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Anyone tried stripping back with 'stuff'
Watched a documentary on Netflix called minimalism and I haven't been able to shake it.
While they were not really my type of people (hipsters) there was one point that really resonated with me.
this women said something along the lines of.. being materialist is mistaken as having lots of stuff, but if you are really materialist, you should value a few high quality items that add value to your life.
I tried the exercise they suggested, which was to find out what you actually need day to day.
I found out I need.
- A mobile
- Laptop
- XBOX and smart TV (Because I game with friends and it adds value to me as a hobby)
- Golf Clubs
- Basic collection of clothes.
I segregated these items as if I was moving house and went through selling and giving away everything else. It was crazy how much I had accumulated in my life. 100+ DVDS 100+ CDS (have not used either format for years due to streaming services)
Box of childhood toys that I previously would have regarded as sentimental but actually are not, they are just all shop bought junk.
Baseball bats, tennis rackets, snooker cues all stuff I do not do often and if I did could borrow the item for the day.
Old electronics, laptops, cables, chargers.. bin bag full binned it all.
I could go on and on, but in short, in the last 6 months I have gone from someone has had two bedrooms full of stuff, to now being able to put everything I own in the entire world into a suitcase (carry golf clubs on my back)
The major benefit of this has been, once you do not have much stuff, or things to spend money on, those few items you have can be really high quality. I can have a top of the range laptop and mobile, because I can now justify it. from the money I have saved and generated from selling.
It has been a positive experience in regards to mental health and stress levels, and generally consuming less is something we need to start working on as people.
Great post Chris, I wouldn’t say I live as a minimalist, but I learnt to declutter about 20 years ago, I found out that I was emotionally attached to things like trinkets and old clothes. So I always have a spring clean every year.
I have also learnt to declutter the head through the power of the pen which is the greatest discovery I’ve made in this life.
I try to declutter as much as possible and I'm pretty ruthless. I don't bother much about clothes anymore. I wear the same kind of thing every day. I frequently purge my sock and underwear drawers. I do still have more than my fair share of trainers, t-shirts, records and musical equipment, but I'm OK with that. Although, I am planning a t-shirt purge in the near future.
My Mrs on the other hand is always collecting vintage cookware, old furniture, plant pots and (my pet peeve) plant stands. We've got about 5 umbrellas for the back garden, (I woukld throw 4 of them out if I could) various chairs, benches etc. We already have a table and 6 chairs on the patio Also, she's always trying to switch things up. It does my head in. Thank **** she's not that into clothes. I've been with women in the past that took up a whole bedroom with their wardrobe. Unworn vintage and brand new clothes everywhere. Nightmare.
I've been doing it for years, and I only own "tools" that can be used to create other things.
Lockdown has given many people (including myself) a chance to get rid of stuff that weve accumulated over the years.
We had a black bin collection every week (instead of fortnightly) during the first few months and it was full every week. Also had a skip (for something else) a few weeks ago and managed to almost empty my shed of all that stuff that would come in handy one day, but never did.
One thing I have learnt is that I dont need as many clothes as I thought I did.
I'm hopeless. I like to think I am good at this but I am not. I know this because I am building a garage, just to house stuff.
I don't think I've ever thrown away a phone. I still own almost every book I've ever bought, cannot bring myself to throw them out. I tried to clear out the DVDs and CDs but my wife wouldn't have it (even though it must be 5 years since we last watched/listened to one). So instead I bought a little hard drive and copied them all across - thus increasing rather than decreasing hte amount of things in the house. I am quite good with clothes but I wonder if I'm going to be able to throw out some of the suits, now I know I will be wearing them by exception rather than by rule during the working week. The attic is full of stuff we haven't used for years. Skiing stuff for example: not been since 2016 and we won't be going until at least 2022, but all of that stuff is still up there. We had a skip here yesterday so I did manage to clear out quite a bit of crap from the garden (9 buckets, for example - why?!). The one that irritates me most tho is paperwork. There is almost no reason to hold paperwork now - almost anything that is printed could be requested electronically if needed. Yet we have quite a few lever arch files of my wife's bank statements. It's bonkers.
So I will never get there on minimalism. What I would like though is just one room, maybe the study, that has only the things I need to do my day job in it: desk; chair; computer; peripherals; and a good lamp. Or a bedroom with nothing more than a bed, a book and a lamp in it. That would be nice.
Love minimalist posts!Originally Posted by chris lee
Don’t the Japanese say If you don’t touch or use something within 4 weeks you should get rid of it. They obviously weren’t thinking of my wife’s vagina when they come up with that beauty.
Don't worry, I'll chuck it away if it gets to that stage
She must be busting for a piss!!!
All I need is freedom
Just because you're not touching it, doesn't mean she isn't.
How middle class. Where i grew up, everyone was 'Minimalist' because they were skint or had to sell anything of value. I suppose that it's much easier to Declutter, which essentially that's what it is, when you have the choice to do so.
Guess it shows how wealthy we have become as a society if one has the ability to declutter. Like you I can remember times when nothing was thrown out it was used , or indeed you'd sell on stuff to purchase other stuff even goods for a food shop , times were indeed tough back then .
How much did you get for your sense of humour?
When I was a lad we use to lick road clean...twat.
His reply and understanding of it depends on the era you grew up in and area of wealth.
I'm the opposite. There are numerous items I've either sold or chucked away over the years that I wish I'd kept. As for digital music and streaming, I can't stand them. I much prefer solid products. I have literally thousands of CD's, DVD's, BluRays and books. They are pretty much my favourite things. I dread the inevitable day when they stop manufacturing such stuff. Having said that, vinyl (which I never liked, even when it was just about the only option) and books have made a strong comeback in recent years, so maybe their demise won't come any time soon.
2000 must have been quite a year.....
Thanks for the sensible reply, that was what i was getting at.
Not quite, we played football on it though.
'I wouldn't say that i live as a minimalist' Jesus.........
What kind of things do you find Amusing.....
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