We are a large family of ten, living in a small double-wide home of about 1,100 sq ft. Minimalism is a MUST for us! I’m so thankful for the way God has used this small home to teach me how to let go of stuff and focus on what I actually need. In fact, our whole family has been blessed through learning how to apply a minimalistic approach to keeping house!
Great thing is, you don’t need money to make minimalism work for you. You can transform your home into something refreshingly uncluttered and decently (if not vibrantly) clean in several, easy steps (though they will require work!). Even a poor home can be made pleasant and peaceful!
Minimalism as a Housekeeping Approach
This is a general list to get started. More posts will likely be written in the future to further flesh out individual points. Please note that I do not consider myself an extreme minimalist. I am minimalistic in my own way, which does not include completely bare walls (which are boring, in my opinion). However, I have found that even minimalizing in a small way helps. Let’s take a look at Five, Easy Steps to get you started toward transforming your home!
Step 1
Remove all items from surface/shelf/floor.
Let’s say you’re decluttering (or maybe even gutting) your kitchen. (We’re going to go ahead and run with this example — just know that every one of the Five Steps can easily apply to any other area of the house, as well.)
Start with one area, and focus on just that one area until done — don’t move on to the next until you’re completely finished with the previous one. (If you don’t do this, the task will feel overwhelming, and you will have stuff spread out all over your house.) For example, you could start with the countertop.
Remove everything — and I mean everything! — from the counter’s surface. Put it on the dining table, out of the way. Now, and only now, are you ready for the next step.
Step 2
Clean.
Pull out a natural, fresh-smelling disenfectant. Here are some ideas:
- Vinegar, plain or with essential oils for added freshness and cleansing
- Water with liquid grapeseed extract, and some added essential oils, if you desire
- Natural, store-bought brands, such as Boulder Clean, Mrs. Meyers, Method, etc.
- Young Living’s Thieves Household Cleaner (we use this one at our house — the large bottle lasts us more than a year!)
Wipe down every, single surface until it shines!
Step 3
Only return those things you really want to keep.
Ask, “Does it serve a practical purpose?” “Is it useful to me?” and “Can I live without this?
Practical– The item has to help you be able to perfom some job. It needs to be a tool or necessary container of some sort.
Useful– This can include a few (and only a few) items that do not perform a job but function as inspiration (something that is pretty [a plant or picture], an encouraging saying, etc.). But, not too much of these. Less is better — it highlights what you choose to keep so much more.
Can’t Live Without– This should be self-explanatory. This doesn’t include most sentimental or “maybe-I-will-use-it-someday” items. If you can live without it, then it doesn’t need to be cluttering up precious space. Special items can be re-gifted to somebody who would appreciate them. Only keep things you cannot part with — cannot, because you literally won’t be able to get by without them.
Step 4
Get rid of duplicates.
Ask, “How many do I really need?”
If you have two or more of something that serves the same or similar purpose, keep one (you can get another one later on if you need to –though it isn’t likely you will). I do have several cutting boards (three), but we use them all the time, often with several people working at the same time. So, there may be a few exceptions. Generally speaking, though, the “keep one” rule is a good way to go.
Step 5
Sift through keepsakes with a fine-toothed comb.
Keep only extremely special sentimental items. Don’t keep (most) stuff just for the “memories.” Practical vintage kitchen tools, perhaps. But, many things are just superfluous. For example, you do not need to keep everything that reminds you of your late Great Aunt or that used to be hers! We need to learn to let go of the past and keep memories stored away in our hearts. Those beautiful memories are often best shared as stories we recount to our children. I would much rather have a “living story” than a “dead artifact”!
Minimalism as a Way of Life
After following the Five Steps outlined above, your kitchen — plus any other area you choose to tackle — will be a lot more tidy, easier to keep clean, and refreshingly simplified.
But why stop there? Think about the reason we minimalize — isn’t it to remove the extra, unneeded clutter so we can streamline our lives and have the space to breathe more freely? We want to feel lighter, get out of the tangly undergrowth of “things handed down” and “junk I don’t need.” That same concept can apply to life in general. Things get handed down to us in the form of unhealthy life patterns (perhaps inherited from our parents). Junk we don’t need can be anything that keeps us from living God’s best for us.
