SIMPLIFY Your Space | 19 Minimalist Tips

[@gwenj5419]

On TV I'm always seeing kitchens where they've covered all the counter space with stuff. I can't imagine trying to prepare a meal in those kitchens.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

I know, right?!? I wouldn’t be able to function! ❤️

[@Annie-j1v]

What a great and ‘non threatening’ way to suggest simplifying home and life. #9 hits a special chord with me. When we moved into our home, all the carpet matched and all the linoleum matched throughout the house. It creates a nice cohesion and calmness.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

It really does! Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@cindiweedon2683]

We put our Jammies that we will use again under our pillow. So it’s easy to get to but out of sight.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

That’s what I remember doing growing up! ❤️

[@joystott1867]

That's an old one! I did that as a child 65 years ago! Still do! 🎉

[@anashappydays]

Yes, growing up I did that too.

[@IndiBex86]

"Control what you can control" that tip is the tip I absolutely needed to implement in my home. Thank you for this!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Wonderful! ❤️

[@joystott1867]

Thank-you for adding the printed list!! It was a lot to remember!😊

[@ArrowHillCottage]

You’re welcome! ❤️

[@sandihumeniuk4462]

Love the way that you explain tips 3 and 4. Fussy items… Knickknacks and pictures on shelves, just look cluttered and chaotic. Storage totally gives us the false sense of being organized or keeping things that are not needed. The best thing I ever did was downsize to a small apartment with one small storage room. In Canada, most people with garages can’t even park their car inside

[@judihulslander298]

Same here in the U S!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Absolutely the same in the US! And we probably have bigger garages too!!! ❤️

[@janeb3024]

Dream sessions are a great way to identify how your preferences may have changed over time. What worked for me in mid-life isn't as ideal in my senior years. By changing my space to suit where I am in my life, my life becomes easier, calmer, and happier.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

So very true! ❤️

[@sl9906]

Another great video Angela. Thank you! I love how you always write each tip out and then have the summary of all of them at the end, and also how sensitive you are to the variety of needs and lifestyles of your subscribers. I love that you also include the emotional tips along with the tangible. I’m happy to be able to agree with all your tips and have been so freed since using them. It turns out that my level of inventory for true inner peace is much lower than I would ever have thought, and minimalist living is incredible ❤

[@ArrowHillCottage]

So wonderful to hear that this lifestyle has benefited you! And thank you so much for your encouraging words! ❤️

[@tessajetta8146]

I love your voice it’s so soothing

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Awe, thank you! ❤️

[@jennyjenkins877]

Great list... the chapters and recap at the end are appreciated!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Thank you! I know many people (myself included) appreciate a recap! ❤️

[@JElias-qu2vy]

Agree with so many peeps in comments! I do need to declutter and simplify; however, I have absolutely no desire to become a minimalist! Sometimes, I feel like it's all or nothing, so I thank you for your tips, laid back manner of teaching, and encouragement to make our homes better!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Wonderful! I’m happy to hear this was encouraging to you! ❤️

[@kennethbailey9853]

❤❤❤Live Your Calling in life and these years You have brought peace to countless people who lived stressed lives !!! Oh what a difference You have made !!!❤❤❤❤

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Thank you so much for your kind words! ❤️

[@sl9906]

Amen to that!

[@RosaIreneAyalaRodriguez]

Me encanta tu contenido,saludos

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Thank you! Have a beautiful day! ❤️

[@cara.lee.h]

Loved this one!😊

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Thanks so much! ❤️

[@danaplate6459]

Great tips! Temporary cheater spaces - such a good idea! I do love a throw pillow and throws as a Cozy Minimalist - and use blanket baskets to help visually Thanks you !!!!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Oh yes! I have blanket baskets too! ❤️

[@bobbiefarrar3036]

Great tips! Thanks!! BTW, Dana K White is the one who created the container concept not the Minimal Mom. Dana has the NO MESS declutter system which included the container concept. Thanks again for your tips. God bless you and yours.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Yes, that’s right! ❤️

[@ruthgreen926]

Great tips!! Your videos are helping me to declutter my home. Thank you!!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Wonderful! I’m so glad! ❤️

[@livingoncoffee]

Makes sense to me! I better get it through my head.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

It takes time! You’ve got this! ❤️

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Which will YOU try?

