"I LOVE beautiful things, but want to be a minimalist!" And more! (Q+A)

[@tarinb6154]

I made memory bins for each of my family members. Ive decided we will make it a tradition to pull out the bin on each persons birthday. And look at things and celebrate the person.

[@usmosers2495]

Love that birthday idea!

[@susan5661]

What a wonderful idea! ❤

[@funnycurlysoul]

Love this idea !

[@Denise-z2u]

Such a sweet idea. I’m gonna do that with my grandchildren.

[@nataliehoward6061]

Love that, definitely using this idea 🎉

[@pennee365]

We are retired and in the past six years began simplifying/downsizing. We’ve experienced clearing out our parents’ homes and know the stress and exhaustion involved so our plan is to leave as little of that stress for our kids. They can make decisions to keep or not in smaller doses during our efforts. Love your videos Dawn.

[@jennymiller4828]

For the clothing question. I deal with weight fluctuations. I would focus on saving your favorite bottoms: skirts, pants, shorts… I find it easier to rebuy shirts when my weight fluctuates. Finding pants and skirts that fit can be really hard. I have moments when I’m heading out the door for church and realize the skirt I wore a few weeks ago doesn’t fit and it’s such a relief to be able to grab a smaller or larger size from my storage room bins. Right now I have three pants, four skirts that fit me in my closet(not counting athletic bottoms). I’m quick to get rid of shirts don’t fit that I don’t love, but I’ve learned the hard way that I need to keep a couple bottoms in a smaller or bigger size.

[@abigailwilkerson5284]

Thanks for sharing this! That's really helpful

[@abigailwilkerson5284]

And I TOTALLY agree about the bottoms.. It's way easier (and usually cheaper) to find cute shirts than pants. I also usually have a lot fewer bottoms than tops

[@ramonawhisenant2045]

I love these podcasts when YOU are the guest speaker!!!!

[@dianasimplifies]

Me too. I prefer these!

[@sandravanvliet8478]

Eggs! This is our system: I tried to post a picture. Imagine 4 dollar tree egg boxes. They come with loose fitting lids. I’ve labeled each lid. 1. Newest Eggs 2. Next Newest 3. Next Oldest 4. Oldest I simply rotate the lids. First fill “newest” egg box. Then switch lid replacing newest lid with “next newest”. And so on. We use /eat/bake with the “oldest” box always. We have no issues wondering which to use next. We have guests right now, so our eggs have quickly been eaten up! Normally we have all 4 boxes almost always full. Get bigger boxes if you have lots of chickens and/or give away/sell if you have an abundance. 😊

[@SharonOnTheNet]

I dont have any eggs, but this idea is so coooll!!!

[@katerynavitel7739]

Wow :)

[@brittniridgeway4239]

I don't have chickens either, but this idea is genius!

[@cajbaf]

🙋‍♀️ I am the one with no sentimental bones lol. I have nothing from my childhood, no pregnancy photos, no things from my kids childhood ( except pictures). My memories are in my head and heart.

[@katie7748]

You might not be sentimental, but what about your children? Maybe your children might someday want things they had growing up, either for nostalgia's sake or perhaps to pass on to their own children. Just a thought 😊

[@babytexan3038]

I think the key is having pictures from their childhood. That's all I have from mine, and personally I'm very satisfied.

[@Bethany-m9p]

Same. I love decluttering, and I definitely used decluttering to distract myself. After losing friends and struggling with health problems, decluttering gave me something else to think about. I'm now in the maintaining stage, and I've been focusing on healing and connecting with a different friend. The hard truth is that although decluttering is/was really great for me, I needed to process everything and connect with someone else. Whether it's a grandparent, friend, or someone else, there is someone out there who needs a friend just like you do. 😀❤

[@Franjcr]

This resonates with me a lot! 😘🤗 xx

[@sarahko2014]

Dawn, whenever I listen to you I always think "I like her so much"🌟 lol You have been influencing me for a few years already and all your decluttering advice helps, especially since my husband & I tend to move a lot.🙃 I also love your heart for helping people (including missions/fostering/etc). Blessings to you & yours!♡ From a 43-yr-old sister-in-Christ in South Korea🇰🇷

[@roseyriver3921]

Same here ❤ (UK)

[@michellestringer2035]

That is so sweet! I think the same thing Dawn. I like you a lot. You are a genuine and encouraging person.

