I lost everything I have ever owned in a house fire last year. While I was trying to minimalize and be intentional about purchases, I still had 57 years of life stuff. I was the keeper of my families china, silver etc and it is all gone.
So as we rebuild, I am keeping this approach. I also want to share that while this is a sad situation, having a list along with photos and and videos in the cloud in case of a tragic loss from a fire, hurricane etc. you don’t receive a blanket check from the insurance company, you have to itemize your inventory and if possible have receipts.
Here is a declutter tip. I invited several friends to a bingo and chocolate cheesecake party. Sixteen rsvp’d. I went through my house and gift box and chose lots of “prizes” for bingo winners. Put them in gift bags that had accumulated over the years. Used up all but the Xmas bags. Bingo was a kick. Everyone got a prize. House much lighter. Your inventory was extraordinary. Love your minimalist style. Years ago I worked with your lovely mother. Aloha to her. Andrea
Omg I think I have more in my living room alone than you have in your entire house! It would probably take me at least a year to do an inventory of all my stuff. It’s so overwhelming, I’m finding it hard to get rid of anything and I’m not even a hoarder.
If you'd like to reduce the volume in your home, I suggest starting by decluttering one micro area like a single drawer or small surface - and no need to take an inventory unless it feels useful to you! x
Thanks for sharing! It's good to do a household inventory, not just so you know what you can streamline further, but also for insurance purposes. If it doesn't make the list for the insurance claim, then maybe get rid of it now before it becomes a mess to clean up after a disaster. Create peace of mind so life is easier regardless of circumstances.
Thank you so much for sharing! So interesting to see how others make minimalism work for themselves. Curious about three areas - do you have any seasonal decor or items, especially with regards to holidays? Do you have any emergency preparedness items, like go-bags, water/food storage, etc? As someone who has lived in your areas for chunks of my life, I know preparing for earthquakes was always on my mind (and now I live in a hurricane area!). Lastly, how have you seen your household possessions change as your children have grown up? As always, appreciate all that you do!
1. We have one small box of seasonal decor above our fridge with a few felt garlands, but mainly make things festive with candles, florals, lighting, and music.
2. We are terrible at emergency prep, but live between a hospital and a supermarket so hoping for the best. Wish us luck!
3. The volume of stuff we own has greatly reduced as our kids have gotten older - no more car seats, strollers, baby gear, toys, etc. My girls basically just want clothes, their phones, and their friends now!!
I’ve actually been working on something similar for our sailboat (we live on a 42’ sailboat which you would *think* means we don’t own a lot of stuff but boats are full of hidey holes and we have two kids haha!!) but I quickly get distracted by things needing to be cleaned / fixed / moved, so haven’t actually finished Step 1: Inventory yet 😅
A few questions if you or others with advice are up for it…
- How do you have so little bathroom “stuff”? This is an area I really struggle with pairing back, as it feels foolish to not have all the half full bottles of pharmacy and beauty stuff easily at hand…
- Do you do any kind of seasonal wardrobe switches / how do you keep the winter and rain gear minimal? I guess I just realized you live in CA so that might really help!
- Any thoughts on sporting equipment? Bikes are really hard on the boat, but we love to cycle… we also have a large assortment of balls, frisbees, snorkeling gear, etc etc!
🙏 Thank you for sharing this with us all, especially while your family is going through so much!
1. We keep it very minimal with bathroom products so we can invest in fewer, better products, and we only buy to replace once we are low - I am a skin and haircare minimalist for sure!
2. I do a very minor switch when the seasons change - move heavy coats to the back of my daughter's closet, tuck away boots, and pull out swimsuits, coverups, and sandals when the weather heats up. Even when I lived in London or Chicago I didn't do big seasonal swaps - just added or subtracted a few seasonal accessories.
3. We are not a sports / camping family and just rent or borrow what we need when we need it! Maybe others can weigh in on this one!
Thank you for sharing. This is really inspiring and I’m going to take this on slowly room by room to help reduce some stragglers that have remained and are increasing my time spent cleaning. ❤️
I think, therefore know that I have a lot of stuff. I am also a knitter which means a lot of yarn in clear plastic tubs. I have been whittling down my clothes because I do little entertaining or going out. I want comfort and durability. We also have a ton of books, some read, some on the list, some passed around. Our actual library hasn't bought any books in five years due to a lawsuit. We trade books. yarn, fabric, food, and other stuff within the group. If someone has a fire we ask what they need. A lot of times gift cards to grocery stores, Walmart, Target are big hits. We have a lot of DVDS because streaming in the boonies is non-existent. So is internet to some degree, hence stash of books and DVDs. We also store dry goods, and cans of food because we are in the boonies and while I have a small grocery store in town the fact is the prices are out of reach.
