32 Things to STOP BUYING & DECLUTTER | Minimalist Journey Part 1

On my minimalist journey I've been looking through countless decluttering lists. "100 things to get rid of today", "100 things to stop buying" - I've gone through these lists and made TWO lists - one of what to declutter and stop buying, and one of what to keep!
This is PART ONE in this video series: What to stop buying and declutter. PART TWO: What to keep - is coming next week!
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00:00 Intro
00:30 Duplicate utensils
00:52 Expired medicine
01:03 Documents
01:31 Photo frames
02:01 Outgrown/uncomfortable clothing
02:16 Craft supplies
02:57 Electrical cords
03:13 Manuals
03:24 School books
03:44 Pens & stuff
04:01 Office equipment
04:10 Small appliances
04:45 Smartphones
05:14 Children’s artwork
06:05 Seasonal decor
06:43 Old pillows
07:03 Collector’s items
07:45 Tech boxes
08:00 Broken appliances
08:23 Rags
08:45 Stationary
08:53 Sports equipment
09:33 Coasters
10:01 Unclear items
10:12 Uncomfortable shoes
10:58 Digital cameras
11:22 Pots & Pans
11:55 Beauty appliances
12:20 Old toothbrushes
12:36 Cheap Jewellery
13:03 Items with tags
13:21 Starting fresh
13:59 Part 2

[@sl9906]

Consider gifting craft supplies and books to senior homes. They really appreciate having them

[@elizabethwentzel2856]

Psych wards appreciate them too ☺️

[@susanma4899]

When my mom was in memory care, they had a big bowl of old costume jewellry. For some reason the residents loved sorting through it and looking at it. That's another thing you could donate.

[@SagaJohanna]

Oh that's a great idea!

[@SagaJohanna]

That's so awesome and creative!

[@Debbiesdilemmas]

As I’m decluttering I ask my son first if it’s something he may want. He is an adult and will be moving out on his own soon. Rather than sell or donate I ask him first. If it’s something he will need or use that will save him money. It makes it easier for me to let go knowing that it will help him. This has worked out very well especially with duplicate kitchen items and small appliances I don’t need.

[@glacyneyla-lifestyle]

If you have kids or plan to have kids, listen: I think it's a very good thing to declutter, BUT also I think it's an absolute no go to declutter things of others, for sample your kids! It's there personal stuff and you can't know what's emotionally important for them (at least later). 😢 My mom toss my absolut favourite dress without asking me. Also my first converse, I loved sooooo much! She didn't asked me! 😢 Instead teach them how to declutter and do it WITH them, whitout forcing them. If they don't want to trow away a old plushie they love or a picture they drawed, it's okay. Teach, don't steal.

[@SagaJohanna]

Good point to never declutter other people's items! :)

[@SophiaKimOfficial]

Great tips! I just decluttered my entire apartment, now I'm ready for 2024 ✨

[@alecb.7696]

Hi Saga, I recently made a move taking one suitcase, a massive duffel bag and a laptop case. It felt very freeing to need so little. (Not quite yet a one bag minimalist .). I remember Fumio Sazaki’s comment in Goodbye Things: “Cleaning can be really easy if you have fewer things. Let’s look at how we might clean the floor if we had an owl sculpture in the room. Step 1: Move the owl over. Step 2: Wipe the floor where the owl had been sitting. Step 3: Return the owl to its original position. And if we didn’t have this statue in our home? Step 1: Wipe the floor. There! Done! It’s that simple.”. So you guys have left NZ? Do share what your next plans are if you feel comfortable with that. As always, such wisdom in your video.

[@valorielynwhitman8531]

I am reading "Goodbye Things" right now. My favorite quote is on page #146: ..."what would happen if I passed away, or something serious happened to me suddenly. All my possessions would become a burden for my loved ones. Yet because I had minimized most of my belongings, I realized I had also minimalized the trouble I would cause others in such circumstances. It's a sad thing to think about, but for some reason I felt a sense of freedom. Without a morose concern hanging over me, I felt stronger and free to tackle the next stage of my life." I, too, am free-er and stronger to take on the faze of my life. I am still Swedish Death Cleaning and probably will be for as many years as I have left here. Thank you for sharing. 🇺🇸🧑‍🦳❤

[@rjaydriskill]

Not buying is the best minimalist advice I’ve ever heard, and that came from you, Saga. This video is great advice, and thanks to some recent traveling, it’s a great time for me to declutter. I’m kind of already with you on most of this, but I’ve still got more clothes than I need for sure. Thanks so much for again sharing your wisdom. :-)

[@janbarrett4544]

I give my old rags to the veterinarian down the street and I bring them over washed in hot water.

