Not everyone in our house is enthused with minimalism as much as I am. Especially when it comes to throwing things away.
And when it comes to neatness, well, let’s just say it’s one of my favorite parts of minimalism.
The problem arises when junk ends up in the house. Cluttering up tables and countertops.
And to be honest, it annoys me to no end.
I used to ask, Do we need all this stuff? or Can I throw this stuff out?
However, I rarely got the answer I was looking for.
Now I love throwing things away. Like it seriously gives me joy.
There’s something about getting rid of needless things that relieves stress and makes me happy. Not to mention, I love a neat and clean home.
My family, on the other hand, isn’t always with the program. They often suffer from the ‘Just in case syndrome’ and the ‘I may need that’ disease.
So here’s my solution to throwing things away easily.
How To Throw Things Away Easily
Become a thief.
When everyone leaves the house and I’m home alone, I like to play a little suburban Mission Impossible.
I scour the house looking for everyone’s miscellaneous junk and make plans to get rid of it.
Now most things that are lying around the house fall into 1 of 2 categories.
- Things to toss immediately
- Things they might miss
The things I know I can toss without anyone noticing go in the trunk of my car. This way I can throw them away when I get to work and no one will be the wiser.
The things they might miss, I put in a box called the To-Go Box.
I hide the To-Go Box in the house or again in the trunk of my car and wait to see if anyone notices their junk has mysteriously disappeared.
Once in a while, they notice, and I have to make things reappear. Like, Oh, honey, guess what I found behind the dryer? — but more times than not, the junk meets its demise.
Typically I’ll wait a week or 2, depending on what’s actually in the To-Go Box, but sometimes I’ll wait longer just to make sure I’m not tossing something of value.
And this is how I declutter the house in stealth mode.
All without a fight. All without hanging on to needless junk. And all without pointless conversation.
The Takeaway
Not everyone has the stomach for criminal activity.
I just thought this tactic may be useful to some. Being a minimalist in a relationship can be tough. Especially when your partner isn’t on the same page as you.
It’s very similar to a saver being married to a spender. Ideals don’t always align. Kids throw things into the mix as well.
However, with persistence and a caring attitude, a compromise can usually be found.
And if that’s now enough, gentle nagging and occasional thievery can be deployed as well.
Luckily for me, I don’t have to resort to petty larceny too often as my wife and I are typically on the same page.
But the next time I am home alone, I won’t waste the opportunity to case the house for junk and clutter.