The $15 / 15 Minute Approach

The Minimalists (Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus) came up with the 20/20 “rule”, which is an ideal way to approach whether or not you should keep as they note, the “just-in-case” items that we tend to keep around for that exact reason - just in case.

The idea is, if you can replace the item for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes, it’s gone. If you need it, like REALLY need it, you can replace it down the road, BUT the majority of those items, you won’t even miss.

I’ve adopted this rule, but changed it a bit to fit our family’s needs - the $15/15 minute approach. Consider the following -

🌟 How far away is the nearest store you could get essential items? (Ex. Grocery stores, Target and other stores are only about 5 minutes away)

🌟 How many unnecessary / “just-in-case” items do you really keep around your home? I have tried to declutter so ruthlessly that I have already gotten rid of a lot of these

🌟 Lots of tiny, many-piece kids toys and games are less than $15 - if you're trying to minimize the amount of small, cluttered toys around that your kids *might* play with, this is a great way to do it

🌟 If you’re planning on selling an item for less than $15, is it worth your time and energy to go thru all the steps? Over the past month I’ve sold a lot of items, but I have some remaining that I wouldn’t charge more than $15 for; I’ve decided these will be donated and my time is more valuable doing something else

Do you have any “rules” you follow around your home? My mom and I used to joke that we followed the rules unless it was a stupid rule and if it was, we wouldn’t bother. If you know me (or my mom), you know that we weren’t really rule breakers anyway!

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