Less by Rose Lounsbury

Praise for Less
This organizing minimalist knows what she has, what she doesn't have, what
she wants, and what she doesn't need. She's a real role model. Everyone can
learn Less from Rose Lounsbury. Buy this book (and, hey, pass it on).
– Dorothy The Organizer, Expert Organizer,
A&E TV show "Hoarders"
Read the first few pages of this book and you'll be hooked. I loved the real life
examples and solutions that Rose Lounsbury offers on the path to minimalism.
If your things leave you with less time for yourself and you secretly wish that
your life would be less hectic and stressful, this eye-opening book is for you.
– Stephanie Culp, author of the bestselling
How to Conquer Clutter
I need this. When you’re a clutterer like me, you don’t even have a system to
unclutter. This gives you a step-by-step guide. I love it!
– Dr. Will Miller, author of Miserable@Work: Stop Blaming
the Job and Fix What’s Really Broken
Brilliant!
– Ericka Young, financial coach and author of Naked and Unashamed:
10 Money Conversations Every Couple Must Have
ROSE LOUNSBURY
Niche Pressworks
Indianapolis, IN
Less. Minimalism, For Real
Copyright © 2017 Rose Lounsbury
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without prior written consent of the author, except as provided by the United
States of America copyright law. For permissions, contact: [email protected]
Printed in the United States of America
Published by Niche Pressworks
P.O. Box 80031
Indianapolis, IN 46280
NichePressworks.com
ISBN: 978-1-946533-17-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017912595

Dedication
To Josh, Orlando, Mercedes and Reese,

where everything important begins and ends.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank every teacher who ever encouraged me to write or

to believe in myself, especially Mrs. Pasant, Mrs. Green, Mrs. Maharg, Mr.
Smigell, Mrs. Commire, Mr. Meck, Shanda, and most importantly, my mom
and dad. Good teachers are the best people in the world, and I would not be
the person I am today without your time, energy, and love.
To the amazing folks at the Ohio Writing Project, thank you for teaching
me everything I know about this slippery task called writing.
To Megan, Breana, and Grandma Gin, thank you for graciously watching
my children so I could write this book. And I hope you weren’t lying when you
said they were well-behaved.
To my awesome publishers, Nicole “Feather Rising” Gebhardt and Crystal
“Travel Delay” Yeagy. I always wondered why people thanked their publishers
when they wrote a book and now I get it. Writing a book is like birthing a baby
and you two were my loyal midwives, encouraging me to keep pushing. (And
I will stop with that metaphor right now. You’re all welcome.)
To my fellow organizing and productivity folks who graciously shared
their understanding of RAFT with me: Julie Bestry, Lisa Montanero, Anne
Langton, and Charlie Gilkey. I say we all don superhero capes and unite to
banish paper piles forever!
ix
Less
To my dear blog readers and cheerleaders, thank you for your continual
support and encouragement. A writer is not a writer without readers. I am
deeply indebted to your precious time and eyeballs.
And mostly, thank you to Josh, who stands beside me every day of this
crazy life and tells me I’m beautiful.
x
Table of Contents
Dedication .............................................................................................................. vii

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ ix
Preface ....................................................................................................................xiii
Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1
Chapter 1: The Joy of Open Space ........................................................................ 3
Chapter 2: The Real Benefit of Owning Less....................................................... 7
Chapter 3: Thoughts on Trash & Treasure ........................................................ 13
Chapter 4: Cultivating a Minimalist Mindset ................................................... 21
Chapter 5: It’s Just Stuff ........................................................................................ 27
Chapter 6: How To: The LESS Method™ ............................................................ 31
Chapter 7: Start With Your Own Stuff ............................................................... 53
Chapter 8: Your Bedroom: Lessons Learned on Clothes Mountain .............. 63
Chapter 9: Your Bathroom: Looking Good, Girl.............................................. 73
Chapter 10: Your Kitchen: What’s Cooking In All That Clutter? ................... 81
Chapter 11: Yeah, But… What About Paper? ................................................... 89
Chapter 12: Yeah, But… What About Memorabilia?....................................... 97
xi
Less
Chapter 13: Yeah, But… What About Gifts?................................................... 109

Chapter 14: One Last Thing Before You Go.................................................... 117
References............................................................................................................. 119
About the Author ................................................................................................ 123
xii
Preface
Five years ago, I lived the very busy life of a full-time working mother with
3-year-old triplets. If that sentence alone doesn’t make you feel exhausted,
here’s a more detailed look at my daily schedule:
6:00am: Wake up, shower, and eat breakfast under cover of darkness in
the hopes of escaping my house before the kids wake up. (Because after that,
they’re the nanny’s job.)
6:45am: Quietly back car out of driveway, headlights off, just as I hear the
first whimper of awakening children. Whew. Made it.
7:00am: Arrive at school. For the next seven hours, do my darndest to
instill the values of Language Arts to 150 7th graders.
3:30pm: Clock in at job #2: Mom to 3-year-old triplets. For the next five
hours, do my darndest not to lose my patience and/or pass out from sheer
exhaustion.
4:00pm: Trip to the park. Only one tantrum about the choice of sand
toys—we are making progress!
6:00pm: Dinner of macaroni and cheese. Because cheese is dairy and
macaroni is grain, so we’ve got two food groups covered, right?
7:00pm: Bath time (aka “How wet can the bathroom floor get? Let’s see!”)
followed by pajama time (aka “How much more fun is it to run around naked
than to put these pajamas on? Lots!”)
xiii
Less
7:30pm: Arrival of Josh. Forced smile at his “Sorry-I’m-late-forgot-to-put-

the-meeting-on-the-calendar” and hand him a wet, squirmy kid to wrangle
into aforementioned pajamas.
7:45pm: Brush teeth. No, don’t eat the toothpaste. It’s poison. Just brush
them. Like this. No, I’m not doing it for you. You’re old enough now. What
would the dentist say, huh? You want me to call Dr. Coyne right now? I have
his number. I can call him anytime I want. (Grit teeth as I realize this is a
ludicrous lie.) Just. Brush. Your. Teeth.
8:00pm: Stories. My mouth reads words about a red truck and a puppy
while my brain cycles through various versions of, “I’m so tired, I am just so
tired, why aren’t they in bed yet? I just want them in bed …”
8:30pm: Goodnight kisses. I love you so, so much, but please, for the love
of all that’s holy, go to sleep.
8:45pm: Sigh. It’s finally quiet.
8:50pm: Begin my evening routine: whirl around my house, picking
up toys, sippy cups, shoes, books, and other miscellany. Stuff into already-
overflowing bins. Re-arrange paper piles on my kitchen counter into what I
perceive as neater-looking paper piles. Survey laundry situation in distress.
Put laundry into washer and pray I remember to move it to the dryer. Pray
harder that a troop of magical elves appears to fold and put it away.
9:30pm: Legs will no longer move willingly. Time for bed.
10:00pm: In bed. Try to keep eyes open long enough to read. (I love to
read! Why, oh why, can’t I ever just read?) Suddenly remember—darn it!—I
didn’t move the laundry to the dryer. Briefly weigh pros and cons of getting
out of bed to do this. Opt to stay in bed, telling myself that I’ll surely remember
in the morning …
10:15pm: Pass out.
To say I was busy is a bit of an understatement. But for me, the hardest
part was not teaching or taking care of three toddlers. I found both those jobs,
while exhausting, ultimately rewarding. The part that never felt right was how
I spent the precious time between my kids’ bedtime and my own.
xiv
Preface
You see, while I’m quite friendly, I’m a natural introvert who needs alone
time to recharge. Without it, I’m no good to anyone. I can tell when I haven’t
had enough personal time. I get irritated and actively avoid other people.
I’ll duck down a different aisle in the grocery store to avoid running into
an acquaintance or purposely not answer my phone when a friend calls. I’m
not proud to admit that I do these things, but I know they are a direct result of
not having enough time to myself.
And as you can see from my daily schedule, “me time” was in short supply.
A quick analysis of my day-in-the-life reveals the culprit: not my children

or my students. The real problem was my stuff.
When I had time that I could have spent relaxing and recharging, I dealt
with my things—frantically stuffing them away, trying to control the chaos
that threatened to overtake my home.
This, ultimately, was the reason I was so exhausted at the end of the day. I
spent my only unstructured time just trying to put my house back in order. I
longed to sit on my couch, relaxing with a beverage, reading a novel. But that
never happened.
Enter Minimalism
Around this time, I had a fateful lunch date with a good friend of mine, Robin.
I realize that sounds a bit dramatic, but when I look back, I realize that this
lunch changed everything.
It was a week after Christmas. We had just returned from visiting relatives,
our van loaded with presents.
“I don’t even have room in my house for the toys my kids already have,”
I told Robin. “How can I fit this stuff in there? Maybe I need a bigger house.”
In fact, Josh and I had started looking at bigger homes. We lived in our
1,500-square foot “starter” home with not just our kids, but also a live-in
nanny. We all felt the squeeze.
xv
Less
Robin listened calmly, as she always does, and then asked a question that
changed my life:
“Have you ever thought about minimalism?”
This word—“minimalism”—was not familiar to me. I thought about
Tibetan monks meditating in caves and white-walled art galleries with
canvases that are painted all black. I could not see how any of that related
to me.
“Uh,” I stammered, trying to be polite. “Isn’t that for, like, monks or
something?”
Robin laughed and explained that anyone—even a suburban American
mom, like myself—could adopt a minimalist lifestyle by simply choosing to
own less. As we talked, I started to see how having less could make my life
simpler and less stressful. At the end of our lunch, Robin pointed me to some
books and blogs on the subject.
I went home and started reading. I was hooked.
Eight Months Later

“Whoa! What did you do in here? Are you guys moving?” my friend Dan’s
daughter, Becca, said as she walked in the door, taking in my newly decluttered
and minimized living room.
I laughed.
“No,” I said. “I just got rid of all the stuff we don’t need. This is how it
looks now.”
Becca took a moment to survey the new, uncluttered surroundings.
“It looks good,” she concluded.
I couldn’t agree more.
xvi
Preface
Me Time
Becca was right. My house did look good, much better, in fact, than it had
ever looked, even before I had kids. (And in case you’re wondering, Josh and I
had abandoned our search for the “bigger, better house” when we realized the
simple difference minimalism made in our existing home.)
But for me, the best part of my “new” house wasn’t how it looked. The best
part was the re-emergence of my personal time.
Because now, at the end of those long days—which were still exhausting,
filled with teaching and parenting—I had time to relax. I no longer spent that
brief, precious window between bedtimes picking up toys and shoes.
Because as I decluttered my house, a slow truth dawned upon me: When
you have less stuff, you have more time.
Less toys are more quickly put in their containers, less shoes are more
easily paired and set by the door, less clothing is more quickly laundered and
put away.
So where was I at the end of my days now?
On my couch, book in hand, enjoying a mug of tea.
I was free.
How a Blog Became a Business

Throughout the eight-month decluttering process, I kept a blog, chronicling
my journey. I enjoyed the writing, but more importantly, it kept me accountable
and focused on my goal. Decluttering an entire house—even one that is only
1,500 square feet—is no small task, and the positive comments from my
readers kept me going.
After a while, some of those reader comments became requests for help
in their own homes. My pulse beat excitedly at the thought of digging into
xvii
Less
someone else’s cluttered closets (yes, I know this is strange!), but I was bound
by my teaching career and young family, and couldn’t see how my blogging
hobby could become an actual career.
Yet this, in and of itself, is another benefit of minimalism. As the excess
stuff slowly left my house and I had more time to listen to myself, I realized
that teaching full-time was not the right path for me. My kids were now about
four years old and better able to express themselves. Phrases like, “I want
tomorrow to be a mama day,” squeezed my heart. Particularly painful was
my kids’ preschool holiday program, when I introduced myself to one of the
teachers and she said, “Oh, you’re the mom.”
Don’t get me wrong. I believe in the power of working women. And I don’t
believe in changing careers because of guilt or any other negative emotion. But
I do believe in listening to my gut—it has never steered me wrong.
Because I had let go of many of my possessions, my life was simpler. I had
time to focus and think. And with my newfound reflective time, one particular
thought kept cropping up in my mind: My kids are too young for me to not be
more present in their lives.
I knew that if I could rework my professional life to be more available to
my family, that would be a good thing.
So, I took a leap. I left teaching and opened shop as a minimalism and
simplicity coach. Because I believe, very personally, that creating more open
spaces in your home is at the heart of significant life change.
Why I Wrote this Book

I wrote this book to share how minimalism has impacted my life, and to
encourage you to consider giving it a try. If you feel overwhelmed by clutter
in your home or workspace, or if you just feel distracted and like something is
“not quite right” in your life, I encourage you to read on.
Minimalism is a simple philosophy. But, as I have found in my own life, it
can have powerful effects.
I hope you choose to join me.
xviii
Introduction
This is a book of my stories. Everything I share is based on my own experience

as someone who has not only adopted minimalism, but also has worked with
others to help them achieve their minimalist goals.
Minimalism is relative. What minimalism looks like to me is not what
it looks like to my individual clients, and it will not be what it looks like for
you. That’s okay. I’ve read articles about minimalism that suggest discarding a
certain number or type of items. I’ve also heard of minimalists who can fit all
their possessions into a backpack or duffel bag.
While these approaches certainly have their merit, this is not a one-size-
fits-all kind of book. My goal is to provide a realistic approach to minimalism,
one that is based solidly in my own experience and that allows readers to shape
minimalism into something that works for them.
The goal of minimalism is to live a simpler, more purposeful life, a life that
aligns more closely with your values. Minimalism eliminates that clutter—
physical and otherwise—that distracts us from what truly matters.
As you read this book, we will move from some background on
minimalism—focusing on the benefits of this lifestyle and how to adopt
a minimalist mindset—into more specific how-to’s and examples of how
minimalism looks in my life and the lives of my clients. I will also address
some tricky issues when it comes to minimalism, such as how to deal with
paper, memorabilia, and gifts. I hope you find it helpful, humorous, and most
of all, inspiring.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. Exciting life changes await!
1
CHAPTER 1
The Joy of Open Space
I've been an on-and-off insomniac for much of my adult life. It started my

first year of teaching, when I spent nights anxiously rewriting lesson plans
in my head, trying to create the most whiz-bang learning experience of my
students' lives.
Little did I know, at that time, that seventh-graders do not consider
English class the most whiz-bang experience of their lives. In fact, use of the
word "whiz-bang" automatically discredits it from any consideration in their
Top 10 life experiences.
Once I finally settled down as a teacher, a more vicious stress hit: infertility.
I spent entire nights in paralytic worry. Will I ever have children? Will Josh
and I grow old in a quiet home, just the two of us? We were blessed in 2009,
when that problem resolved with the birth of our triplets. And, of course, as
all parents know, there is nothing more relaxing than a newborn, right? Let
me tell ya, try three at once. You’ll be so relaxed, you won’t know what to do
with yourself! My nighttime worries had only begun. Despite the exhausting
work of caring for three babies, I often found myself unable to sleep when my
head hit the pillow.
I tried all sorts of higgery-jiggery to induce sleep: counting backwards
from 500, drinking warm milk, limiting screen time. One mental exercise,
though, sticks out in my mind: imagining myself in my ideal environment.
3
Less
Oddly, despite my efforts to place myself in various exotic locales, my mind

always conjured the exact same image:
A woman standing in an open prairie, leaning on a fence. She rests her head
on her arms, folded loosely across the top fence-rail, and props one leg carelessly
along the bottom. Her long hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, a few wisps
escaping around her face. She gazes off into the distance, toward the faint outline
of a mountain range. Far behind her stands a house, alone in the vastness. She
turns to me and smiles, then stares back in her original direction.
I became obsessed with her.
Who was she? Why was she so calm? I wanted to be her. Would I have
to move to Montana? Stop wearing make-up? Learn how to saddle up some
dogies? (Learn what "saddle up some dogies" means?) She became my own
little Mona Lisa. What was that smile about? Was she taunting me? Inviting
me? What did she know that I didn't?
As I adopted minimalism, something about this woman became clear: my
fixation with the image wasn’t about her, it was about the space. She was not
the most important part of the picture. The vast emptiness around her was.
I realized something else, too. As I slowly shed the burden of my stuff, I
became more like her. I did not need to move to Montana or to an island in the
middle of nowhere. I could create a more peaceful environment in suburban
Ohio simply by creating more space in my home.
I have said many times, to people who've inquired about my minimalist
habits, that the reason I do it is because it makes me feel calm. I no longer look
about my house anxiously, fearing that my stuff will swallow me whole. I feel
at peace. No vacation required.
I believe everyone feels this way when they encounter clutter-free space.
Take my classroom, for example. As I slowly began practicing minimalism
at home, I did the same at work. I remember one day I donated a large red
rolling cupboard to a new teacher. When my students came into my room and
saw the bare corner, they were astounded. "What did you do?" they asked. "It
feels different in here."
4
The Joy of Open Space
Some didn't say anything, though, and simply walked over to the space,
raised their arms and twirled slowly in a circle. Let me remind you, these
were 12 and 13-year-olds. Arms-up twirling isn't exactly a typical stance. Yet,
confronted with the unexpected joy of open space, they could not help but
adopt the universal body language of wonder and happiness.
There is something in all of us that attracts us to open spaces. I bet if you
asked 100 people to imagine their ideal environment, 99 of them would name
something that involved space: a beach, the woods, a field, a river, etc. I doubt
anyone would describe their ideal environment as a crowded shopping mall,
the bleachers at a soccer tournament, or a living room stuffed with toys and
old magazines.
Yet, we consistently place ourselves in these environments every single
day. It's no wonder we long for vacations! Vacation is not just a break from our
daily routines; it is often a break from the overwhelming stress of our stuff.
So, here is my challenge for you: imagine yourself in your ideal
environment. Got an image? Good. Now, create it. In your daily life. At work.
In your house. In your garage. With your family. It is possible.
And in case you're wondering, I tend to sleep better lately. And the image
of the woman on the prairie no longer mystifies me. Nowadays, when she
turns to me with that secret smile, I know exactly what she's smiling about.
Think About It:

Imagine yourself in your ideal environment. Use all five of your
senses. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Touch? Taste? Jot down
ideas and details to remind yourself of this place.
5
CHAPTER 2
The Real Benefit of Owning Less
Minimalism has many benefits, ranging from more pleasing aesthetics to

mental clarity, but when people ask me why I continue to strive toward this
lifestyle, my answer is always the same: it just makes my life easier.
My House is Always Clean

A few months into my minimalism journey, my mother-in-law was due for
a weeklong visit. Normally, the prospect of overnight guests sent me into an
anxiety-fueled cleaning frenzy, due entirely to the state of my house, not my
mother-in-law, who is a truly wonderful person.
My pre-guest routine involved much nervous surveying of my cluttered
house, biting at my fingernails, and intense nagging at my husband and kids.
But on this particular occasion, I looked around my newly minimized home
in wonder, as a surprising truth slowly dawned on me … my house was
already clean.
It’s been five years since that moment, and it’s still true. My house is
always clean.
I don’t say this to brag, but to simply relate one of the unexpected
benefits of becoming a minimalist: I have less stuff to clean; thus, my
house is cleaner.
7
Less
But don't get the wrong idea. If you stopped by on a Saturday morning,
there would be toys on the floor and my kids would likely be constructing a
fort out of cardboard and markers. My house is still a kid-friendly place, but it
also happens to be relatively clean. At least, cleaner than it used to be.
Before embracing minimalism, when I packed my home with as much
stuff as I could muster, much of my "cleaning" involved transferring piles of
stuff from one undesirable location to another. The stack of unopened mail?
Hmm … put it on the kitchen counter instead of the coffee table. The kids' toys?
Shove them all in that ottoman instead of the corner.
I thought people with consistently clean homes were anomalies. How did
they do that, exactly? Sure, maybe some of them loved to clean, but maybe,
just maybe, they had less stuff, making their houses less cluttered, making
them, well, cleaner.
Think about it … How easy is it to vacuum an uncluttered floor or wipe an
empty countertop? Many of us perceive "cleaning" as difficult because we are
actually performing two steps: 1) decluttering, followed by 2) cleaning. And of
the two, let me tell you with authority: decluttering takes much, much longer.
I do my real cleaning (scrubbing floors, sinks, toilets, and the like) in small
bits and pieces throughout the week, as necessary. It's never a big job. It rarely
takes more than a few minutes. And the best part is, it's easy because I don't
have to declutter first in order to do it.
If cleanliness isn't enough of a benefit for you to try minimalism, think
of the time you will save. Your stuff absorbs your time. When my kids were
toddlers, I spent around 10 minutes picking up toys every time I put them
down for naps or nighttime. This equaled 20 minutes per day, which doesn’t
sound like much. But, 20 minutes per day is 2.3 hours per week or 120 hours
per year, which is the equivalent of five full 24-hour days.
So basically, I spent five days each year just picking up toys. I don’t know
about you, but that is not how I want to spend my precious time here on Earth.
Once we owned less toys, my kids could put them away themselves. (Yes,
even as toddlers.) Today, I still spend a few minutes tidying up every day, but
it's nothing compared to what I used to do. Now, once my kids are in bed, I
have nearly my entire evening to myself, to do things I really care about.
8
What do you want to do with your time? I'm guessing clean your house
is not at the top of your list. At the risk of sounding like a cheesy motivational
speaker: Minimize your stuff to maximize your life.
When you stop letting your stuff control your time and energy, you will
find that you have energy left to do the things you really want to do, like read a
book or call a friend or catch up on your favorite television series.
Or, if you’re feeling like a real minimalist, to do absolutely nothing at all.
I Know What I Have

