not buying anything before decluttering is such good advice! I've been wanting to become a minimalist for so many years, often decluttered and then bought so much new stuff again. It's important to first get rid of the materialistic mindset or else you'll always be buying - decluttering
Thank you! Yes I did the same for many years, not understanding why I didn’t get more organized. But now it’s so clear. The less stuff I have the less I have to organize 🥰
Thanks for this video. I agree that the most important step is to stop buying stuff. It is not logical to think that you can declutter what you have and then replace some of it with more minimalist looking items. For example, if you have old patterned sheets I don’t think it makes sense to get rid of them and then buy more minimalist looking white linen sheets. Clutter is not something that we should try to buy our way out of.
Hi. Im from the philippines and a mother of 2. I love your insights on minimalism. My daughter is special & we 1st became minimalists ( & eco-friendly) unconsciously. Her doctors told us to have huge space in our house for her to crawl & exercise so we got rid of almost everything. Because of frequent hospital admission due to UTI i no longer use disposable diaper & no longer let her drink sodas and juices only filtered water. Now we are practicing minimalism and try to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Hi! Wow how cool that you changed your home for your daughter. Not many parents would do that! That sounds lovely ❤️ wishing you all the best - and thank you for watching :)
Hi Johanna, thanks for an interesting vlog. I began my discarding journey about 20 years ago, well before the advent of RUclips minimalism advice, books and so on. I was downsizing my life and wanted to save as much money as I could and be frugal so I didn't have to earn so much money so that was what motivated me, plus the fact I have always disliked overcrowded rooms and cupboards, they are not relaxing. In one way, I am glad not to have had the advice as I did it on my own slowly as I wanted to do it and told no-one (frankly no-one was particularly interested!). Several years down the line a lot has changed and my ideas of what I want from minimalism have changed. I love the idea of extreme minimalism, husband and I have downsized a lot recently because we were wondering whether to make a move to a small flat and I realised all I needed was the stuff I actually used and that has been a recent goal of mine. We have downsized furniture - I came to a realisation that whilst I wanted a comfortable chair, a bed and a table just about every other piece of furniture was there to put things in or on! Get rid of the stuff and you don't need the furniture.... And so life goes on, ideas develop and hopefully one's carbon footprint gets just a bit smaller. Thanks for your vlogs - always interesting!
Thank you for your lovely comment 🥰 The idea that if one bought less one needed less money was something that really got me going on my minimalist journey. My parents did tell me growing up that buying things are expensive, but they still bought stuff and I was never taught that specific connection. Which I now think is so important. And completely agree on the cupboards. And for me another one is the shower. All my friends and family (men, women, teens, and people not even interested in hair care) have at least 4-10 shampoos and soaps in their shower. I find it so stressful and clean cupboards is so much better - and easier to clean. Me and my husband also tries to not have any furniture apart from the most important ones. It gives me a feeling of freedom, like I can leave whenever I want to! ❤️
This short video is so full of good! I'm going to bookmark it to watch again whenever I feel a need for a boost and some validation. Thanks, Saga! My wife and I feel like we are already pretty far along the path toward minimalism; at least our version of it. We are practiced enough that it just doesn't occur to us to buy stuff just for the endorphin rush of acquisition. And when we do need something because what we have either wears out or breaks down, we always look for used items. Maple boards to repair the floor in the bathroom? Craigslist (a classifieds website). Clothes? Thrift stores. Furniture, electronics, tools? An auction business that works with schools, hospitals, and other government/public agencies that are getting rid of old items. This gets us what we're looking for while also helping these organizations get some funding. I know many states here in the US have such sites, and highly recommend looking for them. I make things we need, too. I have spent money on quite a few tools over the last few years, but nearly all have been bought used, and all of them have paid for themselves when you consider what I've made with them, rather than bought, or what I've fixed/made and sold to others. (Old film cameras, telescopes, microscopes, reel to reel tape recorders; these are some of the lovely old things I've worked on.) Sometimes, I even sell the tools once I get them cleaned up and working. I'm retired now, so doing all of this making is also what I do to get enjoyment out of my life. I get to be creative, problem solve, learn, share ideas with others, and bring things that are still useful back into service rather than being buried in a landfill or sitting in a closet or attic gathering dust. Oh! And what I'm working on now led me, I think, to having you show up in my recommendations, Saga: I bought a 50-year-old camper and am re-building it. Holy cow, it has turned into a Project! But, once it's done, it will be a one-of-a-kind, comfortable, and beautifully functional place to travel in. I'll make it better than it was when it was built (which, frankly, isn't saying much, since the makers did a very slapdash job that I'm struggling to make better). And it will have at least another 50 years of life in it for my son, or whomever he passes it on to, to enjoy. I'm keeping it as simple as possible, and will be using boards that I'm going to make myself with the planer I found on Craigslist and will pick up tomorrow. It currently doesn't work, but I can fix it cheaply enough, and it will, again, more than pay for itself (after being cheap already; 1/4 the cost of a new one) with the savings I'll get by not buying prepared lumber. Sorry this post is so long! I know I do go on. But maybe someone will find something I've said to be useful.
