Minimalist And Daycare Provider?? Is It Possible??

[SunflowerMama]

I've been reading a lot about the minimalist lifestyle and would LOVE to reduce the clutter in our house and really only hold onto things we actually NEED and USE frequently.

Does anyone out there consider themself a minimalist and how does that carry over into your daycare? Toys, supplies, etc.

Over the last 2 weeks I've tackled 2 big areas...our large walk in pantry/storage closet and our kitchen and have purged about 6 bags of trash and a van full of Goodwill items. It feels AMAZING and the stress of not having all that stuff around that we never touched and was just taking up space is awesome!

If you do see yourself as a minimalist I'd love to see pictures of your space and how it's reflected in your daycare setup.

[laundrymom]

My personal things are minimalistic. But work is work. It just happens to be in my home. Our personal clutter reduces every day. I feel more streamlined with less.

[Solandia]

I wouldn't consider myself a hard core minimalist, but I do hate clutter.

For the daycare area, I do not have big space hogging toys (no big play kitchen, tents or tunnels). No kiddie tables/chairs they tend to be more of a hazard than useful...we have plenty of space to setup our train set and more elaborate pretend play things.

I only keep out enough toys that can be picked up in 5 minutes. The kids play MUCH better and happier with fewer things to overwhelm. I have plenty of toys, they are stored & rotated...a few basics kept out all the time.

In the kitchen---I have one set of dishes, one cup or bottle, and set of flatware for each child. Everything gets washed & dried immediately after use. THAT is nice...not to have 20 cups to store, because they piled up in the sink or dishwasher.

[melskids]

This was my New Years resolution this year. I'm looking foward to reading the responses!

My BIL is from Thailand, and he is Buddist. I know with his beliefs, They don't allow anything in to their "space" that doesnt serve a true "purpose".

I'm starting with that mindset....and going through one room at a time.

[Zoe]

I've never considered myself a "minimalist" but it does sound like me. We used to live in a very small two bedroom townhouse with myself, DH, DS, and DD along with 2 dogs and a cat. We couldn't have much in the house so I would be getting rid of everything all the time so we wouldn't be on an episode of Hoarders!

Now that we're in a 4 bedroom house complete with basement and 2 car garage, it looks like all my purging paid off. It's very neat and NO clutter whatsoever. DH can mess up the garage all he wants but in the house...no way. If it doesn't have a place, it's gone.

You could say the same for my daycare area, but I do have more toys in the closed off deck that is the daycare storage room so that I can rotate toys around so the kids don't get bored with the ones that are out.

I just don't see the point in bulk. It looks terrible. JMHO.

[SilverSabre25]

This was my New Years resolution this year. I'm looking foward to reading the responses!

My BIL is from Thailand, and he is Buddist. I know with his beliefs, They don't allow anything in to their "space" that doesnt serve a true "purpose".

I'm starting with that mindset....and going through one room at a time.

My personal things are minimalistic. But work is work. It just happens to be in my home. Our personal clutter reduces every day. I feel more streamlined with less.

YES lovethislovethis

Working on it, though I didn't have a name for it before now

Some things, I will never get my husband to part with, some things I will never part with, but if I can reduce the clutter and "noise" (It is noise to me--visual noise) then those things that are left are things that I love, even if they are not minimal. And they do serve a purpose--happiness. Aesthetics, in some cases, but that happifying to me.

[Sunchimes]

I would love to be this way but I can't figure out what to do about sentiment and hobbies. I have a lot of hobbies. I don't have time for them at the moment, but when I do, I don't want to have to buy new supplies...those things are expensive. I'm also the family genealogist, so I have "custody" of so many things from the past. I love them, no one else really cares about them. My grandpa's WW I shaving kit isn't going anywhere. It just takes up space. I'm too sentimental I know. It's a failing because a huge part of me screams "less, less". My Word of the Year for 2012 is Release. Losing 20 pounds would have been so much easier for a resolution.

[Heidi]

My first husbands grandma and granpa traveled alot, and had many, many treasures in their home that they had collected. Everything from and African mask (as far as I know, they never traveled to Africa) to those little bells and thimbles you get at tourist places. Some of these things were truly valuable, and some only valuable to them because of the memories (so what if they got the mask in Omaha, they remembered that trip to Omaha because of it).

When they died, everything got piled up on the front lawn for auction.

