• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Start Here
  • Work with David
  • Our Services
  • Contact
Young Adult Money

Make more. Save more. Live better.

  • Blog
  • Credit Cards
    • Rewards
    • Cash Back
    • Travel
    • Airlines
    • Hotels
    • Balance Transfer
    • Student
    • Business
  • FREE Budget Spreadsheet
  • FREE Student Loan Spreadsheet
This Just In... Check out the latest travel rewards credit card offers

20 Easy Ways Millennials Can Practice Minimalism

By Kristi / Last updated: December 7, 2017 / How To, Lifestyle, Save Money

We may receive compensation from companies mentioned within this post via affiliate links. Read our full advertiser disclosure. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Pin299
Share54
Tweet
Email
Buffer
Share
353 Shares

Do you want to practice minimalism but don't know where to start? We have 20 easy ways millennials can practice minimalism in this post.This post is by our regular contributor, Kristi.

You don’t have to sell everything you own and live out of a suitcase containing only thirty items to be a minimalist. You don’t have to live in a tiny house with only 150 square feet to be minimalist either.

You can live in a 6000 square foot home. You can own 50 pairs of shoes.

Anyone, with any number of possessions, can be a minimalist. Minimalism is a process, and it’s a process that doesn’t have to happen overnight.

Minimalism is a growing trend, especially among broke millennials who realize that life has great meaning and purpose without all of the stuff.

Throw away the need to keep up with the Joneses, and you’ll be able to focus your time and money on the things that really matter. By keeping and using only the items that you need on a daily basis, you’ll be able to rid yourself of the excess and reclaim your space. By getting rid of the clutter, you’ll be able to rediscover the important objects in your life.

Minimalism isn’t some unattainable goal. Has your living situation has forced you to become a minimalist? Or do you just want to get started because you realize you waste your money buying too many shoes?

Anyone, at any time, for any reason can become a minimalist by just getting started. To give you an idea of how you can get started today, here are 20 easy ways that you can start practicing minimalism.

 

Donate or sell


 

Pick a drawer, a closet, or a cupboard and pick just two or three things that you don’t use and could donate to charity. Anything you give to a local or national non-profit can be used as a tax write-off, so get started before Decemeber 31. Here are ten things you can probably find time to get rid of before the end of the year.

 

1) Movies you’ll never watch again

 
How many dusty DVDs sit in your TV room collecting dust? Do you really need Chucky’s Revenge? If you haven’t watched it in a year or more, the answer is no. Just donate it.

 

2) Books you don’t read

 
This is my biggest struggle. I have over a thousand books in my house, but I’m currently working on paring down my titles \to donate\ or submit back to Amazon as a trade-in. If I’m likely never going to read it again, then I would rather other people get use out of them or get some money for them.

 

3) Duplicates

 
At one point, I had two cherry pitting tools in my house. Who needs two cherry pitters? I certainly didn’t, considering the one was still in its original packaging. I also had over 40 wine glasses in my house…I admittedly love wine, but that’s just a tad excessive. If you can think of any duplicates off the top of your head, and you know you don’t use them, then get up right now, and put it in a bag to drop off at Goodwill or Salvation Army.

 

4) Coats you don’t wear

 
Did you know that families with children make up 35% of the homeless population? Every year, 3.5 million people experience homelessness. As the weather gets colder, these people and families are at risk. Go through your closet and donate the coats you know you’ll never wear again. Make space in your closet, and change someone’s life this winter by donating just one warm coat.

 

5) Dusty sport equipment

 
Do you have dusty sporting equipment piled in a corner of your garage? Donate those old lacrosse sticks or tennis rackets to your local Boys and Girls Club where they can get some use.

 

6) Work clothes that don’t fit

 
If you have business clothes that don’t fit anymore or you simply don’t wear them, consider donating those career clothes to Dress for Success or Career Wardrobe to help people who are in the interview process and trying to get back on their feet.

 

7) Shoes you don’t wear

 
Drop off a bag of shoes to your local Goodwill or Salvation army.

 

8) Dusty kitchenware

 
Remember that extra cherry pitter? Yeah…in the box it goes, along with the souvenir margarita glasses you got on your trip to Hard Rock Café.

