Gift Guide: Unique, Clutter-Free Gifts for Minimalists
The best gifts for minimalists
Buying great gifts for minimalists can be a challenge. It may feel like they don’t want physical items, or that they already have everything they want or need. There are a few keys to remember when searching for gift ideas for the minimalist in your life.
Being a Minimalist doesn’t mean that they don’t need, want or buy anything. It simply means that they are focused on the things in their life that give them the most value while eliminating the things that don’t.
Find something unique, but not a fad or gimmick. It’s great to pick out a sentimental, unique or under the radar item. It’s not great to purchase a cheap 8-in-1 tool, or this year’s fad gift.
If all else fails, ask. You can always reach out to the person and ask what they are currently working on, learning, or changing in their home or life. If you favor a surprise, you can ask their other loved ones, or check out their presence on Pinterest or other social channels.
Beauty and Self-Care Gifts
Candles and Diffusers
The Capri Blue Mercury Hexagon Volcano Candle is probably the best smelling candle in the world and has a beautiful, minimalist vessel that doubles as a vase when the candle runs out.
The Nest Fragrances Liquidless Diffuser in Bamboo would be a worthy gift just as a decor piece. However, a diffuser without the need for liquid is perfect for a tidy home with a minimalist aesthetic.
A self-care box or kit
For women, it’s tough to beat the Honest Company Nighttime Self-Care Kit. It comes with hydrating face cream, a mud mask, magic gel-to-milk cleanser and sleep resurfacing face serum.
If you are looking for a more masculine self-care kit, check out the Spa Life Bath and Body Luxury Spa Gift Set in Men’s Sandalwood. It comes with seven pieces including body lotion and scrub, and a cool carrying case.
Luxury Soaps or Containers
Caswell-Massey Triple Milled Luxury Bath Soap perfectly captures the minimalist aesthetic, while also providing another great self-care gift for the recipient. A present that I’ve given in the past is the 12-pack “year of soap” boxed set with a bunch of unique colors and fragrances.
The Erno Laszlo Sea Mud Deep Cleansing Bar is sure to capture the attention of not only the gift recipient, but anyone who sees it in their home. The iconic black bar is crafted with 26 minerals to cleanse, exfoliate and smooth out skin.
A subtle but stylish Concrete or Marble Draining Soap Dish is another item that fits well in a sleek, minimalist room while also providing functional benefits. Paired with a luxury bar of soap, this can be a great self-care and design gift that doesn’t clutter up a home.
At-home car detailing
It may seem like an unnecessary luxury, but for car owners, a deep clean and a few less trips to the car wash is always a great surprise.
A salon or spa service
Very few people won’t appreciate a spa service. It’s another perfect clutter-free gift of relaxation. For men, consider an old-fashioned haircut and shave. For women, a blowout at a blow dry bar is always a special treat. A massage, manicure, pedicure or other spa service will be well received by anyone, regardless of gender.
Bath bomb or bubble bath products
A fun and lighthearted self-care gift is the Auminay Naturals Breathe Bath Bomb is crafted with essential oils and nutrients like eucalyptus, fennel and spirulina. Perfect for healthy and environmentally conscious minimalists.
A luxury bubble-bath product like the Kiehl’s Lavender Foaming Relaxing Bath is a high-quality product that will give your minimalist months of relaxation.
Experience Gifts for a Minimalist
A class or online course
Creative Live – Creative Live has expert-led classes on dozens of topics including photography, design, music, filmmaking, entrepreneurship, drawing, scrapbooking and cake decorating. You can buy an individual course, or sign them up for the all-access creator pass ($149 for the year).
Skillshare – Similar to Creative Live, with slightly different topics including lifestyle, business, leadership and creative fields including illustration, music and animation. Gift cards come in 3-month, 6-month or 12-month packages ranging from $36-$96. You can get an extra 2 months for free with this link.
Ancestry.com Test
A great gift for just about anyone, Ancestry gives you not only your genealogy, but also access to family history records, geographic-specific insights about your family and even artifacts such as photos or documents if they exist in the database. They also have a health product where you can get insights from your DNA about your health and your family’s health history over decades.
Gift memberships come in 6-month or 12-month packages that start at $99. Click here to view packages.
In-home chef for an evening
This may take a little bit of work, but finding a local chef who will come into their home and cook for or with them can be an incredible experience. Take A Chef has over 40,000 chefs who will do private cooking events. They prepare the menu, cook, serve and do all of the cleaning.
Skydiving
While it’s not for everyone, skydiving can be a once in a lifetime experience for thrill seekers. In most states, there are multiple skydiving centers within an hour or two of major cities. I recommend sticking to gift cards so you aren’t locking someone into a date and time that may not work for them. If you aren’t sure of their appetite for jumping out of a plane, indoor skydiving is also a great gift idea. The cost usually runs between $100-$400.
Tickets to sports, events or hobbies
It can seem obvious, but you really can’t go wrong with tickets to a cultural, experiential or sporting event. Depending on the interests of your friend or family member, sports tickets, lift tickets for skiing, concerts or festivals, and comedy or broadway shows are all great options.
Family Photography Session
When giving gifts to a couple or family with children, a family photography session can be a wonderful surprise. Not only is it something that many people won’t buy for themselves, it’s also something that will remind them of your thoughtful gift every time they see the photos. Search Google or Instagram for local photographers in your area and reach out to them. Make sure they are clear on what’s included in the photo shoot as sometimes, they will only provide a certain number of prints or files and not all of the photos.
Clutter Free Fitness Gifts for Minimalists
Yoga Classes
Gaia
One of the leading yoga, meditation and mindfulness apps, Gaia has thousands of hours of video courses taught by world-class instructors. An annual all-access plan costs a one-time fee of $99, which makes it one of the gifts a yoga enthusiast will love.
Yoga International
Another option with hundreds of expertly led yoga and meditation classes just like you would find in a studio setting. You can stream them on any device and cancel any time. They also offer a free 14-day membership, so you have a bit of head start on purchasing a membership for a friend.
Whoop Strap
For more serious athletes or fitness enthusiasts, the Whoop Strap is one of the most innovative new fitness devices on the market. Worn by hundreds of professional athletes, the strap and app give you data on sleep, recovery, strain and overall health. This will tell your fitness-minded minimalist loved one when to train harder, when to rest and what habits to change on a daily basis for better performance. The strap is free with a membership, which costs about $30 per month.
Fitness App Memberships
An increasing number of minimalists are choosing home workouts over the gym. This can mean anything from a Peloton to a garage gym or instructor-led classes through a fitness app. The amount of time and money saved by working out at home is perfect for minimalists. I personally use Aaptiv, which offers thousands of strength training, outdoor running, and interval training workouts in the app. It’s like having a personal trainer on your mobile device or computer for about $15 per month.
If you are shopping for a friend or loved one who prefers more studio type of workouts, check out the Beach Body app. Beach Body are the folks behind P90x, Insanity, the 21 Day Fix and other fitness programs. Beach Body On Demand Comes with the entire course library and provides meal plans to lose weight, build muscle or reach whatever fitness goals your loved one is interested in. It’s one of the most complete at-home workout options. It costs about $10 per month, so it isn’t too tough on the budget.
Lumen
Another one of the coolest fitness apps around, Lumen is a combination of a mobile app and a small device. The device measures metabolic data through a short breath into it.
By just breathing into the Lumen device, you get detailed information about your metabolism, nutrition, how your body burns fat and carbs, and the impact of exercise on your weight, health and overall well-being.
It’s not the cheapest minimalist fitness present, but with this link, you receive $50 off and free shipping.
TRX System
Perfect for at-home strength and flexibility workouts, but without the clutter of weights or machines, the TRX System is a perfect gift for minimalists. This bodyweight resistance system can be mounted easily in any room or outdoors, making it great for travel or easy storage in the home. Personally, I use it in my garage, then store the straps on a shelf out of sight.
A Minimal, Stylish Gym Bag
The Rains Gym Bag is a simple, sturdy, unisex bag that we love. It’s waterproof with weather resistant hardware and can be used as a gym bag or a weekend duffel.
The Herschel Novel Duffel comes in about 25 colors and is perfect for a stylish fitness enthusiast. It comes with a zippered compartment for shoes, and a ton of storage space for gear.
