# A Minimalist Life For Me!



## SifuPhil

I was never a minimalist until I had to be ... and then I couldn't stop.

My name is Philip, and I'm a minimalist.

Not in ALL things, mind you - just the things that matter. To me. 

In my late teens and early twenties I was a marketing company's wet dream: everything I saw I had to buy, had to possess. Didn't matter if it was the latest camera, the latest fashion or the latest piece of useless junk - I had to have it. It was an addiction, not to the items I purchased as much as to the idea that I COULD purchase them. But as I've since discovered, the _ability_ to do a thing is not quite the same as the wisdom involved in doing it.

I think the first hint that I was out of control was when I got married (big surprise, right?). What better way to realize that you've gone a bit overboard on the junk collection than having a 24/7 observer / commentator? 

Plus - she had more stuff than ME. It was like looking into a mirror and not liking the reflected image. Now it wasn't MY stuff cluttering up an apartment - it was HER stuff overflowing through a house. That made all the difference in the world, and that's when I had my epiphany: it was time to get rid of my crap.

Like most marriages ours was a wonderful one at times and horrid at others, but after a 15-year run one of the most important lessons I learned - for which I'll always be grateful to my ex- - is that minimalism is the way to go. No wrenched backs when moving, no taking an entire weekend to clear a path to the bathroom, no more soggy cardboard boxes in the damp basement or constant searches for a particular piece of garbage.

It's freedom. It's the beauty of simplicity.



It's being able to lay your hands upon what you need, when you need it, without having to call in the National Guard, a dozen trained search dogs and a psychic.

It's the elimination of the stress in your life: no longer do you have to worry about storing, cleaning, preserving and guarding your STUFF. My older brother Mickey once uttered a throw-away line that has nonetheless stuck in my brain ever since:

*The more you own, the more it owns you.

*How true.


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## SeaBreeze

I didn't grow up in a wealthy family, nor am I wealthy today...but I always had enough to be comfortable, and not needy.  So, I never experienced the phase of buying all the latest gizmos and fashion brands...started out with Wrangler jeans, and went to Levis...still there today.  Kudos for your 15 year run, that's a long time for many.

I love that picture, simply beautiful!  Mickey was wise when he made that statement, so true.  Never been owned by stuff, and have no complaints here. :sentimental:


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## SifuPhil

SeaBreeze said:


> I didn't grow up in a wealthy family, nor am I wealthy today...but I always had enough to be comfortable, and not needy.  So, I never experienced the phase of buying all the latest gizmos and fashion brands...started out with Wrangler jeans, and went to Levis...still there today.  Kudos for your 15 year run, that's a long time for many.



I know the feeling - my father was a self-employed plumber and my mom a house-wife, but somehow they raised 4 kids and we never needed for anything. Being the baby of the family, though, I was spoiled rotten. When I "hit it big" in my late teens / early twenties it was intoxicating - I didn't know how to handle it, so I just went wild.

My 15 years ... yeah, it was better than some, not as good as others. Sometimes it takes that long to realize that the two people have changed sufficiently to not make a good couple anymore.



> I love that picture, simply beautiful!  Mickey was wise when he made that statement, so true.  Never been owned by stuff, and have no complaints here. :sentimental:



The Japanese have always had a way of making even the most mundane things appear beautiful. I've always admired their interior design and architectural skills and wish I had the resources now to build a place like that. Just one room ... I'm not greedy. Just one 60'x100' room is all I ask ... layful:

Mickey was a cool brother - he introduced me to things Oriental and things metaphysical. My middle brother Dave was my "party brother" - he introduced me to the Dark Side, for which I'm eternally grateful.


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## pchinvegas

Ain't it funny how I spent most of my life collecting stuff and when I retired I sold off everything and now could get everything I own in the trunk and back seat of a car. I found it freeing, I love it. Don't miss a thing.


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## SifuPhil

pchinvegas said:


> Ain't it funny how I spent most of my life collecting stuff and when I retired I sold off everything and now could get everything I own in the trunk and back seat of a car. I found it freeing, I love it. Don't miss a thing.



