Anybody here a minimalist?

[hathalove]

Hey PSers,

I just watched the documentary Minimalism on Netflix and got inspired to have less stuff. I am curious if we have any PSers who live minimally? Not talking about your jewels (doesn't really take up much space) although I have seen many try and pair down collections to be more practical over the years. But with overall living?

Any tips? How to start? What works for you?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Most PSers live in McMansions...

 

[hathalove]

Most PSers live in McMansions...

Lol. Told my dh I was going to post about it and he said good luck. He doubts PSers are minimal about anything.

 

[Karl_K]

nope we are pack rats! It has been a little better since we implemented the rule we can not bring it home unless we have a place for it. Stacking is not allowed.

 

[arkieb1]

Nope 3rd generation sh@# hoarder....

 

[Arkteia]

Nope 3rd generation sh@# hoarder....

The same, but second generation. (But, in two countries and both lines).

 

[hathalove]

nope we are pack rats! It has been a little better since we implemented the rule we can not bring it home unless we have a place for it. Stacking is not allowed.

Wait that's a start.

Tip #1 no stacking!

 

[hathalove]

Nope 3rd generation sh@# hoarder....

The same, but second generation. (But, in two countries and both lines).

You guys!!! Come on we can turn this around can't we? Lol

I just tosssd out all my handbag boxes and shopping bags. I kept them thinking if I ever were to sell it's nice to have the box and paper bag but oh well. Taking up too much space.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Nope 3rd generation sh@# hoarder....

Are you my wife?...

 

[Arkteia]

You guys!!! Come on we can turn this around can't we? Lol

I just tosssd out all my handbag boxes and shopping bags. I kept them thinking if I ever were to sell it's nice to have the box and paper bag but oh well. Taking up too much space.

Yes! Shopping bags from different airports and duty free shops, perfumes from the said shops (how can a gal miss one?), small samples for gifts. Also, a whole collection of "stuff" from Filene's Basement, a store in Boston which went into oblivion. I wish someone organized a show about it... I'd gladly donate that "period" stuff, lol!

(Filene's basement was a thing of its own. Once a year it would organize sales of bridal gowns... Ferragamo, Yves St. Laurent, no small stuff. And they had a tiny common fitting area, and one could not bring in more than six items. So these beautiful brides-to-be (who would always come with their moms) were trying on clothes in the store, and moms would be trying to provide some coverage, and the looks on guys' faces...)

Anyhow, I digress. I can not throw out books. First, I love how they look. Second, in the Soviet Union good books were rarity, and in my house, we had quite a collection. I consider myself well-, if eclectically, read, (who has ever read the full collection of books by Theodore Dreiser? I did), but only because books were such a rarity.

My husband's mother invested into 200 volumes of "Literature of the World", where you can find something very necessary ("The Iliad") and something very ethnic (The Kalevala, Finnish epic saga, Russian translation). I read the Kalevala, too, because if you got a book, you'd better read it.

It sounds funny now, but life was bizarre. For example, Gorbachev, in his zest to wrench proletarians' favorite drug from their shaking hands, organized Prohibition in the Soviet Union. Overnight, vodka became second currency. One could purchase two bottles of vodka per person per month, and next month you would exchange two empty bottles for two full ones. Consequently, in my sober family, we all started buying our monthly dose - two for each of my parents, my hubby, myself, and for my newborn kid, too... And we'd exchange vodka for something else, but I mostly remember exchanging mine and my son's four bottles for books...

So how can I throw out these old books? Now? I have a Kindle, but I also have a sh..load of books once exchanged on the black market for vodka.

 

[missy]

No but I wish I was. I aspire for simplicity and easiness and I love minimalist styles and decor. So I picture myself a minimalist in many ways but in reality I cannot consider myself one. Perhaps a minimalist wannabe.

 

[valeria101]

You tell me

I could always move house in a few hours ... However, this is died in the wool, so I cannot tell you how I came to like this sort of life. Of course, because travel is easy, I chose to do it allot & the people closest to me are of the same species ... It seems easy to live with a little nice stuff that changes frequently - if not because I am decamping, then because I wouldn't add to the pile without substracting at least as much. Clearly NOT common !

 

[OoohShiny]

I have a lot of stuff but like to have clear surfaces - 'a tidy house is a tidy mind' and all that.

I recommend cupboards with solid doors to hide things in, only displaying a few key items, and not buying things that you know you are neither here-nor-there about - lack of income means I only ever buy things I know I really will like and/or use, rather than things that I'm not sure about!

Wasn't it Oscar Wilde that said (to paraphrase) that we should only have things in our house that are useful or beautiful or both?

 

[lissyflo]

My mum is a ruthless minimalist and I hate that I can't be the same! Darwin was so wrong about survival of the fittest and passing on the best genes - I got my mum's dud genes (varicose veins and tendency to hold grudges way past when's healthy) but not a jot of her ruthless, minimalist genes or her ability to talk to anyone about anything for hours. So unfair!

Although, with 2 children plus a dog and cat in the house, I could be the most streamlined person in the world and still be tripping over plastic tat and partly chewed tennis balls I suspect.....

