What are your thoughts on being a 'Minimalist'?

[Natalka]

I've tried many times over the years, just can't do it.

I can keep myself to 'clutterer', at least! I used to be a packrat, lol!

[Shwa Girl]

I've tried many times over the years, just can't do it.

I can keep myself to 'clutterer', at least! I used to be a packrat, lol!

I pick a tv show to do a mini clean and throw out. Commercials are a good time.

[Retiree]

In our apartment building, we have an area I call "the swap shop". It is an area of shelving in our recycling room where you can place any items you no longer want but might still be of use to someone else. In the past 2 years, I have found a sewing machine in a cabinet, an iron and smaller ironing board that I liked better than my larger one, so I brought them to our apartment and took down my portable sewing maching, iron and larger larger ironing board. Within a few hours my things were picked up and taken to someone elses apartment. This stuff didn't go to landfill but was put to good use by someone else.

When our 9 year old grandson visits, he always want to go to the swap shop to see if there is anything worthwhile to pick up. Sometimes he finds something to take home. When our daughter sees him coming with the "stuff" she just rolls her eyes and I laugh. All kidding aside, I think it teaches him that recycling is a good thing.

[coupon girl]

im just did this today went thru my kitchen cupboards -my daughter gave me a new strainer last month from her condo -she has very ltttle clutter-so i got rid of my old one and some ice cube trays old leftover containers that were worn -it felt good going thru my cupboards and i had one small bag for the garbage and a bag for talize-today i am in a great mood-plus i always go to the library and take out books for free

[momof5boys]

I agree with the minimalist idea, but it's really hard to initiate. It's hard to throw stuff out, especially if it's sentimental. I try to buy the best that I can afford when I make purchases.

....I don't have problem throwing stuff out but my hubby is another story lol....he has loads of cassettes he can't part with....and never listens to because we don't have a cassette player any longer. Any ideas how to convince him to get rid of these cassettes?

[Natalka]

I pick a tv show to do a mini clean and throw out. Commercials are a good time.

Oh, it's not that I don't have the time....

[Shwa Girl]

Oh, it's not that I don't have the time....

No. Not instructing. Just sharing.

[blueeyetea]

I believe minimilism, clutter-free, and simple living are today's buzzwords for showing you're more prosperous than others. In this day and age, it's easy to buy what we want, which we do, but what we lack is the time to take care of our possessions, so we accumulate without purging the old. On top of that, for most of us, our ideal is a room devoid of clutter, as well as a house that's nice enough to entertain people. Third, this conflicts with the need to improve our lives by reducing the number of hours we need to work to earn a living (and pay for it all.)

It's an unreacheable ideal because to get there, it means money, and lots of it. If I have the clutter free home that's worthy of a magazine spread, then that denotes I have the means to pay for it while not working. Or I work full-time and make enough money to afford the decorator and cleaning help, and all I have to do is walk in and enjoy the view.

The only solution is to ignore it all and be happy with what you have.

[Sunshyne1]

I pick a tv show to do a mini clean and throw out. Commercials are a good time.

Thats what I do. Sometimes I hate throwing in a DVD to watch because there's no commercial breaks!!!

[avoncallingu]

I wonder why "Minimalist" is such a long word!

[SassyAshley]

I wish we could cut out some clutter. I purchased a house with my mom 2 1/2 years ago. When we moved out of our old house we were supposed to purge but this did not happen, instead it was decided to pack everything up and sort it as we unpacked. Needless to say 2 1/2 years later our house is still full of boxes we have never opened since moving in, but every time we go to sort through the boxes (yes there are some things we have never found since moving we want to keep) it seems like we "need" to keep 99% of the box. I end up pissed off and walking away. I would love to cut down on junk in our house especially since we have since moved all my Nanny's stuff into our already over flowing house, plus we now have a storage locker as well.

[momof5boys]

I wish we could cut out some clutter. I purchased a house with my mom 2 1/2 years ago. When we moved out of our old house we were supposed to purge but this did not happen, instead it was decided to pack everything up and sort it as we unpacked. Needless to say 2 1/2 years later our house is still full of boxes we have never opened since moving in, but every time we go to sort through the boxes (yes there are some things we have never found since moving we want to keep) it seems like we "need" to keep 99% of the box. I end up pissed off and walking away. I would love to cut down on junk in our house especially since we have since moved all my Nanny's stuff into our already over flowing house, plus we now have a storage locker as well.

You will find this book very helpful - our library carries it, so your library may have it as well:
'It's All Too Much" ...an easy plan for living a richer life with less stuff...by Peter Walsh

[momof5boys]

I'm just curious - we have some quality camera equipment (yes, the old ones that require film Any ideas where to part with this, or just toss it?

[vesper]

I am going to de-clutter my cloths this week and cat toys and dishes. I have no idea why I have about 20 coffee cups when there is only 1 me and I don't really drink that much coffee.

[vesper]

I'm just curious - we have some quality camera equipment (yes, the old ones that require film Any ideas where to part with this, or just toss it?

eBay it.

Especially if you have good lens. There is still a market for that. Any lens with an fstop of 2.8 or lower? Could be worth some good money!!!