[@rjaydriskill]

@@janbarrett4544 That’s a pretty good idea. Thank you!

[@raehawkins7655]

as an art teacher, i really struggle with decluttering cause i might need those random things for my classes!!

[@SagaJohanna]

That makes sense! But since you're an art teacher it sort of makes sense to have more art supplies than other people :)

[@AnnefromManila]

I love this kind of video. Pointing out things that need to get rid of. It's like deinfluencing. ❤

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you ❤

[@ingrid607]

Thanks for all the great advice! For me the hardest part is to get started.

[@JeanVoronkova]

Saga hey! Your channel has grown so much since I started tuning in & i just wanted to say i'm so happy for your growth 😊 well done! absolutely loved this list by the way, i also recently cleared my medicine box and document box and feel so much lighter and better & more organized!

[@minimalistsmanaged]

Yesssss! I love this messaging :) Fantastic message and you delivered it so well :) Instant subscribe :)

[@analia773]

Thank you for this great advice!

[@GringoAzteco]

Thank you for this, good info 😊

[@SagaJohanna]

You are so welcome!

[@Life_with_Lissett]

Just approaching this idea of minimalism so I really appreciate this clear framework to start with, I also appreciate the list of what to keep. At this point almost everything seems useless besides our art and what we use everyday but I’m still having dissonance between my American consumerist upbringing and logical sorting to make my days flow easier. This helps, thanks!

[@liamodonovan6610]

You are an awesome beautiful person love your channel you are always stunning you are such a genuine person you are a good person

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you ❤

[@CigdemS]

Thank you so much! This is a GREAT list! I really liked your idea about kids’ drawings. Some of the things you commented on is so funny! I was laughing, because I relate with you on most of these things…

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you so much! I love having up kids drawings, it makes homes feel so lively and they have true meaning! :) Haha :D

[@user-nt8bo1kj6q]

Coasters (especially cork ones) are also great for not banging loudly on the table when you put down the cup. It makes the sound bearable, it softens the damage and saves energy that you usually have to use to carefully put down the cup.

[@SagaJohanna]

I did have cork ones in our van!

[@yelenayeli9529]

When you store medicine in a proper way it most often can be used years after the expired date. I mean the 'dry' medications.

[@jenniferbulkley1420]

What was number 20? I love this video and plan to declutter many of these items from our small home.

[@SagaJohanna]

I can't remember, but I believe I had to edit one out because it made no sense watching it back haha x

[@nnnbooks1211]

Saga, I was wondering if you have suggestions for decluttering things that belonged to a late spouse. My husband died a few years ago and although I cherish his things, they also sometimes make me very sad. I feel guilty even thinking about donating his things, at the same time I feel stuck and heavy because of the things I do have of his. What would you suggest. thank you. sending love from Canada. Nancy

[@nnnbooks1211]

great video :)

[@SagaJohanna]

Thanks!

[@annecarter5181]

Great list! Where are you living now? Absolutely love the room you are in. ❤

[@SagaJohanna]

Thank you! In Sydney, Australia - but only for another month! This is a beautiful house sit!

[@annecarter5181]

@@SagaJohanna Such a peaceful living space!!

[@annazann7236]

Hmm, surprisingly I do not have any of the items you're talking about (ok, except my 3 old tablets ;)) and yet my house is quite full. Curious. Btw, the problem with buying used electronic devices is non-replaceable battery. The way ppl use they phones makes battery half-dead after a year! My refurbished laptop is not that bad but still noticeable, so I will never buy used electronics again.

[@SagaJohanna]

Haha that is funny! did you see my first video on this? Maybe that one would help if it feels cluttered :) The battery is annoying, but it is so much better than buying new (for the environment).

