My Minimalist Must Haves! (A few things that make life more enjoyable!)

One of the absolute worst gifts that you can get is when you have been decluttering and simplifying your house for a while and then you get something that feels like clutter, but not even that. You feel like you're expected to keep it and use it and display it. Now real quick, I want to acknowledge the other side of this coin because inside of our membership group we were doing a scavenger hunt this past month and each day there was an assignment for an item that you were supposed to declutter and get rid of. And so one of the days was to declutter a gift and there was a comment from one of our members that said, well, this is easy for me because I haven't gotten a gift in multiple years. And so I don't want this to sound like ungrateful buttheads when it comes to gifts, but there are three specific things I want to cover today. One, anytime we get a gift, myself or my kids, even though we call ourselves minimalist, I am grateful. It is a sign of love and care from someone else. Number two, if people are asking and if we can give really good gift ideas, it makes it a much more enjoyable exchange and process. And I have some really good ideas that I am excited to share with you today in all price points. And then number three, we actually shouldn't feel obligated to keep gifts, but easier said than done. It can be a little sticky and complicated, so we'll also talk through decluttering gifts and how to navigate that as well. Well, hi, I'm Dawn from The Minimal Mom. Usually I love to help you declutter stuff and simplify and get rid of stuff. I've called myself a minimalist for over 10 years now, and I know holidays like Mother's Day coming up can be a little tricky. But if we do have people in our lives that want input, that are asking for ideas, I think it is super helpful and beneficial if we have some ideas to send their way. Okay, so let's start in the kitchen because these are some of my most favorites. You have probably seen these or heard about these, the Ember mug. So it charges and then it keeps your coffee hot. So I have had this on my wishlist for multiple years. What I don't love about it is that it sits out on the counter because you have this little plate that is charging, and I'm like, I don't want things sitting out on my counter. So I resisted for the longest time until I had a friend get one, and they were like, oh my goodness, where has this been my whole life? This is the best thing ever. So I'm like, well, I have to try it and do research so then I know if I can recommend it to you. So those of us who live simply want clear counters, should we get one of these or not? This is life-changing. You know how when you take that first sip of coffee in the and then it just starts to cool off, right? And I'm not even one to reheat my coffee anymore because then I just forget it in the microwave. But this, it is like every sip you take for the next hour and a half is like the first sip because it's that hot. It doesn't just keep it warm like a tumbler might, no, it keeps it hot. Like the same temperature, not like right when you pour it in, but like a couple minutes later when it's just the right temperature to drink from. It is the most enjoyable experience. And you know, I'm all about enjoying the simple things in life, not needing a lot of stuff and extra things. And so to have a hot cup of coffee for over an hour in the morning, it makes my heart so happy. Now there's two different sizes. This is actually the larger size and it's not actually that large. So if you are going to get one or ask for one or treat yourself to one, get the larger size. And then I did find an open box one, so it was significantly cheaper. So you might want to look around for one of those as well. But this, this really surprised me and I love it so much more than I would have thought. But if I were going to only ask for one thing for Mother's Day or buy it for yourself, it would be a Skylight calendar. So today's video is sponsored by Skylight. We've had our Skylight calendar for over a month now, and I cannot believe how it has gotten everyone on the same page in our household. Skylight calendar is a smart touchscreen calendar that helps keep the whole family organized with schedules, chore charts, dinner planning, and customizable lists. I live and die by my Google calendar, but not everyone in our household is on Google calendars. But the Skylight calendar syncs with all of the types of calendars like Google, Apple, Cozy, Outlook, et cetera. And when you add an event on your existing calendar, it'll automatically appear on the Skylight calendar at home. And this, the built-in chore chart feature, I didn't think I would enjoy this so much. So now I tell the kids if they're like, can I go on screen? And I'm like, oh, did you finish your chores? And it's so easy for all of us to see if they did it. You can set them up on repeat, so I'm not constantly having to rewrite it out. So easy to set up and use. And with the Calendar Plus subscription, you can meal plan, import events, recipes, and more with Sidekick. You can give out rewards for chores, add photos to enjoy as screensavers, and so much more. And so I really do think it makes a great Mother's Day gift if you just need to bring some order and consistency to your household too. Get organized in 2025 with the Skylight calendar. Use my code minimalmom30 at the link in the description, or scan the QR code for $30 off your 15-inch calendar. So again, whether you want to ask for it for Mother's Day or gift it to yourself, I think it is an awesome investment. Another upgrade, if you don't want to go that far, these glass mugs I talk about, also a very enjoyable experience. And they're double-walled or something. They actually do keep your coffee warm fairly well, but I would say better than a regular coffee cup. And just a really enjoyable drinking experience as well. It's not quite as good as that, but much more economical and still really nice. And as long as we're talking about things to drink from, you know I talk about the Awala water bottles all the