Qalo Ring
Qalo rings are perfect for gym or home workouts, especially for anyone who swims, plays sports, or grips equipment. The slim silicone wedding ring comes in many different designs and colors including stackable rings for women. A fun and unique gift for minimalist men and women alike.
Minimalist Travel Gifts
Priority Pass
Priority Pass is a pretty simple concept. For travelers who have Priority Pass, they get access to lounges in nearly every airport in the world. This includes more than 1300 lounges in 600 cities across 148 countries. They offer three packages, including the lowest price that requires the traveler to pay $32 to visit a lounge. The best package to give is the $299 package that includes 10 free visits to airport lounges.
Away Luggage
Stylish, minimalist, high-quality and extremely functional. Away luggage doesn’t just come in beautiful designs. It is perfectly sized for traveling light whether domestic or international. The suitcases also come with a built-in battery pack to charge devices on the go, a TSA-approved lock, 360 degree spinning wheels and a hidden laundry bag.
The standard carry-on runs $225. They also have a number of totes, and backpacks that are equally stylish and functional.
Assouline Books
Travel gifts are not limited to bags, accessories or items used while away. The beautiful and timeless Assouline Books transport readers to destinations around the world. “Travel from home, one book at a time” is their motto. They have beautiful coffee-table books including journeys to St. Tropez, Tulum, Uzbekistan, Mykonos and more.
Travel books are $95. Assouline also offers a number of Design, Art, Food & Drink and Fashion titles.
Babbel App Membership
Babbel is among the easiest ways to learn a new language. The app currently offers courses designed by over 100 linguists to teach any of 13 different languages. These lessons are broken up into 10-15 minute segments of real-world scenarios. They offer packages with one-time payments ranging from $49 for 6 months to $159 for 2 years.
Premium Leather Passport Case
For female travelers, the Tory Burch Perry Passport Case is a wonderful gift. This definitely falls in the category of luxury goods that someone may not splurge on.
The Nomad Goods Modern Edition Passport Wallet is specifically designed for minimalist travelers. The masculine look and simple, functional wallet holds 8 cards, cash, and a passport in a dedicated slot.
Packing Cubes
We’re back to Away Travel again. The Away Insider Packing Cubes come in sets of 4 or 6 and help to organize and maximize space inside of luggage. They work for anything from clothing and accessories to socks.
At just $45 for a set of 4, they are an inexpensive option that will help your traveling friends and family pack light and tidy.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
For air travelers, noise cancelling headphones are an absolute must. We like the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Wireless Headphones. At $299, there are certainly cheaper options, but this is the best you will find in this price range.
Books and Journals
Audible or Kindle Unlimited
Minimalism can be a challenge for readers. Bookshelves tend to be a major area of clutter in the household. Oftentimes, they are full of books that have already been completed and can take up a lot of space in the home. An Audible membership includes 3,6 or 12-month membership options with audiobooks directly on a phone or tablet. If they also like reading, a Kindle Unlimited membership provides unlimited reading of over 1 million ebooks as well as audiobooks on any device.
Best Self Journal
My personal favorite journal that I have ever used is the Self Journal by BestSelf. It’s a beautiful looking journal that helps to organize your life with an undated 13-week planner. It breaks your goals down into concrete steps, then helps you organize them into monthly, weekly and daily goals. It also includes daily gratitude, accomplishment and other motivation and tracking tools. Available on Amazon for $31.99.
The Reading Journal
Help your minimalist friend or relative declutter bookshelves without losing the titles and memories of books they have loved. The Reading Journal is elegant and timeless, with space for 50 reviews. Perfect for writing down thoughts, quotes, and even tracking if a book was lent, finished, unfinished and more.
Home Decor and Improvement
While you don’t want to introduce clutter into their life or home, it’s still okay to buy physical items. Focus on quality over quantity and find items that will last, are sustainable, and will serve a purpose for the recipient.
Don’t be afraid to embrace luxury. Small, perfectly crafted items that a minimalist will have for the rest of their life are going to be better gift ideas than a bunch of cheaper things that will end up in a landfill.
Kitchen Items
Instant Pot
There is nothing better for a minimalist kitchen than the cooking device that replaces a bunch of others. An Instant Pot is a combination of a slow cooker and a pressure cooker that can make rice, hard boiled eggs, any meat, stews, desserts, veggies and more in a fraction of traditional cooking times.
