I know minimalist.
Living in West Africa ground in a lot of lessons on materialism, but I think one in particular affects me the most on a daily basis. I learned that we don’t need that much. Americans tend to have a list of the things they need to get by, and they don’t even realize that the majority of world lives their entire lives without even considering most of those items as an option for them.
We think we need microwaves.
We think we need electric can openers and manual can openers.
We think we need a new set of steak knives.
And 6 cutting boards
And a whole drawer full of miscellaneous gadgets that we don’t even remember we own half the time.
Not that there’s anything wrong with a microwave or 6 cutting boards. They’re both practical, useful tools. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can’t be happy without them.
I met a lot of people in Africa who were happy, content, and joyful with only a campfire to bake their cakes over. And their only bathroom was a hole in the ground with concrete walls around it. If that.
One reason this lesson from West Africa has affected me on an almost daily basis is because Chris and I spent most of a year living out of suitcases, deciding what we “needed”, and what was a luxury that would have to be packed away.
During our first year of marriage we decided to pack most of our stuff into a storage unit and visit his family in Greece for two months. Those two months of living out of a few suitcases and boxes stretched into 10 months as we returned to the States and hopped around, trying to figure out where to live.
So for about 5 months of that time, my entire kitchen had to fit inside 1-2 boxes that we could easily shove into the car and cart to our next makeshift home.
I could go into all sorts of fantastic lessons this method of living taught us – like home is wherever we’re together; we don’t need stuff to be happy; I can give up some dreams for a little while for the sake of long term good. But that’s not what I’m writing about. i just wanted to show you that there was a boat load of great things about this difficult season.
So back to the box.
I remember how easy it was to keep my kitchen clean, and how organized it was. Even after we unpacked the storage unit and I got to fully equip my kitchen again, I tried to remember those 1-2 box days. Who doesn’t want to have an easy to clean, tidy kitchen? But in order to have that, I need to say no to a lot of the (incredibly fun) fancy gadgets out there, because in the end, they don’t make my life easier or simpler. They make my kitchen cluttered, and most of them would not make it into my minimalist kitchen box.
Here’s what I would (and did) pack in my kitchen box:
(Keep in mind this list was made for a wee family of two)
- 1 Large soup pot
- 1 Medium-small sauce pan
- 1 Large frying pan (with lid)
- 1 Small frying pan (with lid)
- 1 Colander
- 1 Large mixing bowl (that doubled as a serving bowl)
- 1 Small mixing bowl (also doubled as a serving bowl)
- 1 9×13 Cake pan
- 1 Large cookie sheet
- 4 Settings of dishes (big plate, little plate, bowl)
- 4 Settings of silverware (Knife, fork, spoon)
- 4 Large glasses
- 4 Mugs
- 1 Crock pot
- 6-7 pieces of Tupperware (to store food in the refrigerator I usually used the pots and pans and plates set over bowls)
- 1 Wooden/plastic stirring spoon
- 1 Plastic spatula
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 1 Chef’s knife
- 1 Bread knife
- 1 Paring knife
- 4 Steak knives
- 1 Set of measuring cups (1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1 cup)
- 1 Set of measuring spoons (1/4, 1/2, 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon)
- 1 Can opener
I admit I did a lot of dishwashing while we had our minimalist kitchen – it’s amazing how many times a day you can use the same dish 
. But our kitchen was hardly ever dirty, and it was so stinkin’ fast and easy to clean. Even when most of our dishes were dirty, the kitchen didn’t really look that bad. There wasn’t a lot there to make it look bad.
Of course I have more than this in my kitchen now. I don’t by any means think everyone should have a minimalist kitchen. I’m just giving an opinion on basic kitchen tools that I use as a guideline to evaluate what really is a “need” in my kitchen.
I like to have other gadgets on hand, and I appreciate not needing to go without them anymore. However, I have a general rule that if I don’t use it at least once every 2-3 months (maybe even every month), I probably don’t need it cluttering up my kitchen. Instead of having it hang around, I can toss it in the garage sale boxes I keep stashed under the table in Ray’s room. If I find that I keep going back to dig it out, it’s probably actually worth keeping.
There’s nothing wrong with having stuff we like or want. But when we think we absolutely need it in order to be good cooks, we might need to reevaluate.
Do you have any guidelines that help you cut down on clutter, or do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the amount “needs” this culture has told you you must have? What steps can you take today to start simplifying your experience in the kitchen?
2 comments
4 pings
Keilah
09/19/2010 at 11:51 AM (UTC -6)
I love the idea and the goal of a simple kitchen. We are getting there slowly but surely. Our goal is to eventually end up in New Zealand, we are in CA right now. When I think about the move over and the container cost, I do not want to bring hardly anything. We have scaled down so much but I still feel like we have too much. You are right there is a gadget for everything. I like your list and obviously it worked.
It is funny when you go without you do not miss it. We have one car and the kids and I take the bus everywhere. My friends think I am crazy but they love it, it is cheap! Anyways great post!
Elizabeth
01/30/2012 at 9:43 AM (UTC -6)
You have to be one of the most encouraging bloggers I know right now… I think because so often when I read your blogs, I feel like you are talking directly TO ME and where I am in life right now. Things are so tight right now, and my husband and I are living pay check to paycheck… even when we do everything possible to scrimp and save, it never seems to stretch far enough. Every day I try to figure out ways to wear it out, make it do, use it up… or however that saying goes. How can I cut out ore expensive foods? How can I make something cheaper? How can I make do without such and such? Every time I buy something, the “do we NEED it?” question comes up… and the answer it usually… no….
You actually encourage me to scale down more so that what we have goes farther, instead of trying to figure out how to get MORE stuff.
I get really discouraged sometimes, but you remind me that, it’s ok to have your kitchen fit into two boxes! It’s ok to do without. It’s ok not to have what everyone else has. It’s ok, and even BETTER, to make your own broth instead of buying it like “everyone else.” You help me keep my chin up
So, anyways… long comment… but just wanted to say thanks for this post, and many others… and just for this blog!
As far as the cutting back in the kitchen department… I am getting better and better at getting ride of things that I don’t use on a regular basis. OR, I trick myself and pack it up, making me THINK I got ride of it (I need to work on that). Clutter is getting more and more annoying for me, so if I don’t use it everyday, then I don’t have it out, and if I don’t use it regularly, I just get ride of it completely. Right now, we don’t have a microwave, which is a big deal for us, but I haven’t found that I miss it too much. My poor husband does, though, so we are working through that. It’s hard to beat a microwave when it comes to heating up leftovers late at night.
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