Anyone tried the minimalist lifestyle?

I'm not a hoarder. My Wife and I are still in our first house. I've been quite good about getting rid of things when I don't need them anymore or so I thought. Like video games or what not after I've played them. Its still amazing how much stuff I have accumulated. In my parents house you can barely walk through the basement. My parents can be sentimental about things but I wouldn't call them hoarders and messes like that result from not getting rid of anything. So many people think of their basement as a bottomless pit where you can keep sending everything you don't want to get rid of and have it out of sight.

I've wanted to clean house for quite a while and have started going through a few totes per week. We have about 2 dozen totes, clothes in bags, and other various boxes. The clothing items were probably the easiest thing to sort through. Some I've had since high school. I dropped the usable stuff at a charity. I did have a few totes of video game stuff that is going on ebay. I'm also getting rid of my baseball cards. I don't even really like baseball and the cards are nearly worthless. I'm going to check some values but will probably sell everything for whatever I can get.

I look at things differently now on whats important to keep. However some minimalists are just silly. Some go for 100 items which might make sense if you really need the mobility but others might even suggest not to have any artwork or portraits on your walls. While I'm not going that far I'm vastly reducing what I own and don't use. Books and music are digital only purchases for me now unless its a reference book or something else nice to have on paper. Its incredible how a huge library can fit on a kindle. I still buy physical copies of movies but in extreme moderation.

I am quite excited by this project. While I have no intentions of moving anywhere soon its good to know I have less things to deal with should I ever have or want to. Photos are probably the most important things to keep and thankfully those can go digital now too. I've found the tiny house videos on youtube to be quite intriguing as well. However most of them are either single or don't have kids.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDc...ew-vl&list=PLMRx8kgwkvhKUiW-UraPBN2rlmkyH1_fC

I've read somewhere about the "6 month box" and have yet to start utilizing it. You take a box, put questionable items into it, if not used or needed or even thought of at the end of 6 months, everything in the box goes out. I was thinking of having x4 6month boxes setup so I can get rid of things every 3 months. Now to actually implement it. LOL.

Many years ago, I saw an Acer magazine advert showing a room with just 2 items: an Acer laptop, and a bathtub. 'Everything you'd ever need' (well that and a towel ). That's sort of been my ideal ever since (if anyone has a link I'd be grateful).

Of course practice is very different.

Not really a hoarder but not that far from it either. I've long passed the stage where I'm emotionally attached to many items, so that's progress. But somehow it's still much easier to obtain more junk than get rid of it.

buds224 said:

I've read somewhere about the "6 month box" and have yet to start utilizing it. You take a box, put questionable items into it, if not used or needed or even thought of at the end of 6 months, everything in the box goes out. I was thinking of having x4 6month boxes setup so I can get rid of things every 3 months. Now to actually implement it. LOL.

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Simple and good method. In your mind, mark all your stuff as "unused". Decide on a simple way to keep track of what you used again since you begin. Whatever is still unused after an arbitrary period (6 months? 1 year?) is most likely okay to get rid off. Rinse & repeat until everything you own is in regular use.

You'll find there are exceptions (stuff you haven't used in a long time but still want to hang on to), but as a rule the above is a good method to sort things. If you've had it for years but never used it (for whatever reasons), what are the chances you will use it in the future? Most likely nil. Which means it's just baggage that costs you time, space and/or money, zaps your energy and slows you down. :tired:

Btw: sorry to note that a flashlight collection is NOT an exception to this rule... :devil:

RetroTechie said:

You'll find there are exceptions (stuff you haven't used in a long time but still want to hang on to), but as a rule the above is a good method to sort things. If you've had it for years but never used it (for whatever reasons), what are the chances you will use it in the future? Most likely nil. Which means it's just baggage that costs you time, space and/or money, zaps your energy and slows you down. :tired:

Btw: sorry to note that a flashlight collection is NOT an exception to this rule... :devil:

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GASP!!!!! Blasphemer!



That's it! You need to hand in your flashaholic's card, right now!

Like most i keep things that will come in handy but never do,when i lived in Berlin my partners daughter moved apartments to be nearer her job bang in the middle of the City and she adopted a minimalistic lifestyle and to be fair her new apartment looked good,best way to get rid of stuff over there is you put the stuff outside with a big sign gratis and people take it all away for you,i was passing a house one day and there was a brand new pair of going out boots(not work),checked the size and perfect and they were a decent german make as well plus he had free ski,s and i sold them on the bay for 90 euros.

RetroTechie said:

Simple and good method. In your mind, mark all your stuff as "unused". Decide on a simple way to keep track of what you used again since you begin. Whatever is still unused after an arbitrary period (6 months? 1 year?) is most likely okay to get rid off. Rinse & repeat until everything you own is in regular use.

