Everyday Minimalist

[dancedancekj]

While not everything she covers in her blog is necessarily Mustachian, I find that there is a lot of crossover philosophy between these two fantastic writers. I like reading her blog because of the amount of thought she puts into purchases, her hate of debt, and most of all, her happiness with minimalism and emphasizing the important things (although she doesn't swear quite as much as MMM).

It also has some feminine interests that aren't necessarily covered by MMM (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I wouldn't expect MMM to give tips on minimalist makeup). She discusses things like a minimalist wardrobe, the fruitlessness of shopping for happiness and so on.

http://everydayminimalist.com/

[fruplicity]

I know this post was a while ago but I wanted to post on other blogs similar to MM and thought I'd do it here.

Two that I love - also written by women - are:

http://consciouslyfrugal.blogspot.com/ - she's not as specific about the finances but her philosophy is exactly the same, especially as it relates to sustainable living. She gets much more into the political/social justice side of things than MMM though (which I like, but I know not everyone does). Also she's HILARIOUS.

Frugal Babe - she's very similar to MMM in almost every way except a much "calmer" voice and is still working as she and her husband run their own successful business from their home.

I'd love to hear about more similar blogs out there!

[j3000]

I've read everydayminimalist.com for a while now, and was led to MMM and ERE through my interest in a minimalist lifestyle.  Others I like to check from time to time are missminimalist.com, becomingminimalist.com, unclutterer.com, and mnmlist.com.

[yorkville]

After browsing through Everyday Minimalist, I came to the conclusion that this is a fake blog. The author, a twenty something girl, who claims to be a highly paid consultant ($200K more per year on less than full time schedule). This is accomplished by starting her own consulting firm after working for a large consulting company for one year after college. Also, she posted pictures of her apartment in this thread. http://www.everydayminimalist.com/?p=1878 The apartment does not look like that of a girl with any kind of sense of fashion or aesthetics. Given the fact there are several computers in the room and pretty much nothing else, I suspect the author is simply a guy trying to make money off a fake blog.

[arebelspy]

After browsing through Everyday Minimalist, I came to the conclusion that this is a fake blog. The author, a twenty something girl, who claims to be a highly paid consultant ($200K more per year on less than full time schedule). This is accomplished by starting her own consulting firm after working for a large consulting company for one year after college. Also, she posted pictures of her apartment in this thread. http://www.everydayminimalist.com/?p=1878 The apartment does not look like that of a girl with any kind of sense of fashion or aesthetics. Given the fact there are several computers in the room and pretty much nothing else, I suspect the author is simply a guy trying to make money off a fake blog.

I haven't read the site before, but just looking at the link you provided, it seems much more likely that it's not fake.  Sure, there are computers.  She also says "we" repeatedly.  It seems much more likely to me that her and a boyfriend own some computers than a single guy who bought all those women's clothes, purses, etc.

[j3000]

After browsing through Everyday Minimalist, I came to the conclusion that this is a fake blog. The author, a twenty something girl, who claims to be a highly paid consultant ($200K more per year on less than full time schedule). This is accomplished by starting her own consulting firm after working for a large consulting company for one year after college. Also, she posted pictures of her apartment in this thread. http://www.everydayminimalist.com/?p=1878 The apartment does not look like that of a girl with any kind of sense of fashion or aesthetics. Given the fact there are several computers in the room and pretty much nothing else, I suspect the author is simply a guy trying to make money off a fake blog.

so, a minimalist that has a plain apartment and only a few computers is fake?  i'm not understanding the logic there. 

[yorkville]

I am merely pointing out that the writer of Everyday Minimalist lacks credibility.

She says she runs her own consulting company, earning $200,000 on a part time work schedule, which affords her the opportunity to take a year off to travel. She claims she "fell" into this incredibly lucrative consulting field (without disclosing what the field is) after working for a large company for only one year after college. Her motto is "Living with less, but only the best", yet shows us pictures of her apartment with folding chairs as only living room furniture. For a young twenty something high power consultant, her closet contains a few pairs of sneakers and pajamas.

Imagine for a second, Mr. Mustache shows us pictures of his house, and we see broken windows and leaky roof. It will certainly make Mr. Mustache less credible in my view, considering the fact he claims to be versed in carpentry.

[arebelspy]

Yes, that would take a hit from MMM's credibility were it the case, but the point of her blog is minimalism.  Of course she doesn't have a lot of stuff.  I don't see a conflict or hit to credibility.

[kolorado]

I subscribed to the blog for a month or so but was really turned off by the way she expressed opinions. Here's a quote from a recent post:

"PEOPLE ARE HOARDERS

My parents are also hoarders, and just thinking about all the junk they have makes me exhausted. It isn’t that easy for them to move the way it is, the way it is for us.