"I didn't even know I had this!" This is a phrase I regularly hear from clients.
Said in a surprised voice often leaning toward bewilderment, this sentence
exemplifies what happens when we own lots of stuff: our brains just can't
keep track of it all. We end up storing the excess in bins and boxes to be
"discovered" later.
This used to happen to me, too, but now I mostly know what I have
everywhere in my house. (Note: this does NOT apply to the bins of mystery
stuff Josh keeps in the attic. My avoidance of those bins reflects my strong
commitment to marital harmony … and my lack of desire to get into an
argument about whether or not Star Wars toys and 1980s baseball cards are
legitimate tools for financing our kids' college educations.)
Knowing what I have means I know where to find things. For example,
I used to keep multiple pairs of nail clippers all over my house. I'm not sure
why I felt the need to be prepared for simultaneous hangnail emergencies in
my bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, but I kept them all "just in case." Now I
own one pair of nail clippers per bathroom. (Yes, I am one wild rebel, folks.)
Silly as it may sound, having one pair of nail clippers makes my life easier
because everyone knows where they belong. And if they aren't there, we can
track down the last user and make him/her responsible for putting them back.
This is much easier than searching for clippers all over the house, and it also
teaches everyone to put things in their "home," as opposed to just dropping
items wherever seems convenient.
9
Less
I Know What I Don’t Have

This is the flip side of knowing what you have, but just as important. It is
helpful to know what you don't have, so that you don't waste time looking
for it.
For example, I recently went to the attic in search of something I'd
written during graduate school. It was a collaborative book, each student
in my class had contributed a page, and it had an image on the cover that
I wanted to accentuate a funny story I was telling a friend. I knew the only
place the book could be was in my memorabilia tub, so I opened the tub,
spent a minute rifling through, and realized it wasn't there. I must have
decluttered it at some point.
I'll admit, I felt a twinge of disappointment that I wouldn't have the
image for my story, but more than that, I felt glad that I didn't spend another
hour tearing my attic apart looking for it. I knew what I didn't have. I was also
comforted by the thought that I had kept in touch with several members of
the class—who might not be minimalists!—and might have kept a copy of the
book. I knew I could track down that picture, if necessary.
Knowing what you don’t have is very comforting. It allows you to quickly
move from panic mode: Where is that serving dish from Grandma? I know it’s
here somewhere!—to action mode—Perhaps I can borrow a serving dish from
a friend.
There is very little in this life that cannot be borrowed, rented, or purchased
again. Being a minimalist frees you from the perceived need to stockpile items,
because you can more quickly investigate other resources (friends, neighbors,
Craigslist) for obtaining things you need. This not only saves time, but a
significant amount of stress.
Speaking of time, a study published in The Daily Mail found that people
spend an average of 10 minutes per day looking for lost items. This equates to
about 3,680 hours—or 153 days—over the course of a lifetime. I don’t know
about you, but I don’t want to spend nearly half a year of my life searching for
lost keys or wallets or nail clippers or silly things I wrote in college.
10
In other words, being a minimalist is the next best thing to going all Back to
the Future and inventing your own flux capacitor. Okay, maybe that's a stretch.
Sadly, being a minimalist has not resulted in a sweet 1980s DeLorean—or
better yet, a dreamy 1980s Michael J. Fox—showing up in my driveway. Sigh.
But I do know that when I minimized my stuff, I maximized my time.
Because my house is decluttered—thus, it always looks clean—I no longer
nickel and dime my time away picking up toys, shoes, and the like. Because I
know what I have and what I don’t, I don’t waste my time searching for things.
Yes, my life is still busy with three kids, a business, and the other
commitments of just living, but I feel a much greater sense of freedom in my
days now, because I no longer feel bound to my stuff. It doesn’t control my
time; thus, it doesn’t control me.
It surprises me how often I hear people say, “I’m just so overwhelmed by
my stuff.” If you’ve ever said—or felt—this, I encourage you to imagine a life
with less, a life where your possessions are not in control, you are. After all,
we only get one shot at this life. Who do you want to be in charge of it? You or
your stuff ?
Think About It:

Approximately how much time do you spend each day
decluttering and/or cleaning your house?
How much time do you want to spend?
What is one area/aspect of your home (clothing, toys, tools,
kitchen, etc.) that bothers you because it feels cluttered or
overwhelming?
How would decluttering this one area make your
life easier?
11
CHAPTER 3
Thoughts on Trash & Treasure
I was taught the value of saving things at a very young age. Raised by a
thrifty mom who was raised by a thrifty mom who survived the Great
Depression, I learned the value of stretching my dollars and re-purposing
items whenever possible.
Who needs fancy Tupperware when an old cottage cheese container will
do? I’ll admit, I still rinse out and re-use Ziploc bags whenever possible. And,
while I try to tell myself I’m doing this to help the environment, it’s actually
because I can imagine my Grandma Cimini shaking her head at me if I didn’t.
But, in a culture where many of us are not living hand-to-mouth, the urge
to save items, especially if those items were “a deal,” can result in a dangerous
level of overconsumption. As a child in the 1930s, my grandmother had no
risk of living in excess. There was no 24-hour big box store down the road
where she could buy a cartload of cheaply-made plastic clearance items at her
convenience. The saving habits she learned as a girl were logical for her time
and helped her and her family survive.
However, we do ourselves a disservice in modern society if we attempt
to save items as our grandparents did. Why? Because most of us have greater
access to many, many more goods.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not endorsing a “throw away” or “use it once
and toss it” attitude. Quite the contrary. I think a commitment to purchasing,
13
Less
and using, a lesser amount of higher quality items provides untold benefits
not only to our environment, but also to our world’s neediest citizens and our
own pocketbooks.
One Man’s Trash

Owning less means throwing away less. Thus, minimalism is a strong
commitment to keeping waste out of our landfills, an incredible gift to future
generations. Re-using and recycling are wonderful habits; however, I often tell
my clients: it all becomes trash someday.
Let me give you a scenario. Imagine I purchase a plastic water bottle and
when I’m done drinking, I toss that bottle into the recycling bin. The bottle
then becomes a fleece jacket, and that jacket is worn by someone for a year or
two. When the person outgrows the jacket, he donates it to a thrift shop and
it is eventually worn by someone else, who then donates it as well, and it is
worn by three more people. Wow! I have done something good by recycling
my water bottle, right?
Yes and no. I’ve kept that plastic out of the landfill for several years, which
is admirable. But unless the base material (in this case, plastic) is compostable
(in this case, no), it doesn’t matter how many times it is recycled or how many
people re-use it.
Eventually, that water bottle (now a fleece jacket) becomes landfill waste
because plastic cannot be composted. How much better if I had purchased
one high-quality reusable water bottle and used it for years, than to have
repeatedly purchased cheap plastic bottles and recycled them, thus putting
strain on the environment?
Now, take a moment and extrapolate the above scenario to dishes,
clothing, tools, toys, furniture, media, books, interior décor, everything in
our homes. Yikes.
Before we all start panicking, imagining mountain-high piles of landfill
waste, let’s take a reality check. Humans are consumers. We must consume. It
is how we survive. And in today’s world, we are blessed that we can recycle or
re-purpose many of the items we need for survival. But let me suggest that we
14
do Mother Earth a solid and give her one better: let’s cut overconsumption off
at the source by simply owning less.
If we own less, we have less that needs to recycled or repurposed. If we say
a firm “No” to cheaply made goods, we don’t even give those goods the chance
to start putting a strain on our environment. If we purposely choose to buy
just what we need—at the best quality we can afford—we will make incredible
strides toward a better Earth for our grandchildren.
And that is something of which my own sweet grandma would most
definitely approve.
Another Man’s Treasure

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Live simply so that others may simply live.” As
a man who epitomized a life lived in service to others, Gandhi would surely
have approved of minimalism.
When you choose to own less, you are essentially saying that others—who
are in great need—can have more. How so?
One of my main goals when working with a client is to help them let go of
the items they no longer want or use. These items typically are in good shape
and perfectly usable, which is why most of us hold on to them. It’s still good!
How can I get rid of it? But nearly all of these items can be donated to a variety
of charities that will re-purpose them.
I used to volunteer at an overnight shelter for homeless women and
children. Every night, each guest received a clean towel, sheets and basic
toiletries. I was often in charge of distributing these items and I quickly
realized how much of a difference basic supplies—a towel, a pillowcase—can
make to those in a stressful situation.
Whenever I help clients declutter their linen closets, I always talk about
this experience and clients usually end up donating a significant number of
linens, which I happily drop off at the shelter.
When we live in excess it is easy to forget that others are barely getting by.
When we deliberately and consciously choose to live with less, we are saying
15
Less
“Yes, someone else can live with just what they need.” I think this was what
Gandhi meant by his quote.
Further, living with less frees us financially from the burdens of keeping-up-
with-the-Joneses consumerism. Buying the latest gadgets, tools, and clothing
will always put a hurt on our pocketbooks. When I adopted minimalism, I
said a clear “No” to mindless shopping and “Yes” to shopping deliberately. I
no longer cruise clearance aisles at stores, randomly picking up “deals” I didn’t
need in the first place.
When Josh and I first got married, I was unused to the heady combination
of summers off—while Josh worked—and having true disposable income for
the first time. I remember one of those early credit card bills from my first
summer off from teaching.
“How did we spend an extra $1,000 this month?” I said, shocked as I

looked at our high bill. There were no plane tickets or big-ticket purchases on
the bill. However, as I scoured the charges line by line, I noticed a pattern: $30
here, $65 there. All on clothes I had found “on sale” at various stores. I was
shocked by how much I had spent in little bits and pieces, never realizing what
a bill I had racked up.
I’d love to say that I stopped random, purposeless shopping after that first
bill, but I continued to practice this habit, although with slightly less excess,
for years. When entering a store, I’d browse the clearance aisles, the dollar
bins, the buy-one-get-one “deals” for items I did not need.
Let me tell you, there is no “deal” when you are buying something you
don’t need in the first place. I have spent thousands of dollars on “sale” items
over the years, many of which I could have simply lived without.
And what could I have done with those thousands of dollars instead?
Imagine if I had, instead of spending money here and there, donated it
to causes I care about? What a difference my thousands of dollars would
have made!
My credit card bill no longer contains spending surprises. I typically know

what I spend and why. Don’t get me wrong, I still need to go shopping. Unless
16
you’re planning to go all Little House on the Prairie and make your own soap
and clothes, shopping is a necessity for most of us.
But I would urge you: shop with purpose. Know what you want before you
head into the store. Ignore the clearance racks and seek out the items you truly
love and need. Even if they aren’t “on sale” I guarantee you will spend less in
the end.
And, what can you do with that cushion in your pocketbook? Well, if you
are so moved, you could make a charitable contribution to an organization
of your choice. One of the best things I did when I adopted minimalism was
consolidate my charitable giving to two main organizations. These were the
organizations that sent me pamphlets with pictures of starving or sick children,
the kind that made me feel guilty as I—typically—let those pamphlets sit in a
pile of paper because I was too distracted and busy to write the check.
As I minimized my stuff and was better able to focus on my values, I
contacted these two charities to set up monthly recurring donations, directly
from my bank account. I can afford it. I’m no longer wasting my spare cash
on cheap shoes and trinkets. I know that I’m making a very meaningful,
purposeful contribution to two important causes every month. How much
better than wasting that extra money on clearance t-shirts!
Cash Money, Baby

I’m supposing by now you’ve thought of yet another great advantage to
minimalism … a little more jingle in your pocket. I’m no mathematician, but
I stand firmly behind this equation:
Buying less stuff = Having more money
And who wouldn’t want a little more money to do with as they please? (As
long as you don’t spend it shopping for stuff you don’t need, which by now you
know is a major no-no!)
Because we don’t worry about keeping up the Joneses or buying the latest
this or that, Josh and I can afford to have regular date nights and take our
kids on vacations. We also have cash on hand for emergencies, such as the air
17
Less
conditioning that just went out this morning and cost over $500 to fix (true
story!). I didn’t bat an eye as I wrote the check and I didn’t put it on a credit
card that I can’t pay off.
Debt is a beast. Those of you living with credit card debt and creditors
breathing down your neck already know this, but it bears repeating: debt is a
burden and it will keep you from getting where you want to go in life.
If you want a serious plan to get out of debt, read Dave Ramsey’s Total
Money Makeover. If you want my two cents on the subject: stop buying crap
you don’t need.
What would you do if you were debt-free and had enough cash to cover
your needs plus some saved for emergencies? Start a business? Switch careers?
Take that vacation you’ve always dreamed of? Send your kids to college? Build
an orphanage in Tibet?
Whatever your dream, realize that being a minimalist can help you get
there, because although it sounds paradoxical—the less stuff you have, the
more financial security you have.
So, cheers to a little more cash in your wallet! Who knew that all you had
to do was let go of some stuff ?
In Brief
Environmental devastation, worldwide poverty, and consumer debt culture
are three staggeringly huge issues, and I do not attempt to suggest a solution
within the confines of this book. (I’ll address them all in my next book, Rose
Solves All the World’s Problems in 200 Pages or Less. It will cost about one
million dollars per copy. Pre-order now.)
Yet, I would argue that the simple philosophy of minimalism—living with
just what we need and love—can go a long way toward resolving the core issue
at the heart of all three of these problems: overconsumption.
By choosing to live with less, we say “No” to mindless consumerism and
“Yes” to allowing all of us to live a life where our basic needs are met and we
have the financial freedom to pursue our dreams.
18
Think About It:

What would happen if you bought less things, but at the highest
quality you could afford?
What excess items do you have in your home that would
make a real difference to needy people in your community?
What types of philanthropic organizations excite you? What
would happen if you consolidated your charitable giving to just
1-2 of these organizations?
How would your life be different if you did not live in debt?
19
CHAPTER 4
Cultivating a Minimalist Mindset
Being a minimalist is like being a rebel, but without all the tattoos and
piercings. But hey, if they help you get in the minimalist spirit, feel free to get
the tattoos and piercings!
I’ve found that the hardest part of minimalism is not sorting through
items and deciding what to keep or let go. The hardest part is thinking like a
minimalist. In fact, according to the New York Times, one market research
firm study estimates that Americans are exposed to as many as 5,000
advertisements per day.
Advertisements are on our TVs, smart phones, even the sneakers our
children wear to school.
Clearly, our culture is designed to make us want more. And it tells us to
want more pretty much every single day. Wanting less is directly opposed to
this agenda and it can feel awkward and strange. I’d like to share two mantras
that might help you think like a minimalist: remember the towels and remember
the naked blue lady. Clearly, I’m a fan of fun subheadings, but believe me, these
do make sense!
21
Less
Remember the Towels

One of the first projects I tackled on my minimalism journey was my
linen cupboard.
It was a typical Saturday afternoon and I thought I’d spend a few moments
getting this one small space in my home under control. As I opened the
door and looked inside, though, I saw disaster—haphazardly piled towels,
mismatched sheet sets, and tablecloths filled the space completely. I had two
immediate urges:
1) Close the door and ignore this chaos.
2) “Organize” everything. Fold it neatly, put the towels all together,
maybe get one of those space-saving bags to suck all the air out of the
sheet sets so they fit better. Make it “look nice,” which I knew, would
not last for long.
I resisted these urges, but I list them here to let you know that they are
normal. When faced with chaos, our immediate response is to ignore it. It’s
much easier to close the door than to deal with what’s inside. It’s also much
easier to attempt to “organize” our items instead of minimize them. An entire
industry of bins and baskets exists because of this urge!
So, I faced these urges and let them ride out. Then I emptied all the contents
and sorted them into like-with-like piles: towels together, sheets together, etc.
As I examined each pile, I asked myself the same question: “How many of
these items do we need?”
This is a very different question from, “How can I organize this better?”
If you look online, you will find a million ways to organize the items in your
home. But if you have too much stuff, your attempts at simply organizing will
fail. Your cute bins will overflow, the cupboard will get stuffed again, you will
buy more and be unable to incorporate it into what you already have. Start
your sorting from the perspective of need. It’s a much more effective way to get
your space under control.
Once I had my towels in a pile, I noticed that we had A LOT of them,
way more than we could ever use in one laundry cycle. When we got married,
22
Josh and I registered for the number of towels recommended on our wedding
registry. And it should come as no surprise that the folks who create wedding
registries do not endorse minimalism!
So, I asked myself, "How many towels do we actually need?" The answer
was simple: two for me, two for Josh, one for each of the kids, and two for
guests.
But the idea of having just nine towels seemed crazy! The "what ifs"
immediately popped into my brain:
• What if there's a flood and I need towels to sop up water?
• What if a towel gets stained or dirty?
• What if I need to use a towel to soak up something gross, like blood or
mud or an oil spill?
I thought my minimizing had gone too far. Only nine towels? I must be nuts!
Again, I write these thoughts to let you know that they are normal. When
faced with the prospect of minimizing our possessions, our inner squirrel
often kicks in. It can feel “wrong” to let go of perfectly good items. (By now,
though, you’ve hopefully realized it’s not “wrong,” just directly opposed to our
society’s consumer values. Remember, you’re being a rebel!)
I was starting to sweat, so I brought Josh in for a consultation. To my utter
surprise, when I suggested eliminating roughly half our towels, he seemed
unfazed. "That sounds about right," he said. He may have just wanted to
quickly escape the towel conversation to return to his man cave and watch
sports, but either way, I had my answer.
So, we donated half our towels, all our excess sheets (we kept two sets
per bed), and all our tablecloths. (Like most mothers of young children, I
really have no need for a tablecloth … like ever.) I donated everything to the
homeless shelter I mentioned earlier.
And you know what? It’s been over five years and not once has our towel
cupboard been empty. I also have not purchased a single towel in that time.
This tells me two things:
23
Less
1. I can live with a lot less than I think I can.

2. I can definitely live with a lot less than society tells me I should.
Being a minimalist starts with thinking like a minimalist. And a minimalist
always thinks about what they need.
This is not the message you will find in advertising or on social media or
across the street at the Joneses. Sadly, most messages in our culture are aimed
at our wants. But I encourage you: remember the towels. When confronted
with your possessions, simply ask yourself: how much do I need? This simple
question will help you find the courage to free yourself from the excess.
Remember the Naked Blue Lady

My mom is an artist. She earned a degree in art education (a practical artist)
and taught art in public schools for over 20 years. She used to paint and sculpt
in her free time, which I think happened sometime before me and my three
siblings were born. But I’m happy to report that she has returned to her artsy
roots in her retirement.
She loves to give her art as gifts; thus, for her brother’s wedding in 1974,
she painted a large canvas of a naked blue lady for him and his wife. Now, let
me explain. The lady is technically naked, but she is painted from the side and
has her knees tucked up to her chin. No naughty parts visible. (A practical,
modest artist.)
I had no idea of the existence of the naked blue lady until Josh and I rented
our first apartment in Dayton in 2004. We visited my aunt and uncle, who
asked how the new apartment was coming along.
“Great, but our walls are so bare,” I said. “We can’t afford nice paintings, so
everything is kind of white-on-white right now.”
My aunt’s eyes lit up, as only the eyes of someone who’s been holding on
to her sister-in-law’s painting of a naked blue lady for the past 30 years in the
hopes of finding a proper owner can light up.
“I have just the thing!” Aunt Carol cried. She jumped up from her seat and
dashed downstairs to the basement.
24
Ten minutes later, she emerged with a large, dusty canvas and a cloth.
“Your mom gave this to us for our wedding,” she said, vigorously dusting
the fame. “It will be just perfect for your apartment!”
Josh and I looked at the painting. We liked it. And not just because my
mom painted it. We genuinely liked this tall lady, sitting in her relaxed pose,
long hair flowing down her back.
“We’ll take it,” we said, although I don’t think there really was another
option in my Aunt Carol’s mind.
My Uncle Mike, of course, couldn’t resist spending a few minutes gently

chiding his wife about her obvious regifting.
“Carol, I like that painting. Why don’t we display it here? There’s space
above the mantle.”
“Mike, we just don’t need this naked lady. Rose and Josh need it.”
“She’s not naked,” Uncle Mike said. “I see no nakedness.”
“Mike. They want the painting. Give them the painting.”
Oh, how I love family dynamics.
The best part of this story is that Josh and I now have a lovely naked blue
lady who watches over our dining room table while our family eats, does
homework, and checks email. We can’t imagine our home without her.
So how does this relate to minimalism?
Minimalism does not mean having just the bare bones necessary for
survival. It also means leaving space for the things you love, the things you
value, the things that bring you great joy.
In other words, minimalism leaves plenty of room for the naked blue
ladies of the world.
One of my favorite quotes is from poet and designer William Morris:

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to
be beautiful.”
25
Less
Those two key words—useful and beautiful—are the checkpoints I use to

decide if items are welcome in my home. Do I know it to be useful? Meaning,
do I know this because I actually use it? Beware the pitfall of “potentially
useful.” Many of us have plenty of potentially useful items lying around,
completely unused.
Also, do I believe it to be beautiful? If I consider something beautiful,
I want to see and enjoy it every day. Thus, for me to keep something in my
home, it must be either useful or beautiful or both.
In Brief
Minimalism focuses on what you need, like two towels per person, and what
you love, like the naked blue lady. And who wouldn’t want to live in a home
surrounded only by the things they need and love? Your home is your castle;
it’s where you relax, make memories, and recharge to face the world outside.
By designating your home as a sanctuary for only what you need and love,
minimalism can help you transform your house into an oasis. After all, life is
too short to not love where you live.
Think About It:

