/b/ - Random

Minimalism to me can easily become elitist.

Plus, it can be misleading.

Spoilered because it's blogposty.
[spoiler]
By habit, I throw away/donate/sell a lot of things I no longer use. I own minimal amounts of makeup/hygienic products, bedding, etc. The only thing I have in excess is clothing but even then most of it is thrifted, I've used it for years, I don't shop from expensive places, and I still don't own that much compared to most people my age.

Why all of that? Because I'm miserly. I hate spending money. I stress over spending money so much in fact that the only reason I even buy clothing is when I get so stressed out that it's like I rebound from my restriction.

A lot of my friends really dislike it that I'm so miserly, but I feel unable to stop being so. Every dollar counts to me.

My point is, one could say I'm "minimalist", but in reality, it's actually my greed that causes me to save and be thrifty.

>>3358
your spoiler didn't work, but that is okay lol.
I don't have a problem with spending money. Tbh money is not really the problem in my situation, at least not at the moment. The problem is the lack of organization and the fact that I feel like I own TOO MUCH to the point I feel overwhelmed. And things that I don't even know why I bought, you know? That is what I need to change.

>>3357
I'm not quite sure if I'm minimalist, or just "not a hoarder" at this point…I don't hold on to much "junk", but I have a LOT of clothing and "expensive" stuff I hold on to (mainly electronics, designer goods, leather/metal working supplies, instruments, and other hobby goods).

I have a lot of hobbies, so I feel it's impossible to be a complete minimalist. I do still get "rid" myself of items I haven't used for a while every few months. For example, I sold all the guitars, guitar books/amplifiers/accessories I hadn't used on Craigslist, and now only keep 1 guitar (acoustic/electric) and a few of my favorite books. I don't play guitar enough imo to warrant keeping more than the minimum.

As for clothing, most of my clothing is (literal) dry-clean only items (silk, wool, cashmere, leather) so I started loading up to prevent needing to clean things so often since I can usually get a few uses out of an item before needing to have it cleaned. Same with shoes. I feel if I have more shoes, the wear from walking is less per shoe, plus I can better match outfits.

I've been described as both a minimalist and a materialist, but whatever the case, I appreciate minimalistic designs and order (especially in regards to home decor!).

>>I think pic related is a good representation of my lifestyle.

I don't keep a ton of junk around, but I like each item to be something I like individually.

Hope this provides something to this thread…

>>3360
That is an adorable room, I love it.
I watched the minimalists doco and one of them said that if you own a book collection, and you feel like it DOES have a true meaning in your life, then keep your collection. In the end, I guess minimalism really doesn't have any rules, but keeping what you believe to be essential. and getting rid of the rest. It's about making your life simpler.

I also think that it is totally possible to own high end, designer brand items if you don't own more than the necessary. It's not about being absolutely frugal or not getting "good things", it's more like being simple to make your life easier, imo.

>>3361
>>That is an adorable room, I love it.
Thanks anon!

>>I also think that it is totally possible to own high end, designer brand items if you don't own more than the necessary. It's not about being absolutely frugal or not getting "good things", it's more like being simple to make your life easier, imo.

Thanks for the explanation. I guess I've always thought of minimalism as something more modern and "sleek" (pictured), while the bedroom above looks "busy" to me, even though there aren't that many more items. Your explanation makes sense though.

I did live with very little at one point (my car, a mattress, and everything else fit in a milk crate or was shared between roommates). It was out of necessity at the time, but I appreciate how little time it took to take care of my chores and clean/organize, and how easy it was to move. I also had more usable space which was great.I don't need to go back to that fully, but I definitely need to clear some shit out.

My biggest hurdles are craft supplies and free things. I recently picked up a free monitor and a scanner that are little old but work just fine. I can get use out of both of them but neither were things I was going to go out and buy for myself anytime soon. I love to make things with my hands, and I'm pretty good about not spending too much money on crafts but I get a lot via art programs I help out with that toss usable supplies at then end of the program and from friends who know I like that stuff so they dump their unused supplies on me. I should just say no, but I don't.

I have a rule where I have to throw out/donate/give away something old when I get something new. If I don't get rid of my stuff, I at least find a way to repurpose it so it doesn't just sit there taking up space. I love empty, clean, organized spaces and I hate anything that just sits around and serves no purpose. I always believe I have too many frivolous possessions and pretty much every week I'll randomly move a piece of clothing or a trinket or a bottle of bronzer I never use to the "donate" or "giveaway" pile. I live in a college town so I have no trouble finding people who want/need my stuff.

