Minimalists Unite

Motorsheen

Vikka_V wrote: »

If I won the lottery.....

I'd probably be dead or in a Turkish prison within three weeks time.

laurenq1991

leut_underpants wrote: »

Interesting that we've pivoted from minimalism into riches, two very different subjects. One is a life choice, the other a removal of many of life's obstacles.

(Sorry, another verbose post here.)

They're related. There are all these news stories about how most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, have debt (not even student loan or medical debt, but just regular credit card debt), have less than $1000 in savings, etc. But then you see all the crap being sold in stores and you know someone must be buying all this stuff, and you go to peoples' houses and see tons of crap there, and so many people have external storage units or can't even fit their car in their garage since it's full of crap. The average American house size has also doubled since 1950, while average family size has reduced. Maybe if people didn't own so much crap, they wouldn't have to have such a big house to store it in.

I'm sure we've all seen the people with GoFundMes asking for money for expenses that only cost a few thousand dollars, and you know these people have been spending all kinds of money on stuff they really didn't need. I watch a lot of smaller Youtube channels and I see it all the time that they have ridiculous amounts of stuff but also complain about being broke.

Obviously minimalism isn't going to make someone rich (unless you make a business of it like Marie Kondo) but it can mean the difference between financial security and living paycheck to paycheck. And even richer people can be living paycheck to paycheck with "lifestyle creep."

Attachment to stuff can also be a problem even if you aren't acquiring much new stuff. My brother is poor and he has a ton of vintage furniture and other stuff inherited from family members. He has a one bedroom apartment he can't afford. I keep telling him to just get a room in a shared place with roommates, but he refuses because he doesn't want to let go of the furniture he loves and has sentimental attachment to, or have to spend money on buying a couch and stuff again in the future. He's at risk of becoming homeless and the stuff is more important to him! I don't even think this attitude is rare in America.

I think it also has indirect consequences on wealth. If you don't have to spend as much time and energy managing stuff (not just shuffling it around but also having to clean a larger residence), you have more time and energy to devote to either your career, or pursuits that make you happy (which boosts overall mood and reduces stress, allowing you to be more successful). Clutter has negative impacts on mental and physical health. I am completely unable to concentrate in a cluttered area and even my messier family members benefit from living in a clean and sparse apartment. Meanwhile my husband has had to spend hundreds of hours cleaning out his parents' abandoned hoarder house and he gets annoyed that he could have spent that time working on his career.

Personally I've also saved thousands of dollars by buying clothing and furniture secondhand. While that may not be directly related to minimalism, many minimalists shop secondhand and it ties into the environmental aspect of things which many minimalists are concerned about. Not only do I get things for 10-50% of the original cost, but also I can buy much higher quality brands which last longer. I honestly don't understand how clothing stores stay in business when you can get the exact same things for a fraction of the price secondhand.

amorfati601070

I have never owned a credit card. I am 26 years old. I have literally no debt. But I also have no family. I would say that being a minimalist has the advantage that I can pretty much go anywhere without trouble. There’s nothing to anchor me down...but this also frightens me. Like when I see people in their 30s with 2.5 kids and the white picket fences. They took a huge risk and I would say the commitment is a bold move. I cannot seriously say that any the places I have lived have felt like home in the past 8 years or so.

I am destined to become some gypsy nomad traveller? I have moved house over 15 times in the past 10 years and lived in 4 different cities and towns’

Sunshine_And_Sand

I'm definitely NOT a minimalist by most people's standards. I do have a lot of stuff and what would be considered an average house in size and niceness for my area. Granted, what is considered an average house affordable by regular people in my area would be considered huge to a minimalist and cost a fortune in other areas of the country. I could also never do a tiny home for a lot of reasons. I also feel that a lot of people in tiny homes are minimalists not by choice so much as it's what they can afford. I consider myself fortunate that I am able to afford my average 2100 square foot home with a big yard (~.75 acres, I know that's big for some and small for some but is big for a subdivision) for my family and my dog to play in.
I do however get stressed out by clutter, have fewer decorative junk/nick knacks than a lot of people I know, and like for everything to be stored in and organized way. We also don't live above our means and are on track to have our home paid off early before 40. I hear that's a great feeling and am kind of excited about it.
I have credit cards and use them because I like the cash back bonus, but we don't carry a balance on any of the cards and haven't for over a decade now. I like that the cash back bonus can be used to buy stuff I want/need on amazon and between that and getting gift cards for Birthday/Christmas, I rarely ever spend out of pocket money for stuff from amazon and tend to buy mostly stuff my kids need or Christmas and Birthday presents from them. I also realize that the cash back bonus thing is a gimmick credit card companies use to trick people into buying more stuff they can't pay off right away and end up paying 18% or whatever the interest rate is on cards (since I don't carry a balance I don't even care what the interest rate is for my cards), but they aren't benefiting from that gimmick with me. I do appreciate those people though because they make all my free amazon stuff possible 😉, jk, sort of.

Sunshine_And_Sand

Also, tiny homes are pretty expensive per square foot. Estimates are that tiny homes cost about $300/square foot vs about $100/square foot with regular homes.

laurenq1991

sarjenki wrote: »

I also feel that a lot of people in tiny homes are minimalists not by choice so much as it's what they can afford.

sarjenki wrote: »

Also, tiny homes are pretty expensive per square foot. Estimates are that tiny homes cost about $300/square foot vs about $100/square foot with regular homes.