Which areas of your home make you want to just shut the door
and ignore the chaos?
What would happen if you opened those doors and asked
yourself which of the contents you actually need?
Which items in your home do you find beautiful? Do you have
the space to enjoy these things? If not, what is keeping you from
enjoying them?
What would happen if you only allowed useful and beautiful
things inside your home?
26
CHAPTER 5
It’s Just Stuff
My Grandma Dorothy is an amazing woman. Among her many accomplish-

ments: giving birth to eight children in just over a decade, driving her own car
until age 90, and making the best darn cheesy potatoes known to man.
Recently, at age 92, this grandmother of 21 and great-grandmother of 23
surprised the entire family when she calmly announced that she wanted to
sell her house, where she still lived independently, and move to a senior living
community. By the way, her biggest complaint about the senior community—
which she refers to as “The Funny Farm”—is that it's full of old people.
If you haven't figured it out yet, my grandma is more with-it than most of
us, whether we live on The Funny Farm or not.
After her move, I approached her for some advice. I had been asked to give
a downsizing presentation at a local senior living community and I needed
ideas. So, I cornered Grandma during Thanksgiving dinner and asked her
what she'd say to those considering the move to senior living. She thought for
moment, then gave a very succinct, Grandma Dorothy-like response.
"Two things," she said. "First, I wish I had started downsizing sooner, and
second, it's just stuff !"
She punctuated this second piece of advice with a classic Grandma
Dorothy gesture, flipping both hands away from herself, accompanied by
a quick frown and audible, "Uh!" I have seen her make this gesture when
27
Less
discussing everything from the number of tattoos on young people these days
("Even the young girls!") to a meal she considered overindulgent (“The salads.
You’ve never seen so many different kinds of salads in your life!”). It's one of
her signature moves, a washing of the hands, a way of saying, "Let the rest of
them enjoy themselves, but I'll have none of that, thank you."
Her advice—It's just stuff—combined with this gesture have stuck with me
ever since.
No matter how old we are or what stage of life we're in, whether we're
contemplating a child's tea set or a set of mixing bowls or a garage full of
power tools, it's just stuff.
Whether we're worried about what to do with all our old technology or
how to contain our kids' toys or how to preserve all those memorabilia T-shirts
from college, it's just stuff.
Whether we're worried if our children will someday want our dishes or
furniture or artwork, it's just stuff.
I think Grandma Dorothy’s message is: it's not worth worrying about all
the things you own. Because if you do, you let them own you. Fretting about
what will happen to your baseball cards or your dining set detracts from the
quality of life you're living now.
I'm not just referring to elderly people. I’ve met plenty of younger folks
who worry incessantly about their things. What to do with all these Legos my
kids have? Ugh … my closet is an overwhelming disaster! I hate my basement …
it's still full of boxes from when we moved in.
I think my grandma, in the twilight of her life, realizes something the rest
of us would do well to remember: you can't take it with you. All the stuff, all the
things, all the collections will be left when we’re gone, and what then? What
good was all our fretting and organizing and worrying? How much better
would it be to spend our precious, fleeting time on Earth holding hands with
those we love, making pancakes from scratch, and laughing with friends over
a glass of wine?
I think we'd all agree that yes, we want to live our lives like that, lives full
of meaningful experience.
28
It’s Just Stuff
So whaddaya say, why not let the rest of them enjoy themselves and
consciously say a firm, “No, thank you” to a life monopolized by consumer
goods? Why not decide—right now—to live a more fulfilling life, a life with
plenty of room for your values and loved ones?
Because, like my grandma says, whether you’re 18 or 80, the time to
downsize is now. And remember, it's just stuff.
Think About It:

Does your stuff get in the way of living the life you want? How
so?
What kinds of things would you do if you didn’t have to deal with
your stuff so often?
What would happen if you took Grandma Dorothy’s advice—it’s
just stuff—and applied it to just one area of your home?
29
CHAPTER 6
How To: The LESS Method™
My friend Jon designs space satellites. That’s right, he’s a for-real rocket
scientist. I once got into a conversation with him about electrons, which
I quickly exited when I realized two things: 1) Besides the occasional, “I
see” or “I understand,” (which, by the way, were complete lies) I could in
no way contribute to the conversation, and 2) I really should have failed
high school physics.
So, let me set you at ease. Minimizing is not rocket science.
Yet, most of us avoid it. Why? Because decluttering is overwhelming.
Facing our stuff means facing our emotions, many of which we’d like to avoid.
When we declutter, we often have to face uncomfortable emotions like:
• Regret: Ugh … why did I buy this? I spent so much money and I never
use it.
• Guilt: Aunt Jean gave this to me. I can’t let it go. What would she think?
• Fear: What if I need this someday?
All these worries swirl together into one anxiety tornado and we often
find it’s easier to just shut the door.
But I urge you, open it. Let me tell you how.
31
Less
Make the Time

I very intentionally titled this section “Make the Time” as opposed to its more
popular cousin “Find the Time,” because I think it’s important to recognize the
subtle—yet vital—difference between the two.
When we say that we can’t do something because we can’t “find the time”
it’s as if we believe there are hidden pockets of time in our life just waiting for
discovery, as if some wily leprechaun has hidden a pot of time gold and all
we have to do is locate it and—voila!—we’ll be flush with the time needed to
accomplish all the things we want to.
We all know that’s not true.
Time is a concept created by humans. We made it. Thus, we cannot “find”
time, but the good news is we can “make” it. And I encourage you to start
making some right now.
I know, I know, this is the hardest part of accomplishing anything in life,
right? We’re all pressed for time. (By the way, if you’re feeling a major time
crunch, reread Chapter 3 on how minimizing can help you reclaim some of
those sweet hours in your day.)
I know all about being pressed for time. Like right now. I’m writing a book
and do you know all the other things I could be doing? Just think of all the
email I could be checking and laundry I could be folding and cute cat videos I
could be watching. Wow! All of those things would keep me really “busy” …
avoiding the one thing I really want to get done: writing.
If decluttering your home is important to you, make it a priority and put it
on your calendar. Hire a babysitter, turn off your phone, and commit yourself
to doing something that matters to your peace of mind.
I’d love to think that the reason my clients are successful during our
sessions is due to my sparkling personality, wit, and minimizing suave. But
really, I know it’s because—when they make an appointment with me—they
are making time to change their lives. They are boldly declaring, “For the next
three hours I shall do nothing else but deal with the chaos in this garage!”
That’s a strong statement, and one that will surely get some results.
32
How To: The LESS Method
I urge you, make time. Make an appointment with yourself to do this

thing that you desperately want to do. Block it out on the calendar. Incentivize
yourself with a treat—ice cream, an adult beverage, a Netflix marathon—if
you keep the appointment. Invite a friend to help you. (Note: You’ll definitely
need to incentivize that friend with the aforementioned treats!) Do whatever
it takes to make yourself keep this appointment, and I guarantee you, it will
get done.
If you’re wondering how much time you’ll need, I recommend starting
small. Most of my client sessions last 3-4 hours, but they have me by their
side to keep them motivated. (Okay, so maybe my sparkling personality does
matter, after all.)
Start with whatever amount of time you can scrape together, maybe just 30
minutes or an hour. Or if you’re really crunched for time, visit LessTheBook.
com and register for my 5 Minutes or Less Checklist, a one-page list of
minimizing tasks that you can do in—literally—under five minutes each! Just
set a timer on your phone and do as much as you possibly can before it rings.
Every minute brings you closer to your goal!
Planning to declutter your entire abode? Good for you! It is possible if
you make the time and allow yourself some one-step-at-a-time grace. When I
decluttered my entire house, it took about eight months. I’m not recommending
that as a timeline for everyone. That’s just how long it took me.
I didn’t work on it every day. I had 3-year-old triplets and a full-time job
outside the home—I was lucky if I remembered to brush my teeth every day!
But I worked steadily, here and there, on weekends and naptimes and strange
minimizing adrenaline rushes that sometimes came upon me after my kids
went to bed. Channel your inner tortoise and remember that slow and steady
wins the decluttering race.
I’d like to share one of my favorite personal mantras with you: you always
have enough time to do exactly what you want to do. If you really want to run
a marathon, you’ll make the time to train. If you really want to eat healthier,
you’ll make the time to meal plan. And if you really want to minimize your
stuff, you’ll make the time to address each closet, drawer, and cubby, one small
step at a time. And it will get done.
33
Less
But I urge you, above all, don’t worry about how much time you may or
may not have, and just start.
Here’s how.
Supplies
Like any project, you’ll first need to gather some supplies, which you probably
already have. (Again, not rocket science.) Here are the basics you need to
tackle any decluttering project:
• Black trash bags
• White trash bags
• Empty cardboard boxes
• Black permanent marker
• Painter’s tape
• Blank paper
I bet you could get up off your couch right now and gather these supplies
in about 10 minutes. And while you’re at it, have a snack. You’re going to need
some energy for all the minimizing you’re about to do!
The LESS Method™

If you’re going to successfully tackle your clutter, it helps to have a systematic
approach. We often feel a very high level of anxiety when facing an
overwhelming space. I see this in my clients’ faces and body language when
they open the doors to their stuffed closets and basements. They grimace, sigh,
bite their lips, and cross their arms protectively. Some even cry.
That might sound extreme, but these are very normal responses to the
emotional stress caused by clutter. Remember Chapter 1: humans naturally
desire open spaces, so it makes sense that those cluttered corners raise our
cortisol levels!
34
The LESS Method™ will give you a starting point, a plan, a way to move
past the overwhelm and get cracking. It will also help you maintain your space
once it is minimized. It stands for:
Lay Out Your Vision & Purpose
Empty
Sort It Twice
Systemize
Alright! Now you should be all set to declutter like a boss! What? You want
more details about each of these awesome steps? Oh, do read on …
Step 1: Lay Out Your Vision & Purpose

When facing a cluttered space, it’s tempting to jump right in and begin sorting.
Resist this urge. It’s kind of like getting so excited about a road trip that you
hop into your car and start driving without a map. If you did that, you would
probably end up lost. Similarly, if you jump right into your clutter, you will end
up overwhelmed and probably quit.
Before you put a single item in a donation box or trash bag, take a moment
to step back and reflect on how you want this space to look and function. Laying
out your vision and purpose is like getting the lay of the land, establishing a
point of reference for where you are and where you want to go. It gives you
a basic roadmap that helps you know if you’re headed in the right direction.
And whether you’re taking a road trip or clearing clutter, this is critical if you
want to get where you’re going.
To start thinking about VISION, ask yourself questions like this:
• If I walked into this room and it looked perfect, what would it
look like?
• If I could wave a magic wand and transform this space, what would
I see?
• What are my goals for this space?
35
Less
Having a strong vision is important, because humans do our best work

when we start from vision. Some people call this beginning with the end in
mind. You’ve probably seen Olympic athletes just moments before competition,
eyes closed, envisioning themselves completing the perfect long jump, landing
the triple twist, or entering the water with nary a splash. These visions—
essentially glimpses of their future success—help them perform better.
Vision gives us confidence, lets us know what we’re working toward, and
helps us stay focused during the myriad distractions that can—and probably
will—crop up on our way to getting there.
Take your black marker and write “VISION” on a piece of blank paper.
Then close your eyes and imagine how you want this space to look. Go as crazy
as you want. It’s your imagination! Now open your eyes and write down what
you imagined. Use painter’s tape to attach this paper to the wall.
Here’s an example of a typical VISION statement for a garage:
• Lots of floor space to park cars
• Everything easy to find, with labels
• Shelves for all the tools
• Bigger stuff hanging on the walls
• Open space to do woodworking
After you have a solid vision, start thinking about PURPOSE. Again, ask
yourself questions to help you think through the reason this space exists in
your home:
• What is the purpose of this space?
• How do I want it to function?
• What do I need this space to do for me?
• What types of activities do I do in here?
• Who else uses this space?
36
Get as specific as you can when answering these questions, avoiding

general statements like “to store stuff.” Having a fuzzy purpose makes it
difficult for both you and those you live with to know what belongs where.
This can quickly result in a room cluttered with random things, which is not
the goal of minimizing!
In a garage, a PURPOSE statement might include:
• Sporting equipment
• Lawn care and gardening supplies
• Woodworking
• Tools
• Holiday decorations
• Car care supplies
• Park cars
Think of every possible thing you want this space to do for you and write
it down, then tape your PURPOSE paper next to your VISION on the wall.
Why go to all this trouble? Because, once you know your vision and purpose,
you’ve won half the battle. You’ve made your map and now you know where
you want to go. In other words, you’ve already decided what stuff will stay and
what needs to be shown the door.
For instance, in the garage example, if you came across a tub of college
memorabilia and weren’t sure what to do with it, you could look back at your
purpose list—memorabilia is not listed, thus it should probably be located
elsewhere.
Of course, if you decide that the garage is the best place to store your
memorabilia, you can amend the sign. It’s just paper and markers, not the Ten
Commandments. The goal is to start storing your possessions intentionally,
not just dumping them wherever there’s space. This is how you start thinking
like an organized person.
37
Less
Knowing a space’s vision and purpose gives you a roadmap, something

to refer to when you feel lost in your clutter. This might seem like a step you
could skip, but I urge you not to. In fact, I have occasionally skipped this step
with clients, always to my deep regret, because I then see how much harder
our session is.
Step 2: Empty
I’ve never broken up a rowdy fraternity party, but after cleaning out many
closets and basements, I think I’d be well-suited to the task. If you want to
restore order to a chaotic scene, do what officers do immediately upon arrival:
Everybody out! When it comes to your stuff, this means completely empty the
space. Yes, I said completely. Every stray sock, every unopened box from your
last move, every last little crumpled receipt from the back of the drawer needs
to come out into the light of day.
Again, this is another tempting step to skip. I hear you asking, “Wouldn’t
it just be easier take out the things I don’t want and leave the rest?”
Nope. And here’s why:
When things have lived in a certain place for a long time we start to no
longer see them. Our eyes get so used to seeing the collection of owl figurines
on top of the bookshelf that we no longer notice them.
Humans are attracted to the new, the novel, the different. We notice what
is unfamiliar. Thus, if clutter is our “normal” we will not be very discerning
unless we shake up the order of things. And the best way to do that is to remove
every single item and appraise it.
Removing every item allows you to see your space in a new light, as if you
are moving in for the first time. Remember the excitement of moving into
your home? You saw the empty closets and rooms and envisioned possibilities.
You started imagining where your favorite chair would go, your collection of
glass paperweights.
You were excited about how you would arrange the space. Emptying the
space completely allows you to re-see it in just this way, with fresh eyes. This
38
will allow you to make better use of your space, rearranging it to better suit
your life.
But what if the space is large, like an entire basement?
I often deal with large spaces—entire garages, basements, or large living
areas. It would be difficult to completely empty these types of spaces. However,
you can simply “chunk” the space into smaller parts. For example, you could
address just one corner or bookshelf or 2x2 foot space. If you’re not sure where
to start, I recommend beginning at the doorway and moving top-to-bottom,
left-to-right, clockwise around the room.
As you empty the shelves and drawers, put everything on the floor, if
possible. If the floor is too cluttered to do this, move items to a different room.
(Again, this is why starting near the door is helpful!) You may not have enough
room to set things on the floor or even in another room. In that case, use a
folding table or large box as “floor space” for the time being.
You will need to move slowly, tableful and boxful at a time, but you will
make progress. And quickly you will see some sweet floor space emerge!
Awesome! More room to sort!
One last tip: as you empty the space, toss obvious trash: crumpled receipts,
packaging, clothing tags, broken or very dirty things. This will save you the
hassle of dealing with it later.
Step 3: Sort It Twice

Don’t hate me, but you have to sort your items twice. Here’s why:
One of my favorite clients is a bubbly mom of three young children. She’s
a hugger, a vibrant spirit, the kind of mom who laughs easily and gets on the
floor to play with her kids. She also struggles with clutter.
She hired me to organize her 5-year-old son’s bedroom. The initial scene
was a little slice of chaos—toys, clothing, and games were scattered all over
the room. As we started working, I noticed my client becoming more and
more distracted.
39
Less
She picked up a small piece of black plastic.
“I know what this goes with … ” she said, chewing her lip and looking
around. “It goes with … the train track! It’s part of the Christmas train he got
from his grandma!” She lifted the piece in victory and began walking across
the room to put it away. About halfway there, she noticed a stray soccer cleat
sticking out from under a stuffed elephant.
“Augh! I’ve been looking for this! I just told him the other day that he
needed to find this cleat! I’m going to put it in his bag right now.”
She left the room with the soccer cleat, plastic train piece still in hand.
A few minutes later she came back and noticed an action figure with a
broken arm. She picked this up and carried it to the kitchen to fix it.
This back-and-forth continued for about 10 minutes before I gently said,

“You know what? Why don’t you go play with your kiddos and I’ll get all of this
sorted into piles? Then you can come in and make decisions.”
“Are you sure? Shouldn’t I be in here with you?”
“If you want, but I’m not going to throw anything away without you here.
And it’ll be easier for you to make decisions once everything is in piles with
similar things.”
The relief that flooded her face was priceless. She went off to play with her
kids, and I spent the next hour emptying her son’s room into like-with-like
piles on the floor.
When she returned, she sat comfortably on the bed while I brought
piles to her for decisions: keep, donate, or trash. In just over an hour, the
job was done.
This example illustrates the importance of sorting twice: first into piles of
like-with-like and then into piles of what you will keep. Let me explain a bit
more about these two sorting steps.
40
1st Sort: Like-with-Like

As you can tell from the above story, my client was pretty distracted at the
beginning of our session. That’s because she could not see the categories of
stuff within her son’s room. It would be like walking into a grocery store
without designated aisles. Food would just be randomly scattered throughout
the store. You’d have no idea where the oranges or milk or bread were located,
so you’d wander aimlessly, searching for the items you needed, finding things
you didn’t expect, and forgetting what you were looking for in the first place.
Shopping like this would use up a lot of energy and you probably wouldn’t
have much in your cart to show for it, besides a bunch of bruised bananas and
a box of toxic-looking Pop-Tarts. And while my kids would consider that a
fine meal, I think most of us would leave a store like that full of nothing but
frustration.
Many of us try to organize our homes this way, wandering aimlessly from
pile to pile, losing ourselves and our mission in the process. And this is why
many of us give up.
So, I encourage you: make sorting easier on yourself and put all your items
into like piles first. Sorting into like-with-like makes it obvious how much you
have. Often, clients are surprised to discover they own 37 screwdrivers or 52
coffee cups. Grouping makes it easier to let go of excess items because you
may, for the first time, realize exactly how much you have.
Here’s a typical list of piles I might make in a little boy’s room:
• Stuffed animals
• Cars
• Trains
• Games
• Books
• Crafts
41
Less
• Clothing
• Decor
• Randoms
• Memorabilia
A Word on Randoms and Memorabilia

Your like-with-like piles will be different, of course, depending on your
space and your personality. However, no matter what space you are sorting,
I strongly encourage you to make piles for the last two categories on the list:
randoms and memorabilia.
I always find random items that aren’t part of an obvious group: a telescope,
a rubber bouncy ball, a plastic bracelet a child won at school, a keychain. These
items don’t belong to a larger group, so I put them all together.
Also, no matter what room you are in, you will find memorabilia. Believe
me, I’ve even found memorabilia in people’s bathrooms! Memorabilia is any
item you are saving not to use or to display, but to remind you of something.
Often, we think of memorabilia as just postcards and pictures, but it can span
a large variety of items. For years, in fact, my dad kept the car he used to pick
my mom up for their first date. Talk about some heavy memorabilia!
I often find memorabilia in bedroom closets, where people tend to store
collections of T-shirts from activities they used to participate in. My clients
usually aren’t planning to wear these shirts again; they’re purely for memory.
Thus, they don’t belong in the closet.
For now, separate all your memorabilia into a box (or boxes, let’s be real!),
label it, and put it somewhere else—your attic, your basement, it really doesn’t
matter. As long as it’s all together, you’re good. You will address it eventually,
but at this early stage in the process, if you stop to wander down memory lane,
or worse, try to make the hard decision of what memorabilia to keep and toss,
you will seriously halt your minimizing progress.
42
Just get it all together and get it out of your current space. I’ll explain how
to deal with it in Chapter 12.
2nd Sort: Decide

Once you have like-with-like piles, it’s decision time! This step should be
relatively easy, now that you know exactly how much you have. Take a moment
to look back at your VISION and PURPOSE signs. They’re posted on the wall,
right? Remind yourself what belongs in this space. Because you have a clear
vision and purpose, you’ve already decided what stays and goes. Now you just
need to get things where they belong.
Start with an easy pile, one that has a lot of items. Typically, the more items
in a pile, the easier it is to let go of some of them. For example, in a child’s
room, I often start with stuffed animals.
Word of Caution: DON’T start with Randoms or Memorabilia. Remember,
memorabilia will be exiting this space to be dealt with later. And I always sort
Randoms last, after the more obvious piles have been dealt with.
Pick up each item, and go with your gut. Yes or No? Is this something
you want to keep? Is it useful and/or beautiful? Does it suit your vision
and purpose?
Make decisions as quickly as possible, relying strongly on that first gut
instinct. Often, I can tell what decision clients will make based on their body
language when they pick items up. If they sigh, grimace, or let out an audible,
“Ugh … ” I know that item is destined for the donation bag.
If you have difficulty going with your initial feeling, here are some basic
questions to help you decide whether or not you should keep something:
• Is this my favorite? (In other words, in a group of similar items, would
I choose this one?)
• How does this item make me feel?
• If I lost it, would I replace it?
43
Less
• Would I take it with me if I moved?

