The Sentimental Minimalist
I moved four times in five years. And if there’s one thing that will instill minimalism within even the most obsessive hoarder, it’s packing. With each new home, I became more willing to part with the old. If it never came out of the box at the last house, then it has no business going to the next one. I ruthlessly purged my drawers of old makeup, broken electronics, and notebooks whose content was better left unread. I finally donated childhood CDs and downsized my library. I bid farewell to clothes that no longer fit and décor I no longer loved.
After each trip to the local Goodwill, I felt a little lighter. I realized I don’t actually like having too much stuff. Clutter makes me anxious, which is something I didn’t necessarily know until I cleared it all away. I hate when the kitchen counter becomes a catch-all for miscellaneous items. I don’t want to use drawers as a way to hide shit I don’t want to see. And I don’t want to keep shit I was given just because it was a gift and I feel guilty getting rid of it.
That being said, I must make a confession at this point… I hate the minimalist aesthetic. Anything white, beige, donning abstract shapes and blank walls, boring line artwork, it’s not for me. Think of Bella Swan explaining that she doesn’t like the rain… That’s how I feel about the minimalist aesthetic.
The second problem is that I genuinely I love my stuff. I love my thrifted vintage books, my framed posters of classic movies, my antique camera and typewriter. I love my plants (both real and fake), my complete series of Sailor Moon on DVD, and my physical photo albums containing years of memories. I never wish to be parted from any of it. When Hank Green declared “I hate minimalism. That's not my vibe. I wanna feel like a wizard who is surrounded by the collections of his many adventures,” I felt that to my fucking core.
I am a sentimental minimalist. I want to be surrounded by the things I’ve intentionally curated to bring happiness and comfort to my soul. Many of my possessions hold sentimentality for me. Little statuettes I’ve had since my first communion, my grandmother’s jewelry, trinkets I’ve collected over the years.
“I hate minimalism. That’s not my vibe. I wanna feel like a wizard who is surrounded by the collections of his many adventures”
Now that I’ve been living in the same space for nearly 3 years, I started to notice the clutter piling up again. Boxes and bags that I neglected to deal with 3 years ago are bugging me now. So, when Zoe of My Non Existent Minimalism wrote an article about The Minimalist Game, I decided to challenge myself in January 2025. The game goes as followed: on Day One, you declutter one item; on Day Two, declutter two items; Day Three, declutter three items, and so on for 31 days. I’m gonna tell you right now, I ran out of stuff.
Day 1: one trinket shelf
Day 2: one watch (still in box) and one pair of sunglasses
Day 3: two pencil cases (one from high school) and one cosmetic case
Day 4: broken headphones, charger, mouse, and a Bluetooth speaker
Day 5: five pairs of socks with holes
Day 6: six CDs (too embarrassing to reveal which ones)
Day 7: five empty jewelry boxes, one dried up white-out bottle and one calculator
Day 8: A handful of expired toiletries
Day 9: nine articles of clothing
Day 10: White board markers, cleaning spray and eraser (gave to my dad for his classroom), as well as four sticker albums from my youth
Day 11: I accidentally skipped this day in my notes when making the list
Day 12: twelve miscellaneous pieces of arts & crafts supplies
Day 13: eleven miscellaneous trinkets, one empty shoebox and one empty photo album
Day 14: six stuffed animals and three damaged mini deco boxes
Day 15: 34 miscellaneous pens, pencils and markers
Day 16: Counting the 34 misc. items for two days
Day 17: Various old documents in file folder and old business cards (didn’t doc the exact number, it was probably more than 17)
Day 18: two empty candle jars, one dried up tube of glue, three paintings that I painted and no longer like, one bag of used batteries to recycle (which is technically like two dozen individual batteries), one laptop bag (that I purchased for 25 cents at a garage sale), one hat, one tote bag, and one purse
You’ll notice that I was only able to do 18 out of 31 days and could not even reach eighteen items for Day 18. If my math is correct (it probably isn’t), I got rid of 195 items out of 496. I probably could have extended it if I had a kitchen of my own, but living with my parents has already cut down on my possessions. My mom and I thoroughly decluttered the kitchen before the cabinet renovation. I think my minimalist tendencies have rubbed off on her! And a few months ago, I got rid of two sets of bed sheets, could they count as well?
Overall, this challenge was a positive experience. I let go of relics from the past that no longer served me. My drawers are no longer filled to the brim. My necessities have space to breathe and are more easily accessible. And something I did not expect is that my my treasures have a renewed sense of value. I won’t ever be a tried-and-true minimalist, but being mindful about what I bring into my home is important to me. Playing the minimalist game every once in a while is an excellent way to keep myself accountable. Do you think you could declutter for 31 days straight? This is your sign to find out!