[@donnarakitzis2719]

Terrific tips. Very useful. Thanks for sharing.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@cynthiacrumlish4683]

Redid the spice drawer the other day and also switched master bedroom furniture and guest room furniture. Aching muscles but so worth the effort! Shoes have always been by the front door in a huge gathering basket. Re-evaluating function with location of certain items. Keep the Prana flowing!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Wonderful! Those little changes can make a big difference! ❤️

[@MeiHengIntra]

You can consider getting a shoe rack instead. This way, you can access your shoes easily and they will look neater.

[@sherrypettit5552]

New subscriber. Saw this video on google. Thank you for sharing!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Awesome! Happy to have you here! ❤️

[@jasonpatrick-x1k]

Well done . Excellent video ❤

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Thank you! ❤️

[@thebusybees2006]

Thank you for the final recap list

[@ArrowHillCottage]

You’re welcome! ❤️

[@terriedenzer6431]

Excellent video 👍 Thank you for sharing.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@judihulslander298]

Love your antique wringer!! I have a couple sock stretchers ( I guess that's what you call them) that remind me of how much simpler our laundry process is than in days long gone. Always enjoy your videos! And the list at the end is great!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

I like to keep the wringer there to remind me of that very thing! Thankful for modern day efficiencies in homemaking! Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@goodenoughgirl8102]

I’m not so sure I could truly say that I’m a minimalist really. I still have this internal war going on with “I like the security of having some ‘extras’ of some things” vs “I want that simple life.” Lol. Some days I can be ruthless and other days I go the other way. Identifying the weakest areas. Prob it’s things I know are highly useful (such as currently unused bins or DIY project stuff and occasionally “cute” things. And for the life of me idk why I tend to keep falling for “clever gadgets” from time to time). Lol. I guess what I could surmise about that is that we keep repeating the same mistakes until we truly learn some life lesson or just get to know ourselves and our individual preferences better. My main cheat is my “dirty dish bucket.” Lol. When I slack on the dishes, it still feels better to Chuck it in a bin that I put on the floor in the corner. Most days tho I try to hold myself to not letting it ever get worse than the one bucket. (Although I def have played jenga with that bucket more than I care to admit lol). I also won’t often run a full sink of dishwater. I’ll just use a larger dish to wash all the others in. And scaling down number of dishes has also helped with that too. And bcuz I need the sink so often and for it to be clear. My other cheat is prob that I will vacuum my bed a few times before I actually wash the linens (cats) and change out the pillow cases more often than the entire bed. 😬 Another is that I use the vac hose brush for a lot of “dusting.” Lol. Well I have more, as I’m not a huge fan of cleaning chores really. (such as spot mopping but never really full on mopping-or very rarely). Lol. Little cheats like that really help me to get SOMETHING done and just start rather than getting a bad case of the dreads and procrastinating (I think it’s a real cure for perfectionism lol). I also started timing these things and it made me a lot more aware of how little time it takes with my hacks and cheats to have a decently clean space most of the time. Which in turn motivates me to keep at it better and makes me feel better about both myself and my home overall. Love these tips. I have a weird closet setup. It’s like two little 3 ft closets with a nook space in the middle. So I had a tension rod there but so far it has fallen twice so I had to rethink what I wanted with that space. The unreliable tension rod has now become too “fussy” for me. Lol. I have a spare room with a large closet. Mostly it’s rental supplies, cleaning and pet supplies and utility items and paint etc. I also keep a handful of “dressy clothes” in there Bcuz it seems I never dress up anymore. Lol. So now I’m just going to keep also the off season stuff in there. So now I don’t even need the tension rod so much. All I have there is super tall items (like maybe a couple of dresses, some fancy long pants and a raincoat and a few scarves. But mostly I’m just going to use it to put empty hangers on. One thing I do tho is live by the if it fits it sits rule. So when things don’t “fit” something has to go. I also keep my chatzkies in an enclosed curio…and that’s the limit for my “cute things” and I don’t have to dust or clean around them. They are like a nice display of my “hokey art” and a few good looking sentimental things. All the decor things outside of the curio are quite minimal, as I really hate dusting and the cat kids would break stuff anyways lol.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

I remember back when we had cats (before kids) and the amount of vacuuming / lint rolling was intense! So I think it’s quite clever to use the vacuum on your bed! As far as the tension rod falling - we have that issue with one of our shower rods….it finally fell enough times that I told my husband we need to order a rod that will screw directly to the wall! I’m tired of the fuss! ❤️