Here are some ideas I’ve come up with for minimalizing other things in life that perhaps we have too much of. This list is just a start — perhaps there are more items you would like to add! (We’d love to hear your thoughts on Minimalism as a Way of Life in the Comments Section after the post!)
We can minimalize . . .
-Our relationships (not all relationships can /should receive the same effort)
-Our commitments (we do have our limits as human beings — there’s only so much we can do in a 24-hour day)
-Our extra-curricular activities
-Our technology time
-Our subscriptions
-Our spending
-Our wardrobe
-Our homeschool curriculum
-Our daily schedule
-Our inspirational input (focus on one or two teachers at a time)
What Minimalism Can Not Do for Us
It can’t make our life perfect. Simplifying our house and our commitments doesn’t necessarily lead to a totally uncomplicated life, though it can help us have a less complicated life. There will still be messes: relationship messes, toy messes, being-too-sick-or-busy-to-clean-our-house messes, other kinds of sticky life messes. It happens! No need to feel you’ve failed if your life gets a little un-minimalistic. No — minimalism should be a tool, not an idol.
God is the true Answer to life’s messes. As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work in our life, He will transform us. This is often painful, not comfortable, and not enjoyable. I usually hate it. I’m such a baby! Sure, it’s messy for awhile, but it’s worth it, since the end product is our spiritual growth. So above all, though I believe it’s very helpful to keep our home orderly, it’s even more important to keep our spirit orderly by keeping our focus on God, no matter the state of our home and circumstances.
. . . “for God is not the author of confusion [disorder, chaos], but of peace” . . .
1 Corinthians 14:33
Please share your thoughts on minimalistic home/life organization below!
~Jessica
I can really relate to this post as I am a minimalist at heart! I must confess I was on a clothing storage binge but have that under control thankfully! Small under the bed bins with labels came in very handy for that!
Anyways, I raised my two children in a small mobile home. Our home is a 14 ×56 to be exact so I was REALLY strapped for space. I always had to make sure everything had it’s very own place. I had to be super creative.
Now that we are empty nesters I still do the same.
It is SO refreshing to have order in our house for both my husband and I.
We also like to keep minimalism in other areas of our life. Aside from clutter a few areas that we learned together over the years to keep to a minimum is who we listen to as spiritual leaders and Bible versions.
We found at one point we were listening to several pastors preach sermons! It was getting overwhelming. For me it felt like I was so all over the place! Since we have kept things to a minimum in that area I find for myself I am much more content when studying my Bible.
Also for us sticking to one version of the Bible primarily and one for clarity on a shelf if need be has really helped. My husband actually mentioned a few days back that since he has stayed in one version of the Bible he has been able to recall more scripture than ever before becuase his mind wasn’t on a different version. So being intentionally minimal and simple in life has certainly been a positive experience for my family.
I know that life has it’s up and downs but having that minimalist order and slow living for me is a must!
I am always up for new ideas on how to clean and organize so your tips are very helpful! One tip you gave a few years back about storing stuff upwards was helpful to me.
I honestly didn’t even think of that!
So after that post you made I ended up buying a corner hanging basket, storing my pans in my oven, and buying a tiered styled spinning shelf…I think it was called a lazy Susan maybe?!
Anyways they were great tips and my kitchen space grew!
Well, great post & thanks Jessica!
Thanks, Rosemarie! I’m so glad my tip about storing stuff upward helped you! You know, ever since you told me about your single-wide mobile home, when I feel squooshed in our small home I remember you and think, “If Rosemarie can do it, so can I!” I like how you stored your extra clothes under the bed. Great idea!
Thanks for adding your thoughts on minimalizing our input from teachers. There are so many I would like to hear from, but I only have so much time and my brain can only focus on so much at a time. And your husband’s discovery about needing to read from one Bible version at a time — how interesting! I tend to do that, as well.
So wonderful to hear from you!
~Jessica
Another great article, Jessica. I have an on-again, off-again relationship with minimalism, lol. I’m usually an all-or-nothing type of person and so I will occasionally think that we MUST downsize and have a more minimalistic home – to reduce chaos and expense. On the other hand, I also am a preparing sort of person whose husband is self-employed in a job that is impacted much by weather and the economy – so I tend to store up in the “feast months” for the “famine months” that are always ahead. I don’t like the seesaw tendency and, yet, both seem logical in various seasons.