You need a trunk AND the back seat? Wow, you're _rich_! layful:

I could cram what I own right now into one large suitcase, a camera bag and a laptop bag. 

... I'm working on making the _large_ suitcase into a _small_ one.


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## R. Zimm

I have never had fancy stuff but I seem to collect a lot of odds and ends from various projects. I was raised by a Dad who lived through the depression in post WWI Germany then through WWII shortages in Canada and he could make useful things out of total junk.

I am trying to trim down but I have to do it slowly more from lack of time than anything else.


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## Pricklypear

I'm not quite sure I'm ready to live as minimalist as my 36 year old son who says that having more stuff than he can fit in his truck weighs him down. 

However, I have been trying to get rid of crap for the last three years or so.  Not as easy as I thought.  Truth is that I don't miss one book, kitchen gadget, pot or pan, piece of fabric that I've gotten rid of.  Today I went into one of my storage sheds looking to see if I had a replacement coffee carafe (dropped one).  I didn't but there in front of me was 120 square feet of stuff I haven't used or even looked through in over two years.

Hmm. The last time I cleaned out a shed like this (last summer), I kept one item--a planter.  I think it's time to empty the last shed.


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## SifuPhil

George Carlin did what is probably the _ultimate_ rant on "stuff" ... I think many of us will identify with it.


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## TICA

I have so much "stuff" and I throw out or donate all of the time.  Seriously, I don't know how I got it all.  I sift through it all and think to myself that I might be able to use or recycle the items at some point.  However....., my house is for sale right now, so every weekend I'm getting rid of more and more of it so I don't have to move it.  Slowly but surely I'm gaining more room and less clutter!!


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## SeaBreeze

*Manhattan Shoebox Apartment - 78 Sq. Ft.*


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## That Guy

Those tiny, cramped homes may be all the rage but, to me, are just claustrophobic fancy dog houses.  Give me room to roam!!!


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## SifuPhil

SeaBreeze said:


> Manhattan Shoe Box



Now see, that's what I'm talking about. How much room do you really need, after all - especially if you're as skinny as THAT guy!

(Not OUR That Guy - THAT That Guy).  

I was reading the comments on that video and they were almost more entertaining than the video itself - 

"Oh, he's CRAZY!!! I could NEVER live without my kitchen and my bathroom and my bedroom and my living room and my dining room and my den and my garage and my rumpus room and my ..."



They're also spazzing out over the $800/mn - I DARE them to find anything cheaper in Manhattan.

I've never lived in something quite so small, but close (not counting those three months in County, of course). A single-room by-the-week rental, about 8'x10', no cooking facilities and a shared bath. You do what you have to do, and if you approach it with a Scarsdale Attitude then no, you'll never make it. 

Admittedly, working from home in that space would be a challenge - you'd literally have to go outside to change your mind - but you also have all NYC to take your tech with you and work pretty much wherever you like.


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## Kaya

If it doesn't fit in the tipi, I don't need it. My room is my tipi. I live with the bare minimum now and love it.


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## SeaBreeze

Dumpsters turned into tiny homes ...http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/05/gregory-kloehn-turns-dumpsters-into.html


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## Ina

I've seen a couple here in Houston. I can see where it is preferable to living on the street. It could give a person some time to gather themselves so that they could get back in the stream of society.


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## Old

This is a good start to a new year.

Perhaps we call them possessions because, in some ways, they possess us.


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## SifuPhil

Old said:


> Perhaps we call them possessions because, in some ways, they possess us.



How insightful! Thank you, and welcome to the forum!


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## fureverywhere

I can't feature living alone and I probably never will. But one of the biggest challenges is the more people in the house the more stuff you have to multiply by. If it were just me I could minimize down to bed, microwave, a few chairs and table and maybe three floor to ceiling bookshelves instead of ten. But hubby has stuff, each kid has stuff, even the dogs and kits have stuff. Paring it down is an ongoing process.