• Would I buy it again?
• If I needed this is the future, how much would it cost to replace it? (If
the answer is less than $20, I recommend you let it go. The chance of
you ever needing it is slim, and if you do, $20 is not going to break
your bank.)
• What’s the worst thing that would happen if I let go of this?
As you decide, sort your items into basic piles:
• Keep
• Donate
• Trash
• Elsewhere
• Sell
Keep
These are the items that fit with your vision and purpose, the ones that will
eventually be returned to the space when you are finished. These are your
treasures, your go-to’s, the items that help you live your life and bring you joy.
They are beautiful, useful, or both. For now, keep your keepers right there on
the floor. We’ll put them away later.
Donate
These are items that you no longer need, but could be useful to others. Put
your donations into white trash bags (to differentiate them from actual trash)
or boxes (for awkward or delicate items, like toasters or dishes).
Remember the social benefits of minimalism we talked about in Chapter 3
and donate with a happy heart! Also, I very strongly urge you to find one
local charity that accepts a wide variety of donations and donate all your items
44
there. Often, clients slow down the process when they try to donate to niche
donation sites (shoes to Charity A, toys to Charity B, books to Charity C, and
so on).
If your goal is to seriously minimize the excess in your home, you don’t
have time for that. Also, if you feel like you must parse your donations this
way, I must ask: Is this a procrastination technique? In other words, are you
intentionally slowing down the donation process to delay letting go of items?
Trash
I probably don’t need to say much about this one. We all know what trash
is. Use your black bags for trash so you don’t confuse it with donations. As
you bag your trash, keep in mind the words in Chapter 3: it all becomes
trash someday.
Often, clients feel guilty about the amount of trash they generate during a
session. This is normal. When you undertake a serious minimizing mission,
you will generate more trash than usual for a short time. However, I can
happily tell you that this drops off and you will create significantly less trash
thereafter as a result of adopting a minimalist lifestyle.
Remember, minimalism is probably the most environmentally friendly thing
you can do. From here on out, you will produce much less trash because you
will check your consumption at the door and bring less into your home. But
before you can do that, you have got to clear the plate. So, take a deep breath,
fill those trash bags, and consider leaving a kind tip for your trash man. Spread
the love.
Elsewhere
As you sort, you will find items that don’t belong in this space, but belong
somewhere else in your home. Set aside your Elsewhere items and return
them to their proper homes at the end of the session. DON’T stop sorting to
take Elsewhere items to their homes now! Doing that will cause you to lose
focus on the task at hand. (Remember my client who left the room to return
45
Less
her son’s soccer cleat? That could be you!) Make and tape an Elsewhere sign
near the door to collect all these items.
You may want to make separate Elsewhere piles if you find you have many
things that need to go to particular destinations. For example, it might be
helpful to create a “To work” or “To sister-in-law” pile. But again, don’t stop
sorting to hop in your car and drive to work or your sis-in-law’s right now!
Sell
Last but not least, you could create a sell pile. I say “could” because I strongly
urge you not to. Why? Because selling takes your time, and honestly, it’s often
just not worth it. If you need more convincing of this, visit RoseLounsbury.com
and read my blog post “Why Selling Stuff Is a Waste of Your Time.”
Remember, your goal is to minimize the amount of stuff in your home.
Spending hours posting and commenting on Buy/Sell/Trade groups doesn’t
help you accomplish that. Also, if you feel the need to sell lots of items, I must
ask again: Is this procrastination? Are you collecting items to “sell” because
you aren’t ready to let them go?
Step 4: Systemize
Alright! Give yourself a high-five for some serious decluttering! By now your
closets and drawers should be breathing quite a bit easier and you are ready for
the final LESS Method™ step: Systemize.
This is where you will return your keepers in a way that makes logical
sense. You’ll focus on creating homes for all your precious items and labeling
them, if necessary. You’ll also start practicing some habits to maintain this
space. Before you do that, though, take a moment to do three vital post-
decluttering tasks:
1. Take out your trash
2. Put donations in your car (or call to arrange an ASAP charity pickup)
3. Relocate Elsewhere items to their proper homes
46
Obviously, you understand the importance of taking out the trash, but I
find that people often neglect to do the other two tasks. This is a big mistake.
You must get unwanted items out of your space quickly. There is nothing worse
than working hard to declutter your home and then letting piles of donations
or Elsewhere items hang out in your closet for months. If you do this, you’ve
basically just relocated the clutter you worked so hard to remove.
True story: my friend’s sister once decluttered her closet but left all the
clothes she wanted to donate on a chair in her bedroom. A few months later,
her sweet husband surprised her with a trip for their anniversary and, to make
it a true surprise, he packed for her. Guess what he packed? Yep. All those
clothes on the chair. After spending a week in ill-fitting, out-of-style clothing,
she learned her lesson on why you should get donations to the car right away!
Grab a laundry basket and load it up with Elsewhere items, then go on a
journey around your house, returning everything. Don’t worry if you don’t
have the perfect home for these items. Often, clients don’t want to return
Elsewhere items because they feel like they are just adding more stuff to a
different cluttered space in their homes. That’s good! That means you know
where you’re headed next! I always say that minimizing one space puts pressure
on another. It tells you the next stop on your journey. Important information!
Now you are alone in a freshly minimized space with just your most
beautiful and useful items before you. Take a moment to enjoy this! How
wonderful to have just your favorite things, exactly where they belong.
At this point, assign each item a “home” in this space. Sometimes
people agonize over exactly where items should go, but it’s really not that
complicated. Again, go with your gut and just put your things where they
make the most sense.
When I first started minimizing, I would patrol my countertops before
I went to bed, picking up any stray items and asking aloud, “Where is your
home?” Lucky for me, no one was around to witness this act of domestic crazy,
and it helped me find logical homes for all those little things in my house.
If you find that a bin or basket would be helpful to corral items, now is the
time to go buy one, or better yet, use one you already have! I bet you emptied
plenty of them in Step 2. If you don’t have a pretty bin or basket, don’t worry.
47
Less
Grab a shoebox, a plastic zipper bag, a 9x13 pan from your kitchen, whatever
you can find to hold those items in place. You can go out and buy something
pretty later on.
As you put things in their homes, consider whether or not you should
label the home to make it obvious. My two favorite labeling supplies are really
fancy: a black permanent marker and painter’s tape. I create 90% of my client’s
labels this way. Painter’s tape sticks to most surfaces and is easily removable
with no damage to walls and counters.
Sure, it doesn’t look like the pages of a magazine, but who lives in the
pages of a magazine? What’s most important is that you and everyone you
live with know where things belong. If you want to invest in fancy labels later,
great. Or, if you find that you don’t need the labels anymore, you can peel them
off, easy peasy.
I once labeled all the fronts of a client’s kitchen cupboards with painter’s
tape to help her and her husband remember where things belonged. I told
her to leave the tape up as long as she needed and peel it off once the system
became second nature.
Maintenance
It would be so wonderful if your newly minimized space would stay looking
like this forever, right? There are only two ways for that to happen:
1) Hermetically seal off the room and allow no one to enter, ever.
2) Practice a few simple habits to maintain it.
I opt for #2, but hey, if you have access to some large plastic sheeting and
can afford to hire a security guard, feel free to try #1.
I recommend adopting two basic habits to help you maintain your new
system. These habits play really well together and require very little time, so
there is no reason not to give them a try!
48
Maintenance Habit #1: The Constant Donation Box

A constant donation box is just that: a box. That is constantly in your house.
For donations. Mine is on my closet floor and it used to contain copy paper.
Whenever we have something we want to donate, we just put it in the box.
When the box is full (or let’s be honest, when the box is overflowing and I
have stuff piling up all around it), I fill up a few white kitchen trash bags and
immediately put them in my car for donation drop off the next time I’m out.
I keep a roll of white kitchen bags in the box just for this purpose. Don’t
take the actual box to the donation site, because you might donate the box and
then you are in danger of quitting the habit!
I always tell people that if they want to adopt just one habit to simplify
their lives, start a constant donation box. You can have one in your house, or
one on every floor, or one in every room if you are really serious! The reason
the donation box is so powerful is because it makes donating a daily habit, as
opposed to a special event.
I used to wait and wait until I couldn’t stand the clutter for one more
minute and do a tornado-like purge session throughout my entire house. This
happened once a year or so. I call this “special event” minimizing and it’s not
very effective. It’s hard and exhausting and results in much nagging at those
sweet people you live with.
Now everyone in our house adds items regularly to the donation box,
and it keeps the clutter at bay. I probably take a bag of donations to Goodwill
once a month, which still surprises me, since I consider myself a minimalist.
It’s amazing how much stuff trickles into our lives, even when we are vigilant
about keeping it out.
Maintenance Habit #2: The One In/One Out Rule

You’ve probably all heard this one, but I’m giving it its own subtitle anyway
because it is SO IMPORTANT. The one in/one out rule basically says that
when you get something new, you let something old go.
49
Less
I used to think people who followed this rule were weird. I remember
overhearing one of Josh’s aunts talking about a shopping trip where she bought
a new sweatshirt and her husband told her in the store that she had to donate
an old one when she got home. What kind of life is that? I thought. Craziness!
And now look at me, just another loony in the bin.
The one in/one out rule is absolutely the most important habit you need
to take on if you are going to maintain a minimalist home. It is the only way I
have found to keep the clutter from creeping back, because believe me, it will
try. You’re going to get gifts for Christmas, you’re going to need to buy a new
printer, and your neighbor is going to drop off a bag of hand-me-down clothes
for your kiddos. This is life. We are consumers and we must consume stuff to
live. So, take charge of that stuff with a one in/one out policy.
I used to think this rule had to be apples-to-apples. For instance, if I
bought new shoes, I thought I had to get rid of a pair of shoes. Now, though, I
take a more liberal view. As long as I donate something when I get something
new, I’m cool. So, if I get a new pair of shoes, but donate an old sweater or a set
of oven mitts or a coffee cup, I’m still following the rule.
It’s all about the habit of taking something in and letting something go. It
doesn’t really matter what that something is.
This is especially helpful with kids. (Yes, they follow this rule, too!) I used
to make them donate a similar toy when they got a new toy, but I ran into a big,
soft, fuzzy roadblock: stuffed animals. My kids love stuffed animals, and not in
the just-at-bedtime way that most kids do.
Yes, they sleep with them, but stuffed animals are my kids’ toy of choice.
They play with them daily, create elaborate parties with the animals as guests
of honor, and know each animal’s individual birthday. In fact, each of my
kids’ top gift requests last Christmas were stuffed animals. (Stuffed sharks, to
be exact. You should have seen Santa’s face when my kids—in turn—asked
specifically for a stuffed mako, blue, and whale shark. We nicknamed 2017
“Aquatic Christmas.”)
In any case, when I tried to get my kids to let go of a stuffed animal when
getting a new one, it was a no-go. I realized that forcing them to donate a
50
stuffed animal might actually irreparably harm them, so instead, when faced
with one in/one out, I just ask my kids to find any toy they could donate in
exchange for their new one. They’ve gotten so used to this that they don’t even
question it. They just head to their bedrooms and find something to let go.
In Brief
The LESS Method™ is a practical, systematic way to minimize the excess in
your home. You can use this method to clear your clutter, room by room,
closet by closet, drawer by drawer. And once you’ve practiced it a few times, it
will feel like second nature. I always love when I go to clients’ homes for our
third or fourth session and I see that they have ingrained this system and can
start to take the minimizing lead.
To Summarize:
Lay Out Your Vision & Purpose: Decide how you want the space to
look and function. Make vision and purpose signs and tape them
to the wall.
Empty: Everything out! And I mean everything!
Sort It Twice: First into like-with-like; then into keep, donate, trash,
elsewhere and sell.
Systemize: Give all your keepers a home and make it obvious, using
containers and labels, if necessary. Practice using a constant donation
box and following the one in/one out rule to keep the clutter from
coming back!
51
CHAPTER 7
Start With Your Own Stuff
“I don’t know where to start!” is a phrase I often hear from overwhelmed

clients. If you have many areas of your home that need decluttering, it can
feel impossible to know where to begin. I once felt this way, too. There was so
much stuff in my house and only one of me. Where does one begin?
I only have one rule about getting started: start with the areas under your
jurisdiction. In other words, deal with your own stuff before you try to deal
with everyone else’s stuff.
Establish Goodwill
Dealing with your own stuff establishes goodwill and respect among you and
those wonderful people you live with. This is important, especially if you have
kids. Parents (myself included) often complain that their kids are messy, and
that the chaos in the home is due entirely to the children. Now, as a mother of
triplets, I can attest to the fact that children and their accompanying stuff most
definitely add an element of chaos to a home.
Anyone who has had a child understands this. I remember my friend
Scott, after having his first child, told me, “I never understood why you were
so into writing about having less stuff. It seemed like kind of a weird hobby.
But now I totally get it.”
53
Less
I never felt the need to minimize before I had kids, which is normal.
When we’re living with just our stuff, it’s much easier to deal with, even if we
have excess. I think because the addition of children to a home often precedes
the feeling of physical overwhelm, we tend to blame the kids for creating the
chaos. When actually, we chose to bring those children into our home, and if
we didn’t clear enough space for them and their things—or we didn’t take the
time to teach them how to maintain and put away their own things—the fault
is ours.
I’m not trying to heap parent guilt on you (we all have plenty of that
already!) but to help you see that children don’t inherently bring clutter into
homes. Adults do. So, if our homes are cluttered and uncomfortable, it is not
fair to blame our children for this.
Establishing goodwill extends to anyone else who might have joined your
household, too, even adults. I once worked with a couple who had gotten
married later in life, and the husband had moved into the wife’s home, where
she and her kids had already lived for over 10 years.
I was helping the wife clear out the rec room, and we created a large pile
of her husband’s things, which she wanted him to put in the garage. When
he came home and saw the pile, it immediately started an argument (which
was very uncomfortable to be in the middle of, let me tell you!). The wife
eventually left and I was alone with the husband (again, very uncomfortable),
but to my absolute surprise, his eyes started to fill with tears.
“When I moved in here, I got rid of 75% of my stuff,” he said. “I think there
should be room in this house for the last quarter of my stuff.”
Good point.
When we don’t make adequate room for our housemates—whether they
are children or adults—we send the not-so-subtle message that they are not
welcome in the home. In order to make them feel respected, we must establish
spaces where they—and their possessions—can reasonably live. We do this by
dealing with our own stuff first.
54
Set an Example
Monkey see, monkey do. And if your house is like mine, you’ve got a lot of
monkeys running around. Let’s talk about the big one and the small ones: your
spouse and your kids.
Getting the Hubby on Board

Josh is not a minimalist. When I read books about couples who adopt
minimalism together, I sigh. How much easier would this be if Josh didn’t feel
the need to keep a collection of Star Wars toys and baseball cards in the attic?
But he’s the love of my life and I love him more than I care about those tubs of
stuff, so when I started minimizing, I specifically didn’t touch his things, and
I still don’t.
One of my first forays into decluttering involved our bedroom. I
remember how I carefully cleared the clutter from my own nightstand and left
his completely untouched. (Yes, that was hard!) I also didn’t ask him to clean
up his nightstand. I just simplified mine, and let his be.
Interestingly, one week later, Josh’s mom came to visit and he chose that
time to clean up his nightstand. I overheard him say to his mom, “Rose is
cleaning up everything in the house. I don’t want to look like a slob.”
Ah, the power of a positive example!
As the years have gone by, I’ve noticed how Josh has slowly but surely
adopted more minimalist habits—based on my example, not my nagging. (I
mean, husbands love nagging, don’t they? Just ask them! There’s nothing that
makes them want to get things done more quickly than a nagging wife, right?
As a matter of fact, I think I’ll go nag Josh about something right now.)
About a month ago, Josh went to an annual golf outing at work, and
received, as usual, the annual swag bag of stuff. Before I adopted minimalism,
Josh would have probably just added this stuff to the existing stuff in our
house, or worse, tossed the entire bag into the closet to “deal with later,” and of
55
Less
course, “later” never comes. But this time he sat down at the kitchen table and
immediately unpacked every item in the bag and made decisions.
“Do we need this cooler bag?” he asked. “How about this hat?”
He made piles of donations, and yes, he kept some of the stuff, but that’s
okay. It’s his swag and he can keep what he wants. The important thing is he
took the time to decide what that was, as opposed to just adding more stuff to
our lives.
Last week we came home from a 10-day vacation where Josh had purchased
his favorite souvenir: a pint glass from a local brewery. He has a collection of
these glasses in our kitchen and we use them as our daily drinking glasses (for
water, not just beer, please don’t judge!). As Josh unpacked, he put the pint
glass in the cupboard and—without my urging/nagging—chose two other
pint glasses to donate.
“We already have two of this kind,” he said. “And I didn’t even go to the
event that’s on this one.”
See? Making decisions, practicing minimalist habits. These are all things
the people in your house can and will do if you set the stage by taking care of
your own things.
Teaching Kids to Let Go

Yes, it works with kids, too.
I’ll admit, when I first started minimizing, I snuck around behind my kids’
backs and donated a heck of a lot of their stuff. I think if kids are under the age
of five, this is fine. They are too young to really make decisions about their stuff
(especially if there is an overwhelming amount of it, which in my case, there
definitely was) and they probably won’t notice what’s missing.
But as my kids grew and became more aware, I knew I needed to wade
into the scary waters of letting them make decisions about their own stuff. This
terrified me, mostly because I had no experience minimizing with my kids.
Would they cling like crazy to their stuff ? Would I damage them irreparably,
resulting in high therapy bills later in life?
56
I’m happy to say that neither of those things happened. (Well, I guess the
therapy bills remain to be seen.)
They were five years old and it was about a month before Christmas.
My kids, of course, were eagerly anticipating the arrival of Santa and his
bag ‘o goodies. I decided to use Old Saint Nick to my advantage for our first
decluttering session.
“Hey guys, Santa’s coming in a few weeks, but there’s a problem. He can’t
bring you new toys unless you give some of your old toys to kids who don’t
have any. So today we’re going to go through your toys and decide what you
want to keep and what you can donate or sell.”
To my utter surprise, they didn’t bat an eyelash and immediately dug into
the task of sorting.
Of course, I directed this endeavor, similar to how I help clients. We sorted

toys into like-with-like categories first and then dealt with just one category
at a time.
It was very interesting to see their choices. I was astounded when my

boys ruthlessly halved their Matchbox car collection with reasons like, “He’s
too slow” and “He doesn’t fit on the track.” Similarly, I couldn’t believe when
my daughter chose to keep a hand-me-down, rough-looking Barbie while
donating her newer sparkly Cinderella Barbie.
It was hard to watch them minimize some of their toys, especially ones I
had just bought them the previous summer for their birthday. However, I felt
the exercise was only valuable if I left the choices completely up to them. If
they wanted to keep a crappy McDonald’s toy, they kept it. If they wanted to let
go of the very, very nice wooden barn with wooden animals that I personally
loved, but they never played with? Well, okay.
My job as a parent is to teach them decision-making skills and

responsibility. What would I teach them if I gave them choices, but then
made the decisions for them anyway? (Answer: that mom is in charge of
your stuff, not you. Oh, I can visualize the passive-aggressive teenagers this
type of parenting would create.)
57
Less
Of course, there were certain times I stepped in with parameters to help