Would I change where I live and how I live. Well I did, I moved from eastcoast to Texas, why you ask? Because two independent financial advisors reviewed our salaries (not great) and said we would end up in subsidized housing in our later years. that's not how I want to live. The biggest cost next to taxes and housing for seniors is healthcare.
I admire those who live with less, really I do, but where I live I have to be able to entertain myself, fend for myself when the power is lost. Texas doesn't deal well with cold, ice, snow and sometimes we get hit with those storms. We also have to make do, mend, can, and whatever nifty skill one can acquire to make a living. It isn't a bad living its just how I live now. My biggest regret is that I did not chose a career that would enable me to be better off.
OMG, this is amazing! Thank you so much for this inventory - it is inspiring. I've been meaning to do one and now I have a template (but how to include the many many family antiques, silver, crystal doodads that I have somehow inherited - saying you're the oldest daughter without saying you're the oldest daughter).
I documented all "community property" here - in addition to what's listed, my girls each have a laptop, headphones, books, clothes, skincare / makeup, school and art supplies in their rooms. They also each have a "special box" with all of their most precious mementos. My husband has a small office behind our home with books, computer, etc. Other than that everything should be on my list! x
I lost everything I have ever owned in a house fire last year. While I was trying to minimalize and be intentional about purchases, I still had 57 years of life stuff. I was the keeper of my families china, silver etc and it is all gone.
So as we rebuild, I am keeping this approach. I also want to share that while this is a sad situation, having a list along with photos and and videos in the cloud in case of a tragic loss from a fire, hurricane etc. you don’t receive a blanket check from the insurance company, you have to itemize your inventory and if possible have receipts.
Good for you for sharing.
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear. That must have been devastating. Wishing you the best as you rebuild. x
Here is a declutter tip. I invited several friends to a bingo and chocolate cheesecake party. Sixteen rsvp’d. I went through my house and gift box and chose lots of “prizes” for bingo winners. Put them in gift bags that had accumulated over the years. Used up all but the Xmas bags. Bingo was a kick. Everyone got a prize. House much lighter. Your inventory was extraordinary. Love your minimalist style. Years ago I worked with your lovely mother. Aloha to her. Andrea
Brilliant. I love your tip and love hearing from you!! x
I'm inspired to do this like the insane person that I am. Thanks for sharing!
Insane people unite!!
Me: 44 sweaters
Dying!! LOL.
Waited to read this so I could read the comments. I love this crazy list because just knowing you did it gives me the itch to pare back a few things.
Ha! Hope you enjoyed the comments - I love how thoughtful this community is!
Omg I think I have more in my living room alone than you have in your entire house! It would probably take me at least a year to do an inventory of all my stuff. It’s so overwhelming, I’m finding it hard to get rid of anything and I’m not even a hoarder.
If you'd like to reduce the volume in your home, I suggest starting by decluttering one micro area like a single drawer or small surface - and no need to take an inventory unless it feels useful to you! x
Thanks for sharing! It's good to do a household inventory, not just so you know what you can streamline further, but also for insurance purposes. If it doesn't make the list for the insurance claim, then maybe get rid of it now before it becomes a mess to clean up after a disaster. Create peace of mind so life is easier regardless of circumstances.
Good call - I didn't even think of that benefit and I live in earthquake and fire land...
Thank you so much for sharing! So interesting to see how others make minimalism work for themselves. Curious about three areas - do you have any seasonal decor or items, especially with regards to holidays? Do you have any emergency preparedness items, like go-bags, water/food storage, etc? As someone who has lived in your areas for chunks of my life, I know preparing for earthquakes was always on my mind (and now I live in a hurricane area!). Lastly, how have you seen your household possessions change as your children have grown up? As always, appreciate all that you do!
1. We have one small box of seasonal decor above our fridge with a few felt garlands, but mainly make things festive with candles, florals, lighting, and music.
2. We are terrible at emergency prep, but live between a hospital and a supermarket so hoping for the best. Wish us luck!
3. The volume of stuff we own has greatly reduced as our kids have gotten older - no more car seats, strollers, baby gear, toys, etc. My girls basically just want clothes, their phones, and their friends now!!