Tea or Coffee Accessories
A simple Glass teapot with an infuser is one of the most timeless, yet inexpensive minimalist gifts. There are a million varieties, but we like the Hiware Good Glass Teapot which has a stainless steel infuser and is stovetop safe.
A Chemex Pour-Over Glass Coffee Maker is a among the best gifts for minimalist coffee enthusiasts. It’s stylish, minimal, easy to use and makes some very good coffee.
A cutting board that will last forever
One of the all-time great gift ideas for the kitchen, a strong, solid wood cutting board or butcher block will replace the need for multiple cutting boards or those of lower quality. This Acacia Wood Cutting Board will last a lifetime and is only $54 on Amazon.
Minimalist Home Decor Gifts
Assouline Clear Bookstand
A perfect way to display a coffee table book, family photo book, or a luxury magazine. The Assouline A Bookstand comes in clear, black or red color and was designed by Alex Assouline. A simple way to class up a room and display beautiful books.
A sleek electronics charging station
Decluttering the tangled piles of cords and chargers that we all have in our home can be a present in itself. Our favorite friends at Nomad Goods have created the new Base Station Pro with FreePower technology. This padded leather charging surface works with all major smartphones and other devices like headphones, tablets, smartwatches and more. It’s not actually on the market yet, but we couldn’t write a gift guide without it. Check it out on NomadGoods.com
An aesthetically pleasing wall clock
One of the best looking gift ideas on our list of minimalist gifts, this Minimalist White Wall Clock is a simple way to give the minimalist aesthetic. Be sure that this fits with the color palette of the home decor in your friend or loved one’s home. If it does, then it’s an option we love for a minimalist friend..
Pots or planters for indoor house plants
Brighten up a room in your loved one’s house with a pot or planter for house plants. This is usually one of the more cost-effective gift ideas, but still has a big impact. We like hanging planters with a minimalist touch, but there are dozens of great options out there.
Pictured here is the Mkono Boho Hanging Planter set of 2, available on Amazon for $30.99
Gift Cards
If you still feel that the minimalist you are shopping for has it all and wouldn’t love anything on this list, there is nothing wrong with a gift card. Being slightly more thoughtful with a home improvement credit can be useful, but still personal. If you are looking more in the decor realm, an Etsy or Houzz card can cover pretty much any category that they would want. If it’s more about services to help out with home improvement, consider Task Rabbit or Handy. Finally, if it is a busy loved one you are shopping for, purchasing house cleaning services or credits is always appreciated.
Subscriptions and Memberships
Streaming Video or Music Memberships
One of the most obvious clutter-free gifts for the minimalist is access to great music or television. Depending on their preferences and what subscriptions they already have, Amazon Prime Video (as part of a Prime membership), Amazon Music, Netflix, Hulu, Tidal or Spotify can all be great options.
Meal Kit Delivery
Meal kit delivery will usually cost around $6-$9 per meal and are very flexible about picking the dishes, skipping days or weeks, and cancelling whenever you want. The good thing is that you can give a couple months of meals without signing your friend up for months of subscription fees.
The major meal kit companies are fairly similar, so it really comes down to which menus you like the best. The three most popular choices are Hello Fresh, Blue Apron and Home Chef.
AAA Auto Club Membership
A classic. AAA memberships have been around for decades, but are still something that anyone is happy to receive. The peace of mind that comes with knowing you are always covered when you’re out on the road is well worth the cost. A Classic Membership costs $56 per year.
Tile
A Google product, Tile is a small device that you can attach to keys, remotes, bags, or other items to find them quickly and easily if they are lost. A Tile membership comes as either a 1,4,8 or 12 pack of tiles and includes a year of membership for the app.
Community Supported Agriculture Shares
Local farmers offer a certain number of “shares” to the public. When you purchase a community supported agriculture share, you receive local, seasonal produce directly from the farmers that grew it. It’s a great gift for any sustainable minimalists, foodies or those who care about their local community. Check out LocalHarvest.org to find a CSA in your area.
Botanical Garden Membership
In most cities, there are few places more beautiful or relaxing than a botanical garden. If the person you are shopping for has a local botanical garden, an annual membership is a great clutter-free present that they will enjoy all year long.
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Photo Credit: Beazy