Oh thank you so so much! I love hearing all of this, and I wish to one day live in a community where I can learn from people around me. I miss having the knowledge of my grandparents to show me how to work with physical items! But I'm practicing! And how cool with the camper!
@@SagaJohanna You have done fantastic work on your tiny living space in the van. Decisions you made have challenged me to think hard about what to do -- and, more importantly what NOT to do -- with our camper.
You’re so right. To take time. It’s an adventure and a journey that is never ending as long as we live as we change during our lifetime and age. What is great in for example around thirty years may not be great in the next decade. We may have children or pets or both. Or travel a lot etc. I try to use what I have. I did have to add some more undies and bras going into menopause because I’m sweating like a… um… pig? Just having a minimal of those items just isn’t practical for me. But I do manage with 2 pairs of jeans and a few tops. Very few socks since I’m home for most of the time and goes barefoot indoor all year around. Great video! 👍👍👍🌹💗
That is exactly how I feel about exercise clothes! I used to only have a few pairs but it did not work since they got ruined from not being washed or being washed too much. So now I have at least one "set" for every day which makes my life so much easier! 💗
Hi! :) I found it after traveling a lot and not being able to keep my things anywhere in my home country. Minimalism made me feel a lot better. I keep photos and some jewelry ❤️
Thank you, Saga, for this video. It's thanks to your suggestion to not buy anything for a year that I've hugely cleared my mind (from thinking about what to buy) and now have the energy and focus to read what I want to read-classic literature-and learn the languages I've been wanting to learn. So thank you! It's made a much bigger difference than I anticipated. And even more than the 'stuff' clutter, it's the mind clutter that has cleared! I'm only less than a month in, so I greatly look forward to how things will evolve over a year.
Oh that’s amazing! That’s the best thing ever 🥰 I loooove classical literature, if you want some tips, some of my favorites are: War and Peace, the Idiot, The Master and Margarita, Steppenwolf, Watership Down, l’aleph, Kallocain, Good morning Midnight, a room of ones own, journey to the end of the night, notes from the underground, madame bovary, looking for time lost and more….
@@SagaJohanna Ah, thank you for the great suggestions! I read War and Peace not long ago. One of my real favourites! Madame Bovary is also on my list. (Tu l'as lu en français ? Je pense que t'as dit que tu as habité à Paris ...) I will add the others-that's a great list of recommendations! :) Thank you again for sharing your ideas through this channel. I get a lot of inspiration from your minimalism videos!
@@linguafranque je comprend un peu mais je ne parle pas bien. Mais j’adore Francais! I used to speak it better when living there, and I hope to move back one day! I mainly read in Swedish because even English makes me tired 😅 Thank you 🥰
@@SagaJohanna Oh, I'd love some recommendations for Swedish books! Also, do you have any recommendations for podcasts and/or RUclips channels in Swedish?
Hi Saga,Happy new year and thank you x your very inspiring videos.. " minimalist is becoming a better person".....I want to start this first day of 2022 with this note
not buying anything before decluttering is such good advice! I've been wanting to become a minimalist for so many years, often decluttered and then bought so much new stuff again. It's important to first get rid of the materialistic mindset or else you'll always be buying - decluttering
Thank you! Yes I did the same for many years, not understanding why I didn’t get more organized. But now it’s so clear. The less stuff I have the less I have to organize 🥰
Thanks for this video. I agree that the most important step is to stop buying stuff. It is not logical to think that you can declutter what you have and then replace some of it with more minimalist looking items. For example, if you have old patterned sheets I don’t think it makes sense to get rid of them and then buy more minimalist looking white linen sheets. Clutter is not something that we should try to buy our way out of.