 

[Tekate]

I am a minimalist for sure. I hate stuff, so I hired a lady to decorate my house and to do it minimally it's almost like a psycho illness tho, if I am in a place that is full of furniture, knick knacks, stuff I have to leave.. my dream house was a house I saw in Westchester County once when I was 17, it was modern, all the walls were WHITE, the furniture was black the tables were silver and glass, it was linear, the pool was a rectangle and the pool was white plaster so it was perfectly turquoise no colorquartz, pebbletec, etc.. everything was minimal, furniture was minimal, perfect and gorgeous. Of course I can't afford a house like that especially in Westchester! (I think it was in Katonah).. a friend of mine was watching the couple's dogs, this was back in '70.

(I once threw out my W2) I throw everything away. I hate stuff.
I don't live in a McMansion anymore my house is one story.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Hmmm, my house might qualify as a tiny house on PS since it's only 1200 square feet. So maybe that qualifies as minimalist? I know DH would like a bigger house but my argument is we use every room in our house daily so no space is wasted. Also we don't NEED a bigger house like we need food and things like that. However living in a small house means you constantly have to purge (although my closets are fuller than I would like) and you make very deliberate purchases.

So that's my minimalist contribution

 

[chrono]

If I were to live alone, I would not decorate nor buy anything but the bare minimum and functional furniture.

 

[baby monster]

If I could throw out half of the stuff in my house, I'd be a happy camper. Clean surfaces and less furniture would be ideal. Things that are frequently used and are multifunctional. Unfortunately, I married a hoarder and my kids are still at that age when they have a ton of plastic toys. I actively resist bringing more stuff in and have been fairly successful on grandparent toy gifting front and useless knickknacks.

My mother is selling her house and moving so she's trying to give me her useless stuff. I'm refusing but she's guilt-tripping that i don't want her "gifts".

 

[violet3]

My sister is trying to do this currently - I am a packrat

 

[BlingDreams]

Hmm.... I wouldn't say I'm a minimalist but I try to keep it so that everything I have has a purpose (and is used often enough to justify keeping it). Exceptions are sentimental things like photo albums, heirlooms, and momentos from trips, of course.

The flip side is I live in a huge house for only two people (with occasional visits from three grown kids) so we have lots of rooms to fill. If we had to move to an average-sized home I'm sure we'd have to part with a lot of our furniture or we'd feel pretty cramped.

I try to purge throughout the year, in general. If I come across something that I haven't used in a year or more it gets donated or thrown away. Honestly the best gauge for me is how I feel in the house. If it's messy and things are out of place with nowhere to appropriately put them then I know it's time to do a purging.

 

[ringbling17]

Hmmm, good question! Im honestly not sure exactly what it means tho, but I would say when it comes to my house, I am. People often come over and ask me how I keep my house so tidy and neat with four kids. I just can't stand clutter and haven't bought anything for the house since we moved here which was almost 6 years ago. Except for my son's bedroom set but that's bc when we first moved here he was 9 months old in a crib and now he's 6 1/2.
When my kids play with toys, they have to clean up. No ifs ands, or buts. You made the mess, you clean it up. That's the rule.
I give away my kids clothes when they've outgrown them, get rid of shoes, magazines, shopping bags, etc., even my storage area is nice and neat.
I think I'm a minimalist when it comes to clothing. I don't shop each season, if I like something I will buy two or three in different colors and my clothes last forever. I have sweaters I still wear from 20 years ago. When I first came to PS, juicy couture sets were popular. That was around 2005 or so. I still have all my sets and still wear them. Now my oldest wears them too.
I do keep all my boxes for my handbags tho but I have enough space to store them where they are not in the way of anything. Plus like what you said, if I decide to sell it's nice to be able to send it in the box.
But I won't throw out any books. I have books cases in my basement for my books and for my kids books. I even kept all my nursing books from 18-19 years ago. I have my original VC Andrews books from high school!

 

[ringbling17]

My mother is selling her house and moving so she's trying to give me her useless stuff. I'm refusing but she's guilt-tripping that i don't want her "gifts".

I have an aunt that's a hoarder. She buys stuff all the time and now it's so uncomfortable to go to her house bc you can't even sit down. There's stuff everywhere. You can't eat at the kitchen table either bc there's no space to eat. You literally have to eat with your plate on your lap if you can even find an empty chair.
Whenever we go over to her house she tries to give me and my kids stuff. She will fill up gift bags of stuff that she has in the house and I always tell her I don't want it bc we won't use it anyway.
One day she gave my husband these huge almost 4 feet tall Chinese vases wth fake flowers in them. My husband took them and put them into the car, bc he didn't know how to say no.
So they are now sitting in my garage. For over three years now.
Another time she gave us a bunch of things, old clothes, shoes, etc for the kids in gift bags. I told her it was okay, we probably wouldn't use them anyway. She could give them to someone else who might need them. She looked at me and said- oh, of course, my dear! I know how you are around your house.
Later when we loaded up the kids in the car, I saw all my kids carrying the gift bags.