I am intrigued by your first area to minimalize: relationships. You will likely have even more difficulty with this than I as you have more children. Presently I am blessed with 6 children (3 of whom are adults, but only one married – so I have 3 at home being homeschooled) and 4 grandchildren. I am so thankful to also have living parents, parents-in-law, 3 siblings, 2 sisters-in-law, 14 nieces and nephews, and about a handful of my husband’s clients who have become quite dear to us. We also have an adopted-adult-daughter of sorts. Oh! And, I can’t forget the husband! lol
Honestly, having all of these beloved people to care about becomes stressful for me at times. Clearly, my minor children still at home must be a priority (after my husband). The next tier is a toss-up between elderly parents & in-laws and adult children and grandchildren – depending on their needs at the time. After those tiers, who gets time is mostly luck of the draw.
I’d love to hear how mothers of large broods (who aren’t funded by reality TV show incomes) manage to give everyone the care they deserve – especially when the children begin to welcome their own children. (I mention income as I presently have one child on the other side of the country from me and our budget (and lifestyle – including 3 kids still being homeschooled) doesn’t allow for trips across the country.) Honestly, finding the time to meaningfully love on the people God has put in my life is one of my all-time biggest stressors.
On a different note, I heard a great sermon yesterday on…well, it’s hard to categorize it: modesty/authority/gender… Anyway, I will comment on your post about clothing guidelines for your children as I left a related comment there. I wanted to share one of his thoughts (that I’m sure you’ve considered, but I really appreciated it – as it relates to part of my comment) and the link in case you’re interested in listening to it also.
Hi, SBS! Thanks for your feedback!
I totally understand your predicament — in both areas! (wanting to get rid of stuff but feeling you need to store up for the lean times, and having a lot of people you care about but not knowing how to give them all that you would like). I guess minimalism is best viewed as a tool to serve our purposes — we use it as we see fit, but only when it makes sense to do so. There must be balance! Your comment shows this to be true.
I feel your stress related to family, and I would love to hear from other women on this, too! I’m feeling the stress of having eight children and a husband who all need me and wondering how much I can practically invest in other relationships that are meaningful to me as well. I’m finding that sometimes, as guilty as it makes me feel, I just have to say no to certain things. This is such an important topic that a lot of women can relate to!
Thanks again! Your comment is such a great addition to the conversation!
~Jessica
Have you thought on doing an updated house tour on YouTube ? I would love to see how you fit your family ❤️ God bless you 😊
Great idea, Ashley! I really should do that, shouldn’t I?!
~Jessica
Very helpful Jessica! I have 2 young kids who get into EVERYTHING! As my brood grows the clutter will only get more IF we don’t get handle on it. These tips will definitely help.
So glad that you found the article helpful, Courtney! We often learn as we go — I had to figure out a lot of stuff as the need arose!
~Jessica
Nice article! Being simple are very important value for our life both in practice and in faith.
Thank you so much, Sanae!
~Jessica
Thanks for this practical list! While I’m grateful to my mother-in-law for decorating my husband’s apartment in an effort to make me feel at home, her decorating style is very cluttery: Paintings covering the walls, interrupted only by childhood photos of my husband and his sister (which is nice in my mother-in-law’s house, but feels strange in mine), fake plants, candles, decorative lamps, doilies, table runners and decorative items on every surface and curtains on every window. So far I’ve only slightly rearranged some things, but now I feel better about the idea of radically simplifying the decor in the apartment.
You’re welcome, Erika!
Yes, things can get a little tricky when relatives step in to help us decorate. On the one hand, we don’t want to hurt their feelings, but on the other hand, we want to do what we feel is best for our own home. How do you think you will “radically simplify” your decor and still be sensitive to your mother-in-law’s feelings? This is something I’m sure many other women would like some ideas on . . . 🙂
~Jessica
It’s not easy. I’m going slowly and in Phases. The first step is rearranging the things slightly. A week or so later I remove this or that and put it in storage (to either return to my mother in law or donate to the second hand store). Then I start replacing some things with things of my own. Simpler, homemade decorations that “need the space”. On the walls this has been homemade bible verse posters: I taped some paper together, wrote one key word in the center and now whenever I read the Bible I keep my eyes open for a verse that matches the theme of one of my posters. I then add it. So those posters are not only decorative but functional and I can easily explain the need for the space without being harsh. I don’t know yet how to return the large framed photographs of my husband at age 7 (and other ages too, as well as my sister-in-law), but I hope she will understand that it feels a bit weird to me, having my husband as a cute 7-year-old staring at me every day.