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## AprilT

I get a kick out of watching the tiny house movement shows on hgtv and they have a even better one which I've been watching here on my friends cable subscription channels which are even more interesting to watch.  Frankly, I get a headache thinking just how hard it would be to par down to fit everything into one of those, but, I would be willing to give it a try, but, I'd still consider renting a storage space to accommodate any extras like my change of season clothing for one.  

I enjoyed watching the video of the guy in the shoe box apt, but, that wouldn't ever work for me, for my shoes it would be perfect size though.


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## SifuPhil

fureverywhere said:


> I can't feature living alone and I probably never will. But one of the biggest challenges is the more people in the house the more stuff you have to multiply by. If it were just me I could minimize down to bed, microwave, a few chairs and table and maybe three floor to ceiling bookshelves instead of ten. But hubby has stuff, each kid has stuff, even the dogs and kits have stuff. Paring it down is an ongoing process.



That's when you get rid of hubby and the kids.

Keep the critters, though.


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## fureverywhere

But of course...and the books...food is one of those silly luxuries...besides, the cat food with a touch of adobo might just be pretty good


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## SifuPhil

fureverywhere said:


> But of course...and the books...food is one of those silly luxuries...besides, the cat food with a touch of adobo might just be pretty good



Yes, but how much food do you really need?

Isn't anything more than a spoonful of rice a day, excessive? 

The cats can eat mice and birds. The dogs ... well, you know they eat anything ...


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## Yaya

I LOVE George Carlin! 
I do agree with living with as little as possible. Up until a month ago I didn't even have a coffee pot. I could not understand why most people spend money on things they don't really need
- like all the types of coffee makers. I have made coffee the same for most of my life - a LONG time - just grab a handful of coffee grounds and dump it in a pot of hot water, bring ALMOST 
to a boil and take off the heat, let it set for about 20 minutes - coffee's ready. The coffee grounds sink to the bottom of the pot while it "brews" - then pour. Instant coffee is so easy, but 
it doesn't taste as good as brewed. 
A month ago I found a percolator (stove top kind) and bought it because it was a special percolator - it has two stems - not just one. 
 I've never been one to buy knick knacks or anything I will not actually USE. When I got this laptop I threw out the T.V. I don't need both.
I buy everything second hand (like the percolator). I cannot see spending more than 2-3 dollars on clothing items. 
The world has gone crazy thinking that they must have everything in the stores.


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## fureverywhere

Yes we do get a great deal of bird carcasses, a dash of Sriracha and some ramen noodles, I can grow some veggies...yaaay instant stir fry!!!!


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## jujube

I've gone pretty minimal, compared to the all the junk I used to think I couldn't live without.  When we're out traveling in the camper for 4-5 months at a time, we _really_ go minimal.  I feel myself working up to another "purge", though.  What I thought I had to keep_ last year _doesn't seem as important _this year_. 

Now if I could just attack all those old photographs once and for all......


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## AZ Jim

Yaya said:


> I LOVE George Carlin!
> I do agree with living with as little as possible. Up until a month ago I didn't even have a coffee pot. I could not understand why most people spend money on things they don't really need
> - like all the types of coffee makers. I have made coffee the same for most of my life - a LONG time - just grab a handful of coffee grounds and dump it in a pot of hot water, bring ALMOST
> to a boil and take off the heat, let it set for about 20 minutes - coffee's ready. The coffee grounds sink to the bottom of the pot while it "brews" - then pour. Instant coffee is so easy, but
> it doesn't taste as good as brewed.
> A month ago I found a percolator (stove top kind) and bought it because it was a special percolator - it has two stems - not just one.
> I've never been one to buy knick knacks or anything I will not actually USE. When I got this laptop I threw out the T.V. I don't need both.
> I buy everything second hand (like the percolator). I cannot see spending more than 2-3 dollars on clothing items.
> The world has gone crazy thinking that they must have everything in the stores.


  Doesn't seem possible but George Carlin has been dead 8 years now.  I assume you were referring to his "stuff" skit.


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