I am by no means an extreme minimalist as of right now, but I am curious if any of you have gone from decluttering to becoming more extreme. I am not saying that I want to live out of a backpack (not that there is anything wrong with that) but I would like to get to the point where I only own items I would replace in the event of a fire/flood. I am not at that point yet and am curious if any of you are. If so, can you share your stories of why you chose this route, etc.? I would love to hear them!
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Posted 11 months ago #
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I have no desire to live out of a backpack but I seem to be continually decluttering but am no where near minimalism.
I'm curious if there is a hump to get over getting to the place of only owning what I would replace if I lost everything.
Posted 11 months ago # -
@Sky - I'm trying to get over that hump too! I have to keep asking myself, "Would I replace this if it got lost/stolen, etc.?" Most of the time the answer is no. I work on this all the time. It's just a very slow process!
Posted 11 months ago # -
i am not an extreme minimalist and i will never be. i think, i tend to be a minimalist, but i am just on my way.
could you define what a minimalist is and what an "extreme" minimalist is? it would make is easier to anwer your question.Posted 11 months ago # -
Hmmm....I think, if someone is already a minimalist, they probably don't need the support we get from here! Unless someone is kind enough to come just to encourage those of us with cluttering tendencies. Maybe those who want to be could speak up about what they envision their lifestyle to be like when they reach their goals?
I'm with Mimi - what's everyone's definition? You can carry everything you own in one bag? You own less than a certain number of things? You don't own anything that isn't constantly used?
Posted 11 months ago # -
This is what Leo Babauta said: “Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what’s truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value.”
Sounds good but how do you get there?
Posted 11 months ago # -
@, Sky - you'd have to define non-essential, then, right?. But what I think is essential wouldn't count as minimalist in any way, shape or form!
Posted 11 months ago # -
Sky - the quote from LB doesn't make much sense to me of taken literally. Most of us can't get rid of everything that is non-essential and still experience joy in our lives. I know that LB loves certain things that are off the table. I can't remember what they all are, but he lists them and his justifications in one his articles on owning only 100 things.
So, I think you need to figure out what gives you joy and adds value to your life. Once you have a clear idea of what those things are, and you also define what is truely essential, deciding what to get rid of becomes so much easier.
Posted 11 months ago # -
I think I never could become an extreme minimalist. I have been decluttering for a while and my life has certainly improved by it. There is more available space in the house and more available space in the mind, it seems.
But to take another big step towards minimalism would, for me, mean giving up my home and living in a hotel or hostel.
I mean, for example, as long as I have a house, I have to keep it clean. That means a vacuum cleaner, mops, sponges, buckets. A garden (even when completely paved over) means garden tools. I'm not poor, but I certainly can't afford to have a contractor coming over when I need some work done in the house. So I need to have my hand- and powertools.
Perhaps I'm just overlooking something that extreme minimalists have worked out.
Having less non-essential items benefits me a lot, but I feel there is a limit. That limit is probably very personal, but mine stops way before being able to go minimalist. Yet.
Posted 11 months ago # -
jbeany and JuliaJayne....I think we each have to decide what is non-essential to us. It seems stupid to me to get rid of things I use or need just to call myself a minimalist.
I strive to live simply. I've gotten rid of a lot of (non-essential?) clutter which makes me enjoy what I have left more. But my minimal includes sentimental items and things that only I would want. However, if I lost everything in a fire or some kind of disaster, I would not replace a lot of what I have and would definitely live more minimalist.
Posted 11 months ago # -
In my opinion, extreme minimalism is having just items you use. I will never be someone who lives out of a backpack - I like to live comfortably. If you saw my apartment you would not think I was extreme in anyway, but I want to get to the point where I have less clothes, CDs, makeup, etc. I want to have higher quality items that I absolutely adore. I will always have plenty of dishes, silverware, and more because I like to entertain. I love arts and crafts so I won't cut those out either.
I guess my initial question should have been "Do any of you strive to be more extreme with minimalism?" I won't preach and say I think everyone should strive for it because I don't think it's for everyone. For me, it would be good because I am easily distracted and hate having too much unused "stuff".
I think the definition of minimalism is very personal, and definitely unique to each person. I don't think I could define it for anyone else since we all have such different ideas! :o)
Posted 11 months ago # -
I love the look of a minimalist house. White on white on white. It is so airy and fresh and simple and uncluttered. It would be a wonderful thing to be in such a space, however, I do not think I could achieve it.
I like to think we have decluttered, live simply and do not own things we don't need. I know we have many more than 100 things, but I wonder if we would have fewer than 100 types of things? Our house is neat(ish), although my husband's shed is a glaring omission!! (I have written about this "no-go" area before.) But there are still those things we need to maintain our life the way we like it. Preserving equipment is used only in summer, but it provides us with healthy home preserved fruit, olives, tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta sauce and conserves throughout the year. We have a huge range of different cooking utensils and cake tins and baking dishes all of which are used regularly. I do not have as many clothes and shoes as some, but I have more than enough to wear over one week. I am sure I have much that others would consider inessential.
So, much as I love the whole minimalist ideal, I am destined to have more than could ever be accommodated in such a lifestyle.
