Is anyone of you a minimalist?

[Deque]

A few years ago when I moved into a new home I got unexpected help from a guy I only knew from a literature forum. He helped carrying all my stuff and he mentioned that his only furniture is one wardrobe. An awkward silence followed afterwards by everyone who heard it. No one asked why. I regret now that we missed the opportunity to learn from him.

Instead I kept wondering about his motivations until I saw this Ted talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgBpyNsS-jU

Since then I have purchased a digital book called "Clutterfree with Kids", read a lot of other material about minimalism on blogs and seen more videos.

Although I am certainly not drawn to live with only 100 things or less and I don't really like a too clean look of my home (see example picture below), I agree and like the idea to get rid of what I define as clutter.



We recently moved and I regret a bit that we did not take this smaller appartment with the great neighbourhood, because we have too much furniture that wouldn't fit in it. We took the bigger appartment instead, and there is just more space to clean and heat up.
My goal is to remove at least 50% of my own stuff and stay at that point. I already got rid of more than I thought, especially gifts that I didn't dare to remove, because they were gifts. And my wardrobe got substantially smaller. A good talk that may inspire you to focus on your clothes is this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3CLRL32Mcw

My parents grew up being poor in a country that had a shortage of goods because it had a centrally planned economy. Even if they had had the money, they wouldn't have been able to collect a lot of clutter, because there was almost nothing available. They taught me to worship the things I own and not dump them, to repair instead of rebuy. Although I still agree with that to a certain point it does not help to deal in the economy we have today with the abundance of goods and gifts you get everywhere. So we collect, because we think it is evil to dump stuff.
But now I realized that I can only really worship what I have, if I have less, and that the stuff became a burden.
I have recently cleaned out my bathroom and found 10 year old tubes of creams and body oil I never used. I had moved them at least three times into new homes, thinking I had to keep them, because they are worth something. Although I know that I don't use these products and never would have bought them in the first place (they were gifts). I finally got over it and threw them away and felt released.

Is anyone of you a minimalist?
If yes, how did you become one and how did you start?

If no, how do you feel and think about it? (I recommend watching the ted talk I linked above if you are unfamiliar with it)

[kenjoe41]

No, i am not a minimalist. i mean just take an example of the above pic you linked too, doesn't the room look to empty for your liking? It does for me atleast.
Alot of space and too clean/clear a look seem like a corprate thing for me. No offence, i grew up in the gutters.

[Deque]

See what I said there:

I don't really like a too clean look of my home (see example picture below)

And I also said for me it is more getting ideas about the strategies and things that work well for me to reduce clutter to a certain level and keep it that way; not to live at a level of having only 100 things. I definitely want more than that, considering that I have a family and also love my little library room (which is a room full of books).

[Kulverstukas]

Heh I don't like having stuff that I don't use. However on the other side I tend to keep a hold on rare things with the idea that I might use it one day... like when I was working on my moped - with some spare parts, I know I won't need them, but I still put them away somewhere on the shelf, because if I would ever need it, it'd be hard to get it. I don't tend to keep a hold on things that are cheap or are easy to get by...

To answer the OP's question - no I am not a minimalist, but sometimes I like extra space, but on the other side I like a cluttered room, it means there's a variety to choose from.

Man this is somewhat complicated in the army you can only bring the necessities so you don't get sick and die in the woods.

[Deque]

honestly though - the best time of my life was when i had no car, no home, few possessions.

That's probably why minimalists choose to have little possessions all the time. They say they feel happy with that lifestyle, more than ever.

[TheWormKill]

I am basically a walking magnet to clutter. I'd post an image of my room, but... well imagine piles of literally everything: pencils, books, calendars, some cables, hardware, clothes, paintings, CDs etc. Most things will never be used again, but for some strange reason I keep then nonetheless. But I don't really feel bad because of this situation. I could live without all this. I never moved, but I'll probably leave ~90% of the stuff in some locker. All this is probably the reason why I try to leave all clutter behind when it comes to my computer system.