[@ruthmgonigle5914]

If I ever get to meet you, it will be "hey, that's my friend Dawn!"

[@Chantelle456]

Listening to this as I bake a cake for a friends wedding shower! As a mom of two littles, I would have never been able to do this without minimizing our home. I’m not all the way there yet, but life is so so good ❤ Thank you Dawn!!

[@dancingfishfish]

having recently cleaned out my Moms home I realized no one will want anything we have- not even the pictures. its sad that we collect things our entire lives and then it means nothing.

[@vikieierdam5516]

I've been dealing with this the last few months. Yes, it's true. Our "stuff" is only relevant to us. Everyone else is overwhelmed by their own.

[@jennifermarie8707]

Exactly. What to do with hardcopy photos? Scan and throw away?

[@findingaway5512]

You give such thoughtful considerate answers and encouragement. 😊

[@Jeannie.B]

Egg Tip: I have chickens. I use scotch tape and a black sharpie to number the egg cartons. I fold the end of the tape for easy removal once we use the eggs. My family knows to use the lowest number carton first. I tried putting dates but that didn't work for my family. I start with 1 and work my way up. Each year I start from the number 1 over again. I do not wash my eggs unless they dirty. If it needs to be washed I only use water so I don't damage the bloom protecting the egg. I put them into the fridge as soon as I collect them. That way the eggs stay fresh for a long time and my counters stay clear. Win win 😊

[@dianasimplifies]

I'm glad you only use water, I was getting freaked out that there is a solution. My friend gave me some eggs and I just rinsed them off lol😂but I have no idea what I'm doing.

[@Jeannie.B]

@@dianasimplifiesNot washing eggs sounds odd to those who live in the US. Interestingly, in several countries it is not acceptable to wash eggs before they are sold because it causes the natural protection of eggs to disintegrate thus posing a health risk.

[@SpeakTruthBeKind]

I agree and live in the USA. When I had chickens years ago if the eggs were “dirty” you would let the “dirt” dry and brush it off, because of the protective “bloom” that was on the eggs and only wash when you went to use them. ❤

[@Elizabeth-490]

Love the idea of having your kids be the manager of a task or area.

[@bethfroeba7416]

I have teen and adult children. We just went through their memory boxes. They laughed and told stories and then they asked to throw some of it away. I took some of it for my box. It was interesting to see what was important to me vs what was important to them.

[@SusanL-ds6lc]

Our home is our memory box :) Everything here means something to us, was a gift from a loved one, is a picture of a happy time, etc. If you take care of what you already have & stop buying "stuff", each item you already own becomes precious. Once your home is how you like it, when you get something new, get rid of something old to maintain the loveliness. Nice chat:)

[@lauranewman564]

Regarding antique stuff, it's still stuff. Dawn's comments about seasons is so true! Think about if you had to move, or if you lost it all in a fire, flood, or other natural disaster. (Yes, I had to move a year ago after repeated flooding, and had 3 weeks to do it. I was lucky all my things weren't destroyed!) What would you replace? If your neighborhood was evacuated, like my brother's has a few times in So. CA., what would you pack if you had one hour? Half an hour? Determine what is very most important and go from there. Many collections are replaceable. Pack things away that you aren't sure of. See how you feel with less. If you still love it and want it and it's worth it to you, keep it! Do the best you can every day! Definitely don't feel guilty, whatever you decide. Useless word and feeling!