them decide. For example, my daughter had three dollhouses. I lined them
up and said she could pick two to keep and one to sell. She chose to keep the
two plastic ones and sell the nicer wooden one. This would definitely not have
been my choice, but again, I wanted her to own the decision, so I simply said,
“Okay” and posted the wooden one for sale on my moms group, where it sold
like hotcakes. She got the keep the cash, making her one happy 5-year-old.
At the end of that first de-cluttering session, we had two shopping bags full
of minimized toys. I believe my son Reese said it best: “Santa’s going to bring
us LOTS of toys now!” Of course, I would have preferred a more altruistic, “So
many kids are going to be happy to play with these toys now!” response, but
you know what? He was five, and when you’re five, Santa’s a pretty big deal.
Minimizing with my kids helped me in two ways. First, I felt relieved
that we’d cleared space for the new stuff headed their way in December. But
secondly, and more importantly, I knew that my kids were fully capable of
making the decisions necessary to keep their possessions in check. I didn’t
need to stress about it.
If the number of toys ever became too much, we could tackle the
problem together. It’s like that “teach a man to fish” saying, except with stuff:
“De-clutter for your kids, find peace for a day. De-clutter with your kids, find
peace for a lifetime.”
Of course, that first decluttering session was just one of many that followed.
We still do big minimizing sessions before their birthday and Christmas, but
most of our donating happens as stuff slowly trickles in throughout the year,
which, even when you’re a minimalist, happens.
My kids are used to me saying things like, “I see your babysitter bought
you all new toys for being so good. That’s awesome! Do you think you could
each find a toy to donate to a kid who doesn’t have any?”
Usually they can. But sometimes they can’t. And that’s okay. I try hard to
approach my kids with questions, not commands. “Do you think you could
…” is an invitation, an offer, not an expectation. There are times my kids have
said no, they can’t find anything to donate. It’s not easy for me to smile in
response and say, “Okay. Maybe next time.” But I do it, because I want to teach
58
my kids a skill, not engender resentment. Which, by the way, is a very real risk
if our kids are over the age of five and we sneak around behind their backs and
donate things when they’re not looking.
Purgatory
Now before you think you have to ask your kid about every little tchotchke
and trinket they bring home, please realize that I do have one exception to the
“Involve Your Kids” rule. I call it Purgatory.
If you walked into my kitchen and looked at the top of my fridge, you
would see an innocent-looking green bin. You’d probably think, “Oh, Rose is
a minimalism and simplicity coach. I bet that green bin contains some neatly
stacked tea towels or binders full of color-coded weekly meal plans.” If you got
really curious and climbed on a step stool to look, you might be surprised to
see: a mess of papers, trinkets, and the like.
But this is no random “I-don’t-know-where-to-put-this-so-I’ll-put-it-
here” kind of mess. This mess contains very specific items for a very specific
purpose: Purgatory.
Let me explain. My kids constantly acquire “prizes” from school and
sports and the dentist and birthday parties and other kids. These items very
quickly add clutter to the house. I’ve observed that my kids consider these
prizes awesome for about T minus 2 minutes, at which point they leave said
prizes to linger on the kitchen counter like forgotten shipwreck victims.
Purgatory is my approach to this dilemma. It’s the holding tank for items
that aren’t “good” enough to be put into the toy rotation nor “bad” enough
to be thrown away immediately. They need a testing ground, a place to prove
whether or not they are worthy enough to be remembered. The testing ground
is the top of my fridge. Anything put in the bin stays there until I either empty
it—which I do whenever it is full—or a little person asks about an item and I
retrieve it.
You may have a few questions, such as:
Isn’t this sneaky? Yes, it is. But if you are a parent, you know that our
#1 job is to cleverly, yet harmlessly, deceive our children. I’m joking, but not
59
Less
totally joking. Consider the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, Santa, that dang Elf.
We do it all the time. This is really no different.
Can I do this with all the items my child acquires? Nope. Then the
jig would be up. Pick your Purgatory items carefully. Think fast food toys,
coloring pages, certificates of achievement from online math games. These are
the types of items kids forget about quickly.
But I thought you just said we should let kids choose what to do with
their stuff ? Aren’t you being a hypocrite? You are right, I did say we should
allow kids to make decisions about their own stuff. However, decision fatigue
sets in when we ask kids to make decisions about every little thing they own.
Allow your kids to make decisions about bigger, more important items—
birthday gifts, crafts that required several days to make, memorabilia they
purchased with their own money—but it’s okay to save them (and yourself)
the hassle when it comes to the small stuff.
What if my kid asks about an item in Purgatory and it’s already been
sent to, you know, it’s final destination? Again, fall back on your #1 parenting
skill: clever but harmless deception. A simple, “I don’t know where that is,
honey,” is an honest answer. Do you know where the trash man took last week’s
trash? I’m guessing not. And if your kid regularly asks about Purgatory items,
you need to scale back your Purgatory zeal a bit.
What types of items can I put in Purgatory? Items regularly found in our
Purgatory include:
• Prizes from school/activities.
• Items from birthday treat bags. Consider this my humble plea to all
fellow parents that we unite and just stop with the birthday treat bags.
Really, is there any “treat” in plastic trinkets that clutter our homes
and eventually end up in a landfill? I think not.
• Drawings my kids give me that aren’t special enough to put in my
memorabilia box. Yes, it hurts to say it, but it is true. Not every sticky
note with “I love you” gets saved forever. I can’t save everything or
nothing is truly special.
• Small crafts
60
Do your kids ever ask why you put stuff on top of the fridge? Never,
which surprises me. I add stuff to and retrieve stuff from Purgatory right in
front of them, and they’ve never asked about it.
How often do your kids ask for items that you’ve put in Purgatory? I’ve
observed a 98/2 rule: 98% of Purgatory items are never asked about again.
And of the 2% they do ask about, I’m able to produce them 98% of the time.
I’d say I’m winning with these stats.
Purgatory is a simple, practical way to deal with all the little stuff so you
can spend more of your time seriously decluttering the bigger stuff.
In Brief
I urge you, be the example in your home and keep your mouth shut (taped, if
you need to!) about any clutter for which your spouse and kids are responsible.
Not only will they feel immensely respected, but they just might surprise
you by following your lead. Nobody likes to be nagged to clean up their
stuff, especially if the nagger has quite a pile of her own to deal with. This is
hypocritical and even your kids can see that.
Think of a pebble dropped in a pond. You want to be that pebble, affecting

your own areas first, then gradually allowing your influence and positive
example to affect those you live with. I promise, it will.
Are you ready to get started? Great!
The next three chapters show how you can apply the LESS Method™ to
three different areas of your home: your bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. I
chose these areas because they are probably under your jurisdiction, so they’re
good places to start.
Also, I want you to build your minimizing chops in spaces you feel
comfortable so you can tackle the other areas of your home like a minimizing
champ. The cool thing about using this system to declutter is that the approach
really doesn’t change from space to space. The way I approach a closet is the
same way I approach a garage and the same way I approach a craft room.
61
Less
Practice your skills in spaces you control first, and you will be a pro by the
time you venture out to other areas of your house!
Think About It
What is one area of your home that is completely under your
jurisdiction?
What would happen if you decluttered just this one space?
How would it feel to not have to nag your spouse or kids to clean
up?
What would happen if you involved your kids in the decluttering
process and allowed them to make decisions about their own
stuff?
62
CHAPTER 8
Your Bedroom: Lessons Learned

on Clothes Mountain
“It almost makes you sick, doesn’t it?” Sarah said as she surveyed the mountain
of clothing still heaped on her bed. We were about halfway through our first
session, working our way through her large walk-in closet. We had already
donated eight trash bags of clothing and still hadn’t addressed her second
closet, which was in the guest room.
She sighed, eyeing the pile of colorful tops, dresses, and slacks, many with
tags still on.
“It’s just such a waste.”
I couldn’t have said it better.
Americans love clothing. And we own lots of it. So much, in fact, that the
Council for Textile Recycling estimates that the average American ends up
throwing away 70 pounds of clothing and textiles per year.
One image of clothing excess that always sticks out in my mind comes
from a visit to the Goodwill outlet here in Dayton. It is essentially the end-of-
the-line for our local Goodwill stores’ unsold clothing and goods.
My guide showed me the baler, a massive machine that bundles unsold
clothing into large rectangular blocks. These blocks are then sold by the pound
63
Less
to salvage companies who either use them to create rags and recycled products,
such as insulation, or ship them to third world countries. (Ever wonder why
those kids in needy countries have Pepsi T-shirts? Now you know.)
As I stood next to the shoulder-high bales of clothing, I had two thoughts:
1) Deep gratitude to Goodwill for keeping these items out of landfills for a
while, and 2) We all buy way too much clothing.
With this in mind, your clothing is an excellent place to start honing your
minimalism skills. It is 100% under your jurisdiction, and you probably own
tons of it.
Like all areas of your home, we’ll apply the LESS Method™ to get this
job done.

Step inside your closet and survey your surroundings for a moment. Try to
notice without judging. Just observe. Are the hangers bunched together? Is
there dust on the shoulders of some of those suits? Do wild, pairless shoes
roam the floor like unsupervised toddlers at a fast food play place?
Now close your eyes. Imagine that your closet looks perfect, exactly the
way you want it to be. What do you see? This, friends, is your VISION. Grab
that marker and paper, write it down, and tape it up.
Next question: “What is the purpose of your clothing?”
Clients always look at me a little strangely when I ask this question. I
mean, isn’t the ultimate purpose of clothing to protect us from the elements
and, more importantly, arrest? (The latter, of course, doesn’t apply if you live in
certain “open-minded” communities, in which case, you’ve probably got the
minimal clothing thing down and can just skip this chapter. Just be sure to put
on sunscreen.)
But when I ask this question, what I want to know is: What are the different
spheres of your life? Or, what are the different roles you fulfill and how do you
need to dress for those roles?
64
Your Bedroom: Lessons Learned on Clothes Mountain
This is important information, because the roles we play determine the

clothes we wear.
For example, one of my clients is a young dad who works at a guitar store.
When I asked him about the spheres of his life and how he needed to dress for
them, we came up with this list:
• Guitar store: company T-shirts and jeans
• Home: casual clothes for relaxing or working around the house
• Exercise: running shorts and T-shirts
• Dress-up: Occasional special events
After we made this list, I knew that this client needed a wardrobe that
focused mainly on relaxing clothing. His work environment has a uniform
and outside of work, he spends most of his time at home, exercising or hanging
out with his family. Since he doesn’t attend many dress-up events, one nice suit
and a couple of ties would suffice. We wrote down his list and taped it up to
keep us focused as we worked.
Laying out your vision and purpose is an important step when addressing
clothing because many of us own clothes that don’t reflect our lives. I’ve been
in the closets of stay-at-home parents where 80% of the clothing is business
attire. I’ve also seen clients who own almost nothing but clothes for cleaning
the house, when they actually lead professional lives outside the home.
You want to make sure your clothing reflects the roles you need to play
and the best way to do that is to grab another sheet of blank paper and write
down every PURPOSE your clothing needs to serve. There should be more
than one. Tape that sucker to the closet door. Now that you’ve got the end
game in sight, it’s time to execute.
Step 2: Empty
“I don’t have that many clothes because I hate shopping,” Becky said confidently.
I nodded, keeping my mouth shut as I emptied the contents of her closet and
drawers onto her bed. Becky has been my best friend since high school, and
65
Less
I was thrilled to help her minimize her wardrobe on this glorious, kid-free
Saturday afternoon.
When we finally had every single sock, shirt, and skirt heaped on her bed,
Becky cocked her head at the pile we’d created.
“Huh. I guess I have more clothes than I thought.”
This is a common reaction when we see how many clothes we own. Most
of us own way more clothing than we think, and much more than we could
ever wear.
Emptying the entire contents of your wardrobe might feel a bit

overwhelming, but it is the only way to get a handle on the entirety of your
clothing collection. I always recommend using your bed as the landing pad
for “clothes mountain,” since you will be forced to make decisions on all that
clothing if you want to sleep that night.
If you have several closets worth of clothing, do one bed-full at a time.

Remember, it’s perfectly fine to minimize in chunks. You can even split your
minimizing up by type: T-shirts one day, sweaters the next, and so on. It really
doesn’t matter how you do it, what’s most important is that you start.
1st: Like-with-Like
Do your first sort as you put your clothing on your bed: pants together, dresses
together, and so on. Most of us have our clothing organized this way already,
so this should be easy.
2nd: Decide
Take a moment to review your VISION and PURPOSE signs. Remember, the
roles we play determine the clothes we wear. Keeping your purpose in mind will
keep you focused.
66
The good news is, I’ve found that clothing is one of the easiest categories
to make decisions about, which is why it’s a good place to start. Look at each
item and make the quickest “Yes” or “No” decision you can. “Yes” means it
suits your purpose and “No” means it doesn’t and should go to someone else.
Keep your white trash bags handy for all those donations—there will be a lot!
Of course, some items give us pause and there isn’t an easy Yes or No. If
you get stuck, here are some questions to help you:
• Have I worn it in the last year?
• Even if I have worn it recently, did I feel good wearing it?
• Would I reach for this item in a group of similar items? (For example,
if it’s a sweater, would I grab this sweater over the others in my closet?)
• Does it fit my body well? (No scrunching, bunching, stretching, etc.
Do I spend all day tugging it up or down?)
• Is it in good condition, free from stains, tears, missing buttons, etc.?
Sometimes clients come across clothing they are reluctant to part with
because the item cost a significant amount of money and hasn’t been worn
much, if at all. I usually point out that this item is not earning them any money
by sitting in their closet, and I also ask: Would you spend that same amount of
money to purchase it again? If not, we both know the item would better serve
someone else.
As you sort, keep a list of items you need to buy. (Yes, this minimalist is
recommending you go shopping!) When I help clients with their closets, we
almost always find “holes” in their wardrobes, usually related to basics like
good jeans and quality T-shirts. Basics are the backbone of any good wardrobe,
and if you’re lacking, now is the time to invest.
It may help to have a good, honest friend by your side as you do this. Not
only does a friend make the process more fun, but outside eyes can often see
things we can’t.
I loved helping Becky simplify her wardrobe that Saturday afternoon; she
ended up donating about 80% of her clothing, which is not unusual. And as
she tried on some of her “maybe” items, I noticed that certain colors (greens
67
Less
and blues) looked great on her, while others (yellows, specifically) did not.
This helped her make better decisions about what she should keep and donate.
At the end of our session, we headed to the mall for some focused,
laughter-filled shopping to replenish the basics in her closet. She went to
work confidently that week, knowing she looked (and more importantly,
felt) fabulous.
Step 4: Systemize
Congrats! Your closet should look slimmed down and beautiful right about
now! Remember to get those donations to your car, put any memorabilia items
in a separate spot, and relocate Elsewhere items. Now let’s talk about how to
maintain this minimized closet system.
First and foremost, remember the power of your two maintenance habits:
the constant donation box and the one in/one out rule. These habits are crucial
to keeping clothes, especially, in check. I keep my donation box on the floor of
my closet just for this reason. I’ve donated a shirt that I’d worn no more than a
week prior, when I suddenly realized, I don’t like the way this fits me. Into the
box it goes.
When I buy a new item of clothing, I put an old one into the box. At the
end of the season, when I’m rotating my capsule wardrobe, I put in anything I
didn’t wear in the last three months. And so it goes. My wardrobe stays fresh,
small, and seasonable, and I never have to do a big “clothes mountain” purge
ever again.
A Word on Capsule Wardrobes

If you Google “capsule wardrobe” you’ll find many enlightening articles
written by more fashionable people than me. I encourage you to do this. My
favorite capsule wardrobe expert is Courtney Carver. You can find her online
at Project333.com.
68
But I’ll give you a layman’s definition: a capsule wardrobe is a seasonal

wardrobe of roughly 20-40 pieces. A “piece” is one item of clothing, such as a
shirt or pair of pants.
If you really want to keep a minimal wardrobe, I don’t know of a better way
to do it than to create a capsule wardrobe. My fashionable friend Nessa helped
me make one two years ago and I will never go back. You can read all about my
experience creating my first capsule on my blog at RoseLounsbury.com.
The easiest way to create a capsule wardrobe is to remove everything from
your closet that is not appropriate for the current season, so your only visible
options for getting dressed are seasonable items. Put your off-season items in
storage somewhere else in your house.
You dress solely from these in-season items for about three months, until
the season changes. Then you rotate some items out and some others in,
maintaining your 20-40 pieces. For example, I wear my “summer” wardrobe
from June-August, then I switch to my “fall” wardrobe in September. Three
months later, I switch to winter, and then to spring. This regular, seasonal
appraisal forces me to donate as I go, stock up on good basics, dress deliberately,
and actually look like I have a sense of style. In short, I dress better.
One note: your 20-40 pieces does NOT include underwear (keep as much
of that as you want) or anything you would wear exclusively for sleep or
exercise. Nessa helped me differentiate between “loungewear” (aka the mom
uniform of yoga pants and a sweatshirt) and the type of clothing I should wear
to “get dressed” for the day.
This was a huge eye-opener for me! Before doing a capsule, I never really
“got dressed” but spent most of my days looking like I was about to hit up
a spinning class. I now put my sleep and exercise clothes in my dresser and
leave my closet free of everything except my capsule. When I “get dressed” for
the day, I go to my closet, NOT the dresser (except for the underwear, that’s
important). This forces me to dress better.
That might sound difficult, but if you have kids, you already probably do
this for them. Most of us rotate our children’s clothing seasonally, so if you
69
Less
think about it, you could easily create a capsule wardrobe, following the same
principles you use in your kids’ closets.
A Word on Body Image

Ladies, let’s talk about body image for a moment, shall we? Many of us avoid
dealing with our wardrobes due to negative thoughts about how we look. This
jiggles, that sticks out further than it used to, and those are engaged in a slow
Southern migration that shows no sign of stopping. I could write a whole book
about why we do this to ourselves, but let’s suffice it to say that our culture
judges women’s appearance more harshly than men’s. Add to this the fact that
many of us undergo the hostile body takeover called pregnancy a time or two
during our lives, and it makes sense that we have a tough time dealing with
our clothing.
Many of us have felt the urge to hold on to clothing for “when I lose the
weight.” I do not encourage this. (My only exception to this rule is if you have
had a baby within the last year.) There are several reasons for this. First, often
the clothing we want to fit back into is outdated. Are you really going to bust
out that backless shirt from college when you lose the last 10 pounds?
Let me tell you this: When you lose that weight, you owe it to yourself to buy
new clothing that you will love. After all, buying new clothes in a smaller size is
the best reward for losing weight.
Second, and more important, I think it is psychologically damaging to
have a closet full of clothes you can’t fit into. No one could look at a closet full
of too-skinny jeans and Lycra belly shirts and feel good about themselves. (If
this is what your closet actually looks like—and you don’t moonlight as a go-
go dancer—please call me immediately for fashion intervention.) And if you
allow yourself to feel defeated by your clothing on a daily basis, how do you
expect to lose weight?
You’re killing your self-esteem every time you open that closet. Keep your
confidence high, and get that clothing out of your sight and into the hands of
someone else who can use it now. I’m sure there is a houseful of sorority sisters
somewhere who needs those Lycra belly shirts more than you do.
70
In short, wear the best clothes you can, at the size you currently are, and
when the time comes, you can happily trade them in for a smaller size.
Last, and most importantly, why don’t we all do a good thing for the world
and just love ourselves a bit more? Our bodies do amazing things for us every
day. They allow us to walk, hug our kids, bake lasagna, and even pull those
annoying dried clumps of Play-Doh out of the carpet. Many of us can also
thank our bodies for the gift of our beautiful children. We should be grateful
for every stretch mark and extra jiggle. Namaste.
A Word on Fashion
Ah, women’s fashion, the mercurial beast. I often sigh with envy when I look at
Josh’s work wardrobe: dark suits, light shirts, and a few ties of different colors.
How easy would it be to get dressed everyday if nearly all the decisions were
already made for you?
Alas, women’s wardrobes are much more complicated than our male
counterparts, resulting in more decisions and—often—a less polished
look. When it comes to getting dressed, I think we would do well to take
a few lessons from the dudes. I’m not making an argument for the return
of the 1980s power shoulder pads, (although, if you like that look, rock it,
girlfriend) but I think we could apply some lessons from menswear the
world of women’s fashion.
Rule #1: Basics. Men’s wardrobes often look more polished than women’s
wardrobes because they rely heavily on basics: dark suits, light shirts, a pop
of color with a nice tie. No man looks bad dressed like this. Nearly all of my
female clients are lacking basics in their wardrobe. I suggest having an 80/20
rule for style, meaning 80% of your wardrobe should be basics (nice jeans,
versatile dresses and skirts, crisp white tees, etc.) and 20% should be flair
(colorful scarves, animal print, a statement jacket, etc.).
This 80/20 rule allows you to still be fashionable, but because it rests solidly
on basics, you don’t have to regularly buy the “newest trend” each season.
Rule #2: Wear what YOU like. I used to think that having a nice wardrobe
meant I had to follow every “Top 10 Must-Haves for your Spring Wardrobe”
71
Less
list that I found online. This is not true. There is no hard and fast rule for what
looks good on everyone. Find the looks that work for you and work them.
For example, I used to keep a white button-down shirt, black dress slacks,
and khakis in my closet because I read somewhere that those were staples
of a classic wardrobe. The only problem? I don’t like wearing white button-
down shirts, black slacks or khakis. I like comfortable, blousy dresses that I
can dress up or dress down. These are my “basics” which you will not find on
any of those Internet lists. I encourage you to look at your wardrobe and really
examine the clothes YOU like and feel good in. These are your basics. Build
off of them.
In Brief
Most of us are hanging on to excess clothing that is outdated, ill-fitting, or
simply not our style. Take this time to free yourself of items that no longer fit
your body or your life, and allow that clothing to be of use to someone now.
Think About It:

Are you hanging on to clothing that reflects a past time in your
life? What would happen if you let it go?
Are you hanging on to clothing that doesn’t fit your body or
personality well? If so, what is keeping you from wearing clothes
you like?
Does your closet lack basics?
How could others in your community benefit from your excess
clothing?
What would it feel like to have a smaller, seasonal wardrobe that
fit you well?
72
CHAPTER 9
Your Bathroom:
Looking Good, Girl
I have two truths for you: 1) You are already beautiful, and 2) You are probably
clean, most of the time. If you don’t believe the first, you are doing yourself,
your loved ones, and the world at large a great disservice. Please acknowledge
and add a little more happy to the planet. And the second is most definitely
true, unless you are living in the fifteenth century. In which case, how are
you reading this? And please tell everyone about the awesomeness of hand-
washing and vaccines.
Now that you understand that you are beautiful and clean, this third
truth will make a lot of sense: You have way too many beauty products in
your bathroom.
That’s right, the next stop on our decluttering journey is the bathroom, an
area that—like your closet—is probably 100% under your jurisdiction. It’s also
probably crammed with a bunch of stuff you don’t need.
Again, we will apply the LESS Method™ to help you get that beauty clutter
under control.
73
Less

My bathroom shelves used to resemble a Clinique counter clearance sale
that had lasted since 1995. If you feel me on that, it’s time to get to work.
First, take a moment to envision your perfect bathroom. Perhaps it would
look something like a hotel, with clear countertops and minimal visible
products. Imagine how much easier it would be for you to get ready in a
bathroom like this.
Got the VISION? Good. Write it down on some paper and tape it up. Now
let’s talk about your beauty MO.
Spend a moment miming your normal cleansing and beauty routine. It
might seem silly, but this is what I do every time I pack for a trip to make sure
I take the right products. I mime showering, putting on lotion, doing my hair,
and putting on makeup.
Now, take a glance at the products in your bathroom. Do they reflect the
actions you just mimed? Or are there superfluous amounts of bottles and
potions littering your shelves?
Jot down the basic steps of your beauty routine. This is your PURPOSE
statement. This list will be your go-to guide as you declutter this space.
Step 2: Empty
You know the drill by now—everything out! Empty your shelves and cupboards
of every last shampoo and sample of free moisturizer. No one is spared your
scrutiny today. As you empty, check for grossness. By this I mean products
that are leaky, clumpy, or funky. Toss these easy “No’s” in the trash as you go.
1st Sort: Like with Like