My siblings  have homes (huge ones), but they have so much junk and can’t move without having to plan and pack for 3-5 months, which doesn’t even include having to list and sell the home! They also say it’s a real money pit to have a home, you always want to do more to it, which it not to say that everyone feels the same way, but I can see that happening to me.

I am not sure I wouldn’t turn into some crazy hoarder if I had a home.

In a rental, I wouldn’t care and I try to keep my things down to a minimum, knowing that it isn’t really permanent. It’s a nice security blanket for me."

I don't know if anyone else will see what I mean here but her extreme minimalism seems to be a reaction to her upbringing by hoarder parents. She's created a world of absolute control over her environment just like her parents who she, in a round about way,  calls crazy. Hoards of stuff is a security blanket for them just like lack of stuff is to her. I'm trying not to be judgmental but along the lines of the above poster, I don't feel like her advice rings true since a lot of it seems laced with personal revenge darts at people who aren't doing what she's doing.
I'm sure there is a lot of awesome information on her blog but I just didn't care for her approach to minimalism enough to find some.

[dancedancekj]

That's her motivation for doing it. It's not going to be the case for everybody, but that's her story. We are shaped by events and the people in our lives, and this is just one that had an effect on how she came about to her minimalist lifestyle.

I find inspiration from her posts regarding minimalism and cutting things down just the same as I do from MMM, albeit in a different way. She does have some good punches to the face as well!

In regards to her apartment, she may be a bit extreme - but hey, what an extremity it is. More power to her if that's all she needs to be happy.

[kolorado]

That's her motivation for doing it. It's not going to be the case for everybody, but that's her story. We are shaped by events and the people in our lives, and this is just one that had an effect on how she came about to her ... lifestyle.
...
In regards to her apartment, she may be a bit extreme - but hey, what an extremity it is. More power to her if that's all she needs to be happy.

I agree. But everything you just said could be applied to her parents as well. It's just that our society find hoarding to be a symptom of emotional illness and minimalism to be a symptom of enlightened thinking. Even though they are both extreme environment controlling behaviors, I do think minimalism is healthier than hoarding. And that's the way I think the blogger should have worded her opinion, simply and without dragging family into it. That's why her writing puts me off. Her intentions and beliefs are probably fantastic, but the youthful way she expresses herself makes me constantly question everything she writes.

[yorkville]

Yes, that would take a hit from MMM's credibility were it the case, but the point of her blog is minimalism.  Of course she doesn't have a lot of stuff.  I don't see a conflict or hit to credibility.

Yes, the point of her blog is minimalism. But minimalism with aesthetics as she claimed in this article from her website http://www.everydayminimalist.com/?p=678  Also, her motto for her blog is "living with the less, but only the best". I just do see that from her apartment.  For comparison, here is a link to another minimalist blog: http://www.missminimalist.com/category/bedroom/  The set up is similar with mattress on floor, but it looks so much more inviting.

As I stated before, she lacks credibility. Minimalism or not, how does she sustain a high powered consulting career with the wardrobe she has in her closet. Conveniently, she is deliberately vague about exactly what her consulting field is.

[arebelspy]

Plenty of consulting is done online nowadays, without a fancy wardrobe needed.

Again, I've never read her blog, other than the one post you linked to earlier. 

Maybe you are right.

I just don't see a need to ascribe malice and lies without more proof than some speculation based on some pictures.

/shrug

[zweipersona]

I am merely pointing out that the writer of Everyday Minimalist lacks credibility.

Unless it's a peer reviewed research article published by a top research journal, I would look at anything online with skepticism.

I don't look at anything MMM posts as gospel truth, nor would I do that for this writer.  Maybe there's some things they write you can agree with.  Maybe not.  You don't have to read it at all, and the reasons for your not reading can be your own.

And it really wouldn't matter if they're a 20 something girl earning 200k, or a 50 something male trying to earn a living making fake blogs.  Most people embellish on the internet anyway.

[shadowmoss]

She and her BF move around A LOT, as she goes from contract to contract.  All of her stuff fits in like 3 suitcases.  She travels with a shoulder bag and a backpack Internationally.  She has dressy clothes that she mix and matches.  I've read her blog for a few years, but not a lot lately as the link to her blog didn't make the move to my current laptop.  They are Canadian, so some of the cultural differences might be what you are seeing, as well as the employment issues.  This is not to say that I agree with her completely on a lot of things, but she is consistent.

[mm1970]

Ditto what shadowmoss said.  Most of the time, she doesn't even have an apt, she rents a hotel room where the contract is.

[darkelenchus]

This whole Mr. Money Mustache operation is secretly a front to get people to invest in 3M. Connect the dots, people!