The Minimalists

[hockeyfreak79]

Anybody currently practice minimalism or have heard about? The Netflix documentary is mainly about these guys traveling the states and selling their books. They have turned into a business and are making money so I get why they are doing it. I'm not a hoarder by any means but I do have a lot of meaningless crap I could toss or donate.

A lot of other people have noticed a change in their happiness by having less "stuff". Interesting....

 

[Tenacity]

Anybody currently practice minimalism or have heard about? The Netflix documentary is mainly about these guys traveling the states and selling their books. They have turned into a business and are making money so I get why they are doing it. I'm not a hoarder by any means but I do have a lot of meaningless crap I could toss or donate.

A lot of other people have noticed a change in their happiness by having less "stuff". Interesting....

I practice it.

 

[TheMonkeyKing]

I've moved house twice in two years and both times had a good clear out of stuff. I've chucked so much stuff, old clothes, papers, work materials etc. I've probably cut my own 'stuff' to a third of what it was, with still some to get rid of.

All I have in my room now are a bed obviously, books, a wardrobe of clothes, a digital radio and a spot lamp - ambient lighting is particularly important for me.

Depends on the person really. I'm pretty cutthroat and don't tend to attached unwarranted sentiment to things. Once you start sorting through the junk, you soon find yourself asking why on Earth you held on to some things. I wouldn't say I'm obsessive, but uncluttered space is certainly relaxing.

 

[Tenacity]

Is that your minimalist response? Lol.

I am definitely a minimalist. I grew up in a house with a basement full of stuff. My parents weren't hoarders but they didn't throw things away. I think it made me want to be the opposite...I also have moved a lot which has led me to trim the fat over and over. Currently I occupy a bedroom. When I pay off my debts and get my own place, I'll buy some more furniture.

Lol, I practice a form of Minimalism. All of my personal expenses are budgeted for the year and I'm living well below my means which allows me to PUT AWAY a significant amount of money per year into investments.

The key here is proper balance:

- You want to make as much income as you can. I believe LIFE starts at $50,000 a year in a low/average cost of living area as an individual, at bare minimum.

- You structure your expenses to where you can live in a decent area, drive a decent car, and have a decent overall life with a good amount of recreation/entertainment......but do so in a way to where you have money LEFT over at the end of the year to put away into investments.

To me Minimalism is a deliberate act of living BELOW your means in order to BUMP up savings/investments, which means you make $100,000 a year but structure your personal expenses to be no more than $35,000 per year and (after paying taxes) you have at least $40,000 - $50,000 per year left to put into savings/investments.

Now some people promote themselves as being a "Minimalist" but they only make like $25,000 per year, i.e., Aaron Clarey. Well, to me that's not a Minimalist, that's just being BROKE, because once you pay for basic personal expenses, you have very little if anything left to put away for savings/investments.

 

[dasein]

"Minimialism" is a misnomer. We have been conditioned since children by marketing messages in numerous venues to overconsume and overpossess. Not doing that is not minimal, but normal.

I practiced the typical American consumerism for years... then went back to law school in the mid 90s, lived in a 10x10 dorm room on a single bed in my mid 30s after living the "fancy" life during early career. I had -one- key on my keychain, no car, no real possessions other than clothes... was blissfully happy generally and it changed my life and perception. Won't go back.

Possessions after a point of utility are a trap, especially in our litigious society where men have an innate target engraved on our chests. Possessions, the right kind, WILL get women interested if your basics aren't polished... the wrong kind of women that will lead to disappointment after disappointment, and even decades of misery if you aren't careful.

Tip for young men: make a well-thought list of the possessions, mostly -tools- that enhance your life. This will be different for different people, for some people a bicycle, for others a scoped rifle, for others, a wood burning stove or sophisticated cooking range. Once you set on those things, discount everything that isn't one of those things.

 

[Julian]

the things you own...end up owning you