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Dealing with OPC (Other People’s Clutter)

I often receive emails from people who want to pare down, but are frustrated with their partner’s/children’s/parent’s/family’s reluctance to get on board. They feel that no matter how much of their own stuff they purge, they’ll always be tripping over, shoving aside, or otherwise dealing with someone else’s clutter.

I have to admit, that’s a tough situation. Unfortunately, begging, pleading, evangelizing, or threatening can have the opposite effect—and result in making them more determined to hang on to their stuff.

Don’t despair! Your words may fall on deaf ears, but there’s a few things you can do to (gently) prod those clutterbugs in the right direction:

1.… {Read more}

My Guest Post at BootsnAll

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve written a guest post over at BootsnAll, the fabulous independent traveler site:

No Extra Baggage: How Traveling Lightly Changed My Life

The post bridges my two favorite topics: minimalism and travel. I hope you’ll check it out, and leave a comment on it if you’re so inclined. If enough people like it, perhaps they’ll invite me back again. :)

If you’re planning a getaway this summer (or just enjoy some armchair traveling), I encourage you to browse through the site while you’re there. I have to warn you, though: your feet might start itching to hit the road!… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Michele

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

This week, it’s my pleasure to feature Michele. She shares her minimalist lifestyle with us in wonderful detail, and has even included some lovely photos of her living space!

Michele writes:

The story I have in my head is that my mom asked me to clean up my room when I was very young, and I wanted a way to never have to hear that again! I started to clear everything out of my room, and loved sitting in a totally empty closet.… {Read more}

Drifting

Drifter {definition}: a person who goes from place to place, job to job, etc., remaining in each for a short period.

Two years ago, when I moved to the UK, I thought it was pretty impressive that I lived out of a duffel bag for six weeks.

Ha! I’ve been doing it now for over three months.

My husband and I gave up our flat in February, and decided we didn’t want to commit to any long-term housing options. Therefore, we’ve been in and out of hotels, sublets, and extended stays ever since.

In two weeks, we’ll be moving into our fifth “home” in less than a year (“home” being somewhere we’ve stayed longer than a month).… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Jason Billows

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

Today, I’m pleased to share this contribution from Jason Billows, blogger at Stop & Breathe. Jason tells us how he “accidentally” became a minimalist and how it has made him and his family happier.

Jason writes:

An Accidental Minimalist

I used to have lots of stuff. I had work stuff, personal stuff, sport stuff, household stuff, workshop stuff, school stuff – there was an endless amount of stuff. Of course I had to have somewhere to put all of my stuff, so I had a big house.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

This week we meet Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. These guys take an intellectual approach towards minimalism, and write essays about living a more meaningful life with less stuff at The Minimalists. Joshua Millburn also writes fiction; his first novel, As A Decade Fades, will be published later this year.

Joshua and Ryan write:

Happiness is an expansive concept, it goes without saying. At its fundament, the term “happiness” is abstract and abstruse and can be a mind-numbing, migraine-inducing thing to try to explain with words.… {Read more}

Messages from Japan

Kaori, a reader from Tokyo, left a very thought-provoking comment on last week’s Real Life Minimalist post. I know that many of you don’t subscribe to the RSS Comments feed; therefore, I thought I’d share it in today’s post in case you missed it:

hi. I’m writing from Tokyo, Japan where as a city we’re having to rethink our priorities in terms of stuff, power and fuel. As you may know, this country is in the midst of the greatest national crisis (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear plant meltdown) since WWII and as I write, tens of thousands of people are stuck in evac shelters with no cash, no home, no job and a dark, uncertain future.… {Read more}

A Year Ago on miss minimalist

Minimalist Philosophy: Cherry Blossom Living: Every year, I look forward to cherry blossom season with great anticipation. I love to sit under the pink clouds of delicate blooms, and wax poetic on the beauty of life. (A few years ago, I fulfilled a lifelong dream, and spent two glorious weeks in Japan doing just that.) I used to think life would be more beautiful if the cherries bloomed all year round; but, somewhere along my minimalist journey, I realized that life is more beautiful because they don’t…{read more}

Extreme Light Travel: A few months ago, I wrote about the contents of my carry-on.… {Read more}

Real Life Minimalists: Sofia Reddy

Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.

Today we hear from Sofia Reddy, who tells us how minimalism has helped her through a challenging time in her life. Please visit her blog to learn more!

Sofia writes:

This last year has been the most stressful year of my adult life. I felt so blessed to have so many wonderful new beginnings in 2008 – I married the man of my dreams, had a beautiful baby boy, Nikolas (pictured with me), started a new job at the Veteran’s Health Administration as a clinical social worker, and we had just bought our first home together the year before.… {Read more}

Smitten: The Cupboard-Less Kitchen

When my husband and I renovated our former home, we completely gutted the kitchen (not a frivolous endeavor, but a necessity—it was a grungy, wood-paneled, 1970s nightmare). But instead of installing kitchen cupboards in every nook and cranny, we left the overhead space bare. Practically, it worked for us, as we were fortunate enough to have a large pantry and minimal kitchenware. And aesthetically, we loved it—the absence of overhead cabinets gave the space an open, airy, and serene look.

At the end of next month, we’ll be moving into our fifth “home” in less than a year (and another temporary one, at that).… {Read more}