 

9) Leftover project supplies

 
If your house is like mine, craft supplies are falling out of every available cabinet space. Just trash the stuff that’s old or donate the supplies you don’t need to a local Girl Scout Troop or community center.

 

10) Old technology

 
Sell your old technology to Gizmogul. You’ll be able to make some extra cash, clean out our office, and help the community. For every transaction, Gizmogul donates $1 to help build schools domestically and abroad.

 

Dump


 

Some things need to just go straight to the dump or recycling center. Trash these five things to de-clutter and start living a more minimalistic lifestyle.

 

11) Socks without matches/with holes

 
Go through your sock drawer and pitch any sock that doesn’t have a match. You’ll be amazed at how much more space you have.

 

12) Pens with no ink

 
Clean out your desk drawer and junk drawer of old crappy pens that don’t work. Only keep the high-quality ones in a place where you’ll always be able to find them.

 

13) Magazines

 
Magazines that you have already read can just go straight to recycling.

 

14) Junk mail

 
I don’t know about your house, but in mine, junk mail gets mixed in with the important paperwork. Streamline your office storage and toss any junk papers into the recycling bin. Only keep the papers you need to records, taxes, or business purposes.

 

15) Freezer burned food

 
Minimalism applies to your freezer too! Toss out old food that has been ruined by freezer burn.

 

Delete


 

Minimalism applies to more than just material things. You can pare the clutter in your life by getting rid of electronic excess as well.

 

16) Old favorites

 
Go through your internet browser and delete old favorited pages that you don’t need or use anymore.

 

17) Useless photos

 
Clear out your photo storage of duplicate, blurry, or irrelevant pictures.

 

18) Old contacts

 
Swipe through your phone and delete contacts you don’t have contact with anymore.

 

19) Facebook friends

 
Does your second cousin’s best friend’s aunt need to be your Facebook friend? Probably not. Streamline your newsfeed by deleting the people who have no need to be on your page.

 

20) Old emails

 
Old emails are the junk mail of your online world. Spend just 5 minutes a day going through and deleting irrelevant emails so that you will eventually have an inbox filled with only relevant and completely organized emails.

Pick just one of these and you’ll be on your way to minimalism. Start donating, dumping, and deleting the clutter from all areas of your life. As you begin to see the value in decluttering, you’ll see what the hype about minimalism is all about.

You don’t have to get rid of everything you own. Just get rid of the things that don’t matter, so that you can focus your energy and attention on the things that do.

 
 
Do you try to practice minimalism? Which of these items would you be willing to do today to become more of a minimalist?
 
 

Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:

Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)

Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer

  • Get our FREE Automated Budget Spreadsheet and our Student Loan Spreadsheet

Get the First Chapter Free!

Student Loan Solution Cover - 3D

Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!

Pin299
Share54
Tweet
Email
Buffer
Share
353 Shares

Kristi

Kristi Muse is a freelance writer, blogger, police officer’s wife, and millennial mom to two beautiful children. To read more about how she tries to live a balanced life, visit her website moderatemuse.com or follow her on twitter @moderatemuse.
Connect:

Comments Policy

Comments, responses, and other user-generated content is not provided or commissioned by this site or our advertisers. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by this website or its advertisers. It is not the responsibility of advertisers or this website to ensure that all comments and/or questions are answered. With all that being said, please comment away!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Andrew LivingRichCheaply says

    Great list…I need to go through them and do those this weekend.  I just said to my wife this morning that we really need to clean out our stuff and get rid of some junk!

  2. Eyesonthedollar says

    It’s funny how pens with no ink and socks with no mates always seem to keep coming back. I surely could go through the junk drawer and get rid of some stuff.

  3. Hannah UnplannedFinance says

    We got rid of (and I’m not kidding here) 187 writing implements that don’t work. We’ve moved (including cross country) four times and carried that many pens. I hate to think how much paper clutter we’ve carried (though we’ve been working on that too).

    I use old socks to clean my toilet, but that’s because I’ve got a potty training boy, and it needs very regular cleaning.

  4. blonde_finance says

    There was a period of time where we moved just about every year and the great part of moving is getting rid of stuff you don’t use or need. We are now in our permanent home but once a year we “pretend” we are moving and purge like we would if we were moving and it not only clears the house, but it also clears my mind. I feel better when we have less stuff around.