You'll find there are exceptions (stuff you haven't used in a long time but still want to hang on to), but as a rule the above is a good method to sort things. If you've had it for years but never used it (for whatever reasons), what are the chances you will use it in the future? Most likely nil. Which means it's just baggage that costs you time, space and/or money, zaps your energy and slows you down. :tired:

Btw: sorry to note that a flashlight collection is NOT an exception to this rule... :devil:

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I have a few totes with puzzles and board games. Some of them are unopened. A few I'm getting rid of but something like this is worth hanging on to even though I may not use them for a long time. Where as some of the video games that I still owned for which I did not even have a working console I feel confident about getting rid of. I have a fairly small selection of flashlights. Except for a box of mostly useless lights I have received as Christmas presents which are being donated as well there are 4 main lights that I use. I might add a few pak-lites for backup. We also have our champagne glasses and a few other small things from our wedding packed away. Those things I know I should keep and only get rid of should I ever really have to.

I'm selling what I can on ebay. Ebay rips you off with seller fee's but I'm making some money and reclaiming some space in the process. Here is another article that makes good sense to me.

http://www.missminimalist.com/2012/11/storage-is-not-a-solution/

no. im a hoarder.

but, that said, i am tring to "get better" a bit. actually threw away stuff this year!

i went thru a storage space i have not opened a door into since 2003 or so.. according the dates of the newest and on top of the pile stuff there was (magazines and bills etc). and ended up taking 20 150liter trashbags of paper stuff to recyclers. 15 general trash. 4 bags of old clothes to charity. trailer full of broken or old electronics (typewriters, computers, tvs, videos, radios). and separated 4 bags of things and clothes i can sell when i have the time. then piled the rest of the stuff back in and the storage seems to be full again. (guess all the years of playing tetris has had bad influence, made me able to previously fill every nook and cranny of the place with stuff without leaving any space in between.) but this time beeing "full" only means that the shelves are full and part of the floor. and i can almost see every item there.. previously it was top to bottom full and the door needed to be leaned on to close it.

in normal daily use i dont use that many things. and i dont need need that many things. but i want them rest to be there, if i ever need one. hah. especially the ones that actually have some perceivable value of somekind. (monetary, or memorylane)

but because i hate the silly hoarder side of me. i have also made an mental map of the real important things and objects i want to hang on to in case i need to pick the important stuff out and throw the rest away.

and while i did the major clean up there now.. i know or knew what i have/had there. i can search for them now when i need it because i know i have seen it lately. and i know next summer i will go thru them again and get rid of more stuff.. basically give them year to rot and then re-think their usability and need. so i am on my way to more streamlined existance.. slowly but its a start.

NonSenCe said:

...slowly but its a start.

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Indeed, starting is the hardest part. Keep at it!

I'm definitely not a hoarder...I live in a one-bedroom apartment, and there is TONS of extra space to store stuff. While I don't methodically go through everything, anytime I open a box, I do look through and see if there is anything I don't use/want. I have moved a couple times, and that helped me unburden more than anything...if you have to transport it, that is definitely a good motivator to get rid of it.

If you need more motivation, just think of all the good you can do for other people by getting rid of unnecessary stuff. Donate books to your local library, donate clothes to Goodwill or similar, even sell off collectibles you don't want and donate the proceeds to a charity. And if you have children, they will thank you too. I know someone who had a hoarder dad, and he literally spent two YEARS of his life (every weekend) sorting through his father's belongings after he died (there were valuables and bank info, etc., so he didn't want to throw anything away until he went through it. Don't make your kids do that...

To me trying to intentionally keep your number of possessions down to the bare minimum is as much an encumbrance as having too many possessions. In both cases your life is ruled by things-either having them or always thinking about them. My philosophy is to not worry about my possessions unless it reaches the point that I can't find stuff because my things get too messy. I that stage I either reorganize my things, or (rarely) get rid of stuff I don't use. I might get rid of more except for the fact that I hate the idea of perfectly functional devices I no longer use ending up in landfill. It's a shame many things, especially electronics, become obsolete so quickly that they reach a point where you literally can't even give them away. CRT monitors are one of the best examples. Nobody wants those, even if they're perfectly functional.

I'm not sure I can agree with the idea of getting rid of stuff if you haven't used it in 6 months. There were lots of things I took from trash because they looked like they might be useful one day. In many cases they were, but often years after I acquired them.

jtr1962 said:

To me trying to intentionally keep your number of possessions down to the bare minimum is as much an encumbrance as having too many possessions.