That sounds wise, Erika. Yes, slowly and in phases seems best, to me, too. 🙂
With the photos of your husband and his sister (I would feel a bit awkward with that, too, if I were in your situation), what about buying a nice photo album (or use a binder with page protectors, if the photos are too big for a regular album), putting the photos in it, and keeping it as a keepsake? You could explain that you felt you needed to make space for a new picture of you and your husband from your wedding (or something else valuable to you), but that you value the time your mother-in-law spent gathering the photos, and appreciate having pictures from his childhood?
I love your idea of the decorated Bible verses, which are both decorative and functional — wonderful!
~Jessica
P.S. I was thinking more about the photo situation this morning, and another idea came into my mind.
The frames may be expensive (so you might not want to give them away in order to keep just the photos), and your mother-in-law may value those photos and would like to put them back on her walls once you feel you don’t need them. Perhaps you could keep one of your husband which you like, and give the rest back to her, in a nice box or bag, with tissue paper, and a card saying something like, “Thank you so much for making me feel welcome and at home! I deeply appreciate the way you have welcomed me into your family and helped me feel a part of your history. The time you took to decorate our apartment and make it homey means so much to me! I am very grateful for these photos, which I am now carefully returning to you so you can keep them for the beautiful memories I am sure they hold for you. I would like to make room for some photos of my husband and myself together as we start our new life, but I will always remember your loving consideration.”
It’s a big step for a mother to welcome a new daughter into her family! I suspect that a lot of the time, women don’t automatically know how to do this, and they perhaps make some mistakes along the way. I think it’s always good to believe the best about others. It’s also good to have honest conversations with them, when necessary, but always be careful to word things in a way that won’t hurt their feelings. It might be easy to get offended with a mother-in-law who seems to be controlling, or seems to want to interfere and “make it all about her” when we want it to be “all about my husband and me and our new life together.” I don’t know if that’s how you feel, but I bet a lot of women can relate to that feeling! I think that if you continue to be considerate and respectful toward your mother-in-law, you can have a good relationship with her. You definitely have to define boundaries for the health of your marriage, but as much as possible try and show her how much you appreciate and love her! 🙂
Your friend,
~Jessica
These are great ideas Jessica! I’m going to confess this. I toyed with the idea of getting a single serve coffeemaker because I thought it would be nice to have one for flavored coffee. I don’t need it. Our coffeemaker has a setting to make one cup of coffee and I can just buy a bag of flavored coffee to keep on hand. I don’t need more clutter on my counters.
Thanks for the great input, Regina!
~Jessica
This was a lovely article, Jessica – thank you! I have to confess that I don’t really have good success in this area. My style could best be described as “always decluttering, never decluttered” – no matter how much I get rid of, it’s always overflowing. Perhaps I will see victory in this area sometime – though it is super-hard with kiddos who insist that every piece of trash that they found in a parking lot six years ago is still ultra-precious and can’t possibly be parted with! 🙂 Ah, well – I still give it a go. Either way, I still loved the article!
Hi, Diana!
Yes, I can totally relate to your comment! With kids in the house, housekeeping (minimalism, etc.) is always a work in progress. If you came to our house, you would see this work in its various stages. I may not have gotten around to going through the papers/bills and putting them away yet; there may still be some schoolwork out on the table that I need to review with the children; the child whose turn it is to wash the dishes has maybe not done it yet because he or she took a long time finishing something else; and perhaps I decided to let the toys lay out on the floor for now because I just wanted the kids to go straight to taking their naps/quiet time.
Minimalism is definitely a goal for me, and I have used it as a tool to help get rid of extra stuff. But at no time is my house EVER totally the way I would like it to be. It’s hard for me to accept the un-perfection (perhaps that’s the selfish side of me), but I tell myself that it’s kids, and it’s life, and it’s okay. 🙂
~Jessica