Texas mom gives tips for living a minimalist lifestyle

By Ben Barry via SWNS

A woman who 'decluttered her whole life' and threw away 1,000 items including kitchenware, clothes and toys is sharing her top tips for a minimalist lifestyle.

Yelithza Heidecker, 27, decided to declutter her house after her husband Ben's "hoarding" left her struggling with anxiety.

Yelithza says it took her and Ben, 29, a pilot, six months to strip their home of their unwanted and unneeded items.

The couple disposed of and donated items such as pots and pans, old toys, dishes, and expired pantry goods.

Yelithza said her partner "started to freak out at first" - insisting he would prefer items to stay as he had them for over 20 years. But, she convinced him to get on board and says they are both happier in their less hectic home.

Mom-of-two Yelithza, a content creator, from Dallas, Texas, said: "As I started decluttering, I started finding more and more things.

"We have decluttered quite a bit - there is a lot of junk.

"This stuff is creating a lot of anxiety for me. I have to clean all of it up, we're not using it, there is no purpose for it and we don't need them at the moment.

"It was time for a change."

Ben said: "Since decluttering, life has changed from overwhelming to much simpler.

"Instead of searching for things you might have, you know exactly what you have."

Yelithza has lived in her current 3,000sq ft home with Ben and their children - Payton, four, and Haylee, 18 months - for two years.

The family up-sized after previously living in an 800sq ft apartment.

When the family moved into their current home, Yelithza decided she was going to start decluttering their items.

She said: "I started with my pantry. It was not sentimental to my husband and I thought it would be easy to start here.

"I cleaned out one of the drawers and my husband said it looked nice and I said 'OK, well let's go up to the cabinet.'

"Then it would be like 'how about we do the garage now?'"

"Once he was able to get rid of things, he was 100 percent game on to continue.

"We keep on going, and keep on going every little corner we have been cleaning and replacing older things we have had."

Yelithza said the decluttering process has taken around six months.

They started it in February 2021 shortly after she was diagnosed with ADHD and Yelithza says she has got rid of around 1,000 items.

She said: "We're also in the process of renovating our home.

"We have seen a lot of junk coming out such as light fixtures and carpets.

"We have also gotten rid of pots and pans, dishes and pantry stuff that was expired."

Yelithza says the process has improved her mental health.

She said: "While I always feel like I've had a minimalist mindset, actually being mindful about it has helped my mental health a lot in more ways I could say.

"I am no longer feeling stuck I don't have the need to keep up with this rapid chaotic world.

"It has allowed me to become more financially knowledgeable.

"I've been able to slow down and not feel the guilt about it, it has simplified my motherhood in general which helps me not feel so overwhelmed and the burnout seems to be fading little by little."

Yelithza's top tips for decluttering:
- Take it slow, it is going to be extremely overwhelming at first.
- Do not throw away for the sake of it, if it is an item other people can use, sell it or give it away.
- It is a never-ending process, you might start today but you are going to have to go back and visit that drawer again.
- Never buy items until after you have decluttered, it will save you so much time and money.
- Do it in stages, move around your house, invite children into the process if you are throwing away toys.