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I do agree with this and its a common criticism toward the minimalist crowd which is why I'm going for a compromise. Some of the far out people try to go without a car or tv. Going without a car would be a huge hassle unless you lived in a big city. I could certainly respect the idea of someone wanting to give up the tv but most of them just replace it with their computer for watching just so they can get excited about not having another item. If I were to ever have one of those tiny houses I would still have in wall speakers and a modest flat screen tv built in.

People in general have more stuff than ever before though. Many don't have basements or live in small apartments and need to reduce out of necessity. A while back I was broken into. We weren't home and our pets were fine so we are thankful and thats when it clicked for me that we don't ever own anything. This got me away from the idea of ever wanting to collect anything. I've helped people move before that had a lot of stuff and it was a nightmare. Maybe 50% of the stuff was useless junk. Not even stuff that might be useful someday. It was great when some rotten chocolate milk that had been spilled in the fridge ended up on me.

Where I live its now law to take old electronics to a recycling area. If you set a old monitor on the curb a garbage man won't touch it. A lot of things find a new home or are broken down into parts.

thank you for all the responses. I enjoy reading the stories on how people live with or get rid of "stuff"

My wife and I have been trying to simplify, but keep it painless in the process. What we've been doing is hitting a different room about one day a week. We'll just go through it and toss/donate stuff that we don't need or want anymore the day before the trash truck comes around, to fill up the can. What is kind of amazing is that you can go through your bedroom or home office and think that you've really done a good job sweeping it clean. Then, two months later, you can go through the same room again and end up with another bag or two of stuff that you won't miss and don't need.

Spork said:

I do agree with this and its a common criticism toward the minimalist crowd which is why I'm going for a compromise. Some of the far out people try to go without a car or tv. Going without a car would be a huge hassle unless you lived in a big city. I could certainly respect the idea of someone wanting to give up the tv but most of them just replace it with their computer for watching just so they can get excited about not having another item. If I were to ever have one of those tiny houses I would still have in wall speakers and a modest flat screen tv built in.

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I don't get the concept of going without a TV only to watch TV on the much smaller screen of a PC, or even worse, a laptop or tablet. As for going without a car, that's not really far out or even minimalist. I've never owned a car, or even had a driver's license, and I don't feel lack of either has negatively impacted my quality of life. While it's true you probably can't get by without some kind of motorized transportation (not necessarily a car) in much of the US, in many cities you can. Moreover, planners are recognizing the growing trend of people who wish to go carless, and gradually redesigning things to make it easier to do so. I personally consider a car one of the worst things you can own because it's one of the few possessions which ends up owning you. Between the cost of insurance, worrying about parking, inspections, registration, needing a license to use it, and the ridiculous cost of fuel it's a possession which eats up a lot of your time either directly, or indirectly by forcing you to work more to pay for it. Indeed, some analyses show that once your time working to pay for a car is taken into account, the end result is that car travel averages only a few mph. Even not accounting for these things, typically car travel ends up averaging between 10 and 20 mph in many places. That speed is often matched, or even beaten, on a decent bicycle which costs under $1,000 to buy and very little to maintain.

Bottom line is that I hardly consider giving up a car part of a minimalist lifestyle. Indeed, I've been encouraging people I know whose money is tight to seriously consider giving up their cars. I tell them to analyze what you use the car for. See how much of that can be done other ways without too much extra inconvenience. That might include walking with a shopping cart to the local grocery store instead of driving to the much further away big box store, letting the kids walk or take public transit to school, biking errands too far to walk, etc. After that you're left with the trips where going by some mode other than car might be a major inconvenience. See how often you make such trips, and even whether or not they're really necessary. If such trips are made no more than a few times per month, seriously consider using ZipCar or something similar instead of owning your own vehicle. It's real money you'll be saving in the end, often with minimal lifestyle changes. Moreover, most people could do with a little more exercise. The added exercise may save money on doctor's bills down the road.

People in general have more stuff than ever before though. Many don't have basements or live in small apartments and need to reduce out of necessity. A while back I was broken into. We weren't home and our pets were fine so we are thankful and thats when it clicked for me that we don't ever own anything. This got me away from the idea of ever wanting to collect anything. I've helped people move before that had a lot of stuff and it was a nightmare. Maybe 50% of the stuff was useless junk. Not even stuff that might be useful someday. It was great when some rotten chocolate milk that had been spilled in the fridge ended up on me.

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Um, yeah. I'm still stuck with my dad's baseball cards, figurines, and other assorted totally useless hobby stuff. Too much hassle to sell it now for the money I might get but still worth too much to just throw it in the trash. I'm hoping as different hobbies come and go eventually at least some of his hobby stuff will increase in popularity enough to make it worthwhile to sell it. In the end I can honestly say all the money he spent on hobbies didn't even give him much joy. That's the sad part. We all would have been better off if he had just put that money into a savings account. Unfortunately, advertisers are great at getting people to buy stuff which ends up as clutter only weeks later.

