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[Stumpokapow]

One trend on the minimalist websites I read (personally it's not something I would do or enjoy) is to do a personal item inventory and try to discard down to a certain number. 100 things, 200 things, 300 things, whatever.

I don't personally think that's a good route to go, because it strikes me that meticulously paying attention to your possessions is the problem. I mean, minimalism isn't about not having things, it's about not being attached to things. Being attached to the things you're happy to not have is just as bad as being attached to the things that you're happy to have.

For me, the thing I've gotten most from reading naturalist or minimalist writings, is to just evaluate things. Do I already have one of these? Do I need this or is it a novelty? Would this space look better with fewer things displayed twice as prominently? Will I ever be able to fit into these jeans again? Is it the object or the memory that I'm attached to with this "heirloom"? Does it really make sense to buy a throwaway gift for my girlfriend's cousin's first birthday? Does it really make sense to receive Christmas gifts from my parents? How many shirts can I justify keeping for "sentimental" reasons? How many bottle openers do we need? Do I really need Lobsterfest mugs? Do I need place settings for 12 people--how often will I have that many people over, and even if I do, do they need ornate place settings or will they mostly be fine with regular plates?

And I keep thinking back to the idea of a teenage girl's bedroom. Tons of tchotchkes, many left over from childhood. Posters on the walls and ceilings. Enormous quantities of banal photos. Just a constant, oppressive reminder that she has absolutely no sense of self and can only understand and feel confident in her identity through the use of external prompts. Everything needs to scream "THIS IS WHO I AM / THIS IS HOW I AM", every square inch of space needs to be used.

That's terrible. It's horrible. It's the worst way to live. It's no wonder teenagers are in a constant state of misery, that's what happens when you require enormous amounts of external validation. As an adult, though, you can learn to put that stuff away. Sure, you still have things that reflect aspects of your personality or your interests, but you learn to disconnect a bit. A poster is just a poster. A thing is just a thing. You don't need them to be who you are. If they were lost in a fire, you could replace them--or not--and it wouldn't matter. Focus on caring about the things that are important.

For me, too, it dovetailed with the convenience of the digital world. I work in a digital archive so I have access to some great photo scanners. Digitizing 60 years of my Dad's photos, from his childhood to my childhood to my little sister's childhood to my university convocation and beyond... it's not the photos that mean anything to me, it's the memories. Now I have them all backed up. Having them rotating on a digital photo frame in his house gets them far more attention than they ever had stuck in a stale old album in a drawer. And if we were to lose the original albums, I wouldn't be troubled in the slightest.

And this repeats across everything; I have my games digitized, I have my movies digitized, I have my music digitized, I have my books digitized. Other than a small shelf of academic books and a few rare, unusual, or multi-hundred year old books, the rest of my books are just physical markers for the far more useful, far cleaner digital files.

 

[daviyoung]

Probably ghost-written by the Dalai Lama.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/paradox.asp

 

[Zaptruder]

Thought this might somehow fit in here.

Sounds like a reminscing of a selective slice of history in some unspecified space and time.

I'm sure you could find a pretty awesome story in the modern world, and generalize it to our time.

Reality is, most people have always failed to master themselves and their impulses - and it's something that occurs relatively independently of technology.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Sounds like a reminscing of a selective slice of history in some unspecified space and time.

I'm sure you could find a pretty awesome story in the modern world, and generalize it to our time.

Reality is, most people have always failed to master themselves and their impulses - and it's something that occurs relatively independently of technology.

Living in America, it's really hard to agree with the assessment that most people were better off 25, 50, or 100 years ago.

 

[Zaptruder]

Minimalism with access to the internet is a funny concept to me.

It's probably safer to say that the modern conception of it is to be materially minimalized - but simply having access is having access to a maximal infrastructure of communication, ideas, information, entertainment... many of the significant things that make life comfortable and even worthwhile.

Fast forward 80 years, where we (will very probably) have access to Matrix quality VR technology - and all we'll have are rooms to jack into the matrix and rooms for abolutions - all other needs, desire, wants will be taken care off by the experientially maximizing VR oriented internet of the future.