1. Thanks!
2. For sure - Good luck!
3. I know I’ll miss these days, but I won’t miss the stuff! 😅
Oh wow this is so wonderfully helpful!
I’ve actually been working on something similar for our sailboat (we live on a 42’ sailboat which you would *think* means we don’t own a lot of stuff but boats are full of hidey holes and we have two kids haha!!) but I quickly get distracted by things needing to be cleaned / fixed / moved, so haven’t actually finished Step 1: Inventory yet 😅
A few questions if you or others with advice are up for it…
- How do you have so little bathroom “stuff”? This is an area I really struggle with pairing back, as it feels foolish to not have all the half full bottles of pharmacy and beauty stuff easily at hand…
- Do you do any kind of seasonal wardrobe switches / how do you keep the winter and rain gear minimal? I guess I just realized you live in CA so that might really help!
- Any thoughts on sporting equipment? Bikes are really hard on the boat, but we love to cycle… we also have a large assortment of balls, frisbees, snorkeling gear, etc etc!
🙏 Thank you for sharing this with us all, especially while your family is going through so much!
So glad you enjoyed! Quick answers below:
1. We keep it very minimal with bathroom products so we can invest in fewer, better products, and we only buy to replace once we are low - I am a skin and haircare minimalist for sure!
2. I do a very minor switch when the seasons change - move heavy coats to the back of my daughter's closet, tuck away boots, and pull out swimsuits, coverups, and sandals when the weather heats up. Even when I lived in London or Chicago I didn't do big seasonal swaps - just added or subtracted a few seasonal accessories.
3. We are not a sports / camping family and just rent or borrow what we need when we need it! Maybe others can weigh in on this one!
Thank you for sharing. This is really inspiring and I’m going to take this on slowly room by room to help reduce some stragglers that have remained and are increasing my time spent cleaning. ❤️
Happy to hear!! x
Thank you for sharing. Would you be able to share which airtight bins you use for your basement storage? I am mid garage/shed cleanup. Thank you!
Yup! I like these because they are airtight, weather-proof, and stack nicely: https://go.shopmy.us/p-8465621
What size works well?
I think, therefore know that I have a lot of stuff. I am also a knitter which means a lot of yarn in clear plastic tubs. I have been whittling down my clothes because I do little entertaining or going out. I want comfort and durability. We also have a ton of books, some read, some on the list, some passed around. Our actual library hasn't bought any books in five years due to a lawsuit. We trade books. yarn, fabric, food, and other stuff within the group. If someone has a fire we ask what they need. A lot of times gift cards to grocery stores, Walmart, Target are big hits. We have a lot of DVDS because streaming in the boonies is non-existent. So is internet to some degree, hence stash of books and DVDs. We also store dry goods, and cans of food because we are in the boonies and while I have a small grocery store in town the fact is the prices are out of reach.
Would I change where I live and how I live. Well I did, I moved from eastcoast to Texas, why you ask? Because two independent financial advisors reviewed our salaries (not great) and said we would end up in subsidized housing in our later years. that's not how I want to live. The biggest cost next to taxes and housing for seniors is healthcare.
I admire those who live with less, really I do, but where I live I have to be able to entertain myself, fend for myself when the power is lost. Texas doesn't deal well with cold, ice, snow and sometimes we get hit with those storms. We also have to make do, mend, can, and whatever nifty skill one can acquire to make a living. It isn't a bad living its just how I live now. My biggest regret is that I did not chose a career that would enable me to be better off.
Thank you for sharing. x
OMG, this is amazing! Thank you so much for this inventory - it is inspiring. I've been meaning to do one and now I have a template (but how to include the many many family antiques, silver, crystal doodads that I have somehow inherited - saying you're the oldest daughter without saying you're the oldest daughter).
Ha! So glad it was helpful. Good luck with your own - I found it really illuminating to document!
Wow. As another poster commented, my lounge probably has more items than your house!
Are those just your belongings in the common areas, or are there toys/ other people's books/ laptops in there too?
Are the other household members as decluttered as you are?
This is quite fascinating to read.
I documented all "community property" here - in addition to what's listed, my girls each have a laptop, headphones, books, clothes, skincare / makeup, school and art supplies in their rooms. They also each have a "special box" with all of their most precious mementos. My husband has a small office behind our home with books, computer, etc. Other than that everything should be on my list! x
This is inspiring. As empty nesters, we recently downsized from 2400 sq feet to 1200 and creating this inventory will help is do more.
Wow! Congrats to you! x
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
You got it! x