[@sgallant2107]

I have only one child, and I kept the tiny pajamas he wore home from the hospital (a gift of his paternal grandmother) in a zipper bag in my top dresser drawer for many years. His son also wore them home from the hospital - his mom's call. (They have the dresser, too.) I also bagged the Batman pjs (with cape!) that my sister gave him - which were a favorite - and left those in his bureau drawer. I'd forgotten and was surprised to see a picture of my grandson enjoying them - especially the velcro cape! The rest of my son's baby clothes went quickly to friends and coworkers with little boys at home, saving money they could spend on diapers instead. Even my maternity clothes made their way around the office!

[@heathermarie3184]

I just wanted to comment regarding having a passion or dream. It doesn’t need to be huge either. It doesn’t need to be some thing as big as going back to school or teaching a class. It could be some thing small and simple, like maybe you love to read and never found the time before. Now you can say, okay I’m going to make sure I spend some time reading every day. It could be as simple as gardening, doing puzzles or just getting outdoors each day and you can make time for yourself now to do those things ❤

[@rachelverbracken8751]

Okay, but your haircut is SO cute Dawn!!

[@persephonebasilissa5109]

Amanda, as we've been decluttering, we've found that the very abundant look we used to enjoy for seasonal decor now feels like too much. This summer, I scaled it back with mostly bare surfaces. Each decorated space had only a single medium-sized picture or a tight grouping of 2-4 medium-to-large pieces in low-contrast colors. Very simple. It felt so much more restful! Spouse mentioned again how he still liked the vibe of the rooms with so much less stuff in them. He didn't even complain about all the books I'd removed from the tops of the bookcases; he said he preferred them cleared off! This fall, I'm thinking of continuing the same: Just a large pumpkin or couple of ravens here, a print of a full moon there. Maybe a cauldron and broom in the corner. The other thing I do is use seasonal kitchen & hand towels and serving dishes. We really enjoy the spring towels with flowers and bunnies and the covered ceramic bowl in the shape of a tropical fish! But over the last couple of years, I've donated about ⅔ of the decor and seasonal dishes that we used to store. As Dawn says, try putting out less for a season and see how it feels. Experimentation is the best way to decide if it'll work for you.

[@jeanierainey4897]

I started decluttering last Christmas. I had a lot of clothes that were too small, and decided to let most of them go. Then... WHAM... I was diagnosed with cancer. One part of the treatment made me so nauseous, I barely ate for 3 weeks. I lost almost 30 pounds, and now I have very few clothes that fit, especially pants/skirts, which fall off my hips. I do regret donating some things, but it's not like this was something I could foresee. More to the point, cancer makes you realize what's important and what's not. Looking super-cute is not on my bucket list. Thanks for the fun content, Dawn!

[@juliekonigskind6434]

Dear Marissa, I am not quite as far along with my pregnancy as you, but also planning for my postpartum wardrobe. I have packed my usual summer and winter wardrobes away, which per season consist under 20 pieces. 8 dresses or so, some leggings and cardigans, that's it. For my pregnancy and postpartum wardrobe I applied the same principal, but even simpler. Life with a newborn holds one million new tasks, none of which should be the question: "what am I going to wear today?" So, in summer I just wore the same 5 flowy dresses over and over again. Now for my winter wardrobe (which I ordered just at the beginning of the week and am so excited to test out) I have 6 long sleeve dresses, all button down or wrap style, so I can nurse in them, 3 leggings, 2 tights, 1 pair of comfy pants, with 2 matching nursing shirts and 3 cardigans. I am curious to see, how far it will get me, but if I see, I lack one or two other pieces, it is a lot easier for me to specifically search for them, than to acquire a whole huge wardrobe and lose track of what I already have. I wish you all the best for birth and the time after and hope that the Little One will land safely.

[@babytexan3038]

I only have lots of pictures and two teddy bears from my childhood and a few journals from when I was a teen, and honestly that's been perfect! I have a memory box for my adulthood though. ❤ I love what you said about the memory bins being organized and easy to access if someone wants to show an item to a friend!

