In this post, you can find tips to help you move like a minimalist.
Have you ever lived minimally? I’ll admit, the minimal lifestyle has never been for me until Lehi, and I planned to move to Arizona as a family of three + one on the way.
Our home in California was a three-bedroom, two-bathroom condo that was 900 square feet, and although we were grateful, we wanted more out of a home for our growing family.
Lehi moved to California for three years of our marriage. I had never moved out of state until age 27 when we decided there was more growth and opportunity in Arizona. I had no idea what to expect!!
Moving out of state was hard for me because my family was back home. I had no idea how things would fall into place in terms of applying for a new job, living in and new home, and meeting new people.
Although it was a new journey, I was also ready for the next chapter of our life. Rather than finding a new home right away, we needed to apply for jobs in Arizona first, so we looked for a room to rent.
Thankfully, we found a single sweet lady from our church who took our little family into her home.
We knew we had to sacrifice and pack most of our things away into storage while we looked for a home. The three of us were going to live in one room, so I could only pack the ESSENTIALS!
Moving was already hard, but minimalist moving was more difficult! I was not sure what would really fit in our one room. All I knew was that we needed clothes, shoes, bathroom stuff, and a few things for our kitchen. There was no minimalist moving or packing list, which would have been so helpful for us to fit everything into one space.
Minimalist Moving + Packing List:
Now that we have lived minimally for six months in one room until our house is built, I have learned A LOT through trial and error.
If you are looking for a way you and your family can fit in one little space, here is a minimalist moving + packing list to help you pack ONLY THE ESSENTIALS when you move!
Here is a minimalist moving and packing list to help you live minimally!
After everything we have stuffed away in storage, I have actually found a love for decluttering our space. Minimal living has also helped me realize that stuff we keep in our home is just stuff. Here is what our little family has used that will help you with minimalist moving into a new space!
To live minimally, you will want to keep the things you use every day and plan for weather conditions that come ahead. Everything else, you can store away or get rid of!
If you have one room or small space with your and your family to live in, here is a minimalist moving and packing list for you:
Closet:
In our closet, we store all of our important papers, clothes, hats, closet racks, socks, and shoes.
Closet racks help us divide our pajamas, pants, shorts and store our socks. You and your spouse will each want to pack:
- 7 good pairs of socks
- 3 favorite hats
- 10 casual shirts
- 2 church outfits
- 1 dress shoe
- 2 pairs of sandals
- 1 running shoe
- 2 casual shoes
- 1 pair of slippers
- 3 shorts
- 3 pants
- 3 swimwear options
- 1 warm jacket
- 1 windbreaker
If you or your husband wear a uniform, set 3 shirts and 2 pants aside for work that you can switch off washing, so clothes are always clean. Lehi wears a uniform to work. Separate from this list, he switches between 3 work shirts and 2 work pants.
Prepare for the weather ahead of time. If the weather is cold where you move, pack more warm shirts, shoes, and jackets. For example, out of 10 casual shirts, I would pack 6 long sleeves and 4 short sleeves.
In terms of jackets, find 1 warm jacket that looks well with most of your wardrobe. Black, gray, or white usually fits best with most outfits!
Children:
If you have little ones, closet racks for each child will save so much space if you can! In our small space, both little ones also have a closet rack to help make more room in the closet we all share. If you don’t have enough space to do this in your closet, look for drawers you can put things away in. Living in one room for 6 months has taught me just how much I don’t need. For children, here is what you will need to pack:
Toddler-Teen:
- closet hanging rack
- 8 shirts
- 4 pants
- 1 jacket
- 1 swimsuit
- 3 shoes
- 2 Church outfits
- 1 pair of church shoes
When you are packing for your children, you will want to consider the current and future weather. If you have a storage unit, you can swap out clothes for warm or cold weather, sticking to the same number of clothes listed above. You may travel somewhere with opposite weather conditions, so having one or two extra options is always helpful to have in the closet.
When we moved to Arizona the weather was warm, so we started with 4 pairs of shorts and 4 dresses. Now that the weather is cooler, we use short sleeves and one jacket that matches every outfit.
Newborn:
If you are planning for a newborn, it can be so hard to figure out how to live minimally. I promise if I can do it, you can too!
