12 Household Items I Actually Kept as a Single Minimalist Mom
If you’re overwhelmed by clutter, too many tools, and a house that feels harder to manage than it should, here I share with you the basic household items that have actually simplified my life as a single minimalist mom:
- Core kitchen essentials (no unnecessary gadgets)
- Minimal cleaning supplies that actually get used
- A functional storage system (not more containers)
- Multi-purpose household items instead of duplicates
- Basic furniture that serves more than one purpose
- Only essential baby items (skip the extras)
Keep reading for exactly how each one simplifies your life—and what you can stop buying.
Trying to simplify your entire life—not just your home? Start here:
How Single Moms Can Simplify Life with Minimalist Parenting (11 Real Systems)
After my first child was born, I started helping my parents declutter their house. They not only had stuff in their house from their nearly 50 years of marriage – they also had items they took after the death of their parents.
So there was a lot of stuff in their basement.
I realized then that even though you can’t take this stuff with you — you can burden your children and grandchildren with it. I made the intentional decision to do my best to only buy things I really need, that I will continually use, and don’t take up a lot of space (unless it’s absolutely necessary).
I also decided that my own personal concept of minimalism as a single mom means a commitment to no car, dryer, microwave, or television.
Since having kids I have definitely acquired more stuff and decided to replace certain items with items that collapse, fold, stack, are portable or are mini-versions of what I thought I wanted.
Here is my list of items I’ve decided are necessary after over 20 years of living in an apartment.
1) Sofa bed with built-in storage
This was probably my best buy ever when I first started living on my own, without kids. I have used it as a sofa and my own bed, and now its my son’s bed. I do admit that he hasn’t slept in his bed much until recently (we’ve co-slept), but that’s an even better reason not to spend a lot of money on a bed. I used it for my parents when they came to visit at the age of 65 and they said it was comfortable. My sofa bed happens to also be orthopedic.
2) Stackable milk crates
As someone who has moved on average every two years after moving abroad, these simply and sturdy milk crates have been used for all sort of different purposes. At one point I invited people over for dinner and they sat on them. One of these days I’d love to paint a bunch of them in pastel colors for my office.
The main advantage with these crates is that they hold fairly heavy objects but can be easily put in different rooms or different setups. You could change them from being stacked vertically to horizontal, or you could stack three crates next to two and then next to one.
3) IKEA stackable Kallax cubes
When I feel like investing a bit more money and effort, I have either bought or found second-hand IKEA Kallax cubes. (If you’re not that great at assembling and don’t want to have small screws around as a single mom, second-hand can be the way to go because it’s already assembled). They stack and are small enough to put in different rooms. I use them to hold toys in my son’s room and as a bedside table and storage unit next to my bed.
4) Collapsable laundry basket
With two kids, I’ve noticed I don’t collapse this as much as I did with one, but still, on weekends when I’ve caught up on laundry it is an oh-so satisfactory feeling to fold the basket and put it between the wall and the washing machine.
5) Foldable laundry rack
I live in a humid warm climate with a mild winter. In the summer the laundry can dry in just a few minutes. Although I have laundry lines that go outside my apartment windows, I’m too scared to use them because I’m afraid I’ll lose the laundry if it falls. I have folding laundry racks that I put on the porch instead.
6) Collapsable stepstools
These are in most of my rooms, each bathroom (pelvic floor ladies!) and can double as a kiddy chair later on when kids are steady enough to not fall off of a chair. These are terrific. I ordered them on Amazon, and although they took a while to come in my country, they’ll get to you quickly if you’re in the U.S.
7) Bunk bed
OK, I haven’t actually bought this yet, but as soon as my daughter sleeps in her own bed I plan to put my son and daughter in a bunk bed for a few good years until my son hits puberty. But since many of our friends have 4 or 5 (and even more) siblings in small apartments, I have seen first-hand how bunk beds save space in a room. My son has been asking for a bunk bed for years!
8) Foldable toddler scooter
They fold. They have a version for babies that fold also that I’ve taken on flights for my toddler. It’s small enough so that they can even board the plane on it, and an empty airport (we flew during the pandemic) is a fantastic playground for a toddler on a scooter. I suggest taking a red eye flight so that it’s less crowded. For single moms who have to drag kids to do errands, this is a lifesaver when your kid gets to a point where they can’t sit still in the stroller.
Trying to reduce your child’s stuff too? This will help: How to Raise a Minimalist Child (Without Forcing It).
9) A boombox and/or headphones.
Doesn’t it magically improve your day when you listen to music while you do the dishes or fold laundry? I bought the JBL little boombox, it amplifies the sound with better quality over a tablet or phone. My son can listen to music while he puts away his clothes or does other chores. Headphones are great too, but I haven’t found a way to know when to skip through the ads (I don’t want to pay for Spotify premium).
10) Tablet and phone.
I’ve opted to use these – minimally – over a big screen television. I use it to play music, teach my kid English (I use reading.com), and to treat myself to podcasts when I do housework uninterrupted while the kids are in school.
11) A Ninja blender and oven
Being able to “set and forget” is a godsend in my kitchen, since it frees me to do errands in and out of the house without worrying that I will burn the food. I can do that with the Ninja hot-and-cold blender and the Ninja grill. They are also small, and work for me when I first move to a new apartment but don’t have my kitchen set up yet. Both items also have multiple functions, which is key in a small space.
12) The Doona stroller.
This little stroller is a lifesaver for clingy babies who must be with you in every room of your apartment and is also great for traveling in buses and cars. It is also perfect for airplane travel with an infant (I’ve used it for both children).
I’ve also used it to help give medicine through the nebulizer when my daughter is sick. While she’s asleep, I put her in the Doona and hook up the nebulizer and put it under her nose, propping it up a bit so it doesn’t slide away.
It allows me to also work while she’s asleep. She sleeps in the Doona a bit while I work on the computer. Unfortunately she’s a light sleeper, so this trick doesn’t buy me as much time as it did with my first.
You Don’t Need More—You Need the Right Things
Minimalism isn’t about owning the least number of things—it’s about owning the right ones.
As a single mom, you don’t have the time or energy to manage excess. Every extra item in your home is something you have to clean, organize, replace, or think about. And that adds up quickly. This is exactly why large families simplify things so aggressively—because they have to.
I break that down here: Why Single Moms Should Parent Like They Have 5 Kids (Even If They Don’t).
The goal isn’t to create a perfectly minimal home overnight. It’s to slowly build a home where:
- everything has a purpose
- nothing creates unnecessary work
- and your daily life feels easier, not harder
Because the more you remove what you don’t need, the more space you create—for time, energy, and the parts of life that actually matter.