I TRY to remember that every time I go shopping. We have an adorable (fairly small) log home. It is fun to decorate, and there are SO many cute things out there, but eventually, it will all end up on the front lawn, 'cause nobody will want the cr**.

[laundrymom]

Ding ding ding!!!!!!!

My first husbands grandma and granpa traveled alot, and had many, many treasures in their home that they had collected. Everything from and African mask (as far as I know, they never traveled to Africa) to those little bells and thimbles you get at tourist places. Some of these things were truly valuable, and some only valuable to them because of the memories (so what if they got the mask in Omaha, they remembered that trip to Omaha because of it).

When they died, everything got piled up on the front lawn for auction.

I TRY to remember that every time I go shopping. We have an adorable (fairly small) log home. It is fun to decorate, and there are SO many cute things out there, but eventually, it will all end up on the front lawn, 'cause nobody will want the cr**.

[melskids]

My first husbands grandma and granpa traveled alot, and had many, many treasures in their home that they had collected. Everything from and African mask (as far as I know, they never traveled to Africa) to those little bells and thimbles you get at tourist places. Some of these things were truly valuable, and some only valuable to them because of the memories (so what if they got the mask in Omaha, they remembered that trip to Omaha because of it).

When they died, everything got piled up on the front lawn for auction.

I TRY to remember that every time I go shopping. We have an adorable (fairly small) log home. It is fun to decorate, and there are SO many cute things out there, but eventually, it will all end up on the front lawn, 'cause nobody will want the cr**.

I cried my eyes out the day we cleaned out my grandparents home. Even though none of us wanted the stuff, it was important to them, and watching it all get chucked in a dumpster was so sad. It was like we were throwing their lives away. But it was just TOO MUCH for any of us to take on. (15 years worth of readers digest's just didnt do it for me)

We did all pick out a few things that MEANT something, but other then that, it was all chucked. It was ALOT of work, and I'm trying to keep that in mind as well.

I really am 1 stack of papers away from an episode of hoarders ....and I dont want to stick anyone with that mess.

[sharlan]

We went from a 1k sq ft home to a 4k sq ft home. We unfortunately went from 1k sq ft of junk to 10ksq ft of junk.

I've been working on "decluttering" for the past two weekends. We started with the garage and unloaded a whole dumpster full of trash/junk. Usable things went to Goodwill. E-waste went to the recycler.

Last weekend I hit the kitchen (every single cabinet and drawer), butler's pantry, pantry, broom closet, and upstairs linen closet. We filled another dumpster load and sent 4 loads of usable junk to a friend who's daughter is having a Goodwill pickup for her cheerleading team.

Next weekend will be the playroom and backyard.

(My niece is an honest to goodness hoarder. I am making her clear out her junk, too. It's been really hard for her, but she is trying.)

[Blackcat31]

We went from a 1k sq ft home to a 4k sq ft home. We unfortunately went from 1k sq ft of junk to 10ksq ft of junk.

"A house is just a place to keep crap while you are out buying more crap".
~ George Carlin

[sharlan]

Smart man.

We moved my fil into a home just about the time we moved here. All of his stuff ended up here. Both of my brothers died shortly after my fil, a lot of their things ended up here. It was hard, but I managed to let go of a lot of things.

[iheartkids]

I would be so much happier if I can let go of the big daycare crap like baby swings, bouncy seats, exercauser, bassinets, etc. What do you do with that stuff? I don't have a baby right now but what if in the future I do get one?

Plus I am a "keepsaker". I have soooo many boxes of keepsakes from my childhood, my husbands childhood, my children's stuff, my deceased mother's stuff. That is the majority of my storage room! My husband's grandparents have a minimalist lifestyle. Their house is so open and clean and their basement so open and bare. BUT she is always pulling stuff out (keepsake stuff) to show my kids from their lives, my husband's childhood, from cousins. And she still has quite a bit of toys that they all played with when they were young. I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE SHE HIDES THIS STUFF!

I want to be more like her.... haha!

[Sunchimes]

Closets, the secret must be closets. I live in a 130+ year old house. They didn't build closets back then. I have enough floor space, but there is a new closet in the bedroom (my husband uses it), a teensy triangular one in the office (mine), and another completely useless triangular one in the kitchen. That's it. Everything is in the open or in the attic. (I swear I keep my youthful figure from climbing up the attic stairs every time I need a platter or a serving bowl.) I believe that if I had normal closets, I could have a neat and tidy house.