Posted 11 months ago # -
I don't think I could go extreme-minimalist right now and still have a happy wife, so I won't do it. I do think it would be a learning experience to live for a few months with only 1 or 2 changes of clothes, a bowl and spoon to eat with and a laptop for work and entertainment.
As for the latter - I am a professional coder and soon to be student, I do have to draw the line somewhere. To me, minimalism means having as much as you NEED, but less than you WANT.
I have been minimizing my personal grooming habits for some time now and I have to say I am happy with my straight razor and shaving soap, a bar of soap for bathing, a comb and no-scent deoderant. I even tried making my own toothpaste for a while using baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and a little mint or vanilla essence, all of which have other uses in the kitchen or bathroom.
The kitchen is another area where I feel we are becoming minimalists, or rather, returning to the way people cooked before Walmart. I make coffee in a french press, use a cast iron skillet and am slowly downsizing to eliminate crockery and utensils we don't really use.
Now I just have to throw out a dozen uni-taskers while DW is out of town... kidding!
Posted 11 months ago # -
I'm anti-minimalist (for myself). I'm in the parent & householder stage of life, and the focus of my extended family & several friends who aren't in that stage - that requires an awful lot of material things.
Maybe once the kid's out of the house, but that's well more than a decade away. By then maybe my folks will have settled down somewhere and we can be the fancy-free folks who never host holidays or grow tomatos or have a full-size oven.
Posted 11 months ago # -
i tried to figure out what my definition of a minimalist might be. there were just some images popping up: missminimalist(.com) who is currently living in a room with only a matress and a coffee table and her duffle bag. and a user here who called himself two boxes (or similar) because all his possessions were packed in 2 not even big boxes. and a picture of mahatma ghandi´s material heritage; the only things that were owned by him: his sandals and his eyeglasses. this is extreme minimalism. a first carefull attempt for a definition (to be discussed): minimalism is extreme, if you own less things than you need to live your life.
counter-arguments might be: i need to go to work, i don´t own a car and so i often take a bus or a subway. i want to read books and i don´t buy them but go to the public library. but this doesn´t make an extreme minimalist.
the definition of a minimlist might be: someone who owns all the things he/she needs and/or loves but not a thing more than that.Posted 11 months ago # -
Not to criticize Mahatma Gandhi, but I'm sure the people who cooked for him and served him food had pots and pans and knives and bowls and spoons. Whoever owns the house that Miss Minimalist lives in probably owns cleaning supplies and tools, etc.
It's still more minimalist to share these things with other people, rather than everyone having their own belongings, but it would be hard for us to live comfortable lives if everyone was an extreme minimalist. We can't all rent a room -- someone has to own the house.
On the other hand, I like reading about extreme minimalists because it makes me think about which of the many, many things in my house I really use and/or love, and how many are just taking up space. I'll never be a minimalist, but I can get a little inspiration from them.Posted 11 months ago # -
I feel good about shaking my comfort zone up a bit by reading and in other ways learning about minimalism, be it extreme or not. I think of the higher purpose of it - less strain on the planet - and some extreme minimalists speak in such ways that it rubs me the wrong way. 100 things is a man-made concept and should be treated as such; mother earth certainly didn't tell us that number :) But once in a while I stumble upon some quietly humble texts and those are the ones that I return to.
Posted 11 months ago # -
I just read this thread, and recognize many of your names from other threads. For me, minimalism is all about keeping priorities straight. If we spend less time shopping, or looking at things online, or just wanting things, I think the craving for things decreases. We can focus more on relationships. E.g., cooking our own delicious meal, and doing up the dishes afterward as a form of entertainment instead of TV. On sitting on the deck instead of having to focus ONLY on the fact that the deck needs to be power-washed.
I do take my faith seriously and Jesus says if you have 2 coats to give one away to the person who doesn't have any. So if I have something I don't use, but which is useful, I try to give it away before a year goes by. That is my own internal way of applying that heart attitude. If I have useful things that are no longer useful for me, they reproach me. If I give them away, I think it pleases God, and I know for sure it pleases me. I like the feeling of simplicity. It relaxes me. I hope this doesn't sound too preachy, it is why I am on this journey of uncluttering.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Other than the faith part (I'm an atheist), what Ruthie said. It's just the right thing to do.
There was a post on 365lessthings the other day on similar lines, about giving away "first fruit" - if you have two of something, should you give away the better one? Thought-provoking.
Posted 11 months ago # -
"I do think it would be a learning experience to live for a few months with only 1 or 2 changes of clothes, a bowl and spoon to eat with and a laptop for work and entertainment." - Parsifal
I'm currently in the middle of an insurance claim where the carpet had to be pulled up in our house and drying fans installed. Since we can't make repairs until the claim is settled (going on 3 1/2 months now) I truly only have a desktop computer from which I work from home with, a laptop, my camera equipment (I'm a photographer and filmmaker by trade), a suitcase of clothes amounting to a half dozen shirts and two pairs of jeans, and a stocked kitchen while the rest resides in a storage pod on our property. The only thing I dearly miss is my guitar collection which I played every day in some capacity.
Honestly, it's pretty amazing to realize that a majority of the things you own are there for "occasional reference". I've already strategic what will be thrown our when we have the dumpster during remodeling, or sold/donated.
Posted 11 months ago #
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