The cult of minimalism
Don't declutter the people
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The housewife has to be an expert at having a Reasonably Clean, Neat, and Tidy House (as I like to call it) and not make an obsession of ridding her environment of every extraneous object.
I like to call the reasonable, realistic view “Curated Abundance,” and every family has its own levels and needs. Some are going to be leaning more towards having a lot of things, some towards less.
I endorse that variation and preference and strive to offer thoughts on keeping it all organized and under control.
I have a warning, though: the notion that a busy family won’t have what will always seem like some or a lot of “unnecessary” things can be dangerous.
Creativity, hospitality, and resourcefulness, especially on the budget that comes with living on one income, depend on having materials to work with. The nature of materials is for them to tend to be a bit messy and not immediately useful, as is the nature of children! The housewife’s job is to exercise prudence and the above-mentioned curation.
Beware of the thought-stopping phrases that amount to something adjacent to cult-like behavior. You’ll know them when you have heard them often enough.
Taking what can certainly be a problem — clutter and unmanageable, excessive belongings — to an extreme desire to pare everything down to its absolute rock-bottom state can lead to unintended but devastating consequences to actual well being: deciding not to make hospitality a priority, deciding not to give your children more siblings, or deciding not to stay married.
Just know that excessive attention to minimalizing your life can lead to viewing other people, including friends, children, and husband, as, well… so much clutter to be purged.
Excessive clutter can be detrimental to one’s mental health; devotion to minimalism can have the same effect. But there are no Clutter Gurus on the internet.
The prudent housewife exercises the virtue of temperance.
Tasha Tudor
As with everything here at the SFH, the best thing is for you to take my ideas, which come from my experience of escaping feminism to enjoy the gift of 45 years of marriage, seven children, and more than a score of grandchildren, and apply them to your situation with discernment, prudence, and confidence — and a sense of humor!
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For the longer version:
My book on how to live with the Liturgical Year: The Little Oratory
Another wise post. I have been suspicious of minimalism for a long time. It's far too close to "you'll own nothing and be happy" for my comfort. I think it is one more way the elites try to disconnect us from tradition and inheritance.
I have run up against a wall on this numerous times. I live in a house imagined for 4-5 people max, and we have 11 living here currently. We make it work but I'm always drawn to the idea of minimalism in theory because there is a lot to "curate", and I get overwhelmed. However, I find this minimalism thing to be on the same level as Dave Ramsey money strategy (which I am not against, btw), because it works best with less people!