Line ‘em up. Lotions with lotions, lipsticks with lipsticks, body glitter with
body glitter. (Hey, how did that body glitter already escape the trash? If you
74
Your Bathroom: Looking Good, Girl
aren’t planning to attend a junior high dance in the near future, that needs to
be tossed, STAT.) I love this step because you quickly start seeing the excess,
making decisions oh-so-much easier.
2nd Sort: Decide

Now it’s time to sort the men from the boys, or, if you prefer, the lash pumpers
from lash clumpers. I recommend you sort into just two piles: Keep and Trash.
With beauty products, you really don’t need Donate, Sell, or Elsewhere piles.
Most charities won’t take opened products and you really don’t want to be that
person on your Buy/Sell/Trade group who’s trying to sell a half-used jar of salt
scrub. And as far as Elsewhere goes, where else would you use beauty products
except in your bathroom? (Okay, maybe one or two things in your purse, but
that’s it!)
Unless you have a good friend who you know truly wants your unwanted
products, stick with tossing your unloved ones in the trash, and remember
this day the next time you’re in the beauty aisle. You really should only buy
products you already know you love.
I’ll admit, this can be hard. I, too, used to harbor unloved and unused
beauty products, hoping against hope that I would someday discover their
magic and be transformed into the flawless-faced damsel on the packaging. If
you also feel this urge, please refer to Truth #1: You are already beautiful.
But the truth is, some beauty products work. Some don’t. Save yourself
some grief and cash and just stick with what works for you. That means
ditching a heck of a lot of stuff in your bathroom. And don’t give in to that
“But I don’t want to waste it!” excuse. If it is sitting unused in your cupboard, it
is currently being wasted. Let it go and be grateful for the new space in which
to house products you truly love.
The same principle applies to medicines. You should only keep medications
that you are currently taking, as well as a reasonably-sized stock for basic first
aid, upset tummies, and headaches. You don’t need 15 different kinds of pain
relievers or five flavors of cough syrup.
Check the dates on everything. I’d wager a bet that many of your
medications are past their expiration date. If you find old prescription
75
Less
medications, please, please don’t flush these down the toilet or put them in the
trash. I like drinking drug-free water, don’t you? Visit dea.gov to find out when
the next prescription drug take back day is in your community. If this date
is too far off, call your local pharmacy to find out if they offer a program for
disposing of old meds. It might cost a small fee, but that is much better than
polluting everyone’s drinking water.
How Long to Keep Makeup

We all know that makeup expires, but when, exactly? According to WebMD,
here’s how long you should keep makeup:
• Mascara & liquid eyeliner – No more than 4 months
• Liquid foundation – Up to 1 year
• Lip gloss – 6 months
• Lipstick – 1 year
• Powders – Up to 2 years
It’s safe to say that if you can’t remember when you bought it, it needs to
go. To avoid this in the future, keep a marker in your makeup bag to write the
purchase date on your packaging. Be ruthless, be focused, and above all, keep
that vision of your perfect bathroom in mind to inspire you!
Step 4: Systemize
Alright! Your shelves should be breathing easy by now. As you put your
favorite products back in their newly decluttered space, group them by degree
of use. Keep your daily use products (face wash, deodorant, daily meds, etc.)
nearby and your infrequently used products (travel-sized items, rarely used
medicines) farther away. You should be able to reach any product you use
regularly without taking a single step from your sink.
To maintain your streamlined beauty routine, follow the one in/one out
rule. When you get a new mascara, let the old one go. And be serious about
whether or not new products work for you. Like most women, I like to try new
76
products sometimes, but if I try something and hate it, I toss it quickly. I’m not
going to start liking it more if it sits on my shelves for eight months.
A Complete List of My Products

To give you some decluttering inspiration, here’s a list of every beauty and
personal care product I use. So, if you are curious about what makes the magic
happen, read on.
In the Shower
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Soap
That’s it. If you have more than this in your shower, I’m not really sure
what you’re washing. But hey, let me know, because maybe I should be
washing that, too!
Teeth
• Toothpaste
• Floss
I really don’t think these need any more explanation.
Body Care
• Scented lotion
• Vaseline
• Deodorant
I use scented lotion because I don’t like perfume, and Vaseline is my own
personal tiger balm. The deodorant is self-explanatory. (Unless you live in the
aforementioned fifteenth century, in which case, add this to the list of things
you need to tell folks about.)
77
Less
For a Clean Face

• Face wash
• Moisturizer
• Eye cream
• Night cream
Yes, my face care products are a bit more numerous, but hey, a girl’s gotta
protect the money maker.
For a Made-Up Face

• Foundation
• Blush
• Mascara
• Eye shadow
• Eyeliner
• Tinted lip balm
I definitely don’t wear all this make-up every day. I think most ladies look
better with minimal make-up, and their significant others would probably
agree! But I wanted to let you know the extent of my supply. I have about one
container of each of the above, and on a daily basis, I wear just the foundation,
blush, and mascara. I add the eye shadow, eyeliner and the tinted lip balm for
a hot night out on the town, such as going to Kroger after 9pm.
Hair
• Hair oil
• Dry shampoo
• Hairspray
78
My curly hair needs moisture, hence the oil, and dry shampoo is like a
little can of follicle magic for second-day hair. I also keep some good old-
fashioned hairspray on hand, because my stylish sister, who knows about these
things, says hairspray is the #1 most underused beauty product in America.
Dolly Parton would agree. And who argues with Dolly Parton? Nobody.
And that’s it. All the beauty magic in my arsenal. With these products,
I feel clean, beautiful, and ready to hit the town. Look out, Kroger. I’ve
got coupons.
Think About It:

Could you simplify your beauty routine by using less products?
What would it feel like to have a clean, decluttered bathroom
with just your favorite, daily-use products at your fingertips?
What would happen if you let go of all the products you don’t
absolutely love?
79
CHAPTER 10
Your Kitchen: What’s Cooking

in All That Clutter?
I remember reading my first book about minimalism, oh so many years ago. I

got to about chapter 3, set the book down, and immediately went to my kitchen
and started pulling things out of the cupboard. I donated five boxes worth of
excess kitchen stuff that day, and I thought, “Wow! I’m done! Perfect!”
But the strange thing is, as the years have gone by, I’ve continued to return
to my kitchen, decluttering items here and there as I notice I no longer use
them. That’s the thing about minimalism: as you learn to live with less, you
learn that you can live with even less than you had originally thought.
So, the kitchen is an excellent third stop on your decluttering journey,
because—unless you don’t eat food and therefore never prepare food—you
probably have some say in what is stored here.
Note: if you share cooking duties with someone else in your home, you
MUST involve them in this process. In my own home, I do the weekday cooking
and Josh takes care of the weekends, so I can’t get away with decluttering the
kitchen without his input. I learned this the hard way after I once tried to
sneakily declutter a cast iron pan behind Josh’s back. It did not end well. You
can read about it on my blog.
81
Less
So, if you share cooking duties with someone else, now’s a good time to
bring them along for the ride. You’ve got some decluttering experience, your
pebble is starting to make ripples in the pond, and this is a great time to get the
family involved. And you might be surprised how much more fun decluttering
is with a buddy!
The LESS Method™ really works in the kitchen, so let’s follow the steps to
tame this breeding ground of excessive utensils and cookware.
Step 1: Lay Out Your Vision and Purpose

What do you want your kitchen to look like? Do you desire clear countertops,
easy-to-locate dishware, and utensil drawers that don’t resemble the cluttered
castoffs from a medieval torture chamber? Write down your VISION and tape
it up.
Then, even more importantly, think about PURPOSE. I know, you’re
saying, “Duh, Rose! The purpose is to cook stuff !” Really? Is that all? Do you
use your kitchen for other things? Is it the place you pay bills, help kids with
homework, or charge your phones? Kitchens are always the heart of the home
and I’ve found that this room usually serves more purposes than any other.
Think of all the things you do in this room and write them down. Tape this
next to your vision.
Step 2: Empty
This is the fun part! Get it all out, every last thing. If your kitchen is large or
you feel overwhelmed, start at the door and move clockwise, top-to-bottom,
left-to-right, one drawer and cupboard at a time.

1st Sort: Like-with-Like
This is so, so important in the kitchen. I’ve often found that people have similar
types of items in many different parts of their kitchens and they don’t realize
82
Your Kitchen: What’s Cooking In All That Clutter?
it until we take it all out and put everybody with their buddies. Do you have
spatulas in multiple drawers? Baking dishes in four different cupboards? Get
them all out. It’s time to take stock.
Typical like-with-like categories found in a kitchen include:
• Dishes • Utensils
• Bowls • Pans
• Mugs • Bakeware
• Cups • Food storage
• Wine glasses • Small appliances
• Kid dishes • Randoms
• Silverware • Memorabilia
Like I said, these are typical categories, but you should create the categories
that naturally emerge from your own kitchen. It really doesn’t matter what
categories you use, as long as you have all like items together. And to really get
a handle on your kitchen you will probably need to subdivide these categories
a bit. I’ve found that most people have enough utensils to equip an at-capacity
cooking school. Get all your spatulas, wooden spoons, and vegetable peelers
with their like-minded brethren. You want to be able to compare apples-to-
apples as much as possible.
Note: You will inevitably find things that are not utensils or dishes: photos,
coupons, junk mail, spare change, random cords to who-knows-what. If you’re
not careful, this miscellaneous stuff, probably from your junk drawer (or
drawers, let’s be honest) will throw you for a loop and grind your minimizing
process to a screeching halt. I recommend treating your junk drawer as its
own space and sorting it separately. I’ll address that at the end of this chapter.
2nd Sort: Decide

Alright! You’ve got your ducks in a row and now it’s time to select the best
ducks. Before we do that, though, take a look at your hands. How many do
you have? Unless you’ve been the lucky recipient of a nuclear waste accident
83
Less
that left you with extra appendages and Spidey-sense, you probably have two.
Keep that in mind.
Now I want you to imagine it’s a Friday in middle school gym class. You
know what that means: dodgeball day. Aka: self-esteem reduction day. Now
imagine that you are the coolest kid in the class, the star pitcher of the baseball
team. Your name is Chad or Chaz or Chet. No one really knows, and it doesn’t
matter. You’re awesome. And you’re about the kick some can.
Naturally, your underpaid, weekend-focused gym teacher has made you
team captain and it’s time to pick your favorites. The guys who are going to get
the job done. The ones who are going to help you cream the other team. To
accomplish this, you must choose the strongest, the best, the most ruthless.
The ones who won’t feel bad about nailing the band kid square in the back
with a dodgeball sent at light speed.
Okay … I might need to back off this metaphor a bit. I’m starting to get
some PTSD-like shakes. (In real life, I may or may not have been band kid.)
Let’s bring it back to decluttering: you are the team captain of your kitchen
and you need to pick the best tools for the job. Remember: you only have two
hands. How many wooden spoons can you actually use at once? Two, if you’re
extremely dexterous. (Which, if you’re Chad/Chaz/Chet, you probably are.)
If you only have four burners on your stove, how many pans can you
actually use at once? If you have one oven with two racks, how many sheets of
cookies could you possibly be baking at the same time? Let the simple laws of
physics guide you as you decide what you need—and more importantly, can
use—in your kitchen.
To give you some context, at my house, we have two wooden spoons: a
round one for sweets and a flat one for savories. Everyone in my house has
two hands, and we are rarely in the position where more than one person is
stirring something at a time, and if we are, a spatula or metal spoon can pinch
hit. So, two wooden spoons is the perfect number for us.
So, pick your best, your brightest, your most stir and scrape-worthy, your
best bakers and super sauté-ers, and donate the rest. Why? Because you don’t
need them. They are cluttering your life and your kitchen. They are preventing
84
you from using the absolute best tool for the job. They are the weakest link in
your dodgeball game. Remember, you are Chet. It is Friday. And you get to
decide who wins this game.
Be the boss and sort everything into these categories:
• Keep
• Donate
• Trash
• Elsewhere
• Sell
You got this, girl.
Step 4: Systemize
If you have reached step four, I want you to flap the covers of this book
open and closed a few times right now. That’s me clapping for you. You’re
doing awesome!
It’s time to get those donations to the car, take out your trash, post any
sellable items online, redistribute your Elsewhere items to their proper homes,
and tote all that memorabilia to a separate location to be dealt with later.
Now you have the happy task of putting your treasures back in your
empty cupboards. Call me a dork, but I love this part! It’s amazing to see how
much more space you have. Try leaving a little space between your items as
you put them back. Cramming your dishes and glasses shoulder-to-shoulder
will make your cupboards look cluttered, even if they are not. Allow them to
breathe. Ah! I’m feeling calmer just thinking about it!
This is also the time to put things into bins or containers, if it makes sense.
Food storage lids, for example, often stay together better if they are corralled
in some type of container. Label, if you need to, so that everybody understands
where things go. Remember, you are trying to establish clear “homes” for
85
Less
everything to be easily put back, and that will not happen if the only person
who understands your system is you.
Make it obvious to everyone you live with where stuff goes. Remember the
couple whose kitchen cupboards I labeled with painter’s tape? It might seem
ridiculous to have blue tape all over your kitchen with labels like “rolling pin,”
“cookie sheets,” and “CrockPot,” but I guarantee no one will put something
away in the wrong place if you do that! I once used painter’s tape to label my
trash and recycling bins, because I was tired of digging sandwich crusts out
of the recycling. I always thought I’d upgrade my system someday, but lo-and-
behold, if you came to my house today, you’d find those blue labels still in
place, still working.
Think about any other systems you need and whether a label would help.
Remember the two wooden spoons at my house? Despite my very logical
sweet/savory division, Josh used to constantly ask me, “Which spoon is
which again?” And I told him the no-duh answer, “The round one is for
sweets because if you eat too many sweets, you get rounder.” Then he would
respond with something like, “But you could get round from eating savories,
too, like bacon.”
While I disagreed with his obviously flawed logic, I eventually got tired
of stirring cookie dough with a spoon reminiscent of last night’s stir fry and
labeled the handle of each spoon with a skinny Sharpie. Problem solved.
Remember, if you live with other people, the system must be painfully obvious
to everyone if it is going to be maintained. Do whatever it takes to make it easy
on you and your loved ones to keep your kitchen clutter-free.
And speaking of maintenance, would it help to have a constant donation
box in your kitchen? I’m guessing you spend a lot of time in there and it might
be helpful to have that box ever-available so you can just toss in donations and
one in/one out items while drinking your morning coffee. Keeping a donation
box in this central part of the house will encourage your housemates to keep
donating, as well.
86
A Word on Junk Drawers

The junk drawer (or drawers, let’s be real) is almost always found in the kitchen.
People shun the term “junk drawer” but I actually like it. Sure, you could say
“utility drawer,” but then no one would really know what you’re talking about.
Junk drawers are one of those common denominators in human culture; they
unite us and help us see past our differences. Sure, we may have different
religions, skin colors, and customs, but we all have drawers full of mystery
cords and pennies. I think we could forge world peace based on that alone.
Of course I’m joking, but the truth is: we all need some sort of drawer
for the little stuff, whatever that little stuff may be. For me, it’s sticky notes,
scissors, rubber bands, and my checkbook. For you it might be your phone
charger, hand sanitizer, and an all-access pass to your local history of dental
hygiene museum. (Hey, I don’t know you. And I don’t judge you. But I know
your drawer, my brother.) It really doesn’t matter what you keep in your junk
drawer, but it matters that you use the stuff.
I teach a class on minimalism where I ask a volunteer to sort a junk drawer

live. I pack a bin with all sorts of random stuff and let them at it. It’s interesting
to see how the audience gets involved, shouting, “Trash! That receipt is trash!”
or “Put that screwdriver in the garage!” It’s like The Price is Right except the
winner ends up with a drawer of paper clips and pens, not a new car. No one
has ever sorted the junk drawer the same way. Each person keeps only the
items that suit their personal purpose.
So, keep a junk drawer, but make sure it works for you. Treat it like any
other space and follow the LESS Method™ to lay out your vision and purpose,
empty, sort, and systemize this drawer. And hey, the next time you meet
someone who seems really different than you, remember, you have something
very important in common—that drawer in your kitchens.
87
Less
In Brief
You spend too much time in your kitchen to let it be in a state of cluttered
chaos. The kitchen is family central. It’s where we gather, connect, swap
stories, and reminisce. It’s where Aunt Marge burned the turkey one fateful
Thanksgiving and you will lovingly rehash the story for many Thanksgivings
to come. This space it too important not to simplify. Letting go of your kitchen
excess will allow you the freedom to focus on the most important things found
in this space: those people you love.
Think About It
What excess items in your kitchen are getting in the way of you
living your daily life?
How would it feel to have just what you need and love in your
kitchen?
Would a cleaner kitchen improve your family life in any way?
88
CHAPTER 11
Yeah, But … What

About Paper?
I hope by now you’re feeling pretty good. Your minimizing muscles are getting
stronger and you’ve already tackled three key spaces in your home. You started
with your own stuff—your clothing and personal products—and have slowly
spread out to begin having an influence on more shared areas, like the kitchen.
Your little pebble is making some serious ripples in the pond, and your
family should be standing up and taking notice. If you’re minimizing while
respecting their space, you should be getting some curious questions and even
some assistance! That’s great! I could spend the rest of this book taking you
room-by-room through the rest of your house, but you know what? You don’t
need that. You understand how to use the LESS Method™ to systematically
minimize the excess stuff in your life.
Like I said, the way I tackle a closet is the same way I tackle a basement
and the same way I tackle a garage. The method doesn’t change. The space
does. So, map out a plan of where you want to go next (or just let your instinct
lead the way) and go for it!
What’s that I hear? I believe you said, “Yeah, but … ” As you should. Sure,
the LESS Method™ works in a garage or a basement, but what about paper?
And all that memorabilia you said to set aside? And how do I deal with the
holidays?
89
Less
The next three chapters are devoted to some of these tricky areas and
special situations that often crop up when we embark on a minimalism
mission. I’m here to answer your “Yeah, buts … ” with some tried-and-true
advice that will hopefully keep you from getting stuck in some common
minimizing roadblocks.
Let’s start with paper.
Paper is a beast. It’s one of the trickiest areas to control because it never
stops coming into your house. Sure, you can stop buying shoes and trinkets,
but unless you want to superglue your mailbox shut or refuse to allow your
children to bring their backpacks home from school, you can’t stop paper
from coming into your life on a nearly daily basis. I always tell clients, “You
will never feel organized until you have your paper under control.” If you
don’t have a game plan for attacking paper, it won’t be long before you’ve got a
paper-tastic clutter fest going on 24/7.
Deny, Deny, Deny

The first step to controlling your paper is to do what every organized crime
boss’s lawyer tells him to do and Deny, Deny, Deny. When offered unnecessary
paper at work conferences, school open houses, or your bank, politely refuse
it. “No thanks, I’ll just check out your website” is a perfectly fine response to
a person who wants to hand you a pamphlet detailing all their services or
products. Get used to saying “No thanks” a lot.
But sometimes you need a more offensive strategy to paper prevention
and this is where the Internet is your friend. Here are three websites and an
app (all current at time of printing) that will help stop junk mail from coming
to your house:
• Catalogchoice.org – Allows you to select specific catalogs you’d like
to stop receiving.
• Dmachoice.org – For a small fee ($2 at time of printing) this site will
unsubscribe you from all unsolicited promotional mail.
90
Yeah, But… What About Paper?
• Optoutprescreen.com - Prevents you from receiving credit and

insurance offers. You can choose to be removed from these lists for
five years or you can print and mail a signed form to be removed
permanently.
• Paper Karma – An app that allows you to snap pictures of company

logos and return addresses on unwanted junk mail in order to
unsubscribe.
If you really want to get serious about denying paper access to your home,
do all of the above. And do it for your spouse, too. If visiting three websites
and downloading one app seems like too much work, I must ask … how much
work are you doing clearing paper piles off your countertops every time you
want eat a meal?
The Giant Inbox

Yes, you can take a hard line toward stopping paper from coming into your
house, but what about the paper that is already there? If you have paper piles
covering your countertops like little mounds of 8 ½ x 11 snow, you need to
address them.
The first step is scary, but it’s similar to what we did using the LESS
Method™ in the other areas of your house: get it all together. Grab as many
laundry baskets, cardboard boxes, and other containment receptacles as you
need and gather all your loose paper into a centralized location. I call this the
“giant inbox” and yes, right now it will look huge and scary. When I do this
with clients, we often have four or five giant inboxes when we start. That’s
normal. It will not always be this way, but to attack your paper issue, you must
understand the totality of what you’re dealing with.
Think about the difference between traditional and guerrilla warfare. It’s
much easier to address your enemy in the light of day than to ferret them out
of the jungle. Get your paper out in the open. Don’t let it hide in your corners,
closets, and drawers, ready to ambush you when you least expect it.
91
Less
The RAFT System

You’ve got your paper all together in a giant inbox and you’re staring at that
enemy across the field. Your palms are starting to sweat. There are just so many
of them! And only one of you. How can you possibly win?
I hear you. And I’ve got a solution: RAFT. If you’re drowning in paper,
a RAFT is a life-saver (pun fully intended). This acronym is often used by
professional organizers to help clients manage paper. You can use RAFT to
make sense of your giant inbox by sorting it into four different piles:
Read
Action
File
Trash
Let’s talk about each of those a wee bit.
Read: This is all the paper, such as magazines or catalogues, that you plan
to read at some point in the near future. Put all your “To Read” items in a bin or
basket near your couch or bed, wherever you do your reading. And let’s keep it
real. Are you really going to read 15 magazines and 20 catalogues? Keep your
To Read basket current and reasonable. And when next month’s magazine
issue arrives, let last month’s go. Yes, even if you didn’t read it. And hey, if you
didn’t read it, do you really need that magazine subscription, anyway?
Action: These are all the papers that require you to do something (pay a bill,
sign a permission slip, call your insurance agent, etc.) Put all your actionable
paper into an “Action Basket” somewhere conspicuous, like a kitchen counter.
Work from this basket on a daily basis to get yo’ stuff done.
File: This is the paper that you want to save for reference by putting it
into a filing system. Think tax info, insurance policies, medical records, car
maintenance history, etc. To keep your filing from just becoming a more
organized version of paper clutter, I recommend you ask yourself three
questions before committing paper to your files:
92
1) Is it RELEVANT? For example, if it’s car insurance information, is

it for your current car with your current company? If it’s a bill, has it
been paid without dispute from either side? If so, do you still need it?
2) Is it the MOST RECENT? Do you get a statement like this every
month or every six months? Is this the most current one you have?
(You don’t need any others, my friend.)
3) Can I find it ELSEWHERE? This is a biggie. Do you get an email
every month with this same info? Do you have an account with
online access? Could you make one phone call and have this same
information? If so, then drop that paper like a bad habit! You don’t
need to spend your precious time filing something to which you have
alternate access.
Trash: Or Recycle or Shred. I’m an environmentally friendly gal, and I
also don’t want you flapping your private info out there like Marilyn Monroe
over a subway grate. Recycle what you can, shred what you should, and think
about how happy you will be to have all this excess paper out of your life!
But I Hate Filing!

