7 Minimalist Family Blogs That Are Living Clutter-Free and Happy With Kids
Do you fantasise about living in a minimalist family home everytime you look around your cluttered livingroom?
Who are you kidding? That’s never going to happen, right?
Not so fast. Minimalism with kids isn’t just some pie in the sky dream. It can be your reality.
Not convinced? Take a look at these minimalist family blogs and see for yourself.
And no, they’re not all barefoot, dreadlocked and tie-dyed.
These are regular people with regular lives who’ve decided to cut down on the amount of stuff they own and focus on living intentionally instead.
While not quite as commonplace as their child-free counterparts, embracing minimalism as a family is definitely becoming more mainstream.
And with good reason.
If you live in North America, there’s a good chance you own too much stuff. If you have children, that number just shot up even further.
These clutter stats prove just how crazy Americans are about buying for the sake of buying. To be fair, Westerners in general consume too much.
- There are 300,000 items in the average American home. [LA Times]
- 3.1% of the world’s children live in America, but they own 40% of the toys consumed globally. [UCLA]
- Shopping malls outnumber high schools. And 93% of teenage girls rank shopping as their favorite pastime. [Affluenza]
Minimalism With a Family (No, Really)
Maybe you’ve heard about minimalism but always assumed the minimalist lifestyle was just for hipsters, hippies and couples with too many cats. After all, how can you possibly live with less when you have kids?
I mean, they’re like little clutter magnets aren’t they? Sort of. You see, children themselves aren’t the problem. It’s the well-intentioned adults who ply them with stuff from day one.
We’re conditioned to show our love for someone by getting them gifts. Plus, we’re bombarded with adverts insisting that we buy our kids whatever they’re selling or risk being labelled a terrible person.
As a result, our offpsring are already drowning in clutter by the time they arrive. A couple of years down the line and even Marie Kondo is at a loss.
Children need minimalism just as much as we do. They might not be able to articulate it, but having so much stuff is overwhelming for them, too.
Speak to any minimalist parent and they’ll tell you the same thing. Their kids are happier with fewer belongings. They’ve seen firsthand the benefits being a minimalist family has had on their lives.
Take a look at the blogs below to see how to go about getting rid of the extraneous to create a family home they’re happy to live in.
If none of them resonate or if you find yourself in need of additional inspiration, search for ‘minimalism with a family’ and see what else Google has to offer on the subject.
Minimalist Parenting Blogs Doing It for Themselves
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the clutter in your house —especially the kid clutter— grab a coffee or some wine (nobody’s judging) and keep reading. It’s time to reclaim your sanity.
These minimalist families will show you that having children doesn’t have to result in a clutter ‘splosion. And if your house already looks like Amazon and Walmart had triplets, don’t worry. It can be remedied.
Trust me on this, it can be remedied.
1. The Minimalist Mom
Photo Credit: The Minimalist Mom
Rachel aka The Minimalist Mom advocates a rich life with less stuff. Her journey into the joys of living with less kicked off in the fall of 2010. As a stressed out new mom, Rachel was fed up with her family’s constant accumulation of stuff.
She embarked on a decluttering spree to find a little peace and space, selling as much as she could to tame the mountain of debt she and her husband had racked up over the years.
Fast-forward to today, Rachel has added a few more kids to the equation, moved houses a couple of times and finally taken that leap of faith and left the city for a slower life in the country.
The one thing that hasn’t changed is that she still loves sharing the power of minimalist family living along with the joy to be found in wanting and owning less.
Rachel has written three books:
Check out these articles on her blog:
Note: Rachel hasn’t posted anything new since February 2020. Her minimalist parenting blog archives are packed with goodness though, so be sure to check them out.
2. Slow Your Home
Photo Credit: Slow Your Home / Julie Williams Photography
After being diagnosed with severe post natal depression in 2011, Brooke embarked on a one-woman mission to cut out the excess in her life and reconnect with what was really important.
She learnt about minimalism and simplicity, immersed herself in the slow living philosophy and discovered the benefits of living with less. Over the course of two years Brooke has decluttered more than 25,000 items, created a slow home and rediscovered her health.
Brooke’s mission with Slow Your Home is to help people understand more about simple living. She also hosts The Slow Home Podcast to help spread the idea of a slower pace of life to an even wider audience. Brooke lives in Australia with her husband and two kids.
Brooke has written two books:
Check out these articles on her blog:
3. Raising Simple
Photo Credit: Raising Simple
Becoming a mother drove Zoë to become more minimalist. In 2010 she and her husband moved from Hawaii to Florida with their two children. The move prompted her to quit ‘the busy life.’
