They call themselves The Minimalists.
Its a nice, simple name.
They had luxury cars, big houses, designer clothes.
Joshua Fields Milburn, left, and Ryan Nicodemus reach 20 million through their website, books, podcast, and documentary with tips on how to live well with less. Photo by Joshua Weaver
And they were miserable.
Stressed, depressed andin debt.
So they quit their jobs and sold or donated most of their stuff.
They embraced a minimalist lifestyle, preaching the benefits of living simple, meaningful lives with less.
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Theyve writtenthree books, launched awebsiteand produced adocumentary.
Theyre probably best-known for their chart-toppingpodcast.
All in all, theyve built an audience of some 20 million people.
Heres what happened when The Penny Hoarder talked with Milburn, 36, about whats really important in life.
The Penny Hoarder: Lets start with the basics.
TPH: Tell us more about how you got started down this path.
JFM:When I was 28, I was living the American dream.
I had a six-figure salary and a big suburban house with more toilets than people.
Then in the same month, my marriage ended and my mom died.
I had to deal with all her stuff.
(It was 65 years worth of stuff.
At first Milburn was going to box it all up and put it in storage, probably forever.
Then he realized his memories of his mother werent in her stuff.
He photographed the things that mattered to him, then got rid of everything.
That got him started doing the same in his own life.)
I might have been living the American Dream, but it wasnt my dream.
Maybe what I thought I wanted actually wasnt what I wanted at all.
Over eight months, I got rid of 90% of my material possessions.
I felt freer and happier and lighter.
Now every possession serves a purpose.
TPH: Thats going to sound extreme to some people.
Whats a simple first step that someone could try out?
JFM:Ryan and I arent trying to proselytize.
Were just sharing a recipe thats worked for us.
Minimalism is a tool that has allowed me to live more deliberately.
Get rid of the stuff you dont like very much or that youre holding onto just in case.
But its more than just decluttering.
First, ask yourself: How might your life be better with less?
The answer is different for everyone.
How might my life be better with less?
Maybe Ill be able to regain control of my finances.
Maybe Ill focus more on my health.
Maybe my relationships will improve.
Maybe Ill reclaim my time and my creativity, and work on that passion project.
Or maybe Ill just have a cleaner house.
TPH: People sometimes latch onto an idea like this, but then fail to follow through.
How do you suggest they keep it up?
The more you do, the better you feel.
For me, getting rid of a few shirts led to half a closet.
A few DVDs led togetting rid of my entire library.
But all the clothes I have now are my favorite clothes.
And its not like I got rid ofeverything.
The average American household has more than 300,000 items in it.
But for me, every possession serves a purpose or brings me joy.
High-Tech Help Getting Started
So, how do you get started getting rid of your old stuff?
Once upon a time, your best bet would have been to have a garage sale.
Nowadays, apps make it easy to sell your stuff.
You scan your media with your phone, and Decluttr sends you a free shipping label.
Another simple app isLetgo, which lets you sell just about anything.
Just snap a photo of your item, and set up a listing in about 30 seconds.
Someone will probably pay you for them!
As for The Minimalists, theres one more cool thing wed like to mention.
Take the challenge with a friend, relative or roommate.
And so forth and so on.
Donate, throw away orsell your electronics, clothes, furniture, knickknacks, decorations, etc.
They need to be gone by midnight.
Its easy at first.
After a couple of weeks, it starts getting harder.
But if you both make it to 30 days, everybody wins.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
This is the first of two posts about The Minimalists, with the second part coming soon.
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