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1KHO 633: When Your Stuff Steals Your Joy | Joshua Becker, The More of Less

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Nov 27, 2025

Guest

Joshua Becker

In a lively conversation, Joshua Becker, author and founder of Becoming Minimalist, shares how a moment with his son ignited his passion for minimalism. He discusses the impact of possessions on our happiness and time with loved ones. Joshua introduces playful "29-day experiments" that help reclaim space and priorities. The duo tackles the influences of advertising, societal pressures, and generational fears around consumption. Alongside insights on relationships as true safety nets, he reveals his nonprofit, The Hope Effect, and offers a sneak peek into his upcoming book.

56:21

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ANECDOTE

Garage Moment That Changed Everything

Joshua Becker describes cleaning the garage while his five-year-old son swung alone outside and he missed playtime.
That moment launched his commitment to minimalism because possessions were stealing meaningful time and joy.

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ADVICE

Test Minimalism With Short Experiments

Try time-limited experiments (29 days or a month) to test lifestyle changes before committing.
Move items to the basement for a trial period rather than disposing of them immediately to evaluate impact.

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ADVICE

Run Focused Lifestyle Trials

Do practical, specific trials like removing cable, using one TV, or limiting clothing to see real benefits.
Keep successful changes (Becker still hand-washes dishes and keeps about 33–35 clothing items).

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Joshua's garage moment that launched minimalism

00:48 • 2min

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From a personal blog to a global movement

02:44 • 7min

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29-day experiments and playful trials

The hidden cost of small purchases

17:50 • 3min

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How advertising and algorithms accelerate consumption

21:16 • 6min

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Generational roots of consumption and parenting

27:33 • 5min

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Technology, phones, and a youth-led revolt

32:24 • 2min

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Security myths: money, possessions, and bunkers

33:55 • 6min

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The prosperity paradox and moving goalposts

40:12 • 5min

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Comparisons, embarrassment, and measuring character

45:14 • 4min

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Unbusy life: watching less and pursuing meaning

49:24 • 60sec

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The Hope Effect and Uncluttered Faith preview

50:24 • 5min

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Favorite outdoor childhood memories

Becker explores the twelve benefits that come, twelve spiritual promises from the Bible that come into our lives when we actually live out what Jesus called us to do in terms of money and possessions. It is the book about how Jesus calls us to give away what we don’t need, not because it’s some sacrificial, boring life, but because it’s a way better to live.

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Living with Less

Joshua Becker

Living With Less is a beautiful coffee table book for you to set out in your living room, library, or office and enjoy as you sip a cup of coffee or enjoy some relaxing music. It is a book filled with both inspirational imagery of uncluttered spaces and practical guidance for decluttering your own home and mind.

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who's raising the kids big tech big business and the lives of children

Susan Lynn

Who's Raising the Kids? examines the influence of big tech and big business on children's lives. Susan Linn explores how marketing strategies, digital technologies, and consumer culture shape children's values, behaviors, and identities. The book raises critical questions about the ethical responsibilities of corporations and the impact of commercialism on childhood development. It encourages parents, educators, and policymakers to protect children from manipulative marketing tactics and foster healthy media habits.

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Heart of the Homestead

RuthAnn Zimmerman

The Heart of the Homestead explores the values and practices of homesteading, emphasizing self-sufficiency, resourcefulness, and connection to the land. Ruthann Zimmerman shares practical tips for growing food, preserving harvests, and creating a sustainable lifestyle. The book also reflects on the deeper meaning of homesteading, inviting readers to cultivate gratitude, simplicity, and community.

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Clutter Free with Kids

Joshua Becker

Clutterfree with Kids offers a new perspective and fresh approach to overcoming clutter in your home. It is filled with inspirational ideas, practical strategies, and a realistic perspective for decluttering your home. It is an invitation to change your thinking, change your home, and change your life.

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• Mentioned in 11 episodes

The tech-wise family

Andy Crouch

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Simplicity parenting

using the extraordinary power of less to raise calmer, happier, and more secure kids

Kim John Payne

Simplicity Parenting offers practical strategies for reducing stress and increasing well-being in families by simplifying home environments, establishing daily rhythms, and limiting media exposure. The book emphasizes the importance of predictability and unstructured time for children's development and emotional security.

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• Mentioned in 10 episodes

Things That Matter

Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics

Charles Krauthammer

This book is a compilation of Charles Krauthammer's essays written over thirty years, divided into four sections: Personal, Political, Historical, and Global. It includes his reflections on various subjects such as bioethics, Jewish destiny, America's role as a superpower, and personal interests like baseball, chess, and space exploration. The essays showcase Krauthammer's insightful analysis, humane values, and his ability to challenge conventional wisdom on numerous topics, making it a valuable record of his intellectual contributions to American political discourse.

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The more of less

Joshua Becker

The More of Less by Joshua Becker encourages readers to adopt a minimalist lifestyle, helping them recognize the benefits of owning fewer possessions and focusing on what truly adds value to their lives. The book provides practical advice on decluttering and creating a more intentional life, emphasizing the freedom and contentment that come from living with less.

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• Mentioned in 122 episodes

From Strength to Strength

Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life

Arthur C Brooks

In 'From Strength to Strength', Arthur C. Brooks addresses the inevitable decline in abilities that comes with aging and provides a practical guide on how to transform this period into an opportunity for growth. Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks advocates for refocusing on priorities such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress. He argues that by adapting our expectations and focusing on these areas, we can achieve increased happiness and purpose in our later years.

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The Minimalist Home

Joshua Becker

When Joshua Becker looked up from a garage packed with stuff and saw his five-year-old swinging alone in the backyard, everything changed. In this lively, hopeful conversation, Joshua joins Ginny to share how one offhand comment from a neighbor launched his journey into minimalism, and eventually his global platform, Becoming Minimalist. They talk about how our possessions don’t just fail to make us happy; they actually pull us away from the very things that do bring us joy: time with our kids, meaningful work, time outside, community, and faith. Joshua shares his favorite “29-day experiments,” from hand-washing dishes to owning just 33 items of clothing, and shows how small, playful trials can reset our habits and free up time, money, and energy for what matters most.

Ginny and Joshua also dig into the deeper forces shaping our cluttered lives: targeted advertising, influencer culture, generational fears about security, and the endless, shifting dollar amount we think will finally make us “safe.” They explore why retirement as pure leisure doesn’t show up in Scripture, why relationships are a better safety net than underground bunkers and overstuffed basements, and how comparison so often focuses on cars and clothes instead of character and generosity. Joshua shares about his nonprofit, The Hope Effect, which helps children move from institutional orphanages into families, and offers a sneak peek at his upcoming book Uncluttered Faith. The episode wraps with a sweet childhood memory of backyard wiffle ball, and an invitation to all of us to experiment with owning less so we can live, love, and play more, especially outdoors.

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Preorder your copy of Uncluttered Faith

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