[@maxd1744]

My philosophy is to not buy anything unless absolutely necessary. Everytime I think I need something I wait a month or two before deciding if I really need it, to be certain. I found out I basically "need" nothing besides the necessities (toothbrush, backpack, necessary utensils, clothes, a phone (to communicate and read books) etc) and somewhere to hang from haha. I guess most of these things are even not absolutely necessary. I remember reading a book making a point about indigenous people not needing to brush their teeth due to the low amount of sugar and high amount of vitamins and minerals. Resulting in their diet being their tooth care. Thus, even things that seem to obviously be absolutely necessary, are not necessary. Our ancestors needed nothing to survive besides the wilderness. However, these things (phone, money, "normal" clothes) are necessary for functioning as a "normal" person/sheep/rat in this entity called "society". I guess my simple point is that is easier for me to identify what I need, then what I do not need. Due to the amount of absolutely necessary things being absurdly low. Your hair looks gorgeous.

[@Smithpolly]

"Our ancestors needed nothing to survive besides the wilderness." Except a whole lot of them didn't survive.

[@maxd1744]

True, but I am pretty sure we are still all dying. ;} ​ No need to read all this, I was just going on a fun tangent. :D @Smithpolly On a more serious note though, I am not saying we should all go back in the wild that would be impossible. However, we can learn from our ancestors and think about what we really need to survive and how we want to live. Not only people from very long ago, but also from a couple hundred years ago, and even people in the present. Try everything you think might better your life, and come with a conclusion on what you need to be truly in the present. Furthermore, we are still technically living from what nature provided us. However, the major majority is doing everything to support capitalism and filling the world with useless stuff for the genuinely healthy longterm survival of our species. What I am meaning to imply is that we should be mindful about what we eat, maybe even grow some food ourselves, make some things ourselves and learn to simply live without anything superficial (anything we need to have a laboratory for to make). Everyone is different, I am even often different from who I thought I was. My opinions keep changing, I am already feeling the embarrassment from my future self reflecting on who I am right now. Nothing is true. But even so, why should we indulge? Why should we not try to live together with others, with just each others presence. Why would we not strive? Why would we not change ourselves be able to live instead of wanting the world to change? Live. “The purpose of life is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

[@AliceMara]

❤

[@SagaJohanna]

❤❤❤

[@JohnPaul-158]

Thanks for this video. But, do you have 2 months to help me declutter? haha Love your hair today!

[@SagaJohanna]

Hahah! :D Good career idea! Thanks so much!

[@JohnPaul-158]

@@SagaJohanna 😁😆😅🤣

[@ginnyberg9271]

The only one I disagree with is the jewelry I used to have all the very expensive jewelry and I was really tired of wearing the same stuff all the time and I just now and my later years I like the costume jewelry because once I wear it a few times I don’t feel guilty getting rid of it and then I can just hand it to somebody else and they feel special because it’s new to them but I’m over it

[@dallasrieck7753]

yea!, no more coasters,

[@SagaJohanna]

Hah! :D

[@EbbaOm-fl7fy]

The ‘don’t need or use coasters’ because the table is cheap is just rubbish! STOP that! You are contributing to the problem! So you buy a cheap ikea table, you don’t take care of it because it was so cheap, then you throw it away and buy a new one because it is so cheap anyway ! Do you get it?!?! Or maybe you buy supply to restore it: money, time, material and so on! When everything can be so easy: buy a cheap coaster (or make one yourself). They last for a lifetime and don’t take space! And they protect you furniture now matter if it’s expensive and fancy or just a cheap one. So I have a white (Ikea) side table, a cheap one, and been using for about 12 years. I always use coasters and always dust it carefully! And guess what?! It looks completely new, no damage, no marks or spots and best of all: I don’t have to get rid of it! Amazing 🤦‍♀️ facepalm

[@EbbaOm-fl7fy]

And one more thing: don’t be lazy! Many people hate coasters because they are too lazy to use it. It is somehow a big effort for them to place the cup on the coaster! So they would rather have a nasty looking and deteriorating table that put in a little effort

[@Smithpolly]

@@EbbaOm-fl7fy People who find a subject very easy are often not very good at teaching that subject to people who don't find it easy, because they can't understand how something that is blatently obvious to them isn't obvious to everyone. I think you might find listening to the "A slob comes clean" podcast useful.

[@thisisme2681]

If only we could have one utensil each in our kitchen. Living with people with food allergies does not allow such a thing unless everyone follows the diet of those with food allergies in the house. And, everyone has different allergies, so that could never happen 😂