Yes, you said it so well!
Hi. Im from the philippines and a mother of 2. I love your insights on minimalism. My daughter is special & we 1st became minimalists ( & eco-friendly) unconsciously. Her doctors told us to have huge space in our house for her to crawl & exercise so we got rid of almost everything. Because of frequent hospital admission due to UTI i no longer use disposable diaper & no longer let her drink sodas and juices only filtered water. Now we are practicing minimalism and try to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
Hi! Wow how cool that you changed your home for your daughter. Not many parents would do that! That sounds lovely ❤️ wishing you all the best - and thank you for watching :)
Hi Johanna, thanks for an interesting vlog. I began my discarding journey about 20 years ago, well before the advent of RUclips minimalism advice, books and so on. I was downsizing my life and wanted to save as much money as I could and be frugal so I didn't have to earn so much money so that was what motivated me, plus the fact I have always disliked overcrowded rooms and cupboards, they are not relaxing. In one way, I am glad not to have had the advice as I did it on my own slowly as I wanted to do it and told no-one (frankly no-one was particularly interested!).
Several years down the line a lot has changed and my ideas of what I want from minimalism have changed. I love the idea of extreme minimalism, husband and I have downsized a lot recently because we were wondering whether to make a move to a small flat and I realised all I needed was the stuff I actually used and that has been a recent goal of mine. We have downsized furniture - I came to a realisation that whilst I wanted a comfortable chair, a bed and a table just about every other piece of furniture was there to put things in or on! Get rid of the stuff and you don't need the furniture.... And so life goes on, ideas develop and hopefully one's carbon footprint gets just a bit smaller. Thanks for your vlogs - always interesting!
Thank you for your lovely comment 🥰
The idea that if one bought less one needed less money was something that really got me going on my minimalist journey. My parents did tell me growing up that buying things are expensive, but they still bought stuff and I was never taught that specific connection. Which I now think is so important.
And completely agree on the cupboards. And for me another one is the shower. All my friends and family (men, women, teens, and people not even interested in hair care) have at least 4-10 shampoos and soaps in their shower. I find it so stressful and clean cupboards is so much better - and easier to clean.
Me and my husband also tries to not have any furniture apart from the most important ones. It gives me a feeling of freedom, like I can leave whenever I want to! ❤️
I felt this was a very good and different way to look at minimalism. Not to be restrictive, yet practical 👌
Thank you so much! That makes me really happy 🥰
I think that you have the best, most pleasant and most helpful minimalism videos on RUclips.
Wow, thank you! That is so kind!
Love your minimalist video. Straigth to the point.
Thank you!!
This short video is so full of good! I'm going to bookmark it to watch again whenever I feel a need for a boost and some validation. Thanks, Saga!
My wife and I feel like we are already pretty far along the path toward minimalism; at least our version of it. We are practiced enough that it just doesn't occur to us to buy stuff just for the endorphin rush of acquisition. And when we do need something because what we have either wears out or breaks down, we always look for used items. Maple boards to repair the floor in the bathroom? Craigslist (a classifieds website). Clothes? Thrift stores. Furniture, electronics, tools? An auction business that works with schools, hospitals, and other government/public agencies that are getting rid of old items. This gets us what we're looking for while also helping these organizations get some funding. I know many states here in the US have such sites, and highly recommend looking for them.
I make things we need, too. I have spent money on quite a few tools over the last few years, but nearly all have been bought used, and all of them have paid for themselves when you consider what I've made with them, rather than bought, or what I've fixed/made and sold to others. (Old film cameras, telescopes, microscopes, reel to reel tape recorders; these are some of the lovely old things I've worked on.) Sometimes, I even sell the tools once I get them cleaned up and working. I'm retired now, so doing all of this making is also what I do to get enjoyment out of my life. I get to be creative, problem solve, learn, share ideas with others, and bring things that are still useful back into service rather than being buried in a landfill or sitting in a closet or attic gathering dust.