 

[Monroeski]

I don't want to go full on minimalist, but I do want to cut down a lot of my crap. One of my biggest issues is just deciding which of several options to drop; for instance, I don't want to get rid of all of my consoles, but I can't decide which of the PS3 or 360 to get rid of, so I just keep both. Same with all the games and books I have bought but haven't played or read; I could sell them all today, but then what would I read tomorrow? Have to keep SOMETHING but just can't figure what.

Every day I feel myself moving closer to just selling everything anyway, though.

 

[Escape Goat]

I don't think there is any minimalism going on here. People are just getting rid of excess. 14 outfits is minimalist? Good lord. I've been living that way for years now. Selling video game consoles? Until this year I hadn't bought a video game since PS2/Gamecube.

 

[Vicetrailia]

I'm more about trying to minimize what I maximize. Generally, I go overboard on the things that I do want.

 

[joelseph]

Welp, I'm 24 and I've begun to question the very foundation of everything and everyone I've come across.

Oh to be young again.

 

[Keru_Shiri]

It's amazing how much more plausible the "throw away excess" becomes when we allow for digital media. And I'm not trying to be snarky, I've been debating on just saying "fuck it" for awhile now and just selling most of the junk that litters my house, since having an internet connection can stand in for so much.

 

[Bit-Bit]

OP this is like your second existential crisis what is my life thread in a week or two. The last one emphasized your love of pornography, this emphasizes your love of your firearm.



That's homesteading or self-sufficiency. What he's describing in the OP is a form of minimalism.

---

I read a lot of Minimal / Decluttering / Simple Living blogs. A few I'd recommend are:

http://unclutterer.com/ <-- mostly about household clutter and organization

http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com <-- emphasis on low maintenance, zero waste generating living (imagine throwing out a handful of garbage every six months for a family of 4, and yet still living upper-middle class and not really sacrificing anything)

http://www.minimalmac.com/ <-- emphasis on Mac/tech stuff, which I only mention because the OP seems interested in living a minimal life through technology

http://zenhabits.net/ <-- this one is more hippie-dippie self-help mental improvement stuff.

Awesome. Subscribed to them all. Thanks for this.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

I'm in somewhat of a similar situation, but I guess I'm not as proud of it. I have my computer, a healthy wardrobe, my artwork and my bike. My computer system and wardrobe all fit in my closet, which is super neat and organized because I'm totally awesome. I can close the closet door when I'm done and ~90% of my possessions disappear.

I also own a Television, but its on its way out.. Probably in favor of a projector I can hide away when not in use. Oh, and I own an espresso machine too. All the physical media I own could fit in a single 12x16 inch moving box. I don't think theres anything particularly special going on, its just thats what it means to be young and single today.

Only thing I'm missing right now is a proper kitchen setup. Which someday I will buildup to insane levels.

I try to handmake nearly everything for myself. I'm not quite skilled enough to make things like jeans our a wicked jacket yet, but practice makes perfect. I even handmake and bind my own notebooks out of reams of recycled paper, hemp twine, and old grocery bags.

I agree, its amazing how much "stuff" can be replaced by a computer.. but I bet there is nothing minimalist or simple about whats stored on your harddrive. Some people are like, newage hoarders when it comes to the data they keep.

 

[dallow_bg]

I very much want to be like this.

 

[Shambles]

Ahhhh going out to Applebee's for every single meal, such an enlightening lifestyle.

 

[J Tourettes]

Two great videos about low space, high efficiency, simple living, convertible apartments:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg9qnWg9kak
"Tiny Hong Kong Apartment transforms into 24 rooms" (344 square feet)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juWaO5TJS00
"[Spain] Lego-style apartment transforms into infinite spaces" (258 square feet)

Great ideas in both of those vids, first one was best.

 

[Jokergrin]

Get rid of the gun.

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

Hey Stumpokapow, cheers for your posts and links here, they've given me a lot to think on and look into so thank you

 

[Seraphinianus]

I could never get rid of my record collection.

 

[Diprosalic]

next time i move i'm going to live jobs style, atleast for a month or two. just to see what sort of things i really need.

