How much of a minimalist are you?

Minimalism
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As a parent you have a huge influence on your kids and you payroll their lifes until they make their own money, as such you have “leverage”.

I for one am grateful for my upbringing, I learnt a lot from my parents.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. What’s your main takeaway in terms of actions (short-/longterm)? What did your wife have to say about it?

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That she’s not regretting the On shoes xD

That one should always ask if a purchase will add value/happiness and if it’s still used in 90 days. And that it’s ok to have (watch) collections.

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23

I kinda have problems throwing things away (because I get emotionally attached to them)… It’s a bit of a horror when people gift me big decoration pieces or plants or something.

So my way of coping with that is to only buy good-quality items that I really really need. I hope that slowly leads to minimalism.

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24

Sorry, I think your perception of Minimalism is completely wrong and shit :smiley:

Minimalism is about having only what you truly want and need. It’s the opposite of hoarding stuff that you don’t really want, but are afraid to through out because you might need that one thing some time 5 years from now, or later. I consider myself a minimalist, and I have enough plates, forks and knives for 12 people or so.

25

I would say I am a minimalist. And during the 2020 crisis I became more so than ever before.

Sitting at home all day I started to feel a bit claustrophobic. And all these items that I will never use started to put me off. Just to give examples: I had a 12 year old tower computer, that I kept as a spare machine. I had really old shoes that I would never wear, because they were close to broken. I had still had ceiling lamps from my previous apartment lying around in the basement, that I would not need anymore. Or a brick of shower soap that looked like storm trooper, that someone gifted to me. The list was huge. And working from home gave me enough time to get upset about all these things that I would see on a daily basis and would not want around anymore.

So I started selling the things that others could still use. I gave the old computer to a teenager who would play around with it. I sold furniture, lamps, picture frames, old speakers and other stuff that still had some value on the internet. Everything else flew to the trash.

There were a few items that were difficult to get rid off, most of the times because I received them as a present. But I knew that after not wearing a jacket for 15 years, I would not suddenly start wearing it now in my 30s. The process was liberating. I felt like the more I got rid off, the lighter my mind felt.

There’s also practical reasons:

  • When I move, I want to move as little weight as possible. I hate furniture, that requires more than 2 people to move, or even an elevator.
  • I like the clean look of my apartment now, since every item lying around has a purpose or a story that I like. There is nothing, that I keep because I feel obligated to.
  • My girlfriend moved in, and she initially also had shitloads of stuff. It would not have been possible to have everything under one roof, if we both had not disposed of a lot of items before. On a side note: we live in a 3 room apartment. And I would find it ridiculous to have so much stuff that would require us to have 4 rooms. It would also limit our options when we would want to move to a more expensive area.

Minimalism for me means focusing on what you really want and like having around. And it also means not chasing materialistic goals such as having the latest iPhone for no other reason than it being the newest and flashiest of all iPhones. At the same time it means that I question new purchases, also from an environmental perspective. Do I really need this new thing, that was produced overseas? Do I really need another thing with a battery, that has a limited lifetime of a few years only?

Oh and I “read” the book by Marie Kondo and I found it terrible. I don’t understand, how this can be a bestseller. It’s completely void of any content, and it’s just a childish story of a woman helping others declutter their homes by pushing them over their own boundaries. It has almost no practical tips.

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26

I also rather recommend „the minimalist home“ by Joshua Becker for practical advice :broom:

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27

I just recommend this blog and to ask questions.

If you have the gut to ask here, you are already on the right state of mind, I think.

Hard to give as a gift though…

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28

Did we read the same book!? I read it too, but found it quite ok, if you cut through some stuff. Nowhere does she push for minimalism.

She is totally right, throwing away stuff you don’t need is liberating and more important than just tiding it up neatly. Folding clothes masdivly boosts space, vertical storing is a great idea instead of stacking on top.

It seems to me that you are anyway doing exactly what she recommends and seeing the psychological benefit - perhaps you just were to good and knowledgeable already going in? Consider that some people really just hord everything.

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29

as long as you have enough clothes to fill the space AND you keep washing clothes every day. Once you have 3-4 shirts moved to another place (like a laundry basket), your empty spaces will start to ruin your perfectly stacked shirts.

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You precicly do NOT stack them:) that is what she recommends.

But in essence, I’m surprised by the harsh critic you guys give that book, I really learned some nice things from it and found it an easy read.

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31

Sorry, wrong word.
It’s funny how brains work. 99% of the explanation was correct, one word is wrong and suddenly all information is lost.

as long as you have enough clothes to fill the space AND you keep washing clothes every day. Once you have 3-4 shirts moved to another place (like a laundry basket), your empty spaces will start to ruin your perfectly aligned shirts.

Now, please correct me if I’m wrong. I think what I said still stands (pun not intended), you need to have your drawers always full.

(side note: I’m not harsh on her, I find it just funny the way she monetized her fame. )

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  1. On on hand: Yes, most people have too much stuff. But only in the sense that the marginal gain of meaning/happiness/satisfaction from it is small compared to the cost of it (working for it).

    On the other hand: No, not in the sense that most people would be better off with just a small fraction of what they currently own.

    This makes me believe that many people should not strive for having more stuff in their lives but should also not strive to significantly reduce things they currently own (but many people probably benefit from an annual spring cleaning of stuff they no longer need, à la Konmari).
    (Execption: e.g. if you could greatly reduce living costs if you owned significantly less…)

  2. No, I don’t. I struggle with having a orderly household and therefore probably own less than the average person my age. But I own quite some stuff that I don’t necessarily need, are nice-to-have, would not re-buy.

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love your Nickname @trotro :joy:

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I think the problem of all those organizing and minimalism books is that it’s really not rocket science - you don’t use, you don’t need it.
Most people have trouble decluttering because they attach emotional value to the items they own. Working with the “Marie Kondo system”, the good takeaway is to take all similar things and place them on a huge pile - it can really add up and shock some people. Plus, after going through half the pile you’re so desensitized from emotions that it becomes easier to let go of things.
Things get difficult after decluttering, when you have to cultivate a certain discipline around what you buy.
Personally I triple check every thing I buy with:

  • why do I need this?
  • is there a way to achieve what I want with things I already have?
  • how long / how much use can I draw from this purchase?
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35

I offer myself to help decluttering for a small fee. That would make things easier for the emotional part.

Beware of the “could I achieve it with something I already have?”. I have a rice cooker. You can cook rice with a pot easily BUT then you have to take care of it, check it and so on. You can also do many many things with a screwdriver and simple pliers even if there are better tools for the job.
How would you decide?

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Pure luxury, just don’t eat rice.

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37

I shouldn’t mention my chinoise fondue set, raclette set and cheese fondue one…
:slight_smile:

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I bought one 5 years ago. Still unused

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39

sell it or use it.
filler text

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Well we have an electric Orange Juicer, but it’s used every single day…