If you want to become a minimalist, simplify your life, or just remove some of the extra stuff, try a minimalist scavenger hunt. Even if you don’t want to be a minimalist or call yourself a minimalist, this is a great way to declutter, have a little fun and inspire your simplicity journey.
While I don’t believe that it’s your job to convince your friends to simplify, or get your family on board, this is one way to get everyone involved in a really fun way (plus there are prizes).
Before we get to the minimalist scavenger hunt items, here are a few ways to play the game:
- Do it with a group of friends or family, locally or virtually. Find a two-hour block of time when everyone can play and compete to see who can collect the items fastest, or give each item a certain number of points and then tally up the points at the end of a time frame that works for you.
- Make it a fundraising thing. Collaborate with your church or a local non-profit. Invite people to come together and play the game. At the end, use all of the collected items for a massive yard sale to benefit your organization or another worthy cause.
- Family night. This is a great way to have fun with the whole family. I’ve made a special list for children so they can be just as involved. To keep everyone competing together, announce a prize that everyone can enjoy. For instance, if we collect all of our items in 2 hours, tomorrow we take a picnic hike, or have movies and popcorn. Pick an activity that your family really enjoys.
Your minimalist scavenger hunt items
- 1 small kitchen appliance (toaster, food processor, juicer, blender – if you don’t use it, lose it)
- 3 items from your closet that do not fit you
- 1 item from your closet that still has tags
- 20 hidden items (stuffed in your garage, shed, or another hidden storage area)
- 2 coffee mugs
- any candle holder that hasn’t held a candle in more than 6 months
- 2 winter coats
- 5 trinkets
- 10 products in your bathroom that you haven’t used in more than 2 months
- 2 pieces of art that you don’t like to look at or haven’t looked at in months because they aren’t on the wall
- any expired food in your fridge or freezer (toss this please)
- any unopened, unexpired food in your pantry that you aren’t going to eat (donate this please)
- 2 tools you haven’t used in more than a year
- 1 collection of goods to support a hobby you gave up (if you stopped camping, sewing, fishing, or coin collecting … it goes)
- 5 pieces from a junk drawer that you’ve been saving just in case (even though you don’t know how to use them)
- 2 throw pillows that should have been thrown months ago
- 10 books
- 2 cookbooks
- kids toys in storage
- 10 mystery items (anything goes)
Minimalist Scavenger hunt items for kids
- 2 books you haven’t read because you aren’t interested
- 2 books you read already but probably won’t read again
- 1 shirt
- 1 pair of pants
- 1 of your mom’s shirts
- 1 of your dad’s shirts
- 1 movie or video game
- 1 toy you outgrew
- 1 toy you don’t play with much
- 5 mystery items (anything goes, but it has to be yours and not your mom’s or sister’s)
- 1 thing you think another child might enjoy more than you
Sell or donate your items on your own or with a group. Have fun with the scavenger hunt and enjoy discovering the benefits of a simpler life.
