Comments on: Extreme minimalist living

By: Minimalist lifestyle – six steps to unclutter | Three Thrifty Guys | Helping you keep a few more bucks in your pocket

Fri, 28 May 2010 16:31:40 +0000

[...] a minimalist lifestyle and I came upon this article on living an extreme minimalist lifestyle. http://www.unclutterer.com/200.....ist-living. This blog is very well designed and gives some great tips on decluttering your lifestyle, which [...]

By: Scott a Minmalist

Scott a Minmalist — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:40:40 +0000

Actually, cooking is a HUGE part of the sort minimalism myself and like minded others close to me practice. The whole idea is to not be strapped down by goods and services. As much as I admire that couples strategy, it doesn’t jibe with the what I consider minimalist. No matter how small your living space is and how few resources you use in the home, patronizing restaurants and dry-cleaners on a regular basis is not very minimalist.
Restaurants are beacons of waste. I know first hand from working in many. They use a lot of resources to stay open and they source produce and meat in the worst way possible. In addition to that, restaurants are more expensive than cooking at home. What you spend on one meal at most restaurants could yield two or three meals at least at a grocery store, depending on your diet.
Dry cleaners use chemicals to clean clothes and are a generally lazy way to do laundry. A big part of minimalist living is not being lazy. Our culture of laziness and convenience is why people like myself choose minimalism.

Three Easy Ways to Act Like a Minimalist:

1) Don’t buy shit. Just don’t buy it. If you see something you want to buy refuse the urge. Then in time if that thing becomes a need, buy it. I lived in my apartment for 3 weeks before buying a shower curtain liner, because mopping the bathroom floor after each shower was not as effective as I had hoped. Always try the hard way before you buy something to make things easier.

2) Don’t drive. Ever. For any reason. No matter what you think, you do not need to drive. I live in L.A. and I do not drive. If you live in a decentralized community find ways to initiate car shares and get local politicians to put together a public transportation plan. Cars and gas will not be around forever. Take the steps now.

3) If it is broke, fix it. This can be applied to almost anything you own. Shoes, computers, lamps, air-conditioners, pots, pans, refrigerators, ect. Even most electronics can be repaired and refurbished if you contact the manufacturer. Try it.

By: Linda

Linda — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:30:52 +0000

Yikes — too small for one person, let alone two people and cats. I couldn’t do it.

By: Katrina

Katrina — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:23:42 +0000

They don’t cook? Um, maybe they should take all the money they spend on eating out and get a bigger place so they can eat nutritious meals. This is stupid!

By: Tara

Tara — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:58:29 +0000

Wouldn’t you think the people in the tiny apartment would want to do *something* to make it more visually interesting — some paint, some artwork, a photograph — something?

By: ms. brooklyn

ms. brooklyn — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:50:27 +0000

Different strokes for different folks. I could live alone in 175 sq ft (I know because I have.) But if I had to share that space with another, I’d throttle him in about 3 days.

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:57:52 +0000

I agree that both articles seemed to showcase people who were uncluttering to the point a severe degradation in lifestyle. It’s not really sustainable over a long period of time.

To me, being uncluttered isn’t just a physical thing but also a mental thing. The first guy seems to be doing it at the cost of his physical health and the second couple haven’t really decluttered.. they just have elaborate workarounds as to where outside their home can they stash their stuff. I wouldn’t want to deal with the stress of having my stuff spread across multiple places over town but that’s just me ;p

I live in a 258sf apartment and I love it. I am able to have friends over, dinner parties, entertain and share it with a puppy. My tiny home is still a haven (http://www.apartmenttherapy.co.....-23-082031).

By: WilliamB

WilliamB — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:14:07 +0000

Avoiding debt is a wonderful goal. On the other hand, so is basic hygene. The lad could have washed his dishes, his person and his clothes. I feel badly for the students who had to sit next to him in class. And while it’s true that some people prefer solitary living, it sounds like this guy doesn’t. He didn’t say that he prefered to be alone, he said he avoiding making friends so they wouldn’t discover his literally dirty secret. Bleck.

I have no problems with the couple in the tiny apt, although as someone living on the same planet they do I would prefer they didn’t dry clean so often.

PS – the article wrong about their having only one appliance. There’s a grill and a food processor in that photo as well.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:48:38 +0000

From one extreme to the other. From clutter to deliberate void. This couple has to be rich. $150K for a closet (our first 4-bedroom house cost us $125K 9 years ago), eating out everyday (not ecofriendly) and having their clothes drycleaned (idem). I sure hope they don’t plan on having kids. They’ll be in for a rough awakening. Anyway, extreme minimalism is living in the woods or the forest, just like aboriginal peoples. Those examples are no models for me.

By: Simple Living News Update

Simple Living News Update — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:29:23 +0000

[...] Extreme Minimalist Living [...]

By: Heather

Heather — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:11:04 +0000

@Mike: it’s not necessary for your average non-manual-worker to shower and put all of his/her clothes in the laundry every day. I alternate showers with sponge baths and wear pants more than one day (sometimes shirts, too). If I hang a previously-worn item in my closet, I slip an empty keyring over the hanger so that I know that the item needs to be washed sooner.

By: DW

DW — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:12:45 +0000

people like this make me want to throw-up! its always some rich yuppie just trying to get attention!

By: Kimberly Collins

Kimberly Collins — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:20:31 +0000

I noticed with the couple that they have a space where the cat condo is where they could put a small closed shelving unit to store a crockpot, toaster oven and some food. They could cook all kinds of things that way, especially since they have a pannini press too wich can be used to grill fish, chicken and steaks.

Also, a loft bed with a built in futoncouch below would be great for that space so the bed wouldn’t be their only option for sitting. You can store things under the futon couch like pull out containers for storing clothes thereby freeing space for food in the kitchen.

They could move their cat condo and put it where their bar is, and get some sort of hanging shelving unit above the cat condo for their bar. I know they are trying to live minimally, but eating out all of the time is unhealthy and expensive, especially in NYC. They aren’t utillizing that space very well.

By: Héctor

Héctor — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:04:36 +0000

I agree with some commenters. I am also surprised by them, but I feel really sorry. That guy having no social life? A van?! And, does that couple save any money by eating out every day? I would be pretty concerned about their health.

From my experience (I’ve lived for a year on a 95 sq. ft room (the catch: shared kitchen)) and is totaly manageable, no need to make that kind of “sacrifices”.

I admire, however, their conciousness about consumerism and minimalism.

By: Shalin

Shalin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:31:03 +0000

W-O-W!

That is impressive to the point of nearly freaky… I don’t think I could deal with picking up work clothes that are at “strategically located dry cleaners”…

But hey, 10 points for being happy, clever, and the follow through