[@teresahechenbleikner2080]

Favorite mantra...it's all about "What Do I want to" or "Can I"... "Management". Life Ebbs and Flows on it's own Agenda ... Children's Diabetes, job and house moves, adhd behavior, many family with cancer, and overall care giver...To thrive, It all Comes down to management of time, season, space and stuff...And, does it fit in the container (even our mental bandwith). Love All of the Awesome Thoughts from Dawn, Cass and Diana!!!❤

[@poolfield2]

I write the number of the date on eggs with a pencil and I use the supermarket egg boxes to store them. You can freeze beaten eggs, I do them 4 at a time as that is the number I use when making cakes. I’m still in awe of the fact that a fertile egg (scrambled egg/cake ingredient) turns into beautiful fluffy chicks in 21 days of warmth.

[@juliavivian4573]

We have chickens and a big garden in our backyard. It's awesome! I never thought that I'd be the lady with these as I hated being outside as a kid. But I love them! And it's so fun for the kids, as we raised our chickens from chicks, too. My 2 and 3 year Olds love the "bok-ies"

[@abigailwilkerson5284]

I also was not outdoorsy as a kid but as an adult I have been learning about the importance and benefits of being in nature and now prioritize it as much as possible!

[@janethunt4037]

Loved your detailed description of memory bins. Thank you for that! I started those because I heard you talk about them. I find it is very freeing to have all of those momentos in one place. I'm not a minimalist, but I would describe myself as an intentionalist. If I bring something into my home, I know where I'm going to put it and how I'm going to use it.

[@kakylong2]

Dawn, Great podcast. I love listening to the question & answers & finding nuggets of wisdom to use in our own decluttering journey. Keep up the good work. 😊

[@KasiJayPeil]

Yay!!! That was my question! Thank you! ❤️

[@louisenaude3114]

Dawn, you give theeee best answers. They are so loving and encouraging! ❤

[@elysemeaney9333]

For memory boxes: if you're on the fence about an item or it's a large plushy or piece of old furniture you don't want to keep, or even artwork-- just take a photo or create a photo collage online and put the printed photo in the box! My adult children love this. It takes up little space and is a great way to remember kids rooms full of plush animals, layette sets, hand knit baby sweaters you've passed on. Maybe even someday you can let the photos go ❤

[@amyingram5793]

I totally agree with your comment about how noisy the world has gotten and we need blank, decluttered space at home to decompress and relax. I remind myself of what you've said about flat surfaces and I try to minimize those in my house. I have an open concept living room, kitchen, dining room and I have just 4 decor items that are special to me that I have out on display and I have some smaller scale paintings hung on the walls and the space feels open and airy. And it is much easier to keep clean. I keep all of my Christmas decor (ornaments, tree skirt, decor) limited to one tote and when I am tempted to buy more, I ask myself if it will fit in the one tote. If it won't fit, I don't buy it. This reminder has come in really handy as of late because I just purchased my first single family home and have a garage for the very first time, so I have storage space for more Christmas and other holidays, but I don't want to fall into the trap of filling up the space just because I have it because it will be more inventory for me to manage and I don't want that. So I have empty space in the garage and my one tote of Christmas decor. It's a constant practice to keep things minimal. It's not like you declutter and then you're done. With marketing and social media and influencers and the endless catalogues in the mail, temptation is everywhere and I have to remind myself of what is most important to me.

[@Rosa-kf6yy]

I also love home decor. I decluttered down to my FAVORITES but kept some "extras" in a tub that I also liked and did not want to part with (not sentimental stuff...just decor). This year i added a FEW of the extra "Fall" pieces (I decorated Sept 1st). NOPE. It felt like CLUTTER, like it just did not belong there. I lived with it for a few days and then took down the extra. My favorites are so satisfying. I notice them MORE because of the "space". Thank you Dawn (Cass and Dana too as I am a member of "Take Your House Back").

[@vikieierdam5516]

Home decor: My husband and I are finishing helping 3 households move out of state today. The generous man who offered his gynormous trailer was asking "What is this for?" regarding "home decor" I was handing him. Schotzky, I said. They had SO much. Moving really emphasizes out abundance.