1200 calories a day; unclutter the self and the rest will follow..

buds224 said:

I've read somewhere about the "6 month box" and have yet to start utilizing it. You take a box, put questionable items into it, if not used or needed or even thought of at the end of 6 months, everything in the box goes out. I was thinking of having x4 6month boxes setup so I can get rid of things every 3 months. Now to actually implement it. LOL.

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No good! We would have to get rid of more than half of our lights!

When you live in and like my boy Calvin and I do. We don't have a choice but to live on the minimalistic side of things.

Why is this you may ask? Because we live in a vehicle. It's sort of a large vehicle, but a vehicle none the less.

Materialism is a problem with a lot of people. To try to keep up their appearance, they spend excessively on things they don't really need. Too much house, too much car are the biggest issue. It has been shown that the "materialists" are often more depressed. If they are living beyond their means and not saving for the future, they can end up in financial trouble should there be a wrinkle in their life.

For me, I've been reducing the stuff I don't need. It is hard to sell things people don't want, so I take a lot of it to Goodwill. They have the knack to sell stuff like CRT TVs cheap. At least it keeps it out of the dump (for a while). I cut back on buying things as well. Have you ever bought something and a week later wonder why you spent money on it? Yeah, that kind of stuff.

As for transportation, I don't drive much but I have help my elderly parents and disabled brother who live several miles from me so I have to have a truck to haul my mower and other things around.

"JUNK IS BAD!" Love that quote from someone...don't remember who.

We just moved into a bigger home recently with a nice unfinished basement. Shed outside. Big garage. But instead of packing all those spaces full of junk just "because I can", I've been working hard to organize the things I need and MINIMIZE the stuff I bring into my home. What's the point of having a 90% empty basement? Nothing, but it makes me happy!

I have so much backpacking gear and stuff for other hobbies I haven't touched in 5 years. I'm not going to throw it out, but really put things into perspective and keep me from buying more.

jtr1962 said:

To me trying to intentionally keep your number of possessions down to the bare minimum is as much an encumbrance as having too many possessions.

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I tend (or at least try) to take an economic view of my possessions: each item has a cost, and a value (to me!). Something takes space (so smaller items are low cost in this regard), takes time to go through (in that sense, a 10 ton heap of bricks can be lower cost than a book), may require maintenance (so in that sense, batteries are higher cost than say, jewelry), may get in the way of accessing other things, etc, etc.

Each item also has value: resale value, a tool that you can use to turn worthless junk into valueable product, sentimental value, a book you can learn something from to make your life easier, etc, etc. For some things, that value can even be negative, that is: you would profit from getting rid of it.

Consider both in a wide sense, and the stuff that's worth keeping is the stuff whose value (to you!) is higher than its cost. Getting 20-packs of toilet paper is worth the storage space, because it's used regularly, and buying another roll whenever one goes out, would cost much more time than navigating around that 20-pack that sits in the attic.

Haven't increased my amount of junk in a looonng time now. Mostly I tend to get rid of stuff for which it becomes clear I'll never use it again. For example because I've already got something better in use, and a replacement for when that breaks, is easy to find. While adding stuff that has lower cost (see above) to me than the stuff thrown out - and do so at a slower rate than getting rid of junk.

RetroTechie said:

Getting 20-packs of toilet paper is worth the storage space, because it's used regularly, and buying another roll whenever one goes out, would cost much more time than navigating around that 20-pack that sits in the attic.

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I was going to mention almost the same thing but you said it better. So many people hoard tp. It doesn't go bad and buying it on sale can be a substantial savings. These are the kind of things that are great to have in storage if you have the room.

I have more stuff than I realized. Ebay and finding buyers for items that have some value is time consuming which is why I procrastinated starting this project in the first place. I will certainly be more careful about any purchases in the future. It does feel great to bring in some $$ for items I no longer need and make more room to hoard tp

As others have mentioned things like camping or backpacking gear and such take up a lot of room but these are necessary items to store if you do any of those things. That is why I like being rid of other items that are no longer used so its easier to find and store the things that are useful.

That's the funny thing with buying groceries in proper minimalist form - you end up with giant containers of mundane things and cabinets overstuffed with sundries. It's hard to feel "minimalist" when you start your morning with a container of coffee the size of a bowling ball and a pack of eggs that needs its own shelf in the fridge, but even a cursory glance at the math shows plainly that's the cheapest way to live..