Zoë decided she’d had enough of caring for and maintaining things in her life that were defeating her passion for living an intentional life. Over the last seven years her minimalist family has significantly reduced their possessions, keeping only what they feel adds value to the season they’re in.
As a mom of four kids, Zoë knows how complicated and cluttered life can be. She says we all want to feel connected and live a meaningful life. Raising Simple shows you how living simpler is better, inside and out.
Zoë has written one book:
Check out these articles on her blog:
4. Simplify & Pursue
Photo Credit: Simplify & Pursue
Robin is married with two kids, but she didn’t let that stop her from declaring herself a minimalist. Now firmly entrenched in the less is more lifestyle, Robin believes that by reducing our possessions and decluttering our schedules, we give ourselves the freedom to invest in deeper relationships, follow our dreams or give more time to our passions.
Robin hasn’t written any books yet, but her weekly newsletter promises tips and inspiration to help you simplify your life and pursue what matters most. She’s also available for speaking engagements and declutter consultations.
Check out these articles on her blog:
Note: Robin hasn’t posted anything new since mid-2019, but there’s still a ton of goodness on the blog for minimalist family aspirants.
5. Shannon Torrens
Shannon lives with her husband Grant and their two boys, Emmett and Calvin, in California. For this happy family, striving to live a simple life is definitely the key.
With a longterm goal to downsize their stuff and enjoy more experiences, Shannon is currently on a mission to declutter both home and life.
She documents her minimalist family journey on her YouTube channel. You can also find plenty of decluttering and simple living inspiration on her minimalist parenting blog Shannon Torrens.
Shannon has written one book:
Check out these articles on her blog:
6. A to Zen Life
A few years ago, Marissa was a self-confessed hoarder. Along with a whopping $25,000 in debt, she also had a large pile of clutter from lost loved ones.
Fast forward to today and Marissa has a beautiful (uncluttered) home in Europe, a happy family and no debt whatsoever. She says minimalism changed her life and makes the bold claim that it can change yours too.
I totally agree with that, btw.
Marissa’s start here page is a great jumping off point into the content on her blog and her YouTube channel is full of fun videos that are equal part helpful and entertaining. Make yourself a cup of coffee or pour another glass of wine (we’re still not judging) and go hang out there for a while.
Check out these articles on her blog:
- 10 Minimalism with Kids Tips That Can Save Your Motherhood
- 50+ Ways to Get Rid of Stuff After Decluttering
7. Making Life Simple
Erica Love calls herself minimalish. In case you’re wondering, that’s somewhere between maximalist and minimalist. Erica says minimalish is cozy, comfy and isn’t dictated by a number.
Rather than a race to zero, Erica views minimalism as a way to explore what is simple, healthy and essential in her life. Using a ‘grow with me’ approach, she inspires people to make positive changes along with her.
Whether you want to be more productive, get organised, live with less stuff or simply sleep better, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for on Erica’s YouTube channel.
Bring snacks, ‘cos you’ll be there for a while.
She also shares her wisdom on Instagram, Facebook and through her weekly emails. If you need support decluttering, join Erica’s free Facebook group, Decluttering One Day at a Time.
Check out these articles on her blog:
Note: While Erica does have some content on her blog, the bulk of what she shares can be found on her YouTube channel. Don’t forget snacks!
I’m not the only one who believes snacks should be a food group, right?
Ready to Give Minimalist Family Living a Try?
As Joshua Becker highlights in the video above, embracing family minimalism is super beneficial for kids. Children learn by example. Show them from the get-go how to value experiences over stuff.
Joshua has written a few books on minimalism that you may find helpful on your journey towards a happer life with less stuff. His 12-week Uncluttered course (which runs a couple of times a year) is also worth checking out.
They may not always see it as a positive in the moment (especially when their friend has the latest [whatever] and they don’t), but in the long run they’ll appreciate the fact that you opted instead to spend time with them.
Consider gifting your kids an experience rather than the latest toy or gadget. The latter is by far the easier, but it doesn’t make for good memories. And if there are grandparents, aunts, uncles and other doting adults in the mix, ask them to do the same.
A camping trip, for example, has all the necessary ingredients for creating lasting memories. If you hate the idea of sleeping in a tent, you could go to the theatre, spend the day at the skate park or explore the city on a red bus.
It’s really up to you and your kid (and your budget, of course).
There you have it. A blog post full of declutter inspiration to get you started. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up joining the ranks of minimalist family blogs and motivating others on their journey.
Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels
