Thanks so much for having me on your podcast, Cas! It’s so fun and helpful to exchange experiences and ideas like this - let’s all learn from each other. 🙏❤️

It was heartbreaking to hear how painful comments can be on KZfaq about the way some people perceive your home and your children’s rooms. I believe that when people are stuck in their mess and their clutter they feel threatened by seeing others with clean, fresh spaces. They are stuck and can’t imagine changing their own circumstances. I hope you can continue to give them grace and you continue to realize it’s about ‘them’ and not you. Thank you Marissa and Cas for your thoughts and insights in this interview. I’m thinking hard about my 10 things and how they take a place of honour in my life.

Our home is much more minimalist than most Americans. Close friends hadn't been in our home for a year, and her comment was: "your house is too steril", I was a little put out, but didn't say anything. I babysit their three children, ( for free, all the time), at their home. Their house is so overwhelming, chaotic, and hoarded, dirty, etc. I understand that coming from that to our clean and curated home is where her comment came from. They are still friends and her husband has asked me to help them get their home in control. I have sent them to both of your channels and physically went over to help them declutter. Each time I go there, I notice things are just a bit cleaner and better. Thank you both for helping so many!

My mother had a clean house but don't look in the cabinets and closets. Lol. My family is very minimalist but my late husband was completely opposite. It was always a struggle to keep our home clean. It's taken me over three years to declutter and I'm still not done. My twin sister visited a couple of weeks ago and commented I don't have much on the walls. She's not one of the minimalist sisters. It took six weeks to clean the garage. Laid out big tarps on the patio and sorted everything like with like and donated a lot. Then had it painted and dropped down a set of cabinets that were too high to use. So much better. Starting on the 12 tubs of Christmas decor this week which I didn't use when we had cats. They were naughty kitties. All the decluttering makes me feel like I can breathe. Thanks for the great videos.

Marissa, thanks so much for being vulnerable! Sometimes we have feelings about an item and mistake that feeling for sorrow that we let it go. Your saying the jewelry box made your mother happy but it didn't make you happy is huge! Thanks, Cas, for all you do to encourage us. Both of you are amazing!

There's a big difference between a cluttered home and a well curated place that tells stories. My brother had A LOT of cool things in his home with his wife but it was clean and tidy. I really loved it.

To get used to that bare feeling, I cleared one space...the bathroom counter and had it completely clear. It ended up helping me get used to that feeling and I ended up loving the sparseness which I never imagined was possible!!

love this!!!! thank you both! Cas, I propose you consider stopping describing yourself as lazy. It is negative with no redeeming aspects. How about “I have different priorities on how I spend my time & energy.” please review your resume & realize how opposite of lazy you are. You are a Rockstar!! Highly accomplished!❤

When I go to the grocery shore I am literally calculating where everything will fit on my bicycle. It’s been the biggest thing that has helped us cut down. On the other hand it’s very easy to online shop.

18:51 This is why I have groceries delivered. It costs more per item, I know, but it saves me from compulsive shopping and buying stuff that I already have. I can easily just go look at what’s in stock before adding it to the cart. It saves me time as well! I get my daily tasks done while I’m waiting.

Cas and Marissa, you are two of my favorite KZfaqrs. Marissa, I admired your home in Germany, the simplicity of it, it’s calming and comfortable space. Your boys were so blessed to have so much space to play and use their imaginations. Cas, I love your methods to declutter, you have guided me in my downsizing journey. I’m still not sure what bug I am, but enjoy the simplicity and ease of maintenance of my home. I’m an artist, I just do drawings and watercolor, having given up a menagerie of crafts and “stuff”. Perhaps I’ll get to the level of Marissa’s minimalism, but I am so at peace with the level of organization that you have taught me. Thank you to both of you. This was a wonderful collaboration.

I think we can make our home cosy with color too. On the wall, the sofa. I have a pink & purple kitchen! Now I am decluttering and people think I have new furniture. But it was there all the time 🎉

Message for Marissa: I always thought your boys' room looked clean, neat, and tidy. With plenty of clear space to play with their toys. I'm 70 years old. I grew up in the 50's and 60's. We didn't have a lot of toys. We mostly played outside unless the weather was bad, and then we played in our rooms. We had plenty of room to let our imaginations run free.

I am so thrilled to hear you two ladies. Watch both of you all the time. 😊

I was at Target yesterday. I've been purrty good at seeing stuff, saying, "That's cute", & walking past without stopping. Such as the sparkly rhinestone encrusted platform heels I saw yesterday. 😹

Gems galore! Loved Marissa's comments about clutter as noise, & unfinished salvage projects also making *time* & *energy* feel cluttered. And Cas's insights at 25:40 were pure gold! Because of ADHD, I battle the lure of feel-good projects over fundamentals every day, so being reminded how much BETTER it feels to give yourself a clean slate declutter & do daily dishes & clean helps! *Thank you both!* 😀👏

Yes. In the past I furnished much of my home from other peoples discards.

I have been slowly decluttering for years so while I am not a minimalist (clothes and books are my downfall!) the house is pretty spare Recently we moved to Bermuda for several months - and are living with 5 suitcases of our stuff. Such changes here - no closets, no pantry, high prices and a temporary stay means less shopping. And no box stores, no dollar stores etc makes a big difference

You can create a feeling of "coziness" with colors and textures. I find that I can get the same feeling with warm paint colors or natural fibers/textures in my couch or a soft fluffy blanket or a plant or two... but you can still do this without adding stuff!

For AtoZenLife: I have struggled with motion sickness my entire life. If the children can sit by the window and lean their head against the metal pillar or the window itself so that they feel the vibrations in their head, this may help. I also suggest avoiding dairy an hour or so before car rides. If the children like sugar free mint flavor gum, it may help more than bubblegum. Once they are tall enough to ride in the front seat, this can be a game changer. Cars with a "sporty" ride are easier for me than cars with a "luxury" ride.

I'm German, and it's so funny and interesting to hear you guys talk about the different shopping experience. When Marissa said she'd been amazed how little stuff we seem to own: just a few days ago, my parents and I decluttered our attic, and referring to that experience alone - I definitely would not agree that Germans don't own MUCH stuff! 😂

Marissa is SUCH a good person, it is so clear. I've been following her for years and no matter how many times I've heard her tell her back story I get something different from it each time. So inspiring. ❤

Lol I asked my optometrist what i could do to stop my eyesight from declining. He said "yeah, stop looking at stuff!" 😅

Yay! Two of my favorite KZfaqrs together! Great conversation!! I will say that I thought I had regret about a couple things that I decluttered that were semi-sentimental, BUT I really felt guilty that I didn't want or need them. Though the emotions are similar they're actually quite different.

Cas, this is your best interview yet. The level of energy and compassion between the two of y’all was just what I needed today!

Two of my favorite ladies!

I gave away my Wedding, China and Crystal on Buy Nothing.. Our local Buy Nothing group is really great and it makes it feel like I live in a small town rather than the city. And I know it went to somebody who is really going to enjoy using that crystal and China for their first Thanksgiving in their new home here. When I drive by their house, I always brings a smile to my face.

I decluttered a large Rubbermaid container of travel memorabilia while watching and listening to this. Now I will look for a pretty and much smaller container to put in what I am keeping. Foldout city maps and generic pamphlets from our travels now fill my recycling box. I probably decluttered 75% and what I am now keeping is truly memorable. Most was paper clutter that did not add to my memories. These shows always inspire me to really look and see what I am choosing to keep. Thanks - I have been following you both for years.

This was a wonderful podcast. I really appreciate hearing the perspective from someone who has endured such loss as that has been my life as well and it’s hard to find empathetic voices in this area. I’m not a fan of the well-intentioned “memories are not the things” bs because it takes time to process and that message can feel belittling to a griever. Tangible items do trigger memories and when that is all you have, it’s excruciating. I tend to think of it like Dana’s container method. Our memory bank is a container as well and in stress we can’t hold it all in our brains. The items may need to do that work for a while and it’s okay. I love how most of her top ten items were actually belongings of loved incorporated into her daily life. She seems like a beautiful soul. ❤️

My favorite organization & minimalist KZfaqrs ❤

I went from a 5 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apt. We're cramped!

I completely agree regarding clutter feeling normal to some people and they struggle making a transition to less clutter. Unfortunately and some households actual abuse of some type feels normal as well. Also I think due to some types of dysfunction in some homes, people kind of hide behind their stuff like a child hugging a teddy bear when they are afraid

I used to move furniture and locations - found out it was to give me something to do instead of dealing with my issues. Chaos helped distract me from healthy things to do.

Interesting tidbit. Historically, at least in Stuttgart, homes were taxed on the number of "rooms" in the home & closets were counted as "rooms".

I grew up in a home where my parents also had a hard time letting go of things. We had an attic and a garage and a backyard, etc. My parents did take things to Goodwill and do yard sales, etc. and my mom said she decluttered my toys pretty frequently when I wasn’t home 😅 but I moved SO MANY TIMES and would always cling to things thinking they would preserve the memories. My parents divorced and I moved abroad for school and after college, and my stuff kept coming with me. Even if I decluttered things before a move, I still had a lot. Now I am a mom and I discovered the Montessori method when my son was a baby and I loved the concept of a “prepared space” with beauty and not a lot of clutter. I keep most of his toys and things put away and organized by category and rotate them and he loves seeing our space when it’s clean and there are “new” things out. I think that transferred over to me and it’s been a slow process of decluttering over a number of years. I got rid of most of my “sentimental” items and T-shirts and things I kept for no reason. I also didn’t connect as much with the KonMari method of doing everything in a week or so. I agree that I don’t really regret anything I got rid of. I am about to have my second child and have been nesting and decluttering and organizing and one afternoon I sat in my living room and just relaxed for a while and it was so refreshing. I looked around and didn’t feel overwhelmed at all the things I “should” do and just got to enjoy my home ❤ We live in a “small” place by American standards - no garage, no attic, no extra rooms, no playroom or den. I have to keep clutter down because it’s a necessity but also having less and having it put away nicely so I know where it is has been so eye opening and life changing. I remember going to friends’ houses and thinking “Wow they have so much stuff it’s overwhelming!” Or “Wow how is their house so clean and tidy?” And I would ask my tidy friends and they said, “First, you have to get rid of stuff!” I loved the chat with both of you and I love all your videos!! Thanks for being the background noise for me when I am decluttering hahahah

❤❤6:27 Cas, saying you're lazy and had a victim mentality and wanted things to come easy without working for them is the OPPOSITE of what I've seen in you over and over again.🤓💖You are a fricking DYNAMO, and persisting to find your way to the tools you needed for success despite unrecognized ADHD and internalized shame from people who don't get it makes those early days an achievement too. Learned helplessness is common and *understandable* in ADHD, and it takes GUTS and GRIT to keep searching for answers even without hope. My harsh inner critic and internalized shame from others flare when I take on extra hard challenges that are worse with ADHD (like moving!), but the truth is you are a CHAMPION and an inspiration!!!!! Thank you for giving me hope and tools I need. < : - ) 👏❤🏆😃🏆❤👏

Foods containing malic acid will help immensely with car sickness. My son-in-law was extremely motion sick, and we were on a cruise. He was miserable until the porter brought him three green apples. The porter told him to chew the apples, and spit out the pulp. He was better almost immediately. To translate that into a more convenient form for us, we found Warheads. The candy contains malic acid just like the green apples. A little bit of a warhead goes a long way to making a long trip more manageable

As a minimalist cricket, I loved listening to this episode and will definitely check out A to Zen Life. Ten of your favorite possessions was a great question! Living a minimalist lifestyle - and not an extreme one - I've heard my share of negative commentary but in my sixties, I could care less what anyone thinks of what's best for me. The most surprising was "How can anyone live like this?" from a former landlord. Pardon me, would you prefer a hoarder tenant? 😆 There are folks who will comment harshly no matter what. To you and Marissa, do what feels right for you, keep on sharing your best self and tune out the "misery loves company" people. They only seek out decluttering and minimalism content to criticize, not to learn and grow.

Those motion sickness glasses seriously work well! Got them for our daughter and granddaughter to wear in the car. It totally worked!

❤❤❤ lovely podcast. Was crying right with you. I have been on my journey since I stumbled upon Cas back when her channel is not what it is now. She got me started and if I look back my life was a HOT mess much like where Cas started.. my items where overflowing everywhere and it was overwhelming. I still have a long journey ahead of me but I'm still going and its getting better and better. 😊 you ladies give us real person real life experiences. Keeps me watchin

Marissa, thank you for sharing your story with us. You have motivated me to do better. I'm so sorry for all the loss in your life. It's hard to have so much loss at such a young age.❤ Even though I know it's best to let it go, I can so relate to your statement about the feeling of dishonoring and disrespecting my Mom. 😢 She kept everything and thought it wasteful not to keep everything. That generation grew up with nothing and went through things we will hopefully never know in our own life. We have so much to be grateful for. Cass, thanks for all you do! You are such an inspiration to all of us Clutterbugs. ❤

Two peeps who have helped me a lot. I remember when Marissa had like around 10k followers!! Good stuff. And I remember Cas’s Ted Talk. I’m 48, not quite a minimalist, but getting there. No trash in the house, nothing I don’t really use, not too much in the walls. I DO have a closet with waaaaay too full with clothes in like 4 sizes. I have professional clothes, lounge clothes, formal wear, casual stuff. I do use the container method and have done so for years. I have been an organization and clean freak for over 2 decades. And I love listening to videos still on decluttering and organizing :) Here’s to reduction of the mental load! Love from LA!

We would buy extras at yard sales or thrift stores for when the ones we had broke. We decluttered 3 toaster ovens and 2 computer monitors and loads more. I think our little house weighs a lot less after our big closet declutter a few years ago.

Cas - among your many talents you are very good at interviewing people! Love it!

I feel so grateful to my mom that she teached us to declutter and give away clothes. Parents helped a lot to poor families when i saw conditions they live then i understood why its good to give away to make other children happier.

I cleaned out one of three (!) kitchen junk drawers and a box of gloves & scarves in the hall closet while I listened. I adore you both! I use my china for family gatherings to make memories. It's collected a few chips over 38 years, but those signify time spent with family. It's worth the hand washing. We also use my Mom's crystal at the same time. We are worth it. If it all just sat in the hutch, it would be gone. Thanks, ladies!

I relate so much to this, so many losses at once and now a garage and storage full of dead people's things. It's so hard to let go. It takes so long and each decision is so draining. Your story always gives me hope that one day I can get through it all.

Thank you, Cas! I really relate to @AtoZenLife's experiences. My mom,dad, brother, and grandparents' photos and documents are overwhelming. I do have them categorized as "Ancestry" in 2 large boxes. Plus, I have 2 large boxes + of my own printed photos. Occasionally, I will start in one of my photo boxes and shred the extras and bad photos. Recently I started thinking about mailing some to extended family members. I still feel sad and miss my "first family" (mom, dad & little brother), some times more than others. You, two ladies, are so awesome. I love the openess and honesty. I can't express how refreshing it is!

This was great! Our parent's generation (if you're Gen-X or older Millennial) were raised by people who survived the Great Depression and WWII, and that informed so much of their life. The Great Generation and the Boomers were also really the first generations which could easily accumulate more than they every possibly needed, so very easily. When my MIL went to school, she was on the upper end of the economic scale because she was one of the kids that had more than one dress. Now children (especially girls) have so many clothes they could wear a different thing every month and not wear everything they own. It's really powerful to move beyond the generational fear that we will get rid of something that is still useful or "just in case", but also beyond the idea that having more is BETTER, or that we should get things just because they're cute. I'm doing a tip I got, I think from Cas, which is that every time I get something new in a box, I HAVE to fill the box it came in and let that stuff go. Amazon kills me because the boxes are usually comically large, but that is just as good a reason as any to try to get the things I need through someone local. And to really make sure I NEED it.

THIS WAS/IS AWESOME!!!! I was introduced to minimalism with Marisa, then I “met” Cass! , NOW it’s come full circle! I’m so grateful for and to you both!!!!!

We lived in Germany and had the motion sickness issue too. I bought wristbands that had a bead in them that pressed against a certain wrist pressure point. That worked.

Two of my favourite KZfaqrs. Thanks for this collaboration, it was great to see you together and listen to your conversation ❤

I was so excited when I saw this thumbnail! Love you both and thank you SO much for this! ❤😊

My sister says the same thing about my home, Cas. She wouldn't want to live in such a sparce, open space. I don't say to her that hers is cluttered. I don't know why she feels like she can say that.

Marissa’s insight - use or display the special things you inherit otherwise off-load them

To me cozy is calm and if a place has too much stuff it is stressful and not cozy.

One of my favourite videos from both of you! Thank you :)

It is so funny to hear you talk about europe. Its also a reason a lot of declutter/minimalist channels are a bit useless for me as a dutch person. But glad u came in with organizing styles instead of all those frugal tips i already naturally did :D (but still fun to see that people oversees had to actually think about this)

Oh my, a lot of what you both ladies shared have happened to me! My mom recently passed away and right now every item of hers that she left at my house, I cared for her her last months, just bring me sadness. I am a ladybug so it appears like I might not have much, just don’t open any drawers or closets! My mom used to tell me my house looked sad and my mother in law seems to think I need paintings and Knick Knacks and all sorts of things, but because that’s how SHE likes her home.

Eastern Europeans are different, they keep everything. My parents have 200 years of everything from 2 sides of the family. They never toss anything that is not literally garbage. And sometimes not even that, my grandma used to wash the milk plastic bag for later. Even the 800sq ft blockhouse apartments are filled till the ceiling, in shoe boxes. I'm from Hungary

Enjoying my subscription to this channel ❤❤

I will never be a minimalist - the look and feel of those homes are just not for me. But I have done a lot of downsizing and decluttering and organization the past few years to a point where I feel comfortable in my space, not overwhelmed by my stuff, and can keep those spaces clean most of the time. I have also found a time organizing system that I am comfortable with and have been using for several years now. All of that leaves me happy and at peace - finally.

21:00 there are motion sickness wrist bands with a marble that gets placed over the acupuncture on inside of the wrist. Or you can just rub them. Bend your wrist. Go 3 fingers toward elbow from the crease below the palm and rub right in the center.

Love the Podcast, thanks so much. Totally identify with Marissa's life experiences. When I went to Italy, I WAY, WAY over-packed. I was in southern Italy and realized I just could not handle all the bags and clothes I brought but did not need (it was my first trip to Europe). I asked my hosts, and others there where was the "donation center," like the Salvation Army where I could donate my unneeded, excess items. They did not even understand the concept of what I was talking about.... those type of "donate your unneeded stuff" places do not exist there... I was quite surprised to understand that Europeans do not hoard and stuff and overbuy and hang onto stuff. It was very eye-opening... and I never over-packed again.

The quilt got me.

My son is motion sick as well he wears pressure point bracelets which have helped a lot.

My daughter and I get crazy motion sick and we live in Texas, so we're constantly in the car. We keep a small jug of ginger peppermint tea in the fridge all the time and we both grab a tumbler full everytime we leave the house. Helps massively. We also learned to do the pressure points in the hand and ears to alleviate the nausea.

Cozy to me is container size, so if your actual space is just right for you, then you're good. If every step echoes, get a little throw rug and call it good.😂

This was wonderful, helpful, and touching. Marissa- I’m prone to getting weepy too, and am always embarrassed when it happens. But your grief over your losses connects you to others who also grieve. Cas- I love your 10 things list idea. Making that list really prioritizes things. Dana K. White’s container concept (put in your favorite things first) and Matt Paxton’s advice to find the small number of truly precious things and display them, are variations of your Ten Precious Things list. I made my list right away (admittedly going up to 14). It will be interesting to measure all the other stuff against these 14 treasures. Thank you both!

I already follow Cas. Now I have a new person - Marissa. Thanks Cas. I need all the motivation I can get.❤❤❤❤

Marissa was so sweet and had so many helpful ideas, and I love her sentimentality cuz that’s me

I love both of you ladies!

I always watch you with gréât pleasure. You have such à good energy. But this épisode blow my mind. I find many things about me. Thank you both. Greetings from Romania (East Europe).

11:36 Thank you for sharing! I totally needed to hear all of this. I feel like I don’t even want to sell anything. I just like finding people who I know would enjoy those things. My hardest items are scrapbook paraphernalia and school items now that I’m retired.

Oh my!! Yes our (UK) houses are tiny compared to US houses! So when I see your gorgeous almost empty cupboards! I have the same stuff but still look rammed 😢

I can totally relate to not wanting to get rid of things that belong to a loved one! My husband passed in 2011 after an 8-year illness and I have gotten rid of a lot of his things but it was extremely painful and it took me many years to get to the point where I could actually look through them not cry the entire time!

Follow both of you ladies. 😊

I learned from Brené Brown that people are critical or judgy of areas where they feel insecure. I think the people “used to” chaos don’t like the chaos and are insecure about it. I’m chaotic myself (working on it though!) but I have friends with immaculate homes that feel perfectly warm and cozy.

Cas! Drink your water! So important. I use the yeti bottles too. Game changer!

Two of my faves together!! This is a wonderful surprise!!

I love the 10 special things - aunt’s quilt, dad’s knives, etc.

This was great! Thank you…🤗

I really like your attentive, compassionate, non-judgmental interview style, Cas, and also Marissa's message. Thanks!!

Listening to Marissa’s story about her mom’s jewelry box made me realize that it’s most likely that it’s us that attaches the importance and sentiment to these items. Our parents may have looked at a lot of these items as just things that they owned; unless of course it’s something that belonged to their parent, etc. Then they were the ones who attached the sentiment.

❤❤❤

When I look at Marissa's old home in Germany, I feel "freedom". Free from chores so I can do the things I truly enjoy.

Love and follow you both! Keep up the good work of helping me and many others declutter, organize and live intentionally. Love and light to both of you. ❤

This is a phenomenal piece. I read a matching book that was a trailblazer for my thoughts. "A Life Unplugged: Reclaiming Reality in a Digital Age" by Theodore Blaze

OMG my childhood/family is the same experience with the “hoarding” mentality!

I am going to start 👏

Great! Love all of these decluttering channels in fact one of the first ones I found was this one from Marissa 💕💕💕💕

I had an unexpected comment last year with the opposite issue. Our neighbors are Japanese I believe, and they came over one time last year and she made a comment that we had a lot of toys. And that comment still plays in my head. I’m trying to declutter but my kid actually plays with a lot of his toys and now he has a younger brother that I feel I can’t get rid of stuff because he’ll want to play with it. (I’ve since started toy rotation and the playroom has stayed much cleaner). But their garage is also bare while ours is full of kids outdoor play and lots and lots of tools. I don’t think they own any tools outside of a basic hand tool set.

I love both of you!!! I have watched all of your content and you keep me motivated. THANK YOU! ❤❤ I lived in Japan for 7 years, in a much smaller space than I grew up in and I loved it. Returning to the US I gathered more “stuff”, inherited more “stuff” then my husband passed away, and our our children grew up and now all have their own homes…and I slowly realized I truly was a house wife, married to this house and all of the “stuff”. Taking care of it all was overwhelming! Over the past 10 years I have easily gotten rid of 95% all I own. Most to friends and our local Buy Nothing group. It feels AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

2000 sq feet sounds very big to me and 4000sq feet with two barns unimaginable! I think that it is what you were introduced to as a child which determines space. I live in Ottawa, Canada and I grew up with 4 family members and a dog in a 1200 sq foot home and it always felt big enough to me. There was one very smal bathroom and later another put in the basement. We didn’t have a garage or attic, but there was an unfinished basement which was our indoor playroom, slowly came to have divisions for two guest rooms and a laundry room. I think because we were encouraged to spend so much time outside it never felt cramped.

I don't want to live with clutter, but I don't want my home stripped down so much that it feels/looks like a hotel rooms! I like having books and magazines on the tables next to sofas and chairs, my cookbooks and my grandmas' aprons (which I use) displayed in my kitchen, my magnets collected on our travels displayed on the refrigerator, my collection of vintage handkerchiefs used as the valence over the kitchen windows, and my collection of crystal pendants hanging in the south windows and throwing their rainbows on the walls and ceilings, and other meaningful possessions displayed where I can see and use them.

Great interview!

I know this id grom 6 months ago. Maybe Europe is becoming more Americanized, but when we were there im 2019, we encountered a store called Carrefour. This store is multi-level and has more of everything than I've ever seen in any U.S. store. We saw them in Spain and France.

Sea Bands are amazing for carsick kids!

Thanks for sharing! I’ve been very intentional about my sentimental items and really using them or displaying them vs leaving them in a box or something. Love that tip!

I'm a 60 year old woman who's always got car sick and I still do, so not everyone outgrows it. I certainly hope your kids do! 😊 There's so much insight in this video! Thank you! I can't imagine someone telling someone else that their kids room feels like an insane asylum! That's so rude!