# Living minimalism



## Guest (May 1, 2015)

This article embodies one of the concepts I would like to live my life by: minimal clutter.
Any of you the same?
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/may/01/do-something-decluttering


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I don't like clutter - but I'm not a minimalist, because too often a problem crops up & you use what you have to solve it. For example, the lever to the bathroom plug was broken & I forgot that if I put the metal plug back in the sink it would be impossible to get it out. Then I thought of the vacuum cleaner and suctioned it out. But what if I'd decided to live simply and just had a brush and dustpan?
My ideal is tidiness and having things which serve several different purposes. But that isn't mimimalism. And as I already regularly recycle things to charity shops, I could never declutter on the scale they suggest.
Still, it's an interesting article, and thanks for posting it, TH.


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## Guest (May 1, 2015)

You're welcome, Ingélou. Note that I wrote "_would like_ to live my life by". Unfortunately, I am steadily sinking in clutter that almost seems to be growing exponentially!!


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## Guest (May 1, 2015)

I read the article and the comments. Two of them I could relate to; my SO is at the other extreme of the spectrum to myself: she is an eternal nest builder. I, on the other hand would live happiest in a small, bare shed.


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## Guest (May 1, 2015)

dogen said:


> I read the article and the comments. Two of them I could relate to; my SO is at the other extreme of the spectrum to myself: she is an eternal nest builder. *I, on the other hand would live happiest in a small, bare shed*.


That's right, just like Mahler!


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## AnotherSpin (Apr 9, 2015)

Indispensable things are too few to pile into a clutter. Dispensable are a clutter no matter how tidy kept.


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## Guest (May 1, 2015)

TalkingHead said:


> That's right, just like Mahler!


No, that's too big and gaudy!


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

Since both my boys have moved out
1 at Uni
1 travelling around Australia

We have adopted a much more minimalist outlook

The tv sits in the corner (switched off)
We don’t have a "need" for the newest, fastest, latest etc. etc
There are no ornaments in our house

As long as we have music and books


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I am minimalist in the mind but messy in real life... lots of clutter to clear out .


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

It's supposed to be très trendy in cities to have a miniscule living space: the space is miniscule, but the price is anything but. These places are only 300 ft² or 28 m². My place is a very compact 1000 ft² or 93 m², but I keep my furnishings small and possessions down to a bare minimum, so it feels spacious and roomy. I don't like having the closets stuffed with old junk and clutter stacked everywhere. If I cannot walk around without having to hop like a rabbit or sprawl on the floor without having to rearrange the furniture, then I would feel claustrophobic. I have the equivalent of a mid-sized wall unit for my music collection, stereo system and television set and a small oaken bookshelf. I need space for my exercise equipment, apart from my living, eating and sleeping area. I need a garage for my car and motorbike: I don't use it as a storage locker. I have to be able to live in my place and be able to enjoy my life and hobbies and not feel like I am being housed in a detention cell. I live minimally, but I don't live deprived.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I like simplicity but am naturally untidy.

I don't aim for minimalism, because although I agree that we shouldn't hoard possessions or own much much more than we need, in practice we all have to have a few things that are there 'just in case', such as vases for flowers, though, yes, a coffee jar *will do*.

And though my house isn't crowded with bric a brac, I do like some ornaments (candlesticks; a wooden owl) and particularly pictures, which I hang on bare white walls. These things lift my spirit, and therefore help to keep me healthy.

How much art, music & poetry would we have if we stuck to only what we needed?

There is no harm in shoving things in cupboards, provided that the cupboards aren't so crowded that it's impossible to relocate the item without a huge turnout. Divan drawers are great places for guest bed linen or towels, if one remembers to put in a packet of joss-sticks to keep them fresh, and then wash the linen before the guest arrives.

These are the questions I regularly ask myself about my *stuff*:
Will I be able to find it if I do need it? (Where would I look if I lost it - oh yes, my sewing drawer, or the bottom of my wardrobe...)

Would it be as quick & cheap to buy a new one, so don't use up space on keeping it.

How often do I wear it? - Now, as a dancer, I have a whole collection of clothes that only get worn once a year, but as a female dancer, I do need to ring the changes, or feel depressed - it's part of my conditioning. So what I do is i) hardly ever buy new & expensive, but either new & cheap or from charity shops ii) buy skirts & tops so they can mix and match and be worn for everyday too iii) have lots of cheap bright scarves that store easily but can change the look of an outfit.

Is this item that I bought at a sale actually something that I no longer 'do' - the reason why I got rid of a pair of Clarke's open toe sandals. These days, my feet feel too cold without pop sox! 

Does this book hold memories for me, so that even if I don't reread it often, I'll want it there 'in case'? And is this book irreplaceable, for example a couple of Edwardian school stories that I picked up from a jumble sale.

Can I lift this piece of furniture. And will I be able to lift it if I was ill or really old? - That led to my donating an Edwardian marble washstand to a charity shop.

Do I need this piece of furniture? Leading to a decision not to have more than four armchairs & no sofa, because when I do hold a party, it's easier to pack wooden chairs into my lounge. Also to have armchairs that are light and can double up in the bedrooms. And not to buy new bedside chests, but to use my charity shop trolleys which are so easy to move about.

Never buy dinner services etc. Mix & match from the really pretty crockery you can find in charity shops.

Never buy 'patio set' furniture for outside. I hardly ever sit there for long, anyway, what with rain and insects, so the cheap placky chairs & table in the shed do fine, and can also be brought inside for rare parties.

