Some of My Favorite Resources on Living Simply & Minimalism -

I first encountered the idea of minimalism back in 2013, and it has held me riveted ever since. I first got into the idea while I was in the throes of doing my 50 Weeks to Organized Project and was looking for inspiration to keep on going. Since then, what had simply been a way of helping me get rid of a bunch of clutter has turned into a complete paradigm shift that influences many of my decisions.

There are many different definitions of minimalism, but to me, it means cutting out all the unnecessary in order to give full attention to the most important. For me, it started out with massively paring down our possessions (which I’m in the process of doing again now that we have a baby in the mix and way more stuff than I’d like) and has led to me intentionally carving out more time to pursue my interests, cutting back on unnecessary spending, and pursuing experiences and learning rather than “stuff.”

A few years back, there were only a few places to really glean inspiration, but nowadays, the idea of minimalism and simple living is having a major moment.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Note: There are some affiliate links below, which means I may get a small commission on any purchases made, at no extra cost to you.

Websites + YouTube Channels

Becoming Minimalist
- This is the one that started it all for me. In it, you’ll find pages upon pages of resources and inspiration and real-life examples of people letting go of the excess in order to embrace more fully the most important.
The Minimal Mom
- I owe so much to this YouTube channel, which made me completely approach decluttering, simplification, and minimalism in a fresh, totally do-able way. Absolutely worth your time!
Life at Cobble Hill Farm
- I dream of owning a small homestead someday. This blog talks about how one couple did it by downsizing, getting out of debt, being frugal, etc. She also has a lot of posts on meal planning, eating plant-based, and saving money.
Frugalwoods
- This blog is incredibly inspiring—a married couple, tired of living for the weekend, decided to sock away an insane amount of their paychecks every year (like, over 70%) and retire early to a 66-acre homestead in Vermont (in their early thirties, no less!). I love that this blog is equal parts financial tips (which my frugal self loves) and practical advice on how to minimize and live as simply as possible. She also ended up writing a book, which can be found here.
Coffee with Kate
- This YouTube channel is unlike pretty much any other YouTube channel I’ve ever watched. It’s not polished, it’s just this woman chatting with the camera and showing random snippets from their humble life, but I still find it so refreshing. I don’t subscribe to everything she says, but I really appreciate her focus on finding contentment where you are, living frugally and humbly, and loving it.

Books

Walden by Henry David Thoreau
- Pursuing the simple life is not a new idea; it’s not a new idea now, nor was it a new idea in Thoreau’s time. But Thoreau was perhaps one of the first to document his journey about his pursuit of simplicity. See more of my thoughts on Walden here and here.
Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White
- This book (along with her first book, How to Manage Your Home Without Losing your Mind) have hands down been some of the best and most practical books for me when it came to drastically paring down our stuff and simplifying our home. I find that Dana’s mind works a lot like my mind (aka, neither of us were naturally tidy, organized people), and that her strategies were much more realistic for me than anyone else’s that I’ve come across. High recommend.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
- This book has been everywhere, and for good reason–this little volume is equal parts philosophy and practical to-do, and it will change the way you think of “tidying” your house forever. I only wish this would have been around when I was in the middle of the 50 Weeks to Organized project. (Read my more full review on the book here.)
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- This has been one of the most influential nonfiction books I’ve read in the past five years. Actually, it’s perhaps one of the most influential books I’ve EVER read because it has permanently shifted how I feel about splitting my focus among multiple projects. Seriously, this book is gold, and while its concepts can be applied to a wide variety of life areas (work, hobbies, family life, etc.), it definitely helped to give me the motivation to keep pursuing the examined, simplified life.
The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
- If you’re looking for a more practical, room-by-room guide to minimizing your stuff, this is a great resource to start with. (Related Post: 15 Books that Will Help You Get Your House in Order.)

Posts

I’ve done several posts myself on what simple living and minimalism mean for me. Here are a few of my favorites:

The 50 Weeks to Organized Project
- I spent a full year going through our entire apartment room by room, section by section. I handled everything we owned, and I got rid of at least half of it. This is where you can check out the full week-by-week breakdown.
The 1,001 Decluttering Challenge
- Years after my 50 Weeks to Organized project, I realized that my house, once again, had gotten out of control. So I set a goal to get rid of 1,001 things and blog about it.
The Bare Necessities
- A post on how living with a chronic condition has taught me to only do what is absolutely essential and not worry about the rest. I did a similar post while pregnant here.
Life After My 50 Weeks to Organized Project {+ An Apartment Tour}
- A recap of what life has looked like for me after wrapping up the 50 WTO project and what I’ve actually carried over from the experience (and what things I’m still working on).
20 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Clean the House
- Since I have a terrible time working up the motivation and energy to clean (since I hate it so much), I came up with a list of 20 tricks I use to get myself going on tidying when it’s the last thing I feel like doing. (Related Post: My Absolute Minimum Daily Chore List)
One Truth About Simplifying
- A post about an important realization I had while going through each item in our home and asking myself if I really wanted to hang onto it or not.
Thoughts on Minimalism
- Here’s where I put my thoughts down for the very first time on the whole concept of minimalism and what it was starting to mean for me in my own life. It’s interesting for me to look back and and see how much my ideas have evolved and been added upon since then.
How I Taught Myself to Be Tidy (in 3 Steps!)
- While on the surface, this just seems to be a post about housework and staying organized, it’s actually a series of hard-won lessons that took me YEARS to figure out (a feat I was only able to do after I discovered the idea of minimalism and simple living).
Thoughts on Simplifying and Taking Back Control of My Life
- This post marked a gigantic shift in my life, both on the blog and with my personal life in general. This is where I took the idea of minimalism one step further, evolving it from where it had been before about my possessions to where it is now, which is the pursuit of what is the most important.
Simple Living is More Than a Clean Closet
- It’s easy to think that the term “simple living” just has to do with decluttering your stuff and your schedule. But to be fulfilling, it has to be about so much more.