Of course you do. You and everybody else who’s ever filed something. Nobody
loves to file stuff but everybody likes being able to find their stuff. (Note: The
IRS likes that, too.) And filing is the best way I’ve found to be able to retrieve
important information when you need it.
Can’t I Just Scan Everything Instead?

Sure! If you prefer to scan and keep your files digitally, go for it. I got no
beef with that. Interestingly, people often ask me if I’m 100% paperless. They
assume because I’m a minimalist that I must have no paper in my house. But
my dirty little secret is, I actually like having paper copies of some things.
(Major scandal, I know.)
Like most people, I’m a hybrid of paper and digital storage. I think this
comes from being a Gen X-er or Gen Y-er or Millennial or whatever the heck
93
Less
they call people who came of age as the Internet was born. I typed my third-
grade book report on a typewriter, but I made websites in college. So, I keep
some information digitally and some things on paper. No big deal. Do what
works for you, but the most important thing is, do something. Don’t let paper
rule your life. Take charge and be able to find your important info when you
need it.
Keep Those Files Close

One trick to making filing a lot easier? Keep your files nearby. And when
I say nearby, I mean fingertip distance from wherever you sort your paper.
Typically, this is somewhere near the kitchen. (Remember, it’s the heart of the
home. Everything happens in the kitchen!)
If a filing cabinet in your kitchen isn’t your style, you can purchase a
mobile filing cart that can be rolled into your pantry or a nearby closet when
not in use. Filing fails when it is tucked away in the basement or an office on
the second floor. Nobody, not even me, will walk up a flight of stairs or down
a long hallway to file a piece of paper.
In fact, my files are within three feet of me right now as I type. And I’m
typing at my dining room table where my children just ate oatmeal and are now
fighting over a pillow pet. But hey, if you wanted to know my car insurance
deductible, I could find it for you in one-minute flat. I call that winning.
Eat that Elephant

RAFT will help you dwindle that giant inbox down to zero, but it might not
happen overnight, depending on how big your inbox is. Set realistic goals for
how much paper you can handle sorting at a time. Thirty minutes? An hour?
Remember that famous advice for how to eat an elephant—one bite at a time.
(Although why someone would want to eat an elephant, I have no idea. I’d
prefer if this analogy involved a 12-foot long sub sandwich or a swimming
pool-sized bowl of spaghetti.)
If paper has been a problem for years, it will take a while to clear your
backlog. Don’t let that discourage you. Keep eating that elephant/massive
94
sub/spaghetti pool, one small bite—or 30-minute session—at a time and it

will get done.
If it helps, turn on some tunes, have mindless TV going in the background,
wear a silly hat, whatever motivates you to keep going. When I tackled my
paper piles originally, I drank wine during the process. It definitely helped
make a tedious process more enjoyable. And I even started to giggle as I read
my backlog of car insurance info. I have a preferred rate?? Sweeeeeeet!!! I
think we could all raise a glass to being paper clutter free.
Maintain Your Gain, er, Loss

It would be so awesome if you did all of the above and your paper problems
stayed gone forever, right? But like all spaces in your house, you will need to
practice a few simple habits to keep your paper piles from coming back.
• Deny, deny, deny! Practice your paper refusal skills on a daily basis
and you will soon feel like a pro.
• Use RAFT Every Day: Get in the habit of giving your paper the RAFT
treatment on a daily basis, as soon as it comes in the door. You’ll get so
good at this that paper will start to fear your ninja skills!
• Follow the One In/One Out Rule: When you file a piece of paper, pull
an old one to shred or recycle. This is what I always do with insurance
statements. I am sent a new one every six months, so I file that one
and shred the old one.
• Keep Extra Filing Supplies Handy: Your life is going to change so
you are going to need to make new files at some point. You’ll have a
baby, buy a car, or need surgery and suddenly you have new paper that
doesn’t fit into your old categories. DO NOT LET LIFE CHANGES
DERAIL YOUR FILING SYSTEM! All you need to do is make a new
file and add it to the existing ones. However, I find that this is where
filing breaks down for most people. They don’t make the new file, so
the new paper builds up, the old paper gets older, and voila! Welcome
back, paper piles! To combat this, never fill your filing drawers more
than ¾ full. Nothing discourages your filing efforts more than trying
95
Less
to cram a folder into an already stuffed drawer. Use that back quarter
to house extra folders, so when you need to make a new file, just grab
a pen and bam! It’s done! No searching around your house for supplies
or piling that paper on top of the cabinet because it’s too much work
to file it. Make filing so easy that it seems ridiculous NOT to do it.
Then you can move on to the more important work of living your life.
• Have an Annual Shred Party: Aw, yeah! Nothing says party time
like a Hawaiian shirt and a shredder going full blast! Silly as it
sounds, hosting an annual shred party with your files will help you
purge ones that are no longer necessary. If you work in an office, see
if you can get your boss to buy in on this. I’m thinking casual Friday,
snacks, tunes, and a big ol’ stack of shreddables. Ah, workplace
productivity at its finest!
To Review
If you wanna get your paper under control, follow these steps:
1. Giant inbox: Gather together all your loose paper into one area.
2. RAFT: Sort your inbox into Read, Action, File, and Trash.
3. Maintain:
a. Deny, Deny, Deny
b. RAFT
c. One In/One Out for filing
d. Keep filing supplies nearby
e. Annual shred party
96
CHAPTER 12
Yeah, But … What

About Memorabilia?
You knew we’d get here, right? You’ve been setting aside memorabilia from
all different parts of your house and now you are ready to deal with it. By the
way, if you are reading this chapter and you have NOT minimized the rest of
your house and set aside memorabilia, go back and do that. Trust me on this:
you want to deal with memorabilia last, as a category unto itself, only after you
have minimized pretty much every other space.
Why? Because this stuff can be really, really emotional. You will find
surprising things that will make you react in ways you can’t anticipate. I helped
my mom downsize a few years ago and we started in her storage room. (Bad
idea, by the way. We should have started somewhere easier.)
One of the first things we came across was a picture of her at two years old,
sitting on Santa’s knee. She said she didn’t want to keep the picture, but as soon
she put it in the trash, she started to cry. So I started to cry. So then we were
both hugging and crying and not really minimizing anything. Not an effective
way to start the whole downsizing process.
Trust me, you don’t want to take this on if you haven’t built up some
minimizing muscle from other parts of your house. If you’ve got some
decluttering practice under your belt, you will be mentally ready to tackle your
97
Less
memorabilia and, unlike me and my mom, hopefully avoid profuse crying at

pictures of kids on Santa’s lap.
Definition & Mantra

Let’s start by setting a clear definition of memorabilia. I consider memorabilia:
anything kept for the purpose of memory rather than for use or display. That said,
I strongly encourage you to use and display your memorabilia. I have a lovely
wall tapestry that Josh and I got on our honeymoon in Nepal. It is displayed
proudly over our couch, and every time I yell at my kids to stop pulling on it, I
pause for a second to think fondly of our time in Nepal, before kids, when we
could sleep in and drink tea on a rooftop overlooking the Himalayas. When
we felt like we were more in love than anyone else had ever been in love, and
that we were really living life, we had it all figured out, and a wall tapestry was
just a wall tapestry, safely secured on a wall where it belongs, in no danger of
sudden removal by sticky maple-syrup hands. Sigh.
Where was I? Oh yeah, memorabilia.
For most people, including me, it is not feasible to use or display all your
memorabilia. I think it’s fine to keep some things just for the sake of memory.
I have one tub of personal memorabilia in the attic that contains items such as:
• A book of poetry I wrote in high school. No one understood my pain.
No one. And this book is proof of that.
• My baby book, containing a lock of my baby-fine hair. I don’t know
why, but of everything else my mom put in this book, the hair is my
favorite part.
• A story I wrote in 6th grade called The Personal Diary of Sophia Sock.
It is—you guessed it—a story about the adventures of a sock. I think
future historians will find this and realize I was way ahead of my time.
• A big clear envelope labeled “The Mommy Years” where I put all my
favorite drawings and homemade cards from my kiddos.
One mantra I’ve adopted as I’ve sorted my own memorabilia and helped
others sort theirs is: only two things can happen to memorabilia over time—it
98
Yeah, But… What About Memorabilia?
can become more important or it can become less important. I urge you to keep
this in mind as you tackle those tubs. Just because you saved something once
(or perhaps, your Great Aunt Sally saved something once) does not mean you
need to save it forever.
For example, I used to save every single birthday and anniversary card
I received. These cards seemed important to me at the time. But when I
minimized my memorabilia, I realized that most of these cards had lost their
importance over time. So I let them go, keeping only the few that had grown
in importance over the years.
How will you know whether something has increased or decreased in
importance? Just follow the advice of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette in
their 1988 hit song “Listen to Your Heart” and just, well, listen to your heart.
When it’s calling for you. Listen to your heart. There’s nothing else you can do.
(I think I’ve pretty much covered the message of the entire song now.)
4 Key Questions to Help You Sort Memorabilia

With your definition and mantra in mind—and Roxette’s “Listen to Your
Heart” perhaps playing in the background—gather all your memorabilia into
one place. This should be pretty easy since you’ve been setting it aside as you
decluttered your other rooms. Drag out all the boxes, tubs, and bins into the
light of day. It’s time to make some decisions, and the best way to do that is to
ask yourself four key questions.
Question 1: How Much Do I Want to Keep?

Asking yourself how much you want to keep will set clear limits for the amount
of memorabilia you allow into your life. For whatever reason, I always quantify
memorabilia in terms of tubs. How many tubs do you want to dedicate to
memorabilia? One? Ten? None? The number really doesn’t matter, as long as
you have the space and are okay with maintaining it.
Personally, I keep one tub of memorabilia for myself and one for each of
the kids. Josh, on the other hand, probably has four or five. He likes to keep
more memorabilia than me, and that’s okay.
99
Less
I had one client who followed my process and set aside all her memorabilia
as we decluttered her house. When we got to the last step of deciding on
memorabilia she said, “I’ve thought about this a lot and I’m going to keep all
of it. Memorabilia is the one thing that brings me the most joy.” That’s cool.
She is the type of person who truly enjoys looking through memorabilia when
she has spare time. She has space for it in her house, and she is dedicated to
maintaining it. She should keep all her memorabilia.
I am not that type of person. I used to have eight tubs of memorabilia and
it made me feel crazy. My one tub is just enough for me. Your memorabilia tub
limit is very personal, but I urge you—set a limit. Otherwise memorabilia can
very quickly overwhelm your space and you won’t be able to actually enjoy it.
Question 2: How Do I Want to Keep It?

Another way to phrase this question is, “In what form do I want to keep it?”
I’m not a scrap booker. Not at all. Not even a little bit. I will take this moment
to apologize to my crafty daughter Mercedes for this. I don’t understand those
scissors that cut different types of curly lines. What’s wrong with the straight
line? Anyway, I know that the only form in which I will keep memorabilia is
the original form.
If it’s a T-shirt, it stays a T-shirt; if it’s a trophy, it stays a trophy; if it’s a
certificate of achievement from a 3rd grade spelling bee, it stays what it is. I
will not shrink, cut, or in any other way modify my memorabilia. I am happy
for those who do these things, but this is a thing I cannot do.
For me, this makes deciding on memorabilia easier, because it keeps me
from turning my memorabilia into a project. Often, clients tell me they want
to use their memorabilia to create a scrapbook. That’s great! But a scrapbook is
a project, a dedication of your time, and judging by the many different kinds
of crafty scissors out there, a lot of your time.
If you truly enjoy scrapbooking and want to take on the project of
scrapbooking all your memorabilia, go for it. But if you don’t want to do that,
don’t. It’s okay to just keep memorabilia as it is or let it go or hire someone to
make a scrapbook for you. Google it. These people exist.
100
If you don’t have enough space to keep your memorabilia as it is and you
don’t want to scrapbook, here are a few other ways to manage memorabilia:
Digitize it: This is my favorite way to deal with memorabilia. Taking
pictures is a way to preserve your memories and be able to enjoy them for
years to come. Digitizing is especially great for clunky memorabilia, like
furniture, trophies and wedding dresses. I remember the day I donated my
wedding dress. I paused before putting it on my donation pile, but then I asked
myself, “Do I have a picture of me in this dress?” Yes, of course! And I look
great—young, tan, happy. That’s how I want to remember this dress, not as a
dusty relic in my closet.
So, I put it happily on the pile of donations, and have never regretted it.
Not even when I saw it for sale in the Halloween section at Goodwill a few
weeks later. (True story!) I laughed out loud. Somebody was going to be a
zombie bride in my wedding dress! Judge me if you will, but I thought that was
a great way to repurpose an item that marked such a happy day in my life. It
brought me much joy, and now it will bring joy, of a different sort, to someone
else. And maybe first prize in a costume contest, as well. Who knows?
Make a quilt: If you have a lot of fabric memorabilia—like T-shirts,
communion gowns, and curtains from your baby’s nursery—a quilt is an
excellent way to keep a small piece of each of these memories. And my favorite
part of creating a quilt is that you can use it! Not a quilter? Again, let me
introduce you to my friend Google. Go find someone who is.
Keep one piece: If you have a large collection of something, try keeping
just one piece. For example, if you have an entire set of china dishes, you could
keep just one serving platter to use for special occasions. This is a much better
way to enjoy that china than letting it sit in a dusty box in your attic.
Share it: I have found that the hardest memorabilia for me to part with is
my kids’ artwork. I digitize a lot of it, but another great solution I’ve found is
mailing it to out-of-town grandmas, off-at-college babysitters, and childless
aunts and uncles. You could even drop artwork off at a nursing home to
brighten the day of lonely residents. Share the love!
One caveat: don’t use the share option to simply dump your unwanted
memorabilia off on others. Before you decide to share memorabilia, really think
101
Less
about whether or not this memorabilia would add value to the life of someone
else. And—this one’s a biggie—don’t give it with guilt or the expectation that
the other person should keep it forever. That’s not a gift, that’s an obligation.
When you give a gift, it belongs to someone else and they get to decide what to
do with it. If you can’t give in this way, you shouldn’t give at all.
Question 3: How does this make me feel?

Remember my memorabilia mantra? Only two things can happen to
memorabilia over time—it can become more important or it can become less
important. This is where you really need to listen to your gut.
You will have an immediate emotional reaction to your memorabilia.
Believe me, I see this on client’s faces every day when they discover all their
math worksheets from 4th grade or the crib bumpers from their now high school
child’s nursery or the collection of jewelry boxes from their grandmother. I
can tell which items they no longer care about, which items make them feel
happy, and which items make them feel bad. And oddly, we often keep a lot of
memorabilia that makes us feel bad.
When I sorted my photographs from childhood, I found quite a few pictures
of my Grandpa Orlando. He died when I was in high school and the pictures
of him in his later years show the signs of his slow decline into dementia and
Alzheimer’s. Looking at these pictures made me feel sad. I remembered the
pain of watching my strong build-the-roof-yourself grandfather decline into
a skinny shell of his former self. I remembered the lost, frightened look in his
eyes. Even writing this makes me tear up.
So, I decided I didn’t want those pictures. None of them. I threw them
all away.
Again, judge me if you will, but I kept all the pictures of him young
and healthy: sitting in his favorite chair with a small me on his lap, sucking
my thumb; outside at our house in Michigan, dressed in his work clothes,
helping my dad install a new septic system; standing next to his pride and
joy—his beautiful garden—where he grew the most delicious tomatoes
you’ve ever eaten.
102
These are the memories I want of my grandfather; these are the pictures
I kept. Now, when I look through my photo album from childhood, I can see
my grandfather the way I want to remember him: healthy, strong, and full
of life.
Also, be very aware of any memorabilia you might be saving out of guilt.
I once helped a client sort her basement and we came across a framed cross-
stitching her grandmother had made. I could tell by her face that this object
stirred some negative feelings, but she immediately said, “I have to keep that.”
So, I set it aside in her memorabilia area until the end of our session. As we
were cleaning up, I pointed to the picture again and said, “So you are keeping
that, right?”
She sighed. “I guess so.”
I laughed. “That doesn’t sound very convincing!”
“When we were cleaning out my grandma’s apartment, I was going to
donate that, but my grandma’s neighbor saw it in the hallway and said, ‘You
can’t get rid of that!’ So I kept it.”
We talked through why it was okay for her to let this go, that she did not
have to hang on to this picture to honor her grandmother, and especially not
to honor the wishes of a nosy neighbor. She donated the picture that day, and I
imagine it is now happily hanging in the home of someone who truly enjoys it.
As you sort your memorabilia, listen to that little voice inside you. It will
tell you if these items are still important. You may have outgrown them or
feel indifferent toward them. They may make you feel happy or they may
actually make you feel bad. Free yourself from memorabilia you are keeping
out of guilt, fear, or a sense of obligation. We are all the keepers of our own
memories, so we get to decide which memories we want to keep. And doesn’t
it make sense to only keep memories that make us feel truly happy?
Question 4: Who Am I Saving This For?

A really good English teacher would reword that subheading, “For whom am I
saving this?” And since I know a lot of really good English teachers, feel free to
103
Less
get out the red pen and correct. But for the rest of you who don’t give two craps
about ending sentences with prepositions, let’s cut the grammar and focus in:
Who are you saving this for?
This is a big one. When I whittled my eight boxes of memorabilia down to
one, this was the question that helped me do it. I prefer to reword the question
this way: Who really wants to look at this stuff ? I asked myself this question
repeatedly as I dug through my eight tubs, and here were my answers:
My kids? Probably not. They might browse through a few photos of me
in a high school yearbook, but they’ll never pore over every certificate of
achievement I received in my illustrious academic career.
Me? Highly doubtful. I hadn’t looked at most of that stuff since the day I
(or my mom—love you, Mom!) tossed it in the tubs. What made me think I’d
suddenly want to spend an afternoon browsing through every article I wrote
for my college newspaper?
My mom? Heck, no! As soon as I had my own house, she dropped those
boxes off on my porch like a baby on the orphanage steps! She clearly didn’t
want any of it.
As awesome as I am, I had to face the #1 memorabilia fact: no one really
cares much about it. To soften the blow of fact #1, consider fact #2: That’s
totally okay.
Let me explain. You are living in the present. Your memorabilia is your
past. And as hard as it sometimes is to admit, the past is gone. Memorabilia is
our weak human attempt to do something impossible: save time. So instead of
spending hours looking through scrapbooks from long-forgotten trips, take
yourself out for ice cream, call a friend, read a book. Do something, and do it
now, because now is all you have. Carpe diem!
Secondly, this stuff is not you. It is not your family. It is not your friends.
I am not my Brownie sash, nor am I my varsity letter. Those are just things.
Memories live in your heart and your mind, not in your stuff.
Finally, you are you, with or without the stuff. I am still smart and insightful,
even though I no longer have every A paper I wrote for senior English. I still
104
love to travel, even though I no longer have that half-finished scrapbook from
a high school trip to Europe. I still love my family and friends, even though I
no longer have every birthday card those wonderful folks sent me.
Ask yourself, who am I saving this for? And listen carefully to your answer.
It is there, inside you, and it will tell you what you should do.
Why You Shouldn’t Save Memorabilia for Your Kids

