I’m not much of a hoarder. I don’t collect things either. But I was far from a minimalist until Nov 2021. A major life choice have made me decide to slowly embrace the minimalist lifestyle.
It was a slow process of sorting, prioritizing and choosing what to keep. That resulted to donating shelves of books, selling half my kitchen online, and setting up a Poshmark store for my purses and clothes. 🤭
I like this new lifestyle. Owning fewer things than before makes it easier to pack the place and relocate anywhere we want. It is also easier to search for something I need.
🎒 I’ve always practiced travelling “light”. Now, I’m doing my best to “live light”, too.
Minimalism isn’t just about things. We should also sort, prioritize and get rid of 🖤 emotions, habits and thoughts that don’t add value to our lives.
The challenge is in knowing which ones we should keep and which ones we should leave behind.
I am a minimalist of sorts. I sort through everything and keep the parts of those things that I want or that have taught me things about myself. If indeed the whole of that thing isn't needed, out it goes, but as often as not, parts stay and parts go.
One example might be silverware - I had nearly two full sets for eight + serving utensils. I didn't get rid of all of it, just cut it down to enough for 10, plus one set of serving utensils... could have cut it down further, but that would mean I'd have to wash dishes more often. I also went through all my tools and hardware and got honest with myself. A good third are now gone. Went through emotional baggage and person by person, relationship by relationship I sorted and kept lessons learned, good memories and shucked the bad. Well, maybe not shucked, but put them away in tightly sealed boxes. I don't think it's possible to leave them... they are and will always be part of me. Still, they no longer drag me down.
Out with the old? I was very minimalist before I married. Spartan in fact and I loved it. Getting married complicated my life exponentially. Suddenly I needed skiing clothes, lots of swimsuits, boots and jeans for the farm, and more up to date clothing because my hubby's job was very social and they put on all kinds of party's, Balls, and concerts. I remember making due with nothing and liking it. Now its a mess..
@CookieCrumbs If you saw my closet, you would call me a hoarder 🤦♀️ , and I donate a ton of it every year. Now that I have given up the Law Firm life and only work privately for select clients, my wardrobe probably wont have to be quite as elaborate. Currently my lifestyle of being my hubby's sex toy and a pilot is not wardrobe dependent. 😉
@CookieCrumbs He is very good for that. He destroys just about anything I am wearing in his heat of passion so its easier to just go with the birthday suit! 🤣
Moving more in that direction .. though most of "my stuff" is tools, camping/outdoors equipment, etc .. no $$ watches, fancy baubles, knick-knacks, etc .. not a collector of anything beyond experiences
@CookieCrumbs Well .. tbh .. I think about everything involving bigger expenses a couple times, but mostly just to be sure I'm getting the most I can for what I pay for. ;-)
@Stillwaiting Of course value per $ is important, what I’m saying is it would take me longer to decide to buy material things than to book a trip to experience the thermal bath in Budapest.
In a forced sort of way. My mother threw out several years worth of accumulation of my Mad Magazines when I left for the military which totally crushed me......I still have no recovered.
I'm not well off. Have no extra dough to acquire a collection of anything really. Save spatulas. Got nine of them babies! Keeps'em in a gypsy vase addin' mojo to my flippin' game.
@CookieCrumbs If I was home I'd take a pic. Otherwise I've no idea. I got one made from an antler...one from Roswell Area 51...one I stole from a breakfast buffet at Trump Towers. Yep.
My experience in getting rid of stuff is if i have not used it in like a year, it has to go. UNLESS it is something that I know will get used and not just some BS lying around.
I would not say I am a minimalist per se but I do not keep unnecessary junk.
Peeople want more storage space, totes, boxes, shelves...
I say instead of trying to find more places to store junk, why not just get rid of it.
I keep things actually light around the house. Just what I need. Last few years though. Damn. I keep buying shoes. I don't need all these shoes. And CDs i still prefer music CDs. Sooo yess. Way too many
@CookieCrumbs not sure if it's all sentimentality. Some of it is "Well, this might be good someday. Better hang onto it." Sort of a "sentimental practicality".
My work requires an inordinately large pile of stuff to function... maybe that spills over into the rest of my life.
If I am not using it then it’s gotta go. I am not sentimental really either. I was cleaning my closet one day and my wedding dress was in there. I chucked it in the garbage 🙃.