 

[Slickk]

I purge every summer on my vacation. This summer was a huge one because we refinished the wood floors, so that was quite an incentive to empty out (I ain't carrying that back upstairs!). I'm a clean surface person as well. I think being minimalist helps my well being. My attic however is stuffed with old photos and holiday decorations and it really weighs on me.

 

[ame]

Hey PSers,

I just watched the documentary Minimalism on Netflix and got inspired to have less stuff. I am curious if we have any PSers who live minimally? Not talking about your jewels (doesn't really take up much space) although I have seen many try and pair down collections to be more practical over the years. But with overall living?

Any tips? How to start? What works for you?

Was it the actual Minimalism one? This one:

http://minimalismfilm.com/watch/

If so, it's awesome, I LOVE those guys. If I were to follow a "religion", it would be whatever those two are. lol The duffel bag they travel with in that movie, they got SO MANY PEOPLE asking them about, that the designer of it is working with them to bring back, since he had discontinued it. The proceeds will go to charity, I believe, since they don't believe in selling stuff that is unnecessary. I believe it's going through a Kickstarter or something, next month maybe. JFM said that was literally THE number one question/comment/feedback from the film, "where can I get that bag!" lol I actually may get that to replace two different duffels we used to use for shorter trips, vs a spinner.

I was already kind of trying to work towards minimizing, and then I found them, and then their movie came out and it was the first full movie I sat through in years, since I have zero attention span. However...I can't seem to get my shit together and out of my house. I've been working on it, but I just can't seem to get there. I have a hard time with that sunk cost thing, I want to recoup my losses so I want to resell things or return things I can't or don't use anymore and can still return. I don't want to just throw things out.

My husband refuses to just donate/get rid of things he thinks are still useful, so they just pile up everywhere. In fact that's one of our biggest arguments besides me buying literally anything There's this crappy roll top desk. I say crappy, it's not really crappy, it's nice but it's not like it's an antique. It was in my great aunt's house, and we ended up with it. It has sat in a corner totally unused since we got it. We have zero need or use for this stupid thing, I think it's butt ugly. I don't want it, all it does is hold an old cordless phone that doesn't work, and a bag of lightbulbs. Right now it's boxed into a corner by shit I have piled around it for donations. He claims we'd use it if we could get to it. We didn't use it when we could get to it. I want to get rid of it and he STAUNCHLY opposes it because "it's useful" and "if we could get to it we'd use it." WE DID NOT USE IT WHEN WE COULD GET TO IT, WHY EVEN KEEP IT?! But "it's useful" so we shouldn't get rid of it. Thus at least 1/4 of the shit in our house is still there because he refuses to get rid of it.

Nope 3rd generation sh@# hoarder....

Same. Chronic piler. I also seem to have some kind of weird impulse control issue with makeup, and the like.

 

[sarahb]

When we first married, we bought a mid century ranch, lots of charm, I love it dearly. Only 2 of us now, we have 1 child. We tend to lean towards quality with our decor purchases. It isn't minimalist, but now 25 years later, I think we could have the mother of all garage sales, with some really good stuff. I'd love to purge & it is getting bit crowded.

Back when all our friends began migrating to Mc Mansions, I of course began the campaign to follow suit...dragging him to many open houses, & much to my (great) dismay, hubby refused to play along. Fast forward 25 years to now, & ultimately it was the right decision. But we absolutely do have a lot of 'stuff'!!!

 

[arkieb1]

Are you my wife?...

Has she morphed into a tree hugging sh@# hoarding leftie?

 

[elizabethess]

Me!

While I'm not extreme about it, I definitely lean minimalist for decor and how I live. I haven't watched the movie you mentioned so I'm not sure if you're also equating minimalism with frugality, for me it's a lifestyle thing more than a money thing (though it does relate to money, of course). When I was in art school I learned the William Morris saying “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” and it resonated with me Morris came long before the Kon Mari method, but is very much the same idea. I prefer to wait instead of buying "not quite right but I guess good enough for now" in the short term.

So, as one example: I wear a capsule wardrobe--a limited number of clothes in neutral/limited color palette that work well together and easily mix and match. I only keep clothes that fit and make me feel good. So, I don't have to think about what to wear on any given day because I just grab one option from a few bottoms and pair with one of a handful of tops, or maybe one of a couple dresses. My closet space is probably 1/3 the size of my husband's I invest in each piece, so it may be, like, $50 Tshirt or $150 jeans. But I only own one or two of each, not 10 so it evens out I spend so much less time picking outfits and getting dressed now.

Now, visual minimalism has nothing to do with limiting consumption, but I lean that way, too But that's just a personal style preference more than a lifestyle thing. Clean lines, minimal/no logos, etc.

 

[rocks]

Most PSers live in McMansions...

Those of us that live in upscale cities would beg to differ.

 

[Austina]

Hoarder - no, we've moved several times, and each time had major purges. Live minimally, no

 

[lyra]

Not a minimalist, but trying to be as minimal as comfortable while DH is sentimental. I have zero attachment to material items. There is nothing in my house I couldn't live without, or that would cause me any stress to lose. I purge things constantly. If something comes into the house, something has to leave. I live in a small house and I wish we could have even less "things".