 

[Keru_Shiri]

I became so much happier when I started spending my money not on things, but experiences.

I think this needs to be quoted. I took up fencing about 8 months ago, and have already met some awesome people, and have a blast every time I go. The bladework has even helped my drawing hand a bit, it seems. My fencing group has been going out once a month, and it's been a lot of fun just hearing the older folks swap stories and trade jokes. Well worth the price of admission and gear, than if I had spent the money on some junk.

 

[Eight Diagram Bat Fighter]

The only thing minimalist and simple about me are my designs and my desktop. I'm not giving up my arcades/tv's/turtable/other large stuff I own.

Screw dat.

 

[Mr. E. Yis]

And this repeats across everything; I have my games digitized, I have my movies digitized, I have my music digitized, I have my books digitized. Other than a small shelf of academic books and a few rare, unusual, or multi-hundred year old books, the rest of my books are just physical markers for the far more useful, far cleaner digital files.

Except when the lights go out.



As for me, I think living minimally is good, especially when trying to organize clutter and to think before buying junk and trinkets. But living just minimally is not the way to go, and when an emergency happens, you will need more stuff than the bare essentials, and I think at least some things in storage is necessary. I also save a lot of money and throw away a lot less because I save and reuse so many things, like glass jars, etc. I like to keep minimalist style around the home, but a large storage area hidden away for survivalist stuff.

Pure minimalists live with little stuff because they depend on the system to provide for them. A pure minimalist couldn't go a day living when the food, electric, and water systems go down (such as Hurricane Irene), without living in a shelter or borrowing a generator/sharing food from a friend. The future will definitely not be all roses, and bigger and longer emergencies will happen more frequently.

In my storage area, I have books, folded-up boxes, a year's supply of food/water/toiletries/etc., a bunch of tools/knifes, my wine cellar area, and a bunch of other stuff. I also have my own garden, and big water barrels for using rainwater in my backyard.

After an emergency, the hoarders will be much better off than the minimalists. When the Zombie-ocalyse happens, minimalists will be the first to die. You can't make a zombie weapon, if you don't have junk to make it out of.

 

[cwmartin]

Many people enjoy the experiences that possessions can give them. And that's not worthless in the least, and screw you to say so. (not directed at anyone)

 

[weekend_warrior]

Get rid of everything except the gun.

.

 

[RumblingRosco]

OP, what the hell do you do for food? You have no utensils or cooking supplies, so I assume you eat out every day? How do you get there, via a bike or car or do you walk?

 

[Cyan]

Thought this might somehow fit in here.

We have tastier food, but tasteless restaurants. Higher salaries, but lower tolerance. Longer commutes, but briefer underwear.

We listen to talk radio, but not to our hearts. We feel with our hands, and not with our guts. We trust the internet, but not our common sense.

If this post touched you, please forward it elsewhere and say the Dalai Lama wrote it.

 

[otake]

At my place we like to entertain and so, my furniture is small but I do have furniture. I also have close to 60 bottles of wine. I still consider myself mobile. There is such a thing as having too much but there is also having too little.

 

[Ashes]

We have tastier food, but tasteless restaurants. Higher salaries, but lower tolerance. Longer commutes, but briefer underwear.

We listen to talk radio, but not to our hearts. We feel with our hands, and not with our guts. We trust the internet, but not our common sense.

If this post touched you, please forward it elsewhere and say the Dalai Lama wrote it.

Yikes!

 

[njean777]

I like to live a minimalist lifestyle, but gaming is the only thing I would not get rid of so easily. I enjoy wasting my time on games. Speaking of I am about to clean my room and throw a lot of crap away that I do not need.

 

[Emily Chu]

OP, what the hell do you do for food? You have no utensils or cooking supplies, so I assume you eat out every day? How do you get there, via a bike or car or do you walk?

Sandwiches.

Easy to assemble.

Have a car but I live a block away from a market.

 

[ronito]

I'm a minimalist!

(Has laptop, smart phone, car, guns)

 

[Drkirby]

I would drop the gun and get an air mattress.

 

[kehs]

I could fit all my prized possessions in two hands.


