Rich in What Matters - 75 Clutter-free, Minimalist Gift Ideas

Since embracing a minimalist lifestyle, our family's gift-giving tradition has become giving more experiences and less stuff.

It can take some outside-the-box thinking and increased intentionality to celebrate the holidays like a minimalist. But investing in minimalist, clutter-free gifts is worth it.

Here's why.

Chances are that whomever you are buying for already has a home filled with lots of wonderful things (the average American home has over 300,000 items in it).

Americans own twice as many things as we did 50 years ago. But even with more things, Americans do not report to be any happier. In fact, 54% of us now report feeling overwhelmed by clutter and 78% of us say we have no idea how to manage it.

While stuff can make us happy temporarily, research shows that experiences contribute to lasting happiness.

The work of researcher Thomas Gilovich at Cornell University has found that people tend to get less happier with material purchases over time, and more happy with experiences. People adapt to physical things, so even the nicest car or newest phone soon become commonplace, while memories tend to get fonder over time.

“Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” Gilovich explains. “You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences.”

If gifting experiences leads to increased happiness without contributing to America's clutter problem, then it's a win-win.

Here are 75 clutter-free, minimalist-approved gift ideas:

Read the full article here!

Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia also practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home. She resides with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, three-year-old son, and baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram.