A mum who found herself feeling "overwhelmed" by clutter decided to turn to minimalism some 10 years ago, and has since thrown away more than 1,000 household items. Dagbjort Jonsdottir, 39, says she decided to divide her property up into sections to tackle the clutter, and has now got rid of so much stuff, she has to use paper plates whenever guests come over. Over the course of the past decade, Dagbjort has been getting rid of at least two items per week from each of the sections, waving goodbye to sofas, chandelier lights, dishes, glasses, mugs, clothes, towels, and many, many other items. Dagbjort says she doesn't even keep her children's drawings, which she photographs and stores digitally instead. The now dedicated minimalist has also got rid of everything left to her by her parents and grandparents, including clothes and jewellery, arguing that she "doesn't see the need in them". Nowadays, the once cluttered family has just one set of cutlery and plates each, and they're said to be much happier for it. 'I make up to £2.6k-a-week cleaning hoarders' homes – the dirtier the better' She decided to switch to minimalism after becoming overwhelmed ( Image: Dagbjört Jónsdóttir / SWNS) The minimalist mum has chucked out items left to her by her parents and grandparents ( Image: Dagbjört Jónsdóttir / SWNS) Dagbjort and her family are now said to prioritise experiences over objects, with the children preferring to go "to the beach" than play with toys. According to the mum, who is originally from Iceland: "When you look around you can have enjoyment just from jumping in the rain with your kids, you don't need working items. I started noticing my kids playing with toys less and now we have empty cupboards, and we go out and see the world together - we don't need anything. First, it was putting items in a box and keeping it for a year and if I didn't touch it then I'd get rid of it. "But now I don't get attached to anything, sentimental or not. For me, it's to have the feeling within and enjoy life. If you do too much it's easier to quit as you've gotten rid of too much. Now, when people give us gifts, they know us now and they give us experiences rather than items." Dagbjort doesn't even keep her children's drawings ( Image: Dagbjört Jónsdóttir / SWNS) Her children don't miss having loads of toys ( Image: Dagbjört Jónsdóttir / SWNS) The freelance marketer went on to reveal her reasoning behind dividing up her house, explaining that this helps her avoid feeling overwhelmed while clearing out, making her home easier to manage. Dagbjort, who claims her children don't miss having toys, added: "Shortly after Christmas or their birthdays I find that they play less with any toys they've been bought. Their room ends up crowded with toys that they don't play with, and they appreciate it more when there is less stuff. We have seen through the years that they appreciate going out to the beach with us rather than playing with toys." Not everyone is too keen on the idea ( Image: Dagbjört Jónsdóttir / SWNS) The family prefers experiences to gifts ( Image: Dagbjört Jónsdóttir / SWNS) This minimalist approach has allowed Dagbjort to be much more selective with what she buys, and she'll now only make a purchase if it has a useful purchase. She'll now often upload minimalist content on social media, but not everybody is totally on board with her philosophy. Dagbjort, who is currently writing a book about her minimalist approach to life, continued: "In my opinion, it looks very calm. A lot of people hate on TikTok, but each to their own. It gives us peace and quiet and it is more environmental. People think it's strange that we don't have pictures of our children on the wall for example, but we have things in a book, and we just do things differently than other people. Some have also said having less means I'm poor. It doesn't get to me at all, I know I'm not poor, I work for myself, and we own our house and car, so those comments don't really get to me." Have you made a dramatic lifestyle change? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com River Island shoppers in frenzy over 'absolutely gorgeous' crochet summer dress