. All of my tops are together. Many of my tops are multipurpose things that be worn in multiple seasons and be dressed up or down, so I keep all the tops/jackets together. I have one rod that has all my sweaters folded over a hanger on them. This is only possible if you have plenty of room since they take up a good bit of space. My last rod has all long hanging items on it, my dresses and coats. 

And I also sort things by ROYGBIV. ROYGBIV is the rainbow and it makes things look so aesthetically pleasing! I start with white/cream and move to pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and finally, violet.

How do you handle discarding something and then regretting it?

This is a great question. I feel like it is one that many people have when they are considering Minimalism. However, I have been extremely brutal with decluttering and minimizing our home and I can only think of one instance where I was disappointed that I had gotten rid of something. And that has been for the entire span of the two years that I have been considering myself a minimalist.

I always say that minimalism is like a muscle. It might be a little bit painful to get started, but once you have built that muscle things are so much easier. I truly believe that once you find the freedom that minimalism brings, you will begin to lose the fear of regret. That being said, if you were truly concerned that you might need something that is in your donate pile, then I encourage you to put it in a box in your attic or somewhere out-of-the-way. Set an alarm on your phone for six months from now. If six months later you still can’t remember what was in that box or realize that you don’t need it, it is time to get rid of it. 

I am a huge fan of saving money. My husband and I run a very tight budget for our home and I am very frugal. So while I am not one that wastes, if the item you were looking to get rid of is really inexpensive it might be worth just letting it go and then re-purchasing it next year when you need it.

What about kitchen appliances and serving trays? I feel like if I use them 1 to 2 times a year I should keep it.

Let’s start with serving trays and entertainment pieces. First of all, I like to keep my things versatile. You can always decorate seasonally with fresh flowers or with colored napkins. Keep in mind that many holiday trays have a pattern or artistic detail in the center that is going to be covered up once you have food on the tray. So keep your trays and serving pieces versatile and you can use them year round.

When I first started minimizing I realized I had so many of these pieces. I imagined the largest dinner party or event that I would hold in my home. I have a small island and then another surface in my kitchen that I serve desserts on. How many pieces would I need for the biggest event I would have? Once I determine what my favorite things were and what I would use for that, I let the rest of it go.

I also do not like to have very many things that are only for special occasions. I think that something you use to serve your roast on for your family dinner on a Tuesday night can be the same thing that you use for Thanksgiving dinner. This is really helped me to not make those impulse purchases at Home Goods when I see something beautiful.

For small appliances, I like to choose things that can perform multiple tasks. For example, we only have a toaster not a toaster and a toaster oven. I have a stand mixer and so I do not feel the need to have a small hand mixer. When you go through your appliances really think through the last time you used something to know if you need to keep it. And also think if you already have something that performs the same function.

Help with how to store purses.

I used to have quite a few purses. Most of them were very inexpensive and I would find that they would get a tear in the fake leather or one of the straps would pull away a little bit and then I would move on to another purse. I started investing in more expensive, but better quality purses. (I also have found these on great sales.)

I now only own a few handbags. I keep these on a hook on my closet wall. I do have one large purse that is a very high-end brand that was given to me as a gift and I keep that in its original box in my closet.

So the first step I would take is to minimize your purses. Think of a few that are really versatile and that you enjoy using. And then if you have a hook to hang them on that is a great way to do it. Another way to store them is inside of each other. If you don’t have a lot of space you can usually start with the smallest bag and put it inside one a little bit larger and then put that inside one that’s a little bit larger and go from there.

How do you start the process?

This is a question I get often. I am not sure what the right way to do this is, I can just tell you how I did it. When I got started I went all in. I feel that you should choose a room that you can immediately see an impact in. I would not get started with your attic or basement. The living room or kitchen is a great place to get started.

If you start in the living room you can begin by clearing off your surfaces. Don’t be afraid to live with the space a little bit naked for a while. Don’t just try to find new places for your items. Remember that the purpose is to minimize, to eliminate the things you don’t need or use.

I started in my kitchen and I was able to immediately see the difference because I open my cabinets multiple times a day.

I hope the answers to these questions will help you to find margin in your life! If you have a question I haven’t answered, please drop it below and it might be on my next Q&A!