This book introduces a minimalist housewife who was born in 1990: what made her decide to be a minimalist, how she is becoming one, and the ways in which she practices zero waste with her child.

The author Gwiseon Shin was a self-avowed maximalist in her early years of marriage, who, like any other newly-wed brides, enjoyed shopping for items to decorate and fill her house. One day, she found herself agonizing over her small jam-packed house, an official residence that she had moved to with her husband, who was a career soldier. The clutter grew further from cleanliness since having a child.

She wanted to spend time and energy on her family instead of wasting them cleaning and tidying up, to focus on the present by retaining only what was manageable, and to live with the things that she cherished. That was how she chose to begin a minimalist lifestyle. It has been four years since she started a minimalist life. Now she is accustomed to having only what is necessary for life and decreasing the amount of waste. She has written dozens of episodes relating to such topics and is even able to create missions for the reader to practice a minimalist lifestyle with zero waste in addition to sharing practical tips. 

“Cleaning has never been easy for me,” the author confesses. “It is a task that I alway feel tiresome about and do not like to do.” Shin’s words show that even the acknowledged minimalist needs to muster strong determination and will to practice a minimalist lifestyle.

Nothing is easy from the very beginning. For this reason, it is more appealing to read a story about how one came to choose to lead a minimalist life and the struggles she had to undergo to reach the point where she is able to share her know-how with others. Another reason this book is an easy and comfortable read is that it does not urge the reader to change things within a short time period by delivering “efficient” tips like other cleaning and organizing gurus. The author emphasizes steadiness as the key to successfully changing our habits and lifestyles.  

The concrete examples Shin gives as her efforts to clean well include: first, creating an empty space, establishing a routine by determining a specific day and time to clean, wiping down the bathroom vanity while washing up, cleaning the sink while washing dishes. Of course, you can habituate these small activities only when you exercise them little by little everyday.

Zero waste means reducing waste by reducing packaging or by using recyclable materials. It is being practiced all over the globe by people who consider the coexistence of the environment and human beings. The author Shin decided to be a zero waster in order to help preserve the precious nature for her nature-loving child. For that purpose, she makes various efforts such as reducing plastic usage, recycling daily supplies as much as possible, and picking up litter from streets. In addition, she makes every effort to conserve, share, exchange, and reuse.