THE PRINCIPLE OF FIFTEEN

A friend of mine asked me, "How do you ensure that you have the right amount of clothing as a minimalist." I answered, "The Principle of Fifteen."

So how does this work? I created the Principle of Fifteen in 2016 when I fully embraced minimalism. Usually, I would do my laundry every two weeks. This means that I have already used 14 pieces of clothing, let's say 14 shirts, if I use one shirt per day. If I do the laundry after two weeks, it means I need at least 14 pieces for me to survive, with one more shirt on my body as I do the laundry. This makes it 15.

The principle is simple. For as long as I have 15 pieces of each kind... shirts, shorts, pants, underwear... I will survive.

This number is always on my head as I open my closet. The moment I see one type of clothing exceeding 15, I responsibly donate the rest.

Should I buy a new one, I simply remove one from the closet. One in, one out.

And I maintain fifteen.