time. If you have not got one of these, it's time. So lots of colors and everything to choose from. Definitely would recommend this as well. Okay, I'm trying to... Let's go over here. I want to talk about this air fryer because then it ties into one of the other things. Okay, when we first got married, we got a toaster oven for a wedding gift and I loved it. It was so practical, especially when there was just two of us in the house and you didn't have to heat up the whole oven. But I hated it sitting out on the counter. Then came along the air fryer. Love the air fryer. That I was finally like, yes, you may live on my counter because you are so helpful and work so well. Now they combined the two. So this is the ninja flip. So not only is it... I sound like an infomercial now, right? Not only is it a toaster oven and an air fryer. You can roast veggies in it. You can make toast in it. You could get rid of your toaster, your air fryer, and your toaster oven, right? But it also flips up, so it doesn't take up as much counter space. Now, it is still something sitting out on your counter, so it still does take up space, but not as much space, especially if you have limited counter space. Game changer. What I love about it too is that it is the perfect size for frozen pizzas. So again, if you don't want to heat up the whole oven to make a frozen pizza, works great, cooks super evenly and faster than the oven. So this gets used every single day, gets used. And I just love that you can combine multiple appliances that normally sit on your counter into one. Now, along with that though, on the instructions for it, because you can roast veggies and stuff in it, and it said how to mitigate smoke, so how to make it not smoky, they actually say not to use olive oil. They said use canola, avocado, or grapeseed oil, refined coconut, vegetable oil, whatever. Now, again, simple pleasures. I'm sure you've gotten one of these by now, an oil sprayer for your veggies. If not, gift yourself one. They're not that expensive and they're so nice. But also, if you get this, you might need another one to put a different kind of oil in that gets used for the air fryer. So just another idea. Again, inexpensive, practical, and cute too, right? This one also comes with the labels that you can put on it, which reminds me of another favorite. If you have not decanted your spices, I would still do that again all day long. So I will link to the little containers and everything that we got. I love, I just love it. Now, I know not everybody is into decanting spices, but if you want to be a little bit fancy, that still makes my heart so happy to look back at doing that. All right. And then lastly, again, in the kitchen before we move on to some bathroom products and clothes and a I share these quite a bit, but again, they make maintaining my kitchen so enjoyable. So you have the baggie organizer, comes in bamboo or white. I've shown the water bottle racks, the little shelves for the pantry. This, I'm excited to put this into my parents' kitchen. Just the organizer that goes for pots and pans and lids. They have some, but they slide around. And it's just like, it's just a pain in the butt, right? And so to have something that's heavy, it's weighted, it won't slide around. Again, they're small upgrades that last a long time, right? So a great investment and just make our kitchens function better and easier to maintain. I'll link to all of my favorite organizing products in my Amazon store here, but also these bamboo dividers. So many favorites, the knife block for the drawer. So of course you can find links for all of those down below. I'm seriously going to sound like a commercial. We're going to go upstairs to the bathroom. I was just looking at the box again. Did you know that you can also bake, broil and dehydrate in it as well? Like what doesn't this do? I mean, just get rid of all of your kitchen appliances and just get one of these. Okay, some bathroom products that just make my heart so happy. I think what's happened since I've become a minimalist is that I have such a deep appreciation for products that are well designed and work well, but also don't break the bank. And so I really enjoy finding things that I love and want to use every single day. And I really feel like they add value and make my life better. So I might be overstating some of these, but that's how I feel. So this, let's see, I mean, well, let's do this first. I'm going to set it down. Okay. So this is a straightener that operates like a curling iron, but also blows air out. And I don't know why, but if you are one who likes to curl your hair with a straightener, this works so much better than any straightener, even the straighteners that are designed for curling. And here's why, I was helping Adeline with her hair. She's the one that told me about this. And I was like, why, why is this so enjoyable and it works well? And she's like, mom, because it works like a curling iron. It crimps like that. So you don't have to hold it clamped the whole time while you're curling. And also there is something about the air blowing through it. I felt like it gives my hair a lot more volume when I curl it with this, with a straight iron. And the reason a straightener usually works better for curling your hair and stays longer is because the plates are on both sides of the hair. And so that's why you usually get a better curl with a straightener over a curling iron. And that's why we tend to gravitate towards that, but it takes a little coordination and practice to get it. So that's why I feel like you get the best of both worlds with this. It operates like a straightener with plates on both sides, but works like a curling iron. So anyways, this was a little bit of an investment, but I would recommend it all day long. I also, I've shown the toiletry bag, but then I got the makeup bag to match. So I really like this toiletry bag. You have the double zipper over the middle, and then this opens. Really easy to reach in and get everything out. And then you have two really nice size pockets on the side. But this one actually has all kinds of organized