Wait, that's a contradiction...are tiny homes economical or not?

I think a lot of people assume that people who don't have large homes or fancy stuff can't afford "nice" things. Several of the old people at the senior center my MIL goes to have assumed she is poor and even on government assistance because she lives in an apartment with us instead of in a house. Meanwhile, little do they know that she is a multimillionaire, but she doesn't dress or live like one. We could afford a house easily even if she didn't live with us, but we aren't 100% sure of our future plans where to live and we don't currently need any more space or feel like maintaining it. So don't assume someone's finances unless you've actually seen their bank account or they've told you. A lot of people with fancy lifestyles are broke and a lot of rich people live pared-down lives.

I don't really get why someone would bother building a tiny home when they could just live in an apartment though. It seems like it's more something to show off on social media.

But I do like the idea of communal living as an alternative to tiny houses. Some people I know live in communal houses where there are shared rooms and apartments and also shared living space such as kitchens, and it seems pretty nice. There are rules about the communal space so it doesn't turn out to be messy and annoying like the usual living with roommates situation. I think lack of community has caused many of our problems in modern society. I also think most people don't do that well living alone unless they have a really strong social life.

amorfati601070

Sea container homes! So cool, so modular.

Sunshine_And_Sand

laurenq1991 wrote: »

sarjenki wrote: »

I also feel that a lot of people in tiny homes are minimalists not by choice so much as it's what they can afford.

sarjenki wrote: »

Also, tiny homes are pretty expensive per square foot. Estimates are that tiny homes cost about $300/square foot vs about $100/square foot with regular homes.

Wait, that's a contradiction...are tiny homes economical or not?

I think a lot of people assume that people who don't have large homes or fancy stuff can't afford "nice" things. Several of the old people at the senior center my MIL goes to have assumed she is poor and even on government assistance because she lives in an apartment with us instead of in a house. Meanwhile, little do they know that she is a multimillionaire, but she doesn't dress or live like one. We could afford a house easily even if she didn't live with us, but we aren't 100% sure of our future plans where to live and we don't currently need any more space or feel like maintaining it. So don't assume someone's finances unless you've actually seen their bank account or they've told you. A lot of people with fancy lifestyles are broke and a lot of rich people live pared-down lives.

I don't really get why someone would bother building a tiny home when they could just live in an apartment though. It seems like it's more something to show off on social media.

But I do like the idea of communal living as an alternative to tiny houses. Some people I know live in communal houses where there are shared rooms and apartments and also shared living space such as kitchens, and it seems pretty nice. There are rules about the communal space so it doesn't turn out to be messy and annoying like the usual living with roommates situation. I think lack of community has caused many of our problems in modern society. I also think most people don't do that well living alone unless they have a really strong social life.

I don't think it's a contradiction to say that tiny homes are expensive per square foot but easier to afford overall. 300/square feet at 100 square feet (I don't know the actual size of an average tiny home just using a number for example) would be $30,000 and still a lot easier to afford than say 1500 square feet at $100/square foot. So, if you have the $150,000 or more, and aren't a minimalist, a tiny home wouldn't make sense to you.
I also wasn't meaning to say I assume ALL people in tiny homes, apartments or whatever can't afford nice things or bigger homes, but to be fair, when tiny homes became such a big thing a lot of the owners of tiny homes commended them as being a way that they could afford a nicer house that was smaller until they could afford something bigger, so I'd say those people were in a tiny home because it's what they could afford.
I get why some would want to live in a tiny home for reasons than other affordability, but was only saying that's not for me.
I don't assume people living with their parents or parents who move in with their children are doing so because of finances, and if they are who cares? They aren't hurting me either way.

foxtrot1965

My minimalism was ingrained in me from a young age. I just don't feel the need for 'things'. If I know I can live without something and that it won't serve a purpose in my life I usually don't buy it. But I think sometimes that I go too far and sacrifice things that could be fun to have like a pretty piece of jewellry. My other half on the other hand loves collectables and I just don't get it. We have shelves and shelves with his items on them and sometimes I look around and think 'where am I?', so I try to decorate otherwise by putting up something I've painted, or choosing our wall colors, or furnishings that we might have.

HeavierThanAire

caco_ethes wrote: »

I have hated stuff FOREVER. My mom had to fish my diploma out of the trash a day after graduation."

I used my high school diploma as a bookmark in a JCPenney catalog. Not sure what happened to it after that.

Vikka_V

So my kettle broke, but I have a pot to boil water. I also didnt replace my last microwave when it died, because I have a stove and oven.

Now I find myself making tea like a pioneer, I boil the water in the pot, then if I want to warm it, back into the pot
...missing the microwave right now, but loving the counter space

newmeadow

I knew a true minimalist once who lived in a tent by choice. He was one of the funniest basterds I ever met. His array of interests were dazzling, he had some intellectual muscle and nothing embarrassed him. He wasn't a guy I'd invite over for dinner but if you needed a completely irreverent laugh, he was your guy.