Minimalists Unite
Replies
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I once saw this show about past lotto winners...
They interviewed this guy who won the lottery and asked him... "So does money buy happiness?"
He replied... "*kitten* yeaahh" 😂4 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »I once saw this show about past lotto winners...
They interviewed this guy who won the lottery and asked him... "So does money buy happiness?"
He replied... "*kitten* yeaahh" 😂
I still think winning the lotto is a cop out. Let’s go back to the car situation...say that you have wanted this dream car and you saved and worked your *kitten* of to get it, isn’t that what makes it so much better. If it’s just given to you for doing nothing what’s the gratification in that?0 -
amorfati601070 wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »I once saw this show about past lotto winners...
They interviewed this guy who won the lottery and asked him... "So does money buy happiness?"
He replied... "*kitten* yeaahh" 😂
I still think winning the lotto is a cop out. Let’s go back to the car situation...say that you have wanted this dream car and you saved and worked your *kitten* of to get it, isn’t that what makes it so much better. If it’s just given to you for doing nothing what’s the gratification in that?
The fact that your not broke after buying it 🤷🏽♂️😂...
But I get what you're saying brother... Better to earn something then have it given to you.
I've never been the type to take anything from anyone but if I won a car, I'm not going to be to proud to take it...1 -
Motorsheen wrote: »@caco_ethes
So... what is a reasonable number of shoes for a fella to own ?
( I'm including dress shoes, trainers, casual kicks etc. )
I just had this same conversation this weekend with some family members.
For the record, I thought their replies and estimations were ridiculously low.
I had over 300 pair, including flip flops and house shoes, mostly cheap flip flops. And old ones, so old I was afraid to wear them. Wasn’t saving them, just never threw any away. Pared them down to about 100. Made it easy to see that I wear the same 3 or 4 pair 90% of the time.1 -
laprimaJenny wrote: »Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »I once saw this show about past lotto winners...
They interviewed this guy who won the lottery and asked him... "So does money buy happiness?"
He replied... "*kitten* yeaahh" 😂
This makes me wonder what a minimalist would do if they won a *kitten* load of money?!
I mean in theory I would love to say I would build a home, buy a responsible car such as a Ford Escape for my family and pay off any outstanding accounts. Finally I would invest a small amount to each of my children’s savings account. Whatever is left over, ideally, I would love to give it to charity. Perhaps that sounds like a lot, but that would cover the minimal in my perspective.
The reality is, I would find that extremely hard to do. I would always want something more. Whether it’s a new television or fridge. There’s always something I wouldn’t mind to replace or update.
It’s definitely a mind provoking subject for me. Considering I grew up poor, I have always strived for more. I realize that money and/or material isn’t everything, but I would be lying to myself if I didn’t value it in some way.
I do commend the minimalist mindset. I wish I had that kind of discipline.
My plan is to get out of debt, set up a trust fund for my nephews and parents, and then start my plan to take out the electric company. Basically I'll buy a house, remodel it, take it off the electric grid, and sell it for a marginal profit. Keep doing this as long as I can.
Or I'll just retire to a first world country that has affordable healthcare for saxons and danes.
As for minimalist I'm not there but slowly getting rid of stuff. I was a bit upset the ex didn't take more with her when she left but the Uhaul and her escape was full. Just need to get moving and take stuff to recycling and generally clean out things I don't need/use (like the living room furniture that's stupidly uncomfortable.)3 -
caco_ethes wrote: »Cakey, as a minimalist and having all your possessions destroyed must have given you a new perspective too, of what to keep and enjoy and what is irreplaceable and to treasure (baby photos, kid art, etc)
The fire was actually uniquely satisfying in that i was able to be rid of things I didn’t feel able to get rid of before, not because I didn’t want to get rid of them but because they didn’t belong to me and I didn’t feel permitted. We had bought the house from his grandma and she left tons and tons of things there. We never really felt we could throw them out. In fact when the house burned, she was more emotional about it than we were and grieved openly for weeks for the things she lost. I felt terrible that she felt that way but it was a freedom for me I didn’t think I’d ever get to experience.
Losing my own mementos made me realize that i had actually been holding onto some things simply because it was a societal norm or I worried what people would think if i admitted to throwing things out. Which is silly. I wasn’t consciously aware that i felt that way. So losing my wedding dress and any school things i still had was also satisfying in a way.
But i find it incredibly hard to explain to people so i just sorta played the part of the sad homeowner for a while afterwards.
This ^ was so interesting to me and somewhat relatable, as well. When I lost all of my stuff in a tornado, I was genuinely sad about a lot of it. So in that way I met the societal expectations...I have cried recently (7 years later) about missing my school yearbooks, for example! But I felt a bit ashamed that I was more attached to a few silly non-sentimental things (I had collected all of my utensils & small appliances in a very specific shade of yellow that was not easy to locate) and not remotely bothered by others (my then-husband's grandmother's wedding rings or toys from my babyhood that I never remembered playing with).
I find that after that experience, I'm much more likely to have a bit of (subconscious usually) contempt for others being super attached to their material things. I don't like this about myself, but that's how it has become. When someone experiences damage or theft of a few items, I always think "hmm, could have been everything, though". I'm not the sort of person who would say that to them! But I do think it. I think disasters change people, period, but in different ways.3 -
TheRoadDog wrote: »We'e retiring next year and moving to Vegas. We have lived in the same home for over 30 years. We have accumulated a lot of "stuff". We are doing our very best to not buy anything new in the next 16 months, but using up and/or getting rid of the "stuff" we have is a definite challenge.
@TheRoadDog Gratz!
I retire April 30, 2019. I am NOT a minimalist, nor am I a hoarder. I am (for me) comfortably between the two extremes. I worked hard to get the things I have and we have a lot of toys with no plans of downsizing. In fact with retirement on the horizon, plan on getting a small travel trailer and visit all of the national parks in the continental USA (retirement bucket list). Wife and I bought our current house in 2004 knowing that it was going to be our retirement house.2 -
Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »I once saw this show about past lotto winners...
They interviewed this guy who won the lottery and asked him... "So does money buy happiness?"
He replied... "*kitten* yeaahh" 😂
A lot of people regret winning the lottery though:
https://www.businessinsider.com/lottery-winners-lost-everything-2017-8
If I won, I would get laser hair removal, buy a normal house in my current town large enough for my family to live in and retrofit it to run on 100% renewables, get a new (electric) car because our family cars are close to 15 years old, save and invest enough to be set for life, and donate a lot of it.1 -
If I won the lottery (depending on how much, I'm talking big win), I do the usual, pay all my debt and for family and friends.
Get rid off all my stuff, quit job and travel until I got bored.
Then I'd work again at many different jobs to experience new things and learn new skills. I'd only stay as long as suited me, then move on.2 -
amorfati601070 wrote: »I feel like an alien sometimes when my colleagues talk about their dream car and house. I don’t even care about any of that. I dunno if it’s because I’m incredibly jaded or just a minimalist.
Attachment and desire are at the root of suffering.
I'll disagree with the house aspect. Mostly because my "dream house" is a minimalistic design that is what I have been planning for a number of years. It's smaller in size, easy to maintain and minimal annual costs in terms of heating, cooling, etc.
Unlike a car, property and houses generally go up in value. Also, as one gets older, they shouldn't have mortgage or rent payments so as to keep expenses low while on a fixed income.0 -
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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.5 -
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’4 -
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.1 -
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.0
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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.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.2 -
Sea container homes! So cool, so modular.
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laurenq1991 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.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.0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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 space1 -
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.1
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