Do I need this electric equipment? Yes to a mixer, for beating up cake ingredients, but no to a food processor. No to a strimmer, but yes to a lawnmower, and then lay out the lawn so that the edges can be mown over. Yes to a vacuum cleaner - no to a carpet shampooer, as you can do it yourself with a cloth, or else hire an electric rug-doctor.

Do I need a replacement lying ready? In the case of my violin, where I've kept the starter fiddle and have an extra (cheapish) bow, yes, I do, in case a string broke just before a lesson or whatever.

Touring charity shops has become a really fun way of visiting town centres, and of course I take stuff back too. One of the reasons why I find 'simplicity' more fun than 'minimalism'.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

If you really want to adopt a minimalist lifestyle, my best advice is to live on a houseboat, as a friend of mine does, with her husband and two young children. They have to think carefully about every new possession, or weigh their home down. It does make it a real problem for me, when thinking of gifts for their children. 'Any old toy' won't do!


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Great ideas, Ingélou :tiphat:

I agree that minimalism is about reducing excess and the unnecessary. It's not about living deprived, suffering inconvenience and giving up the things that we love to do. I believe that having few, really nice things is more meaningful to me than acquiring and hanging on to things that don't presently serve my needs. If you like cut flowers, clearly you will regularly make use of an assortment of vases. I have only two, because I almost never have cut flowers. I got rid of hundreds of regular and trade paperback novels I have read, because I rarely get around to reading them again and can easily pick them up at the library or a used book store, but a set of deluxe hardbacks of a favourite author might be worth keeping.

Odd that you should mention "will I be able to lift it?" This is exactly the question that I asked myself when I moved from my house into my condo. The reclining settee is obviously too heavy, but nearly all of my furniture can be lifted by one person or, in the case of the stereo shelving unit, bed and exercise equipment, can be disassembled. I had garden furniture on the balcony for a few years, but I never sat outside  It was constantly grimy from the dirt and dust the wind blows around, causing me a lot of unnecessary work. One day, I decided to turn the balcony into an outdoor meditation and stretching area, so I got rid of all the furniture and bought a nice quilted picnic blanket. Wow! Now, I take out a cup of tea and the blanket and I find it much more relaxing than the stress of wiping down the hard plastic chairs and table.

Electric appliances are easy to cut down on, like you said. Many are so specialized that they are only rarely used, or are so difficult to keep clean, that it's easier to do the work manually (washing a chopping knife vs. cleaning the food processor). If you regularly need to chop huge amounts of vegetables, then your needs would make it worthwhile, but, cooking for one, a food processor is overkill for me. Like you said, it's often more practical to rent a rarely needed item than it is to purchase one: case in point, the carpet shampooer.

Clothing is another area where I have cut down hugely. I used to have many pairs of jeans, cords, dress pants, denim shirts, dress shirts, casual shirts, t-shirts etc. Now, I have moved toward two pairs of jeans, no cords (the fluff comes off after only a couple of wears, so they quickly look shabby), one pair of dress pants, since I'm a causal type of guy, etc. If I absolutely require something, I can always pick it up. I don't need to have it on hand, getting old and shelf-worn, just in case.

Buying replacements in advance is a big no-no for me. There are always newer things available, so why invest scarce cash into things that require storage for who knows how long and might never be used? I am a big proponent of donating to the charity shops and have an abhorrence of tossing useful things out with the refuse.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Wow! That would be my perfect nickname: Living minimalism.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I like useful things, so hopefully that should reduce clutter.


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## Potiphera (Mar 24, 2011)

I had to get rid off a load of books and clothes when I moved. 
We try to live with the essentials, bare amount of furniture because of space. 
We got rid of the telly about 25 years ago, the best thing we did as it only fills the mind with clutter too.


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## AnotherSpin (Apr 9, 2015)

Potiphera said:


> I had to get rid off a load of books and clothes when I moved.
> We try to live with the essentials, bare amount of furniture because of space.
> We got rid of the telly about 25 years ago, the best thing we did as it only fills the mind with clutter too.


 Right. Any clutter roots in mind.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

We have lived in the past without a television, and enjoyed ourselves reading and playing Scrabble.
We decided five months ago to live without television again - but alas, with the all the joys of the internet, not much extra reading has been done, and no Scrabble at all!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Television? I'm paying for 434 channels and keep it on one cable news channel all day.:lol:


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I don't live minimally right now, but it is a goal to start cutting the clutter and move in that direction in the next 1-2 years


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

^^At the very minimum, at least.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Ingélou said:


> We have lived in the past without a television, and enjoyed ourselves reading and playing Scrabble.
> We decided five months ago to live without television again - but alas, with the all the joys of the internet, not much extra reading has been done, and no Scrabble at all!


Wow! How popular do you wish to be? No TV. Viol music playing on a never-ending continuous loop. :tiphat:


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Sometimes I wish I were more of a minimalist but by nature I'm not one. I like keeping all my books with me even though I'm not likely to read most of them again. (For that matter, I like buying books even though I can get anything from the library.) I have various kitchen implements that I use only rarely, but when I do use them I find it gratifying to have exactly the right tool for the job. I have two bicycles, one of which I haven't ridden in months, but I like having it. I have two sets of speakers, one "real" set in my living room and one for my computer in the bedroom. I probably have more furniture than I strictly need living alone in a one-bedroom apartment.

I grew up in a pretty cluttered house, but in a cozy way, not a hoarder way, and I guess that's what feels like home to me.

One thing I don't have is a TV, but it's not out of principle.


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