[Deque]

I wanted to post a little update to that topic, because I did find a method of decluttering that actually works for me.
I tried a lot, e.g. using markers on my clothes that I only remove if I actually wear them, or getting rid of things every once in while, e.g. a piece a day. Nothing of that did it. Although I removed a lot of clutter, it was always very hard to make the decision whether to keep or not. In the end I never got to the point were I was satisfied.

I started only with my wardrobe, because that is an easy starting point for decluttering. However, I did not make it to a convenient point of possessions in over six month of trying. I always considered my wardrobe not being large, but if you actually get all that stuff out and collect it in one place, it is more than you think.
I came across a book from Marie Kondo. She is a cleaning nerd or freak. I tried her method and it actually worked to get to the convenient point within just week a for all of my books, my documents and for the wardrobe (the rest is still on the todo list).

And now things are just so neat, I only kept things that are necessary or that I love having around and that makes it also motivating to put them back in place right away and keep it tidy.

These were all of my books:



And these are the ones I keep (still have to find new owners for most of the other books):

[Kulverstukas]

First world problems - gotta think hard where to put all my stuff, while other people gotta think hard how to obtain them

[HTH]

Im actually a minimalist, or at least very close, I have minimal worldy possessions, but, those I do have are generally of higher quality and value than my monetary situation would seem to allow. (very expensive watches, nice vehicles, higher quality tailored clothes, high end pc, 3k$ triathalon bike... etc despite being a student)

My apartment has 4 pieces of furniture in it, a murphey bed, a wardrobe, a tv stand which doubles as a bookcase, and a chair. If it doesnt fit into those things, or in the case of my bike, sit beside them, i dont buy it.

[BurnTheWicked]

I was a minimalist once; those were the wildest, craziest, most drunken nights of my life. Well, pre 21 that is... I couldn't live that anymore; the partying is cool, until it gets old, but otherwise, yea not for me. I have way too much shit. I mean, just my desk is almost the size of that carpet... And it's still not enough desk space lol... But then again, that kinda happens being an entrepreneur.

[th31nitiate]

Thanks for sharing this i never new of such things, im quit messy in regards to accumulating cluter, well to a degree how ever my prefair way of living would be the minimalist approach although i was unaware of how to attain that.


If i am successful in overcoming the upcoming obstical's, i take a shot at implementing this.


Oooh i also like some of the title on those book, i see you know how to whip up a nice cock tail lol

[khofo]

Well to be honest, I am not a minimalist, I may become one but for now I stick with minimalistic desktop :p.
In fact I see my student life (in a year) a little bit like HTH's current appartement, I do not like clutter, and few things really matter to me, a bed, a TV, a Desk, toilet+shower and the standard kitchen stuff.
I like keeping everything as clean as posssible. My room for example is anything but a mess as are my cupboards and drawers.
But when it comes to electric hardware, I got a real problem since i can't just throw any electronic parts/components anything is potentially useful. But I have a special box in which i accumulate all those stuff
But as of my wardrobe, I like clothes so I do have a lot, but I don't think it matters, since if they fit they sit :p

I may post pictures when I get home.

[hanorotu]

I myself am not a minimalist. I prefer a living enviroment where there is similar categorization of random useful objects. Kinda like a "lived in" feel. However, my roomate is very very OCD and he keeps only living essentials so I would say he is pretty minimalistic.

I can definitely see the reasons as to why someone would want to live that way but I couldn't ever see myself living like that.

[white-knight]

I'm far from a minimalist . Borderline horder probably, but clean and organised.. I have shit i haven't used in years ,I still have empty boxes my computer parts and so on came in 2 years ago and I buy things i don't use or need.


I like the idea of it tho. If I ever have to move again i would probably get rid of most of my shit and try this out.
Or atleast put all my crap in storage.   baby steps fist 

[techb]

Fable and I are on the opposite sides here. She likes big open space and clean edges, while I'm not giving a shit about anything where I live looks like. I think it's a happy medium of my clutter and her decorating and stuff.