storage and it's a nice material that can clean up easy. I know some have said recently, oh, you have a nice glow going on or whatever. And I don't even want to share the products I've been using because I think that the magic is just that I've been doing it consistently now and not like every three days like I used to in the past. So whatever skincare you have at home, I would say just use it and use it consistently and use it up. So I'm not going to recommend any brands, but I think it's more the, you know, we'll often say the magic is in the motion, not the potion. I think that has been the secret. So thank you for your kindness. But this makeup bag, really enjoy it because when you open it up, there's like a rigid piece in here. So when you unzip it, it sits open like that. It is so nice, so easy. And then it has like this pocket on the side where you can put your brushes in so that it's not getting like the whole inside dirty. And then a couple of pockets here. It works so well. I'll link to a few of my favorite makeup products too, but I never knew a makeup bag could bring me so much joy. And then I think if you follow Brittany Vassar on YouTube, I think she gives the best recommendations. I trust her recommendations. In fact, all four of these are from her. So if you're looking for a good affordable self tanner, this is definitely it. Also get a mitt or a brush to work it in with, and then you'll never have any streaks or anything like that. And it won't get all over your hands. This, talking about like being consistent with your skincare routine, sometimes we just need a little gimmick to make it more enjoyable. So she has recommended this so many times and I really enjoy using it. And so it's just like a little scrub brush for your face. But again, it just, it kind of almost feels like you're massaging your face at the same time. I don't know. It makes it so I enjoy washing my face more and therefore I'm more likely to do it. So this I've really enjoyed too. I've also shared these before. They're daily exfoliating polish pads. So after you wash your face, you can use one of these. I don't know what's in them, but if your skin runs dry at all, they are magical. I especially appreciate them in the winter, but they just leave your skin feeling glowy and healthy and hydrated. So I've, I've been using these for over a year, probably longer than that, and really like them. And then she also recently recommended this. I haven't tried it yet, full disclosure, but it's for removing calluses or rough spots on your feet. So again, if we're just trying to take a little better care of ourselves, take time for ourselves, doing some of these things at home, I just, I find them enjoyable now. Now my kids are older too, so I have a little more time for things like this. But if we're looking for Mother's Day birthday gifts, that kind of thing, or you just want to treat yourself, I think these are all great ideas. Okay, next I want to show you a few clothing items, swimsuits, pair of shoes from Amazon. Amazon can be hit or miss with that kind of stuff, right? But that I really love. But first there's a pair of earrings that I have worn in so many videos and I always get asked about them, but they're not available anymore. Actually, that reminds me, to match the toiletry bag and the makeup bag, there's also a little matching jewelry pouch too. So I've been using that and I really like that too. Okay, sorry, I digress. There's earrings I always wear. They're not available for sale anymore. And so I got to work with Trades of Hope to design a similar pair. They're really cool. They're really lightweight, really pretty. I always get compliments whenever I wear them. And you've maybe heard me mention Trades of Hope, but when you support Trades of Hope, you're empowering women out of poverty. And so you get to see the artisan that makes the items, makes a great gift to you. If you want to gift someone this, they get to see who made them, that it's helping a good cause. And so every time you wear your Minimal Mom earrings, then you can know that you're helping someone else as well. So these are kind of fun. And then let's talk about a few clothing things. So I've shown these tops before. So this, as I was pulling out and switching out for my spring clothes, this top definitely made the cut. I really like it. Just comfortable, easy to wear. This is a new one I got this season. I've been getting so many compliments on it. And it's just some kind of like fun colors, easy, again, easy, throw it on, comfortable. Now these two swimsuits, I, they're, well, I'm trying to decide what I love most. I love the patterns. Sometimes when you get swimsuits on Amazon, they look a little cheaper. I don't know. The patterns are, and colors are beautiful on them, but there's something about the ruffles, the cut, the ruching in the midsection, fully adjustable in the back. I also, I really like this one too. Just the colors, the pattern on it, so comfortable, so easy to wear. And so I would say they run true to size or a touch small. Like if you could kind of go either way in sizes, I would, I would size up, but good quality, comfortable, really like these. Or if you just fully want to be comfortable and not worry about anything, this is the rash guard I have had for so many years, I don't know, four or five years, comfortable, still has like a cute cut, little cap sleeves. I like how the color is on it, the scrunchy sides or whatever, just easy. Like if you're gonna be out and about or chasing kids around the beach or the pool, so easy to wear, very flattering. So I really like this as well. And then my go-to shoes for the summer, they're kind of dirty, I'll just kind of hold them back here. They're not like, they were a little bit of investment, but I love shoes in the summer that can get wet and you don't really have to worry about them, easy to clean up. And so super comfortable, I always get lots of compliments on them. They have a bunch of different colors too, but I wore them all last summer, carrying them over this summer as well. So I really like these a lot. By this point in a video like