Some of it hangs out though.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

Voluntary simplicity or simple living is a pretty ubiquitous approach to life. Reducing unnecessary distractions and complications, and slowing down our tempos so we're more in the present can give a kind of richness to our lives totally unlike, say, one of habituated distraction or preoccupation that is more common with busier lifestyles. Subjectively the former seems much more deep or extensive. It's like the power silence has to purify our senses. If there are always things external to us demanding our attention, when do we find the time to look inward? It seems to go hand in hand with practically every spiritual tradition that I can think of.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

I sort of laughed when you were all 'fuck this the worlds going down'

and then began with "got my laptop and smartphone...."

finished chuckling when you listed your gun for the end of the world scenario.
please don't kill any politicians.

I do like those unclutterer blogs though. Am reading. However, I find this stuff is a bit of a function of age as well. As I get older, I want a house/kid/stable job to provide for said kid.

I've lived the travel/easy to move around life, it doesn't make you any more or less happy. Do whatever the fuck you want, essentially.

EDIT again: also, going too simple fucking sucks. gadgets and things are just neat fun. No you don't need them, but yes we can have them and they are rad. It's about BALANCE man.

 

[iamblades]

I became so much happier when I started spending my money not on things, but experiences.

There have been behavioral economics studies that show this is true for most people and most situations.

It has to do with the fact that things depreciate, eventually it wears out or you stop liking it. A memorable experience stays memorable and actually gets better with nostalgia.

I don't think people need to go as extreme as the OP though. You can afford to live a relatively normal life without working yourself to death for all the meaningless consumer bullshit. There is a lot of fat you can cut out of the typical american/western budget without really affecting quality of life in any meaningful way.

Cut out the excess, go from debt spending to saving, and you'll realize that working yourself to death and still putting in for overtime cause you need more money to buy more shit is a terrible way to go through life.

 

[hyp]

i got rid of most of my possessions (including games) and now only have the equipment i use to create things (computer and audio hardware). it's very liberating.

my wife and i only spend money on essentials and use our free time on experiencing life with our kids.

we made a lot of money and bought a ton of crap only to realize it did nothing for our lives.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

I've been jumping into this lately. I hope it's not a personal-fad but it doesn't seem like it. I think this should be the OT for MinimalGAF.

Anyways, some minimalism-porn for everyone:

Minimalist Penthouse in Coppenhagen

Levity LED Table Lamp

Looked it up and it's like $550.

Tambour Workspace Table

Not for sale. But you could probably build your own or find someone to do it.

Man I HATE wires. The ones behind my desk are kinda bad but the ones behind my TV are fricking atrocious. Need to find some solution for that...

 

[Red]

I own very little, and could do with even less. I have a list of things I need:

1. a camera
2. a PC
3. a notebook and pen

That's it, outside of books, and necessities (food, toiletries).

Significant things I currently own on top of that:

an iPad
a smartphone
a TV
gaming consoles
+ similar luxuries

I probably would not have an iPad, smartphone, or other extras were I not in a relationship.

In summer I grow my own vegetables and herbs. I try not to spend money unless I have to. I have a weakness for books... and probably spend more there than I should. That's where 80% of my clutter comes from. Novels, textbooks, journals, magazines, memoirs. I have a 10 foot bookshelf overflowing next to my desk (which is just a flat white plastic picnic table), and two shelves above my monitor. I have a few hundred magazines on a shelf across the room. I'd love to consolidate all of that stuff. I thought Kindle was the coolest thing when I got one, but it sucks for visual content and it's frustrating not being able to write down physical notes or highlight things. Ebook solutions for bookmarks and page numbers are also lacking, and it's cumbersome "flipping" through pages. One day I hope there is an all-digital solution, but for now I keep my raggedy library.

My wife likes decorating. She has picture frames and posters and decals on our walls. I don't like any of that stuff. Clean minimalism looks better, is more functional, and is easier to maintain.

I've been trying to persuade her for years to get rid of our living room furniture, and replace it with something less bulky and more modular.

Hell, even my diet is simple. Cottage cheese, eggs, veggies, berries, white meat, occasional fish. Greek yogurt and honey as a treat.

