Do I have to give up hobbies to have a clean house?

The following comment was on my YouTube channel:

Sandy is not alone in this.

I’ve fallen into the same trap: 

If I enjoy this so much, more would be better, right?! 

It is that way with anything we enjoy–gardening, quilting, makeup, clothes, cooking, camping.

We can always add items to our collection of supplies that appeal to us.

In Sandy’s case, at least she’s selling them!

But often, we collect so many hobby supplies that it becomes overwhelming, and this lovely thing we once enjoyed becomes an overwhelming burden. And we think – I’ve spent good money on this, I should be using it!

Hobbies are GOOD things. It’s so important to do things that we enjoy. So how do we balance the needed supplies and keep them contained enough so that it doesn’t become overwhelming?

First, I’d like to share how I manage my interests, and then I’ll talk about what I think Sandy should do.

It’s easy to get passionate about hobbies and activities.

I love to cook. But if the kitchen is stuffed full of equipment, I don’t want the hassle of rearranging the cupboards every time I cook dinner. If that’s the case, I am more likely to make boxed macaroni and cheese so that I don’t have to spend time pulling things out and putting them away again. I hate shuffling stuff around.

I simplified the kitchen and kept only the essential items I used regularly. That means I got rid of the crockpot, the bread machine, food dehydrator, deep fryer, specialty cake pans, and an insane amount of “handy” kitchen utensils.

And then what came out? The instant pot. Oh, the things it could do!!

Every couple of years, a new kitchen gadget becomes popular–George Forman Grills, Bread Machines, Rice Cookers, Instant Pot, Air Fryers, a steaming toaster oven. They are very enticing and often take up a ridiculous amount of space in our kitchens.

Stop shopping and start spending time on things you love.

When I want time alone, I’ve learned not to do that by aimless shopping.

I have learned that if I walk through Target once a week, look at magazines or watch home makeover shows on TV, or even just scroll Instagram, I’m discontent.

What might seem like harmless window shopping is actually creating a sense of deprivation, rather than contentment.

I enjoy cooking now.

If, instead of window shopping, I spend time making sourdough bread and creating a new soup recipe, using fresh herbs from my garden, I am very content.

It takes an intentional shift from allowing things to come at me to slowing down and enjoying the process. To learn the skill of dicing vegetables with a chef knife instead of trying to find “an easier way” to do it.

I enjoy cooking now.

I do let myself buy things in the kitchen–last week, I purchased new spices to experiment with.

But if I want something bigger that will take up counter or cupboard space, I make sure I take a lot of time evaluating if it would help me enough that it would be beneficial in my life or not.

I love clear counters.

Minimalism keeps my counters CLEAR, which means I can actually USE them whenever I want! Rather than shifting things around for ten minutes first just to make surface area.

So something that’s going to clunk up my space better darn well make my life easier! Shopping as a hobby would disrupt not only my cooking hobby, but also the peace I feel when I walk into my kitchen.

It gets easier to say no.

I’m ten years into minimalism. In the beginning, it was more like two steps forward, and one step back. I still brought things home from time to time, only to declutter them later. And now it’s not so tempting to want those large gadgets.

Then I have hobbies like painting.

As artists, we can see the possibility in so many things. And it’s easy to collect supplies.

I have learned to narrow my supplies down to only the media I absolutely enjoy.

I have learned that I enjoy two types–acrylic and watercolor.

Watercolor is challenging for me, so I have limited what I have to basic supplies–paints, sketchbook, and brushes. I avoid looking at more paint colors because I’ve given myself the goal of using only what I have and learning to do it; just like learning the skill of using a chef’s knife in the kitchen, I am learning the skill of watercolor.

We don’t need 10 different chefs knives to learn to use them, and with watercolor, we don’t need a huge variety of supplies either-a few basic good, quality supplies is what I’m focused on-because I’m focused on learning the skill, not having the newest and the best supplies.

For acrylic painting, I have more supplies. Canvases, brushes, paints. Because I’m better with acrylic painting, I actually utilize these materials.

To control the amount of paint I let into my house, I use the Container Method. If the container is full, I don’t allow myself to purchase new paints.

I have a similar method for canvases–if the shelf is full, I don’t allow myself to purchase more.

We are more creative with limitations.

If I have 100 different colors of paint, it’s harder to choose which colors to use. If I only have ten colors to work with, I am so much happier with the result. There is such a thing as choice overload.

Although it’s challenging, try to shift your thinking from: “More is better, and I can be better with more equipment,” to making do with what you have and focusing on enjoying the process. Refine one skill at a time.

Okay, that’s a more typical hobby.

What about Sandy?

The inventory situation.

Since Sandy really doesn’t have the option to limit her supplies, as she must keep inventory, we have to look at other solutions.

I would use the container method–if you don’t have room in the container, don’t allow yourself to purchase any more until there is room.

Separate storage.

Ideally, I would have a room that is dedicated to storing these collectibles. That could be a spare room, a closet, a garage, or even a storage unit. That way, there is some separation between work and home.

If you cannot get a storage unit and currently don’t have space in your home, then consider decluttering the things in your home that are in excess so that you can make a designated space for the collectible items.

This might mean reducing your clothing, linens, towels, and seasonal decor for your personal space so you can combine them all into one closet, freeing up a closet to store collectibles.

Or it might mean clearing out all the furniture of the guest room so you can convert the guest room into storage for collectibles.

To make room for one passion often means cutting back in another category.

Questions to ask yourself to declutter hobbies:

• How often do I use this?
• Is this helping me live my life right now?
• What areas of my home are currently unused?
• How would I feel if I didn’t have _____ in my home/life?
• Is this really a passion anymore?

It can be hard to give up things, like a bed in the guest bedroom. The idea of “what if” comes up–what if my sister visits and needs a place to sleep?

But if you don’t want to rent a storage unit for a monthly fee, and instead decided to turn the guest bedroom into a storage space, it would be ok to put an air mattress in the living room or rent a hotel for her.

When we declutter, we need to focus on the benefits we’re giving ourselves. We’re not decluttering to make our life uncomfortable and have to “live without.” We’re decluttering to ensure we have space for what we truly enjoy.

And if that is switching out items in a booth at an antique store–think about how you can reduce things in your home so that living in your home and storing inventory can work together.

How do I declutter my hobby space?

If you’re ready to dive in and declutter a hobby area, I recommend this article about decluttering craft rooms.