This question shows disbelief that minimalists can Iive without a lot of stuff. This disbelief leads to the assumption that minimalists hide stuff for appearances. This couldn’t be further from the truth. But many people have trouble relating to it. So I will tackle this head-on and explain why minimalists don’t need to hide stuff:
Minimalists as a group don’t have that much stuff.
It is not a trick. The reason why minimalists don’t seem to have much stuff is that they don’t. Now, they are not depriving themselves because they don’t keep things that they don’t use. This is because things you don’t use are as good as garbage. These things give nothing of value, and they always deprive you of something you value. The valuable things you lose to useless things often include space, time, and money. Minimalists know this but most people don’t. So most people crowd their spaces with a lot of things that they don’t use. Yet most people think that they need these things. This brings us to the next point:
Most people need fewer things than they realize.
The truth is that most people don’t need as many things as they think they do. For example, let’s look at the most frequently changed clothing items (underwear). If you did laundry every week, your necessary underwear could fit in an average-sized drawer. After all, 7 bottoms and 7 tops plus a couple of spares don’t use that much space. But many people have chests of drawers that they fill with stuff, and they don’t even use most of that stuff. Yet they think that they need it. They also can’t believe that someone can thrive with a fraction of what they have.
Minimalists don’t keep many things that others do.
Most people keep many types of useless things that minimalists don’t. These things fall into many categories and are kept in many different places. But they all waste space. So here is a list of some of those types of things and why they are not worth keeping:
Countless shampoo, body wash, and lotion samplers
The fact that these things pile up means that people don’t use most of them. Otherwise, they would run out of them. So these things are only wasting space.
Many types of shampoos, conditioners, and soaps in the same shower or bath
You only need one of each. You don’t need to use different types of shampoo each time you wash your hair. You also don’t need a different type for each day. The same goes for conditioner and soap.
Expired medicines in the medicine cabinet
These do you no good and might even be dangerous. You are better off with the empty space.
Old CD’s and other media that they will never use again
You are better off copying these to digital format. They are easier to access that way.
Many single-use kitchen appliances
A sharp knife can do the same job as many of these things. Also, you often waste more time washing these things than you save by using them. Most of them are wastes of space, time, and money.
More spatulae than they have hands
You can only use so many spatulae at one time. Anything more is a waste of space. The same thing goes for any other cooking utensil.
Stale food
There is no point in keeping stale food in the fridge. Also, you get nothing of value from cans of expired food in the pantry. This stuff wastes your space and can be dangerous.
Silverware that is “too good to use”
If you have silverware that you don’t use, then you have made it useless. If you think it’s too good to use, then you have become its servant. Things exist to serve people and not the other way around. If you like it that much, then make it your primary silverware. After that, get rid of the silverware that you don’t like as much. You can do the same for chinaware or anything else considered “too good to use”.
Unopened boxes gathering dust
If you haven’t opened a box in years, then you don’t need what’s inside it. Also, that is assuming you even know what is in it. You are better off with the space that it is wasting.
Clothes that they don’t wear
These can be anything from clothes in disrepair to clothes you hope to fit into someday. But they don’t do you any good if you don’t wear them. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven’t worn them in over a year, then you won’t wear them. Suits and other special occasion clothes are the exceptions to this rule. Otherwise, you don’t need them.
Many pairs of shoes to go with one outfit
You don’t need many pairs of shoes for the same outfit. At most you might need two if the outfit is a work uniform. Otherwise, you only need one pair to match each outfit. It is even better if each pair of shoes goes with more than one outfit.
Pictures sitting in the back of a closet
A picture on the wall is decoration and a picture in an album is memorabilia. But a picture in the back of a closet is useless clutter. So if you have a framed picture, you should either display it or discard it. Old photos should be digitized and then discarded.
Treadmills that act as coat hangers
A treadmill you don’t use is wasting your space along with the money you wasted on it. It’s only exercise equipment if you use it to exercise. Otherwise, you are better off without it. The same goes for things like exercise bikes and weight sets.
Old catalogs and newspapers
There isn’t much value in last year’s news. Also, catalogs add clutter while encouraging you to get more clutter. It is best to see these things as the trash which they are and treat them as such.
This list is by no means all-inclusive. But it still adds up to be a lot of stuff. Also, many people have these things (and more) in their homes. They get used to having all these useless things and think that they are necessary although they are not. So they don’t believe it when they see someone living without all that stuff.
In summary, minimalists seem to have less stuff because they do. It is not a trick. They don’t hide stuff from the cameras or lock stuff away in storage. It’s because they don’t need to. They know that they don’t need that many things to be happy. But most people don’t know this. So they fill up their homes with stuff that they don’t use. They also don’t believe it when they see minimalists thriving without all that stuff.
Beautiful ❤️