Clutter doesn’t just take up space – it can drain your time, energy, and even your finances. The good news is that you can take control by changing how you approach what you own and working to own less overall.
From reducing unnecessary purchases to streamlining daily routines, having fewer belongings can make your home easier to manage and your life less stressful. You don't have to be a minimalist, but picking higher-quality belongings over higher-volume ones can have a drastic impact on your home.
Here’s how to put these slow decluttering principles into practice, with expert tips for buying less, selecting better, and creating a home that truly works for you.
3 Small Mindset Shifts So You Can Own Less in 2026
1. Identify and Avoid Duplicates of Items
There is a beauty to a tidy home, but it stretches beyond the visual aesthetics. Choosing to be content with fewer, higher-quality items can instantly result in a less stressful, less cluttered space.
Meghan Cocchiaro, certified professional organizer and founder of Organized by Meg, explains, 'You reduce stress when you own less because there’s less clutter to physically manage and a lighter mental load to carry.'
Clutter can cloud thinking, reduce productivity, and force you to spend time on things that don’t add value to your day, she adds.
While you may associate this way of living with stark minimalism, Heidi Ganser Lang, professional home organizer and owner of Juniper Organizing, emphasizes that it doesn’t mean deprivation or tiny-home living. Instead, owning less is about creating space for the things you love, for your family, your schedule, and your budget.
One practical way to live with less is to avoid costly duplicates. Start by identifying items you already own in multiples and ask yourself:
- Do I use this regularly, or is it gathering dust?
- Does this version serve a different purpose, or is it redundant?
- Would keeping just one or two meet my needs without feeling restrictive?
Meg adds that this intentional decluttering saves significant time, as you are not constantly fighting to tidy your home when you feel overwhelmed, and dealing with stress after decluttering.
By assessing duplicates and being intentional about what you keep, and what you buy next, you not only own less – you make your home more functional and more peaceful.
2. Consider Materials Closely When Shopping
It may sound obvious, but deciding to purchase fewer, higher-quality items is one of the best ways to be more sustainable at home.
Purchasing less means fewer opportunities to create unnecessary trash at home, while investing in higher-quality products means they are less likely to need frequent replacements.
In a similar vein, owning less means you can optimize storage to avoid costly duplicates.
To achieve this, use the Edit the Cart method to ask yourself several important questions before spending:
- Do I truly need this?
- Do I already have something that serves the same purpose?
- Will this item last? Considering not only how long you see yourself enjoying the item, but also what the item is made of and the quality of its construction.
The higher quality items you invest in will likely have a lower environmental impact, too.
While this is not the case for every item, shopping for pieces made from quality natural materials such as cotton and wool reduces reliance on plastic in production streams. This, in turn, has a knock-on environmental impact that stretches beyond your home.
This is especially true if the materials used are recycled or made from fast-growing natural products such as bamboo, which puts less of a strain on the production chain and planet.
This approach to shopping is also a great way to create a non-toxic home, helping to cut plastic use and toxic chemicals through swaps to natural materials such as glass.
3. Reconsider Your Spending Habits
When finding ways to save money at home, most of us consider how to cut energy bills first. While this is a noble pursuit and can also help you to be more sustainable, being content with buying less also equals savings.
Even when you are investing in more high-quality items, these pieces will usually last longer than the cheaper pieces you were buying en masse before. Over time, it all adds up to significant savings.
Meghan explains, 'You save money by not buying unnecessary things or things in unnecessarily high quantities. Items are not being wasted because they are not being used, and this goes for both clothing and hobby items, as well as food and personal products.
'I spend more money on the items I do purchase, but in fewer quantities and in timeless choices, so that those items last far longer than buying higher quantities of cheap stuff,' she adds.
To do this yourself, consider the following when adding items to your cart:
- Am I buying this because I need it or just because it’s available?
- Is there a higher quality version available that will last longer? Even if it costs slightly more.
- Do I already have something similar that serves this purpose?
- How long have I been thinking about this item? Is it a considered choice, or an impulse buy?
What to Shop
This New York Times Bestseller from renowned professional organizer, Marie Kondo, packs so much advice about decluttering into a mere 200 pages, in a readable and digestible format that's accessible to all readers of all ages.
Measuring 8x10x11 inches, these handwoven water hyacinth baskets are ideal for drop zones, shelves, and cabinets.
Wool naturally absorbs and wicks away moisture from your skin, keeping you cool and dry. It is nature's best insulator, keeping you at your optimal sleeping temperature year-round.
This 100% long-staple cotton, 270 thread count bedding set comes with a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, two pillowcases, a duvet cover, and two extra pillowcases and is available in six sizes.
Glass food containers are a simple, high-quality switch you can make when trying to be more sustainable at home and make better purchasing decisions, as they last far longer than plastic alternatives and are non toxic.
A gratitude journal can be a simple tool for feeling more thankful for the items you do have, helping to curb the desire to overshop.
Meet the Experts
Really want to cut down on waste and prevent clutter in your home? Consider taking part in the under-consumption trend to tackle bulk-buy build-up.