[@IamSnowbird]

Thank you for saving me money today. I was shopping for a few transitional tops today when I saw a beautiful sweater. I had it in my maybe pile when I heard you say in my mind "If you don't love it, don't buy it." Back it went and I just bought what I needed.

[@evalindell2757]

We had a garden pen that will hold both for water and sunlight. Then put the date on them the first thing you do. And like Dawn said just scrubb them off if they are dirty. Then let them dry.

[@RebeccaBrookins-cr7te]

Eggs, this is my simple system, I collect them during the day and put them on the kitchen counter on a clean dishcloth so they can't roll. When i do dinner dishes i put them away . I only wash the poopy ones with warm water and a dedicated scrubber. Then I put them into egg cartons. When I start a new carton i mark the date the first egg goes in, so the oldest egg in the carton is the age of that date. We use/ give them away from oldest to newest.

[@Shmu22]

My daughter has chickens ... my 9 year old granddaughter does most of the collecting of eggs and feeds/waters them. They just write the number of the date on each egg in pencil ... then if they get a little mixed up you can tell which ones should be used first. They wash dirty ones under the tap with warm water (don't use cold water as it causes the bacteria to be sucked inside the egg. The clean ones can be stored on the counter. Washed ones go in the fridge. Really dirty ones get fed to the dog.

[@bcase5328]

Egg storage: have you looked into water glassing eggs?

[@mariahwilson6505]

I’ve started out with using bankers boxes as memory boxes - lower cost than plastic bins. Now as my kids leave the nest I’m considering switching to plastic bins to hand them on to them. The pressure of picking the “best” size tote would’ve been too much for me when the kids were small. Analysis paralysis 😂

[@richardmcgreal8825]

I do decorate my front porch and I can see it from my chair when I use the computer. I have solar lights, flowers, solar waterfall , a rake, and watering can with solar lights that look like it is watering flowers. I use the same pine cone wreath and change the decorations. Joan

[@donnautley1254]

Hi Dawn. I often hear you say ,” kids definitely don’t need a bunch of toys. Let them be creative with very few toys”. Great idea, but I bet lots of parents who would love to have some guidance of what kinds of toys to provide. Could you pls make a video expanding on what types of creative toys or materials you’d suggest for different ages and stages ( from toddlers and up. Thnx!

[@hannahthehomesteader]

I keep my eggs, unwashed, in buckets in the shade outside and just grab what I need to eat daily. The oldest eggs are closest to my back door and the newest are furthest away. It's not pretty but it works for us. I've never had a rotten egg in 3 years. Last year, I waterglassed eggs and the solution is premixed in the bucket so I just drop the clean eggs in each day as I get them! Any excess eggs get sold or given to neighbors and family. Declutter your eggs lol. Because, if it gets to the point where it's stressful or too much, then I get rid of the problem asap.

[@isabellaross1472]

We have 27 chickens and we just label the cartons with the date and don’t wash them. Unwashed eggs will last in the fridge for 3 months. We share with family and sell eggs too.

[@snickerdoodlebug]

I just picked up 4 boxes from my sister from my Mom who passed May 28th. She kept EVERYTHING! I went through it with my oldest granddaughter and was amazed how much she got out of going through it all. There are things that I know I will not keep but there is ALOT that I should keep. I know I do not need every card I made for my parents but her notes and nursing uniform that she wore in nursing school in 1952 I cannot part with yet. (I am a nurse as well.) The one thing I wanted was her nursing cap she said isn't there. I am so overwhelmed with everything!

[@Shmu22]

I have 5 kids ... I had one side of the closet that was for the maternity clothes and side for the others and a few inbetween sizes. It worked for me to just alternate back and forth. Most of my kids are 2 1/2 years apart so one year I wore maternity clothes and the next the other ones so they felt new again when I switched sides. I mostly wear t shirts and jeans (even still) even though I live in Canada. I just add a sweater if needed in the winter.

[@bcase5328]

Some pieces of clothing are adjustable in size. Wrap arounds are good for summer, as are loose fitting sun dresses. There is a popular pants pattern in the costuming community which laces, so can adjust sizes. Tops or dresses which tie can adjust across sizes.