We have found that closet hanging racks for one room make the biggest difference in space because it fits everything we need for one child in an organized space!
Newborns tend to grow so fast, so again, storing pieces you want to save in storage makes it easier. But, if that’s not an option, you still want the necessities that make it easy to switch out clothes and items.
- Closet hanging rack
- Bassinet
- 1 box of diapers
- Medicine
- Thermometer
- Breastfeeding supplies
- Diaper bag
- Bathtub
- 4 bottles
Remember a bouncer or walker can be switched out of storage!
Bathroom:
Packing for a bathroom seems overwhelming, but you need just about most things in your bathroom for you and your kids! The essentials you want to pack for minimalist moving are:
- 1 toothpaste for kids
- 1 toothpaste for you/ husband
- 1 toothbrush for each of you
- Toilet paper
- Q tips
- Face wash
- Shampoo and conditioner (ALL)
- Soap for parents
- Soap for kids
- Baby bath (if you have a newborn)
- Bath toys
- Lotion for mom/ dad to share
- Lotion Kids to share
- 4 towels mom/dad
- 4 towels (2 each child)
- Brush/ comb
- Gel
- Curling iron or flat iron
- Hairspray
- Hair ties
- Tampons
- 6 washcloths
- Cleaning supplies
If you like to do your hair often, it would be best to carry one hot tool. For me, I prefer curling my hair to anything else. For you, that could be many options, or even just some moose to keep your hair curly!
As for towels, having two towels for each of you makes it easier to swap out when washing towels. You will want one to use and one to wash!
You may find that you and your spouse share more things than before, such as lotion or toothpaste so that you can save space for other things.
Kitchen:
If the kitchen is your space, it may be a little tough to declutter. Look around and keep your most-used items. You may have to decide if you would rather keep a toaster or a blender. Keep whatever cooking and baking supplies you use the most. We stored both our toaster and blender because we have one already in our sharable kitchen. However, if you are a baker, narrow down what you use the most. I kept 2 cookie sheets, a pizza pan, and a casserole dish because out of everything we use that the most. Here are the essentials for your kitchen:
- Toaster
- Blender
- 2 cookie sheets
- Pizza pan
- 1 casserole dish
- Paper plates
- 6 plastic cups
- 4 kids cups
- 6 plates
- High chair
- 2 bibs each (4 total)
- All silverware
- Baking supplies
- Cooking supplies
- Cleaning supplies
To eliminate having to constantly wash dishes, buying paper plates makes things SO much easier! You will use all of your silverware, so it is worth keeping.
Toys:
If you have kids, this one can be so hard! When we moved to Arizona, Kyla was close to turning 2. So, we had most of her favorite 1-year-old toys with us and stuffed the big items in storage. Once she turned 2, we came home with so many toys that we had to clean out what we wanted to keep and stuff in storage.
One thing about us, is we do not overbuy on clothes or toys. Now that she is older, we kept some of the big toys and actually put most of the smaller toys in storage.
Some toys your toddler may love
- Scooter, helmet
- Kitchen
- Baby doll
- Baby stroller
If you do not keep any toys at all, your little one may require extra attention and get into unnecessary things in your small space. A few favorite and current toys will keep them happy and entertained. You can also switch toys from your storage, so your little one stays entertained.
Office:
If you run a business or find yourself constantly in an office, make sure you have these office items:
- Desk
- Chair
- Laptop
- Camera
- Camera gear
Extra:
When you are packing for a small space, you want to make sure you don’t forget some of the extra things! Here are some extras you will not want to miss:
- Charger cords
- Detergent
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Medicine
- Important box of papers
- Stroller
You will want to keep a box that stores your most important papers. Keeping an “important box” of accessible papers will help you find things such as birth certificates, attorney information, W2’s for taxes, and more! There are papers I have tried to find in storage and it has been a nightmare!
If you have a little one, do not forget a stroller for outdoor places you go or trips + diapers and wipes they will use.
Minimalist living is great for many reasons. It can help you save money for a home, save money while you build a home, or adjust to a new state until you find the right home!
Because we rented a room, we did not feel rushed in the process of finding a home and were given enough time to save each month. Meanwhile, we watched the housing prices to see what areas of Arizona we could afford and felt comfortable living in.
I hope you now feel prepared for minimalist living with this minimalist moving and packing list!!
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