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to address my fellow tender-
hearted mamas and papas out there and discuss the issue of saving memorabilia
for your kids. This is a tricky issue, and one that I’ve dealt with in different
ways as my kids have grown.
I won’t claim to have it 100% figured out, but I will stand behind the
subheading of this section and tell you straight: You shouldn’t save memorabilia
for your kids. Let me explain.
In almost every class I teach, someone asks this question: “A few years ago,
my mom dropped off like 10 boxes of stuff from my childhood. What do I do
with it?”
This is very common. Parents—because they love their children in that
sense-defying way all parents love their children—save stuff from their kids’
childhoods. Eventually the parents, unsure of what to do with the items they’ve
saved, pass them off to their grown children, usually to glowing receptions
like, “Um, yeah … thanks, Mom … ”
Because here’s the deal: the memories in those boxes don’t belong to the
child. They belong to the parent. Which is why one of my organizing mantras
is: the only person you should only save memorabilia for is yourself.
Easier said than done, as I learned recently.
Backtrack about five years: I buy each of my kids one see-through plastic
tub to use for memorabilia. I think to myself, “Ah-ha! I’m ahead of the game!
I’ll never be that mom who drops off the unwanted tubs ‘o stuff on her grown
children’s porches! I’ve soooooo got this!” I resolve to limit each kid to one tub,
which they can take with them when they (sniff ) eventually move out.
105
Less
I start putting things in the tubs: their baby bracelets from the hospital, the
tee-tiny knitted hats they wore in the NICU, the orange plastic spoon my son
Orlando carried 24/7 for two years of his toddlerhood.
Fast forward to last spring: My son Reese kills it at his Cub Scout
Pinewood Derby, taking home a trophy, a medal, and several patches. (Those
Boy Scouts are really, really into the patches. It’s like a thing.) I realize he is a
champion of racing a little wooden car proudly made by his father and that
perhaps he needs a place to store his growing collection of memorabilia. Enter
the tubs. I head up to the attic, where I had been keeping them, and prepare to
officially bequeath the plastic memory holders to my children.
However, before bringing the tubs down, I spend a few moments
reminiscing about the items already inside. The NICU lovies that still smell
like the hospital, the locks of hair from their first haircuts.
I start to feel a little odd about giving these items to my children, and I’m
not sure why. I ask myself, “If my kids wanted to get rid of these things, how
would I feel?” Immediately, my heart lurches in a million different devastating
directions. There is no way I can allow my kids to part with these memories,
because … it slowly dawns on me … these are my memories, not theirs.
They don’t remember the NICU. They don’t remember their first haircuts
or what they wore home from the hospital. But I do. I need to save these
memories for myself, not burden my children with “memory” items of which
they have absolutely no recollection.
Somewhere in the back of my head, I hear my own voice at one of my
organizing classes: the only person you should save memorabilia for is yourself.
Touché.
So, I removed the baby items and put them in my own memorabilia tub,
where my kids and I can both look at them if we want to. I will let my kids
forge their own memories, saving whatever memorabilia matters to them.
I give them their tubs, and we talk about what “memorabilia” means, how it
is different from toys. I explain that it’s something you keep because it reminds
you of a special time. We also talk about what happens if the memorabilia tub
gets full.
106
“We have to take something out,” they respond immediately. (Wow, these
kids must have a professional organizer mom!)
So my daughter puts in a postcard her Uncle Jake sent her from his tour
of duty in Afghanistan. Reese puts in a ceramic lizard he painted in Mexico.
Orlando adds a drawing his brother made him last week.
I smile. They’ve got this. They are keeping their memories, and I am
keeping mine. And that’s the way it should be.
Mamas and papas, let’s do our kids a favor and allow them to keep the
memories that matter to them, while we keep those that matter to us. I think
we’ll all be happier in the end, and this will save us a tub-dropping drive-by at
our adult kids’ houses one day. Hoorah!
107
CHAPTER 13
Yeah, But … What

About Gifts?
Gifts can cause a real conundrum for minimalists and those who love them.
What do you give someone who doesn’t want a lot of stuff ? How do you
celebrate holidays, especially with little kids, without focusing on gifts? And
what do you do when well-intended loved ones give you things you don’t want?
These are valid—and difficult—questions. I don’t claim to have all the
answers, but I’ve learned a few things about gift-giving on this minimalism
journey that might be helpful to you. And believe me, I’m still learning!
Relationships Before Principles

If you desire a minimalist lifestyle and you have a history of centering holidays
and birthdays around gifts, you will need to turn the gift train around. And
believe me, the wheels will squeak. Loudly. Changing how you give and receive
gifts might surprise/shock/anger your loved ones, so to avoid some negative
backlash, it’s very important that you talk about it. Up front. A lot.
Communication is key, and remember: just because you send the message
doesn’t mean the other person receives it. That’s not their fault. People have
probably sent you many messages in your life that you misinterpreted. In fact,
109
Less
the entire message of this book has been that Jon Bon Jovi is the sexiest man
alive. Wait, you didn’t get that? It’s Chapter 13, for Pete’s sake!
So be patient with others—and yourself. You are doing something new.
When talking to family and friends about gifts, my goal is to open

conversations, not change them. Call me crazy, but people don’t really respond
well when you try to change them. If Grandma likes to buy your kids lots
of presents, try opening a conversation with her, something like, “We’re
experimenting with giving the kids different kinds of gifts this year. What
would you think about getting them a museum pass or a dance class?”
Now Grandma may very well say, “No, thank you” and continue on with
business as usual. That’s her right. But you should still pat yourself on the back.
You opened the conversation! And now that it’s open, guess what? You can go
back to it whenever you want! It’s as simple as, “Remember when I talked about
getting Johnny that museum pass? He’d still really like that and his birthday is
coming up. Here’s a link to the museum website, if you’re interested.” Again,
opening, not trying to change. Not saying, “Stop buying all that crap for my
kids!” even though I know that’s what you want to say.
My wise minimalist friend Jenna once gave me this mantra: Relationships

before principles. Sure, we might be minimalists and feel like we don’t need
stuff, and that’s great. But our relationships with the people who love us
are much more important than that. Rejecting their gifts—which are often
symbols of their love—is a surefire way to damage the relationship.
Open those conversations, slowly but surely, with plenty of love and room
for the other person to have a say, and you might be surprised that the gift
train wheel gets a little less squeaky over time.
I hope the next two sections will give you some food-for-thought when it
comes to receiving and giving gifts, minimalist style.
Receiving Gifts: Keep the Love, Not the Stuff

Every time I sort a space with a client, we find at least one: a guilty gift.
110
Yeah, But… What About Gifts?
Guilty gifts are usually given to us by some wonderful person whom we

love dearly. The only problem is … we don’t love the gift. It’s not our color or
our style. We may not even be sure what it is exactly. Yet we keep it, because
we love the giver, and also because the thought of letting it go makes us feel
very, very guilty.
But I’m here to tell you: you can keep the love without keeping the stuff.
I think of gifts as vehicles for love and goodwill. Let’s say that my boss
gives me a mug with the company logo. I love the company, I may even love
my boss, but that does not mean I love this mug. She gave me the mug as a
symbol of her goodwill, basically saying, “I think you’re great and I’m glad you
work here.” (And also, let’s be honest, “We got a better deal on these mugs if we
bought 500 of them, so here you go! Coffee break starts in 5 minutes!”)
But instead of telling me these words, she let the mug do the talking. I
receive the mug, I receive the love. After that? I say a sincere, “Thank you.”
After all, she gave me love and goodwill, and I am always thankful for that!
And then I’m free to do with that mug as I will. I can find it a new home, I can
repurpose it, I can even sell it, if I so choose. The point is: I get to keep the love,
which is the most valuable part of the gift.
I know this may make you nervous, especially when you consider
sentimental gifts, those received from loved ones, particularly loved ones who
have passed on. Naturally, these gifts give us more pause than the company
mug. But the basic principle is the same.
Your loved ones are saying, “I love you. You are important to me.” And
instead of actually saying that, they’re letting Grandma’s china do the talking.
Again, we can choose to think of Grandma’s china as a vehicle for her love.
Keep the love, revel in it, but find the china a new home if you don’t love it, too.
Because here’s what happens if you don’t: you negate some of the love by
allowing your guilty feelings to cloud it. If you don’t love Grandma’s china,
every time you look at it, your internal dialogue goes something like: “Oh
man … Grandma gave me that china and I never use it. I feel so bad … I’m a
bad granddaughter. I don’t know what to do … Ugh. I just want to close this
cupboard and not think about it.”
111
Less
You don’t need a psychologist to tell you that these are very NEGATIVE
feelings. No one wants to feel like that, and Grandma definitely does not want
you to feel like that. Because while you’re sweating guilt about her plates, you
know what you’re not doing? Thinking of her with love. That’s what she wants.
Your guilt is clouding the true, loving feelings you have for her.
Snap a pic of that china, or save a special piece that you can actually
use, and then let it go, knowing that you are enabling yourself to honor your
grandmother’s memory more fondly by NOT keeping all her china.
Remember: you can keep the love without keeping the stuff.
Does this principle apply to gifts we give, too? Absolutely. I expect to be
thanked for gifts. After all, the gift is a vehicle for my love! Say thank you! But
after that, I realize it’s up to the recipient whether or not the actual item suits
her life. I’ve watched my kids donate gifts from me. I’ve even helped friends
donate gifts from me, which I’ve found in their closets when I helped them
declutter. Ha! I don’t ever feel bad about this. The gift is not me; it’s just a thing.
I know they love me even if they can’t use the gift I gave them.
If you have guilty gifts in your life, could you remove some negativity by
finding those gifts a new home? I give you full permission to keep all that love
… and let the stuff go.
Giving Gifts: The Easter Basket Conundrum

I remember one of my first Easters after adopting minimalism. I was teaching
full-time and had waited until the Thursday before Easter to think about the
contents of my kids’ Easter baskets. Thus, I found myself at my local superstore,
surrounded by what I will refer to as “plastic crap.” You know the stuff: wind-
up bunny toys, teensy portions of modeling clay encased in plastic eggs, and
bin after bin of stuffed bunnies and chicks.
My kids didn’t need any of this stuff. I felt suckered. Was this what Easter
was reduced to? An aisle of cheaply made trinkets that most kids would toss
within a few hours? I felt frustrated, and worse yet, I had no alternative, given
my holiday procrastination.
112
I made the best of the situation, selecting items my kids could use, such
as sidewalk chalk and bath toys. I also guiltily added ample amounts of candy,
because I knew candy wouldn’t end up in the trash.
In the end, I caved a bit and bought Matchbox cars for my boys and a
stuffed animal (yes, a stuffed animal … the worst of the clutter-causing toys!)
for Mercedes. I paid for my overpriced tchotchkes, knowing I’d learned a
valuable lesson: to be a minimalist in a consumer culture, one must plan for
the holidays.
This lesson was further driven home when my kids opened their baskets
on Easter morning. They immediately stuffed as much candy as possible into
their little cheeks before I put the kibosh on their sugar gorge. As for the plastic
crap? They ignored it completely.
The lesson-learning continued later that day, when I set about the task of
incorporating the new stuff into our existing toy collection. Using the One
In/One Out rule, I carefully selected two old Matchbox cars and replaced
them with the two new. I then removed one old stuffed animal and replaced
it with the one new. (Note: this was before I learned to involve my kids in the
donating process.)
Even I felt the futility of this gesture. To simply replace like with like, isn’t
this the problem in our culture? We simply cannot stand to keep our perfectly
usable older things. We are enticed by “new” things that aren’t really all that
different from what we already have. Isn’t this why landfills are overflowing?
Ah, the best lessons in life are learned the hard way, are they not?
I had been schooled by the Easter Bunny. And I resolved to not let the
Easter Basket Conundrum repeat itself at the next holiday. I set 10 guidelines
for myself when purchasing gifts. Perhaps they will help you, too.
Rose’s Top Ten Gift-Giving Guidelines

1. Buy Something They Need. Most kids do not need toys of the
plastic crap variety. What they do need, however, are pajamas, clean
toothbrushes, socks, and hairbrushes. If your kids need these things,
113
Less
buy them; heck, even buy them plastered with pictures of their favorite
superheroes.
2. Go Big. My wise sister-in-law, Gabby, taught me this lesson. For
Easter, she buys her kids one large item instead of a basket full of small
ones. One year she bought her son Jonas a new pogo stick to replace
his broken one, her daughter Willah a pair of roller skates, and her
youngest, Lizzy, her first big-girl bike.
3. Develop a Motto. A teaching colleague of mine introduced me to this
gift-buying motto: Something you want, something you need, something
to wear, and something to read. Following this motto really checks the
impulse to over-buy. Even if I found myself stuck in a superstore the
Thursday before a holiday, I could follow it to buy simple, basic gifts
for my family. And imagine if you taught your kids this motto early
on! They would know exactly what to expect when birthdays and
holidays rolled around.
My family has adopted a “One Big, Two Small” policy. I’ve also heard
this called the Three Wise Men rule (i.e. three wise men = three gifts).
For birthdays and Christmas, my kids make two wish lists: one for big
items and one for small. They know they will get one item from their
big list and two items from their small list.
The definitions of “big” and “small” are up to them. For example, one
year Reese asked for an electric scooter on his big list, while Orlando
asked for a blanket with his favorite cartoon character. The price
discrepancy between these gifts was huge, but both boys were happy
because they got what they considered to be big gifts.
Whatever rule or motto you set is fine, but I think it’s important to
set one. Your family will come to accept this as the norm, and it will
dramatically decrease the amount of clutter entering your life.
4. Recycle. Gabby and I made a pact one Christmas: instead of buying
new gifts, her kids each chose a toy they no longer played with to give
to my kids, their younger cousins. I still remember Gabby telling me
how Lizzy spent hours washing and brushing her My Little Ponies to
give to Mercedes. How sweet! Recycling toys is an easy, economical
114
way for kids to give each other meaningful gifts. It’s also good for the
environment. Score!
5. Go Martha. By this I mean channel your inner Martha Stewart and
make something yourself. Every Christmas my neighbor Kevin brings
us a plate of homemade cookies. I always look forward to this gift, and
it doesn’t feel like Christmas until I see Kevin on my porch, cookies in
hand. When I taught middle school, I spent the weeks before winter
break helping my students craft gifts of writing to their loved ones. My
students always came back in January, eager to tell of the teary-eyed
hugs and thank you’s they received for these gifts.
You have some sort of talent: woodworking, knitting, painting,
writing. Use it to create meaningful gifts. Do what you do best, and
your loved ones will feel the love.
6. Buy Consumables. This might sound like it goes against everything I
just said, but stay put. Sometimes you simply have to buy something,
right? You can’t knit scarves for your entire office and giving a set of
homemade coasters to your boss might seem a bit inappropriate. By
consumable, I mean things that can be used without creating a lot of
waste.
For kids, think paints, crayons, bubbles, or sidewalk chalk. For adults,
think wine, fancy chocolates, lotion, and candles. Be warned, though:
if you give an adult all four of those items at once, they may think
you’re trying to seduce them. So maybe stick with just one, unless of
course, you are trying to seduce them, in which case, buy them all and
good luck!
7. Give Experiences. Museum memberships, pottery classes, a night
at a bed-and-breakfast, massages, manicures, etc. You get the idea.
Experience gifts are wonderful because the memories made can last
a lifetime.
8. Give Gift Cards or Cash. Yeah, yeah, I know some people say gift
cards and cash aren’t thoughtful or they’re not real gifts. But I’ve
rarely received a gift card I haven’t used and seriously, who doesn’t
want cash? One year my parents moved right before the holidays and
115
Less
my mom didn’t have time to go shopping, so she gave all of us crisp

bills folded to look like stars and Christmas trees. There were no fake
“thank you’s” under the tree that year!
9. Give to a Cause. What charitable causes do your loved ones care
about? Rescuing abused animals? Building schools in third world
countries? Stopping rainforest destruction? Charitable donations
not only support worthy causes, but they also show that you thought
about the specific heartstrings of the receiver. Nice!
10. Give Your Time. During one of my minimalism classes last fall, a
woman said her 13-year-old grandson asked her for only one birthday
gift: a day for just him and her. I can still hear the spontaneous
“Awww!” from the group when she shared that.
I think we underestimate the gift of our time. I doubt anyone gets
to the end of their life and thinks, “Man! I’m really glad my sister
gave me that set of mini-cupcake pans in ’05. What a difference it has
made in my life!” I would imagine, rather, that we would reminisce
about time spent with that sister, talking with her, laughing, going to
a concert. Our time is always the most precious gift we can ever give.
In our family, Josh and I always give each other planned date nights.
We give our kids coupons for one-on-one time with us. Our kids give
their close friends gift certificates for movie nights and sleepovers.
How could you give your time—truly, your most precious resource—
to someone you love?
In Brief
Gifts may seem like tricky terrain for minimalists, but they do not have to be.
By opening conversations with your loved ones, remembering to always keep
the love, and giving creative, meaningful gifts, you can enjoy many happy,
clutter-free gift exchanges with your family and friends.
116
CHAPTER 14
One Last Thing Before You Go
Last summer I visited Wyoming and climbed three mountains. Before each
climb, I stood at the bottom, looked up, and felt immediately intimidated by
my distance from the top. But as I started to climb, I quit looking up as much
and started looking down. Each time I stopped to catch my breath and survey
my progress, I was amazed at how far I’d come.
Keeping my mind focused on what I’d already accomplished gave me the
confidence to reach the top. And I did, each time.
Minimalism is a journey and we are all on different parts of the path,
moving at our own individual pace. Each of us will reach our goal in our own
way, in our own time. Some will take longer, and others will do it quickly. It
doesn’t matter.
What matters is that we keep climbing, one foot in front of the other, one
drawer, cupboard, and closet at a time. Focus on how far you’ve come, the
progress you are making, and you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to
reach your goal.
Thank you for allowing me to share my minimalism journey with you. I
hope this book has inspired you to seek the freedom that comes from living a
life with less.
117
References
Carver, Courtney. “Project 333: Simple is the new black.” Be More With Less.
https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/. (accessed July 28, 2017).
Catalogue Choice. “Simplify Your Life: Stop Junk Mail for Good.” https://
www.catalogchoice.org/. (accessed July 28, 2017).
Daily Mail Reporter. “Lost Something Already Today? Misplaced Items Cost
Us Ten Minutes a Day.” DailyMail.com. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
news/article-2117987/Lost-today-Misplaced-items-cost-minutes-day.
html. (accessed July 26, 2017).
Data and Marketing Association. Dmachoice.org. https://dmachoice.thedma.
org/. (accessed July 28, 2017)
Drug Enforcement Administration. “National Prescription Drug Take Back
Day.” https://www.dea.gov/take-back/takeback-news.shtml. (accessed
July 28, 2017).
Opt Out Services LLC. OptOutPrescreen.com. https://www.optoutprescreen.
com/opt_form.cgi. (accessed July 28, 2017).
PaperKarma. The App To Stop Junk Mail. https://www.paperkarma.com/.
(accessed July 28, 2017).
Story, Louise. “Anywhere the eye can see, it’s likely to see an ad.” The
New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/15/business/
media/15everywhere.html. (accessed July 26, 2017).
The Council for Textile Recycling. http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/.
(accessed July 28, 2017).
119
Now What?
Want more minimizing inspiration?

Of course you do!
Visit RoseLounsbury.com where you can:

• Register to receive some FREE bonus content!
Rose’s Minimalism Starter Guide will help
you move past the overwhelm and create a
personalized decluttering checklist so you can
start creating more open spaces in your life
today.
• Join Rose’s FREE “Minimalism is Fun” Facebook
group.
• Learn more about Rose’s upcoming speaking
events and online courses.
121
About the Author
After blogging about her personal journey toward minimalism, Rose

Lounsbury—a former middle school English teacher—was inspired to help
other women create more open spaces in their lives. She started a minimalism
and simplicity coaching business in 2015 and has since helped hundreds of
clients and students achieve stuff-free freedom. Rose spends her days writing,
speaking, and teaching about minimalism, while soaking up the moments
with her husband and their wild triplets in lovely Dayton, Ohio.
Rose is a regular guest on Fox News Good Day Columbus and has been
featured on NPR, Good Morning Cincinnati, and Living Dayton. Her popular
TEDx Dayton talk can be found on YouTube.
You can contact Rose by email at [email protected] or visit her
online at RoseLounsbury.com, where you can access her free resources and
learn more about her upcoming speaking events and online courses.
123

Less by Rose Lounsbury

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Less by Rose Lounsbury

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Less by Rose Lounsbury

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Praise for Less

Copyright © 2017 Rose Lounsbury

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Niche Pressworks

P.O. Box 80031

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017912595

To Josh, Orlando, Mercedes and Reese,

I would like to thank every teacher who ever encouraged me to write or

Dedication .............................................................................................................. vii

Chapter 13: Yeah, But… What About Gifts?................................................... 109

7:30pm: Arrival of Josh. Forced smile at his “Sorry-I’m-late-forgot-to-put-

A quick analysis of my day-in-the-life reveals the culprit: not my children

Eight Months Later

How a Blog Became a Business

Why I Wrote this Book

This is a book of my stories. Everything I share is based on my own experience

The Joy of Open Space

I've been an on-and-off insomniac for much of my adult life. It started my

Oddly, despite my efforts to place myself in various exotic locales, my mind

Think About It:

The Real Benefit of Owning Less

Minimalism has many benefits, ranging from more pleasing aesthetics to

My House is Always Clean

Or, if you’re feeling like a real minimalist, to do absolutely nothing at all.

I Know What I Have

I Know What I Don’t Have

Think About It:

Thoughts on Trash & Treasure

One Man’s Trash

Another Man’s Treasure

“How did we spend an extra $1,000 this month?” I said, shocked as I

My credit card bill no longer contains spending surprises. I typically know

Cash Money, Baby

Think About It:

Cultivating a Minimalist Mindset

Remember the Towels

1. I can live with a lot less than I think I can.

Remember the Naked Blue Lady

My Uncle Mike, of course, couldn’t resist spending a few minutes gently

“She’s not naked,” Uncle Mike said. “I see no nakedness.”

“Mike. They want the painting. Give them the painting.”

Oh, how I love family dynamics.

So how does this relate to minimalism?

One of my favorite quotes is from poet and designer William Morris:

Those two key words—useful and beautiful—are the checkpoints I use to

Think About It:

It’s Just Stuﬀ

My Grandma Dorothy is an amazing woman. Among her many accomplish-

Think About It:

How To: The LESS Method™

Make the Time

I urge you, make time. Make an appointment with yourself to do this

The LESS Method™

Step 1: Lay Out Your Vision & Purpose

Having a strong vision is important, because humans do our best work

Get as specific as you can when answering these questions, avoiding

Knowing a space’s vision and purpose gives you a roadmap, something

Step 3: Sort It Twice

She picked up a small piece of black plastic.

This back-and-forth continued for about 10 minutes before I gently said,