  5. moderatemuse says

    Andrew LivingRichCheaply  It’s a lot of hard work but it’s so nice when the work is done!

  6. moderatemuse says

    Eyesonthedollar  It’s a bit ironic how mateless socks multiply like bunnies. Junk is never ending.

  7. moderatemuse says

    Hannah UnplannedFinance  Oh gosh, yes, Hannah, I completely understand. My son isn’t quite to potty training yet, but we already have to do a lot of bathroom maintenance with him. Old socks make for great rags.

  8. moderatemuse says

    blonde_finance  That’s a great idea!

  9. howtoliveinus says

    Some great advice. I’m lucky to not have that much personal stuff, resulting in just not having a lot of clutter. By living like this for years I build up kind of a minimalism lifestyle without really realizing it. I honestly love it. I still have everything I really need, but now have developed an eye for things I don’t really need, preventing from turning my place into a wreck. 

    Peter

  10. moderatemuse says

    howtoliveinus  That’s awesome! I try really hard to stay consistently clutter free, but I always end up having to re-sort through the clutter again. It comes in waves.

  11. Laura Beth @ How To Get Rich Slowly says

    I believe this is one of the best posts on this site. I feel like millennials are in many ways leading the way for the minimalist movement, even if many of them don’t relate to the label perse.

    As I’ve mentioned on my own site, I am an aspiring minimalist. So I have a long way to go. But I’ve made some big steps toward downsizing from the lavish to the simple life. It’s a good life. Yep.

    Thanks!
    Laura Beth

  12. theYachtless says

    These are such great suggestions. It feels so great and freeing to get rid of old stuff that’s just cluttering up your house. 
    I live in a neighborhood where it’s pretty common and acceptable to put random stuff out on the sidewalk with a “free” sign, so I’ve been doing that a lot lately. Last weekend I put out a ton of stuff, including a huge DVD holder full of DVDs, and I think one person must have pulled up to the curb and taken it all, because it was gone an hour later.
    I love the sock suggestion too — it’s true! Why do we keep all of these socks that we are clearly not going to wear? :)

  13. SimplySave says

    I”m doing the Minsgame with 3 other Twin Cities bloggers this month so this post is perfect! We’ve got a really large and inspiring Facebook group joining us, so I’m going to share this post with them! I’d love if you checked out what we have going on! Details are on my blog!

Primary Sidebar

Credit Cards

  • Best Travel Rewards Cards
  • Best Balance Transfer Cards
  • Best Cash Back Credit Cards
  • Best Business And Side Hustle Credit Cards
  • Best Student Credit Cards

Start a Blog:

How to Start a Blog that Makes Money
 

Top Posts

  • 15 Ways You Can Make Money From Your Computer Right Now
  • When You Should and Shouldn’t Refinance Student Loans
  • How Much Money You Will Need to Make $1,000 in Dividends

Free Spreadsheets & Downloads

  • Free Automated Budget Spreadsheet
  • Student Loan Repayment Spreadsheet
  • The Ultimate Personal Finance Checklist
  • 401k Spreadsheet to Analyze your Options
  • Wedding Budget Spreadsheet
  • 52 Week Money Challenge Spreadsheet and Printable

First Chapter Free!

Join our online community and receive the first chapter of Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE.

If you don't see the email in your inbox, please check your spam folder.

Connect:

Categories:

Search:

Get the New Book!

Student Loan Solution: 5 Steps to Take Control of Your Student Loans and Financial Life is available on Amazon by clicking here, or by clicking on the graphic below.

Make more. Save more. Live better.

Site Directory:

  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Recommendations
  • Finance Tools
  • Credit Cards
  • Insurance
  • Banking
  • Investing

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy

Feedback? Questions?
Contact us and let us know what you think.

Connect:

Search This Site:

Copyright © 2012–2024 Young Adult Money, LLC / All Rights Reserved
Designed by LizTheresa.com / Developed by Nuts and Bolts Media

Manage your privacy

To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.

Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Statistics

Marketing

Features
Always active

Always active
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
Manage options
{title} {title} {title}
Manage your privacy

To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.

Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
Manage options
{title} {title} {title}