How I live: My 115 things

This post is part of a larger attempt to share my personal “systems” that help me organize my life. By sharing my system, I hope to get feedback and inspire others to share as well.

Minimalism: Living with Nothing

I started becoming a minimalist two years ago, inspired by sites like The Minimalists and Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I quickly got addicted to reducing my possessions, and found more and more ways to declutter. I now have only 115 items! There are three main reasons I’m a minimalist fanboy:

• Reduced cognitive overload — I don’t have messes anymore and I rarely worry about losing items.
• Focusing on experience-based happiness as opposed to material-based happiness. I seldom found long-term joy in the physical items I purchased for myself.
• Being a minimalist has allowed me much more financial freedom, for example, freeing up the money I would have spent on a new bed frame so that I can invest the money.

I’ve outlined exactly the 115 items that I own now, although I’m still working on decreasing this number. I hope this inspires others to share their material systems, and I want to highlight some key multi-purpose items that allow my list to be so short.

My three favorite minimalist items

These items are great because they’re multi-purpose, compact, and very cheap, so I don’t worry about damaging or losing them.

Radix One Slim Wallet (Amazon Link)

Curious what’s inside my wallet? Check out my financial break-down article.

Foldable Storage Ottoman (Amazon Link)

Swiss Army Pocket Knife (Amazon Link)

My full 115 items

Methodology: This list is a list of items that I would take with me if I were moving. It does NOT include shared items (e.g. common room couch) and it counts pairs of items as one (e.g. a pair of socks). Otherwise, I generally try to count items as separate unless they’re clearly in a “bundle” (I’ve labeled these items with “[bundle]” to clarify I’m counting them as one item).

Clothing (60)

Note: not all clothing pictured

• 2 Eyeglasses (one backup)
• Eyeglasses Case
• 10 Pairs of Socks (including Darn Tough Socks and Feetures! Running Socks)
• 14 Pairs of Underwear (Target)
• 10 T-shirts
• 4 Casual Button-down Shirts
• 2 Dress Shirts
• 2 Jeans
• 2 Belts
• Slacks
• Tie
• Khaki Shorts
• Board Shorts (multi-use as exercise shorts)
• Pajama Pants
• Nike Pegasus 32 Running Shoes
• Dress Shoes
• Collegiate Jacket
• Thick Winter Jacket
• Snow Jacket
• Light black hoodie
• Atif Ateeq’s “Haram” Hat
• Baseball Cap

Toiletries (17)

• Generic Soft-Brush Toothbrush
• Generic Toothpaste
• Hair Comb
• Floss
• Bath Towel
• Body Wash
• Pantene Two in One Shampoo+Conditioner
• Medicine [bundle]
• Toiletries Bag
• Hand Towel
• Dove Men + Care Deodorant
• EltaMD Sunscreen
• Beard Trimmer
• Beard Trimmer Charger
• Lubriderm Men’s 3-In-1 Body Lotion
• Retainers
• Retainers Case

On-the-go (7)

• Osprey Packs Quasar Daypack (great for running with)
• Radix One Slim Wallet [bundle, including 5 cards]
• House Key
• U.S. Passport
• Sleeping Bag
• Sleeping Bag Case
• Tote Bags [bundle]

Electronics (11)

• Extension Cord
• Android Nexus 6P Smartphone
• Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display
• Apple MacBook Charger
• Bose QC 20 noise cancelling headphones
• Spare Earphones [bundle]
• Spare Chargers [bundle]
• WD 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
• Headphone Splitter
• Xiaomi Portable Battery Charger
• Travel Power Adapter

Furniture (13)

• Twin-XL Mattress
• Allergy Mattress Cover (to put the mattress directly on the floor)
• Gray Fitted Sheet
• Gray Bed Sheet
• Navy Comforter
• Pillow
• Pillow Cover
• Masai Mara Blanket (from my travels in Kenya)
• Two Foldable Storage Ottomans (~$20 on Amazon)
• EMOOR Japanese Traditional Futon Mattress, Twin (can be made into a couch on the floor, or can be slept in as an extra bed)
• EMOOR Japanese Traditional Futon Gray Cover
• IKEA Laundry Basket

Miscellaneous (7)

• Swiss Army Pocket Knife
• Post-IT Notes [bundle]
• Empty Soylent Box (for storage)
• Hard-bound MoleSkine Notebook
• Yoga Mat
• BUFF Multifunctional Headwear
• Pens [bundle]

Not included in this list

• Shared Kitchenware (borrowed from roommates)
• Shared Furniture (borrowed from roommates)
• Consumable Items (I cycle through these on a biweekly basis)
• Books (I’ll donate them when I move, and I mostly use e-books — if you’re curious for more, here’s a post about my reading organization system)

If you found this interesting, you can follow me on Twitter at @stervyc. Check out some of my other articles below:

• The Practical Minimalist Gift Guide
• My Entire Financial System in One Diagram
• What Other Minimalists Like Me Own