[@SF-ru3lp]

Great answers, Dawn, to some great and practical queries. Thank you. XG Ire

[@findingaway5512]

I really loved going through my old things from my childhood. The things that were the most important to me were the photographs for sure. In fact I still have some disposable cameras I am not ready to part with. I don't have the money to develop the photos but I also really would like to try to. But also they are so old they may not show up at all. But also even if there's pictures of something that I really want... And it is all faded or wonky. I still would want it. I feel like there's some keepers on there. I always say with my time machine I would go back into the past before I had cut kids and become a minimalist I also want I'm back there I would develop all the cameras I have. 😂 2004-2006 would be a good year to visit myself. But also I would have to be careful with that. because I wouldn't want to not get married and have my kids and who knows what ripples that would cause. 😂 I did get rid of a ton of my old stuff.... Most of it was actual garbage to me. I used to save everything like pamphlets from vacation and all the ticket stubs from everything. Random junk. It's amazing how some things develop more meaning but other things I don't even remember or care about.

[@misswittank9224]

I had some 20+ year old films developed and most of the photos came out OK. I had them put on a memory stick rather than physically printed.

[@tammyc1812]

As long as you don't wash fresh eggs, yhey don't need to be refrigerated. And I'd definitely be selling them if I had an excess

[@SamCurtis-yk8cv]

Ref chicken eggs. The plastic egg containers at dollar tree are the same size as regular cartons. I like them better than the more expensive ones. Not the drawer style

[@madebylora]

A friend who had chickens used to write the date on the eggs, so that it was easy to keep track of newest/oldest eggs. I think she used a pencil, if I remember correctly

[@michellekooi5998]

You can freeze eggs! My mom has ducks. All you do is crack them into a ziplock bag. Either as whole yolks or beaten.

[@heatherhoffman8710]

Amanda re home decor (around the 9 minute mark), you need to find Myquillin Smith aka the Nester and the Cosy Community. There you will find out how to have more style with less stuff.

[@_JanetLouise]

Dearest Dawn, mahalo for your upbeat and positive messages.

[@tanjab.9714]

Question for next time : do your family members watch your videos? I. e. Tom, Kids, siblings, parents, cousins etc? Do they give you feedback? Where are your ideas for content mainly come from? Thx!!!

[@robinr5669]

Who is that amazing voice guy?

[@lisaham6585]

I don't know if anyone gives you flack for admitting you toss out the obligatory (not obviously thoughtful) Mother's Day cards, but I agree as a former kid! No one wants to be reminded about how much they took for granted their dear old Mom!

[@ninnymuggins5159]

Before you buy something, you HAVE TO know where it's going to go in your home, or else you don't buy it.

[@sarahbull]

Question for you. I’ve pondered the TYHB course for about a year now (been decluttering on my own) but I’m going to miss the September all day decluttering you have planned. Once you are a part of this group - do you have access to all the content forever and can do any of the all day declutters, or is it limited? Thank you! Huge fan also from Minnesota💕

[@guykenniker9498]

Freeze eggs for future use

[@sammie3765]

FIRST !

[@RandyBailey-k2e]

😊

[@nataliem726]

Do you let your kids add things to their memory bins or manage them?

[@kaitlinobrien243]

❤❤❤

[@patpalmer1337]

Sell extra eggs?

[@rachelsmiths7502]

Why was the egg blue?

[@katie7748]

Eggs come in many, many colors. Look into it 😊

[@Jeannie.B]

Some breeds lay blue eggs. 😃 My mom never knew that. At first it was hard for her to eat the eggs I gave her because she didn't know they taste the same as a brown or white egg.

[@mindymudge7247]

I loved this video. How cool that the clothing questions coinsided with 30 days of September decluttering with Cas. Love you dawn and enjoyed listening to you answer questions. I related to so many parts of it. Thank you ❤

[@Whatworksthisworks]

Love you but not that guys voice 😅