this, I'm like, I'm really not trying to like sell like a bunch of stuff or clutter up your home, but if we can have some good ideas, like it does make life more enjoyable. Okay. I, again, things I have heard good things about, but have not tried. This is the Fairplay book and cards. I've heard many women recommend it, including Cass from Clutterbug. So it says, Fairplay is a time and anxiety saving system that offers couples a completely new way to divvy up domestic responsibilities. The author interviewed more than 500 men and women from all walks of life to figure out what the invisible work in a family actually entails and how to get it all done efficiently. With four easy to follow rules, 100 household tasks and a figurative card game, you play with your partner. Fairplay helps you prioritize what's important to your family and who should take the lead on every chore from laundry to homework to dinner. So it's a great way to kind of shed light on the invisible tasks that go on in your home. And so you have the book, but then you have the cards that go with it too, which is really cool. And so what a great visual for what it takes to run a household. So I think if you get this in the Skylight calendar, you can totally get all the systems in your house organized. But anyways, these are really cool. I've shown these before too. But again, if you want just small, consumable, usable things, these are emergency stain wipes. Keep these in your purse, diaper bag, bag, whatever. Adeline's been keeping it with her. She's like, Mom, they work so well. She spilled coffee all the way down the front of her shorts the other day when we were in the car. And I was like, here you go. And she got it all. She's like, these are like magic. I'm like, I know, right? So definitely recommend these. Even things like Dawn Power Wash, things you might not normally buy for yourself, but that just, again, gimmicks that make things you have to do every day a little bit more enjoyable. And then this is not necessarily like a gift idea, but more of a public service announcement. If you have rust, and I'm not talking like city people rust, I'm talking like country well water, like rust that no other rust remover will take away, this is magical. So I saw this, I don't know, on Instagram. And we've all been fooled enough, right, by the like, look, it just melted away. No, this actually like melted away. I promise I will not promote anything that I don't fully believe in. I don't know what's in it. It doesn't have a strong smell. It just works really well. So if you have rust, then you might want to check this out. So there you go. Some of my ideas, I'll make sure they're all linked down below. But also to wrap up, if we receive gifts that we don't want, here's how I look at it. Because you'll hear it said like, well, once you've received a gift, the exchange is complete, therefore you don't have to keep it. And I'm like, I feel like that was made up by a man who has no feelings, right? Because I don't think as women, most of us feel that way about gifts. And so here's how I look at it. I like to look at gift givers as like, how close are they to me? So I have my inner circle of people. If they give me a gift, no matter what it is, I will use it, display it, love it, appreciate it, tell them how grateful I am for it. Now, as we move further out, there are other people that if they give me a gift, I don't feel that same obligation. We can't keep everything. It's not enjoyable to keep everything. We sometimes become resentful then if we try to keep everything. So I think it's important not to just have one set rule, but to look at who is the person, how important is it to me that I honor them in the gift that I've given? Could I just keep it for a little bit and then pass it on? Some gifts could come in and go right back out the same day, right? But it depends on our relationship with them. So I don't think we have to feel guilty if someone who we're not that close to gives us something that we're not really able to make use of. Because at the end of the day, I do think there is some truth to the fact that once a gift is given, the exchange is complete and we are free to do with it whatever we want. But also we don't want to seem like heartless jerks either, right? So also, if it is things like that our kids have made or other like super special things, we want to keep them, but not necessarily display them. Or we've displayed it for a little while, now it's time to pack it away. Please make sure that you have a memory box, that every person in your household has a memory box. That's where that stuff goes and lives. And a memory box helps us decide, is it so special that I'm willing to give up space in my memory box to keep it? And that helps us to make the decision, should I keep it or not? Or have I hung on to it, displayed it, hung it on the fridge for long enough and now it's time to let it go. So memory boxes for every member in your family, super helpful as well. Especially as we head towards Mother's Day, you might get some handmade cards or other gifts, which are so cool. Like how fortunate are we if we're receiving gifts and all that? And also, we need a place for it and we can't keep it forever. All right, well, I would love to know, what is the best Mother's Day gift that you've ever gotten or birthday gift or any gift that you've gotten? Do you have any great ideas for Mother's Day as well? I also think, you know, I heard from a friend that she was like very clear with her family now, what she wants the day to look like. Like, I want this for breakfast, I want this for lunch, I want to take a nap in the afternoon, I don't want to do any dishes. Whatever it is that you want to do, just being very clear with the expectations. I think there's a lot of wisdom in that as well. All right, well, I hope I was able to share some helpful ideas today. I am so grateful for you and all of your love and support. And if you do need a little bit of help decluttering, I hope that you subscribe so we can spend more time together. I love you, I hope you have a really good day, and I'll see you again soon.