could I become a minimalist?

ok, to start off I'll admit that I am a borderline hoarder.
(if I wanted to point fingers it could have been created in childhood - living with a mother who was a compulsive organizer while I was a sentimentalist was not easy.  ex. crying under the computer desk holding a piece of ugly wallpaper from my bedroom that my mother was updating with wallpaper of my choosing, or my favorite shoes being thrown away because I wouldn't stop wearing them even though they were cracked on the bottom)
(back to present day)
I buy a lot of stuff and then buy a lot more because I can't find that stuff ... keeping my house clean is beyond difficult, which is why I am considering (shuddering as I say this) becoming a minimalist.  I see some problems with this idea however such as: 1) Minimalists don't shop  2) I would have to throw away a lot of stuff that I've collected over the years and deem essential.  I mean what if I need that sifter one day or those electric knives (I haven't used either in the 10 years that I've been married, but it could happen) 
as I'm writing this I'm not sure this is even possible ... is there such thing as a wanna be minimalist or a vegetarian vs. vegan minimalist?  can I just put all the items that I'm thinking about throwing away in a storage closet?  I'll have to investigate this a little further before I make any decisions.