Most people I know aged 18-25ish have hoarder tendencies, living in a huge pile of junk, with junk piled up in their cars, more clothes than they will ever wear, buying a new pack of makeup brushes even though they already have 40+ perfectly good ones that they lost in their infinite pile of junk.

That sort of lifestyle absolutely horrifies me.

I'm not minimalistic at all but I get the appeal.

I've been trying to lessen my amount of stuff, I started setting up rules for myself on trips and stuff like if I buy a souvenir it cannot be bigger than my hand and things like that. It makes me have a lot of knick knacks but they all kind of fit on one bookcase so it's not like my apartment is flooded with things.

The one thing that has bothered me a lot about the faces of the minimalism movement is this like, expected aesthetic (white Swedish minimalism meme) and also like people are expected to do everything minimalistic. The capsule wardrobes, the one pen, no books, 4 plates, type of stuff.

I think as long as people just try to scale back on their items or if they try to only stick to things they use regularly they are minimalist.

>>3357
I'm a maximalist, if that's a word. I like having big stores of things so that I never run out, and have a lot of variety in the things I use.

I'm very big on storage though, so it's all very neatly organized. The biggest problem is my wardrobe, which is truly excessive. I can't pack clothes away, out of sight, and expect to actually wear them, so they just have to be squished in as best I can.

I agree with >>3365 re; the whole white swedish minimalist meme.

I consider myself minimalist but a lot of things online around it push this very cold aesthetic.

I think it's important to have clear outs every few months to see what you are actually using vs what you think you use. For me the only thing I "hoard" is computer hardware parts, I like to tinker around.

I find clearing out clothes, and in more recent months, being more aware of muh fast fashion & big textile definitely helps. If you have less clothes in your wardrobe you can hang little scented nice things easier and you just become a nice smelling dreamboat. Also it helps you to keep tabs on when pieces need repairing or replacing.

>everytime I see a "minimalism" aesthetic I want to paint everything orange and yellow HA.

>>3367
>I consider myself minimalist but a lot of things online around it push this very cold aesthetic

That's the one real problem I have with minimalism. Minamalism looks fantastic in photos, but actually living a minimalist lifestyle feels very cold and disconnective.
I've tried to find a nice middle-ground with my own home, maintaining the clean, sharp, light aesthetic, but also chucking in a load of candles, fluffy pillows, rugs, throws and a crap-tonne of plants around the place. I have a single wooden dalahäst on my mantle in the living room, but apart from that I try to limit ornamentation.

>>3367
How do you handle clearing out your wardrobe? Admittedly that's my biggest weakness, I keep so many of my clothes and only really throw out/donate the fast-fashion sort of stuff that is definitely dated. I still have tank tops and shorts and stuff from middle school that I wear.

My biggest worry about donating clothes is "what if I want to wear this in a couple of months?" I know it's stupid because if I haven't worn it in 2 years I probably won't wear it in 4 months but I still worry about it and thus keep it in my wardrobe.

>>3369
Whenever I'm clearing out anything, I take out each item and handle it individually, and then I ask myself 3 things:

1. Do I want it?
2. Do I need it?
3. Will I use it?

If your answer is 2 yes' or more, keep it. If it's two no's or more, get rid of it.

>>3369
Basically what >>3370 said.

But also, if you're keeping hold of stuff like "this might randomly come back into fashion I should keep it" like I used to, think about this; which is a better wardrobe, one made of timeless pieces that will never go out of fashion, or whatever pieces muh fast fashion is currently churning out at the general consumer?

Take the stuff to a charity shop. Keep only high quality things you actually wear, and enjoy wearing!

Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions and ideas. >>3370 , your post has helped me a lot. I'm still in the process of getting rid of stuff but I feel so much freer now. I mean, ok, there's still a lot I need to get done with, but I already feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders just by being in an emptier, cleaner and tidier bedroom.

My clothes will be the real challenge. I've lost a lot of weight and I need to get rid of some of them. I'll donate some, and just trash the rest that is too worn out to be wore.

About the completely white minimalist meme… I'm not completely sure if I like that aesthetic. I definitely like simple and not too frilly or dramatic stuff, but off white can be sort of cold sometimes imo.

Minty relieved Snoopy because that's how I feel right now yo

Bump bump, any of you is planning on getting rid of tons of clutter and unnecessary items before January, or in the first week of 2018? I feel like I really need to do that. It's part of my NYE ~~ritual~~.

>>8305
i do this cause it's an asian tradition. you clean before new year to get rid of all the stuff you don't want to follow you from the previous year.