 

[SeriousApes]

A couple years ago I helped a neighbor move and I said to him, when I get my own place, I'm not going to fill it with this much stuff. Tomorrow, I'm going to clean out my room, throw away the useless stuff and try to minimize my life as much as comfortably possible. I need to decide what are the things I use most? What can I do without? Probably most of it. I only really use a few things.

Then I'll buy a houseplant.

 

[TimeEffect]

Is that your home? What if you want to dance?

 

[Kwixotik]

I could've sworn I posted in this thread before... Anyway, I'm not anywhere near as extreme as the OP, but I try to keep only the unnecessary things that are my favorite. For example, buying only my very favorite movies/games/music/etc. I'd like to cut down on my huge number of books, which is why I plan on buying a Kindle soon. Then I can keep physical copies of my favorite books and have digital copies of other useful/interesting books that aren't my favorites. I do similar things with other kinds of media. I'm starting to move toward seeing my living space as a "museum" of myself, so to speak. So I'd display things I love and cut down on knick knacks and other useless items/clutter.

I need to get some posters though. My walls are pretty bare.

 

[mrklaw]

I'm moving in with my gf in two days and we have to somehow squeeze two fully furnished apartments into one.

When you actually want to live with some comfort (and not eat out every day), you end up acquiring a lot of shit over the years.

thats easy. She puts her favourite things out on display, and you throw all your shit away

having kids is really messy. only solution is to make the rooms smaller by lining them entirely with cupboards floor to ceiling.

 

[mrklaw]

Minimalism with access to the internet is a funny concept to me.

It's probably safer to say that the modern conception of it is to be materially minimalized - but simply having access is having access to a maximal infrastructure of communication, ideas, information, entertainment... many of the significant things that make life comfortable and even worthwhile.

Fast forward 80 years, where we (will very probably) have access to Matrix quality VR technology - and all we'll have are rooms to jack into the matrix and rooms for abolutions - all other needs, desire, wants will be taken care off by the experientially maximizing VR oriented internet of the future.

well a lot of clutter is people keeping things 'just in case they come in handy someday'. Digitising the important stuff lets it exist 'in case you need it' without it taking up any volume. Ideal really.

 

[Kwixotik]

well a lot of clutter is people keeping things 'just in case they come in handy someday'. Digitising the important stuff lets it exist 'in case you need it' without it taking up any volume. Ideal really.

Keeping things in case they come in handy is a problem for me. Also small sentimental items that I have trouble throwing away. My room and surfaces are clean, but my drawers are a mess because they're stuffed with miscellaneous items.

 

[Red]

Keeping things in case they come in handy is a problem for me. Also small sentimental items that I have trouble throwing away. My room and surfaces are clean, but my drawers are a mess because they're stuffed with miscellaneous items.

I can't throw stuff out fast enough. I grew up in a family of hoarders and it drove me crazy.

 

[krameriffic]

well a lot of clutter is people keeping things 'just in case they come in handy someday'. Digitising the important stuff lets it exist 'in case you need it' without it taking up any volume. Ideal really.

The key, in my opinion, is being very critical about making purchases. My dad's house was just cleaned out, filled with tons of shit that should never have been bought in the first place. It's hard to throw that kind of stuff away for him because, in spite of its uselessness, he spent a lot of money on it.

Hoarding crap is a gradual problem, built up over the years, not an immediate one, so you have to be proactive about keeping it from building up, preferably by not buying the shit in the first place.

 

[Deified Data]

Could I pare down my possessions and live a life of simplicity? Yes.

Do I want to? TBH, no. All my stuff gives me pleasure. I don't want to feel dependent on it (though I'm sure I am to some degree), but that doesn't mean I should have to get rid of it all.

 

[I NEED SCISSORS]

Minimalist designs like the one above always seem so cold to me. It feels like living as a robot.

 

[John Rabbit]

Anyways, some minimalism-porn for everyone:

Minimalist Penthouse in Coppenhagen

this is the worst kind of "minimalism". soulless. vacuous. empty. what's minimal or intelligent about building a giant room only to keep it virtually empty?