No sofa or TV: man has been giving away his things for 10 years for the sake of an experiment (5 photos)

Extreme minimalist Axel Radstrom has reduced the number of items in his home to 170 and dreams of bringing that number up to 100.





Cemetery caretaker Axel Radstrom has been living by the principles of extreme minimalism for 10 years. Today, he has only 170 items in his home, but the 36-year-old is determined to reduce that number to 100.

For the sake of his philosophy, Axel got rid of his sofa, TV, kitchen cabinets and many other things. Every day, he reviews his possessions, donating what he no longer needs to charity or to those in need. This approach is part of a growing movement to abandon materialism in favor of a simpler, more meaningful lifestyle.



Extreme minimalism involves owning between 15 and 150 items, and many of its followers forgo beds, preferring to sleep on the floor. Axel hasn't yet decided to do this. He counts even simple items like pots and lids separately, and temporarily includes food packaging in the count.

"I was 24 when I started this journey. I felt lonely and unhappy, despite having a comfortable life. The realization that things don't make me happy pushed me to make this decision," Axel shares.





Now the man keeps track of his belongings, where kitchen utensils make up the bulk. Among the 170 items are also a toothbrush, a computer, a mobile phone and some clothes. Giving up possessions has allowed him to free up time for traveling and meeting with people he especially cares about.

"My friends and family don't always understand my lifestyle. Some feel sorry for me and offer to give me gifts, but I explain why I chose this path. Instead of getting together at home, I prefer to meet guests in cozy cafes, and that suits me just fine," says Axel.



The man admits that parting with sentimental things like gifts and photos was not an easy step. However, Axel has digitized his memories, storing them on a USB stick.

He now plans to move to an apartment of about 27 square meters, since the current 70 seems to him "an empty echo".

"We live in a wasteful culture where things quickly lose value. Giving them up helps rethink your relationship with life and people," says Radstrom.