Oh! And what I'm working on now led me, I think, to having you show up in my recommendations, Saga: I bought a 50-year-old camper and am re-building it. Holy cow, it has turned into a Project! But, once it's done, it will be a one-of-a-kind, comfortable, and beautifully functional place to travel in. I'll make it better than it was when it was built (which, frankly, isn't saying much, since the makers did a very slapdash job that I'm struggling to make better). And it will have at least another 50 years of life in it for my son, or whomever he passes it on to, to enjoy. I'm keeping it as simple as possible, and will be using boards that I'm going to make myself with the planer I found on Craigslist and will pick up tomorrow. It currently doesn't work, but I can fix it cheaply enough, and it will, again, more than pay for itself (after being cheap already; 1/4 the cost of a new one) with the savings I'll get by not buying prepared lumber.
Sorry this post is so long! I know I do go on. But maybe someone will find something I've said to be useful.
Oh thank you so so much! I love hearing all of this, and I wish to one day live in a community where I can learn from people around me. I miss having the knowledge of my grandparents to show me how to work with physical items! But I'm practicing!
And how cool with the camper!
@@SagaJohanna You have done fantastic work on your tiny living space in the van. Decisions you made have challenged me to think hard about what to do -- and, more importantly what NOT to do -- with our camper.
❤
💜
You’re so right. To take time. It’s an adventure and a journey that is never ending as long as we live as we change during our lifetime and age. What is great in for example around thirty years may not be great in the next decade. We may have children or pets or both. Or travel a lot etc. I try to use what I have. I did have to add some more undies and bras going into menopause because I’m sweating like a… um… pig? Just having a minimal of those items just isn’t practical for me. But I do manage with 2 pairs of jeans and a few tops. Very few socks since I’m home for most of the time and goes barefoot indoor all year around. Great video! 👍👍👍🌹💗
That is exactly how I feel about exercise clothes! I used to only have a few pairs but it did not work since they got ruined from not being washed or being washed too much. So now I have at least one "set" for every day which makes my life so much easier! 💗
@@SagaJohanna Yup. The thing about easier... that is basically why I became a minimalist. I'm bloody lazy! LOL!
Привет!) Как ты пришла к минимализму? Как давно? У тебя есть памятные вещи (может быть с детства или какие-то подарки) которые хранишь?
Hi! :) I found it after traveling a lot and not being able to keep my things anywhere in my home country. Minimalism made me feel a lot better. I keep photos and some jewelry ❤️
"What is practical?"
Yes. Exactly.
Thank you so much for this encouraging video.
You really do inspire me.
Thank you so much!!!
Thank you, Saga, for this video. It's thanks to your suggestion to not buy anything for a year that I've hugely cleared my mind (from thinking about what to buy) and now have the energy and focus to read what I want to read-classic literature-and learn the languages I've been wanting to learn. So thank you! It's made a much bigger difference than I anticipated. And even more than the 'stuff' clutter, it's the mind clutter that has cleared! I'm only less than a month in, so I greatly look forward to how things will evolve over a year.
Oh that’s amazing! That’s the best thing ever 🥰 I loooove classical literature, if you want some tips, some of my favorites are: War and Peace, the Idiot, The Master and Margarita, Steppenwolf, Watership Down, l’aleph, Kallocain, Good morning Midnight, a room of ones own, journey to the end of the night, notes from the underground, madame bovary, looking for time lost and more….
@@SagaJohanna Ah, thank you for the great suggestions! I read War and Peace not long ago. One of my real favourites! Madame Bovary is also on my list. (Tu l'as lu en français ? Je pense que t'as dit que tu as habité à Paris ...) I will add the others-that's a great list of recommendations! :) Thank you again for sharing your ideas through this channel. I get a lot of inspiration from your minimalism videos!
@@linguafranque je comprend un peu mais je ne parle pas bien. Mais j’adore Francais! I used to speak it better when living there, and I hope to move back one day! I mainly read in Swedish because even English makes me tired 😅 Thank you 🥰
@@SagaJohanna Oh, I'd love some recommendations for Swedish books! Also, do you have any recommendations for podcasts and/or RUclips channels in Swedish?
Hi Saga,Happy new year and thank you x your very inspiring videos..
" minimalist is becoming a better person".....I want to start this first day of 2022 with this note
Happy new year and thank you! That sounds like a great idea 😍
So reasonable and affirming! Thanks for saying all of this, it makes it meaningful rather than a bunch of rules.
Thank you! ❤️
I love your unique view on minimalism and the reasons to implement it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts
Thank you so much ❤️