[@goodenoughgirl8102]

@@ArrowHillCottage Lol. IKR. Oh the aggravation. Well I have this kind of Jerry rigged MacGyver kind of tub situation (but what else is new about this place? 🙄🙄). Had some really dumb curvy shower rod that was just awful flopping around etc. (not to mention they picked those out-ugh lol). I went and bot a standard rod that can “rest” on the wrap around shower panel thingy. (That doesn’t really fit the tub-don’t ask lol). I remember that too. Was so happy that day. It was like telling the mean old cheapo man to stick it bcuz I can do better. 😅😅 I mean you know. Gremlins are bad enough. It would be volumes if I had to list all the cheapo and poorly done things around here that I had to “fix up” to bring up to par. Me also running all around this XL Dino house trying to keep up with the cheapo floor cracks. Oh well. At least I’ve become quite clever and industrious lately. Lol. And I’m glad I was finally able to stop letting all of those accumulated frustrations upset me almost daily. Now I just make snarky jokes about all of it. Lol. It makes me angry at times when I have what I call “unnecessary troubles” (Bcuz someone was so cheap and inconsiderate with me or or my stuff etc) but it also makes me feel like a champ when I can make it into something better and more fitting that makes my life run more smoothly or just plain looks better or “cute.” Lol. Well I guess a lot of people might think “stop talking about the abuse already.” But this is how it goes tho. It’s like the sick gift that keeps on giving and you have to work pretty hard to not think of it every time you so often run across these little irksome “daily reminders.” I could also go on and on from the time I was a kid…such as the lemon car he bought for me…so he could supposedly “save a few bucks.” Worst car I ever had. And really the price diff between that lemon and the Mustang I clearly stated I wanted was so minuscule. But here we go. Wound up paying WAY more for constant repairs on the lemon and having to borrow another car all the time or walk Bcuz I was stranded. But ok. BK have it your way old man. 🙄🙄Prob the worst car ever made on the planet even. Lol. There is def a pattern there with him and his “gifts” tho so I’m really happy about the idea of moving out. Lol. And truly I can understand Jacob’s wrath at Laban now. In great depth. Lol. (I also think his final “tell off” to Laban was quite brilliant lol and I also understand why Jacob finally just had to move on from that Laban setup and find a better situation for himself). Didn’t plan to go there but I guess I did anyways. Lol. And just ya know. Case in point. “Cheap” is not “frugal” and there is a huge diff between supposedly “saving a Buck” and getting true “deals.” Lol. And I’m not even getting into what he makes of it. How much money and time he wastes and how much he brags about his “generosity” fusses about how I’M the one “costing him so much money..” (Like hey babes I didn’t beg you and I didn’t twist your arm for anything either tho eh? And since when can anyone ever get him to do anything other than exactly what HE wants to do HIS way…Never lol. At least not without WWIII if they ever do). And then he will try to use it as leverage and guilt tripping and being even more controlling….if that was even possible, etc). 🙄🙄 So annoying. Oh well that’s another book for another day tho. Lol. If anyone could show me that he’s not a Laban, I’d eat my hat. Lol. And it’s also why I’ll preach til the day I die that all “gifts” are not truly “gifts.” I guess in his mind he thinks he owns me Bcuz he “bought and paid for me” but he’s got another thing coming as it’s going to end up like the song….go on take the money and run. 😂😂 And I just look at it now as a pittance of a divorce settlement or punitive damages he should be coughing up anyways. Oh well. I could be wrong but I know I just have to get out of here, and I can’t do that as a poor hobo. Lol. I had to throw guilt and obligation out the window, forgive myself for constantly falling for all of his bait and switch stuff…and that is just the price of my freedom. It’s just more than high time for me to stop being such a dupe.

[@michellepajot3414]

I actually have a question for you. Where did you get your sectional from? Also, you do a lovely job with making your home exude coziness.

[@ArrowHillCottage]

We bought our sectional at Menards for $800! It’s an Ashley furniture brand and was the floor model, so we got it for extra cheap! ❤️

[@kennethbailey9853]

😊

[@ArrowHillCottage]

Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@carmenlheureux5435]

My weakness: knick knacks. I’m working on it. Thank you for the great video!

[@ArrowHillCottage]

The first step is admitting what challenges you the most! You’re on the way to simplifying! ❤️

[@sct4040]

My weakness: plants 🪴 😊