>>8305
I probably will. I cleaned out the fridge earlier today. But man… I tend to say I might use it! Food expires so it's different. Hopefully it goes well!
Might just donate to a charity so hey can pawn it off.

I think minimalism is really nice, but something I could never do. I like my belongings too much, although everything is kept tidy for the most part.

You also have to have money to live a minimalist lifestyle. The homes are simple, but every piece of furniture or decoration is carefully picked out to match an aesthetic. When you're poor, you hang on to your junk because it's all you have.

>>8315
>>8320
Good luck! My family doesn't celebrate Xmas so I'll take tomorrow to start decluttering my bedroom. I'd do a complete room makeover if I could, but I don't have the monies and time for that. I really want to have less stuff here…it feels so chaotic even when it's clean.

>>8305
same to the nye ritual!

i get so attached to certain clutter for weird sentimental reasonings, but i'm determined to clear a lot of that out and keep it clean this upcoming year

I'm a minimalist in the sense of only keeping what I need, but in terms of aesthetics I'm not very into the clinical black and white Scandinavian look. My home feels like a pub, but I like that kind of colour scheme and furniture. I travel a lot and can pack everything I own in 2 suitcases, give or take. So… idk.

>>8322
Huh that's a good point regarding finances. I guess people can still do minimalism without the "aesthetic" but that seems to be what most people are going for. It's a bit ironic considering poor people probably need a minimalist lifestyle most of all.

>>8322

Minimalist design and minimalist lifestyle are different things though. Rich people riding the fad can keep a pristine white and bare wood aesthetic, but that doesn't mean everyone does or even wants too. For the lifestyle aspect, it's all personal so if it doesn't work for you then that's totally okay, but the conflation of those two ideas always seems to come up in all minimalist lifestyle discussion to the point that I've grown tired of a lot of communities that label themselves as minimalists and seek out other groups because it's tiring to go though the same discussion again.

For me personally, being poor and adapting a minimal lifestyle went hand in hand, but again all lifestyle stuff is personal.

Wish me luck, ladies. I will start today and there's a lot of stuff to get rid of.

>>8366
Good luck!

I got a load of baggage that I'm donating. There's some Liz Lisa stuff in there if anyone from Sydney AU wants to visit the Vinnies near central station towards Surry Hills.

>>8366 so… I made it! There's just two shelves left I want to clean but everything else is pretty done. I have clothes to donate but my mom said she'd do that for me. I'm pretty happy and I feel SO MUCH better.

>>8386 ty!

Has anyone been watching Marie Kondo on Netflix? I'm really enjoying it and she's such a sweet person.

HAHAHAHAHA

Once/twice a year when i ran out of living space in flat i just move old stuff into countryhouse.

This time i move out old libary and some useless stuff, i got gifted. Yep, behind the wooden rack there is one more rack.

The truck waits me tommorow at 9 am.

Oh, the book tower can't be spotted on first photo.

I'm thinking of getting rid of clothes I never wear. I could also sell other stuff I never use or don't use anymore like some manga and DVD sets but I grew very attached to my collection of manga, especially because I've been buying volumes one by one for years and I have some complete series. I sold some series (several complete parts of Jojo, Gintama, and some other manga) a few years ago to have more space and more money but I still regret it to this day because I liked these ones. I already managed to sell some video games I didn't care about around the same time and I don't think I'll be able to sell the ones I have, I like them way too much. Still about weebshit, I have figurines that I want to get rid of because they don't even go well together on my shelves, but I have no idea what to do with them.

I never really noticed how many books I have until I moved to the other side of my city. I have like 3 cardboard boxes full of manga, novels and textbooks and they were really heavy and taking too much space in the car. My shelves are full anyway.

I also have a lot of makeup that I don't use all that much because I barely have time for that in the morning, and I have no idea what to do with it, expect not buy new stuff. It's not like I can sell some of these things since I've used them at least once, and I don't think I can give them to friends or family because they either don't use makeup at all or they have more things than I do.

>>3357
A few years ago I trashed everything and re-imagined my entire room into what it is now. My room these days contains my bed, my pc, and a little collection of jungle themed decoration and plush toys. I love it a lot because I'm deathly afraid of bugs and the way everything is laid out there is no place for bugs to hide, it's all very clean, but not barren, also I love my monkey plushies a lot.

>>30115
same. I live in a small-ish studio and can't even store all my clothes properly because there literally isn't room. My aunt buys a lot of clothing and will pass on a lot of it to my sister and I unworn, with tags. It's always NICE STUFF and totally free…so I have a hard time getting rid of it. :\