Author Topic: how do I become more minimalist?  (Read 4943 times)

steviesterno

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how do I become more minimalist?
« on: February 14, 2017, 10:46:38 AM »
ok even that title has an oxymoronic ring to it, but here we go. I'm wanting to get more minimalistic. I already have pared clothes down pretty far, but I think I can go farther. Same with general household clutter and stuff.

One of my specific issues is my hobby and garage. I do a bunch of stuff, shoot competitively, make knives, work on the house, etc. So each of these has a large variety of specific or once in a while tools that I've accumulated over the years. Do I always need a 3 foot long philips head screwdriver? No, but when I do need it, I need only that.

Same with the shooting hobbies. I've worked to get rid of stuff I don't use or compete with anymore, but still have more than the bare minimum.

What can I do to start buckling down and cleaning house? I know the theory of "remove items that don't fill me with joy" but truth be told I don't give a shit about socks or polo shirts, but my job requires each. Or how about random wrenches? Any of the nice garage organization stuff is thousands of dollars, which seems counter productive to this whole site.

Anybody have some suggestions or ideas?

Cwadda

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2017, 10:59:40 AM »
I sold a bunch of things on Amazon. My signature has a guide.

LiquidLen

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #2 on: February 14, 2017, 11:06:03 AM »
Hi,

This is basically the way to do it for anything (not just a kitchen):
http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-to-downsize-your-kitchen.html

Mr. Paws

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #3 on: February 14, 2017, 11:10:08 AM »
I sold a bunch of things on Amazon. My signature has a guide.

Thats a great guide!  Are you able to easily find out the shipping cost before you put the price up that way it can be included without guessing? 

Cwadda

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #4 on: February 14, 2017, 11:19:27 AM »
I sold a bunch of things on Amazon. My signature has a guide.

Thats a great guide!  Are you able to easily find out the shipping cost before you put the price up that way it can be included without guessing?

Yes. Amazon has pre-determined weights for shipping purposes.

Laura33

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #5 on: February 14, 2017, 11:22:09 AM »
Or how about random wrenches? Any of the nice garage organization stuff is thousands of dollars, which seems counter productive to this whole site.

How about using some of those tools to build a garage organizer?  I bet that will help you focus in on how much you really need that 3rd wrench.  :-)

Serious question:  what is the driving goal behind the minimalism push?  It seems to me that the goal of FI is to have more time to focus on things you enjoy.  So figuring out what you really enjoy and will use and selling the rest, sure.  But getting rid of equipment from hobbies you enjoy, just for the sake of "minimalism," seems counterproductive.   

Retire-Canada

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #6 on: February 14, 2017, 11:28:42 AM »
Anybody have some suggestions or ideas?

A few suggestions:

1. define a specific amount of real estate in your home for each activity and its stuff. If you can fit the items in that area you are good. If not organize/reduce until you can.
2. get rid of anything you haven't used in 18 months
3. every year get rid of stuff you haven't used in the last 18 months
4. every year consider making the real estate for each activity smaller forcing further reductions
5. don't add anything new unless you get rid of something old that's no longer being used regularly
« Last Edit: February 14, 2017, 11:50:28 AM by Retire-Canada »

rothwem

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2017, 11:38:48 AM »
Serious question:  what is the driving goal behind the minimalism push?  It seems to me that the goal of FI is to have more time to focus on things you enjoy.  So figuring out what you really enjoy and will use and selling the rest, sure.  But getting rid of equipment from hobbies you enjoy, just for the sake of "minimalism," seems counterproductive.   

I was going to post the same thing.  Mustachianism isn't about getting rid of things, it about getting rid of inefficient things you don't use that cost you money, and thinking critically about the things you own and buy.  It silly to me to be minimalist without knowing why you're being minimalist. 

The minimalist solution is often NOT the cheapest option.  For example, its minimalist to not own any tools, but if something breaks in your house, you'll have to then hire someone to fix it, for more the cost of the tools. 

steviesterno

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #8 on: February 14, 2017, 12:05:22 PM »
I''m not 100% sure why I want to get rid of things. Maybe because I like the small house movement, and I'm trying to see what's really actually important. Maybe because I don't want my stuff to own me. idk, i spend my free time at work reading up on my hobby and thinking "oh I could enjoy it more if only i had XXXX piece of gear" and we all know that's just straight up not true. I would enjoy it more if I did it more.

I'm in a rare but solid decluttering phase, I've closed out my Facebook accounts for a week and a half, so I think it will stick. I shut down instagram and that junk, too.

I'm also working to get a new job across the country, which would facilitate a move. I guess the less stuff I have the cheaper and easier that will be, too.

I guess i need to spend some time in the garage organizing more...

backyardfeast

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #9 on: February 14, 2017, 12:47:36 PM »
I'm a pretty minimalist person at heart.  I used to love that everything I owned fit into one backpack.  But now I'm also a homesteader with a handy husband, and it's definitely harder to navigate what we "need".

Some thoughts:

+1 on considering your minimalist goals.  If it's a tiny house or moving, then as you look at each thing, ask yourself, "if I had only 120 sq ft, would this make the cut?"  or "is this a thing that I would legitimately pack with me to move across the country?" 

It might help to make some different categories of things, rather than just "keep" or "discard."  So have a pile for YES, a pile for NO, and a pile for "maybe keep if I don't move but get rid of if I do" or "I probably shouldn't keep but am emotionally attached to and don't want to get rid of just yet," etc.

Once everything is in piles, take a look at your YES pile.  Is it the right amount of stuff for you?  Revisit the other piles and try again to sort into yes, nos, and maybes.  Many people then pack up the maybe stuff and put it in a box with a date on it, then store it away.  In a year (or 6 months, or when you move, or whenever), you take another look and decide if you've missed anything in the box, and get rid of the rest.

It's also helpful to remember that minimalism is a process.  We discard, live with the new normal for a while, realize there's another pile of stuff we don't really need, or miss and want back.

Hobbies are tough.  It's helpful to be honest about your time available, and also to be practical about what could be purchased again if necessary.  How often do you realistically need that tool?  How much of a pain is it to acquire again if you needed it?  How much space does it take up to store?  How much life energy and money is it costing you to keep it?

DH used to be a very active stained glass artist.  It's a bulky, messy, time-consuming, space-using hobby.  He realized at one point that he didn't really have the time that he wanted to dedicate to it, and also that there were other things he actually wanted to spend more time on.  But it's also a hobby he loves and would like to return to someday.

He kept his tools, which are small and easily stored, and a few pieces of special glass that would not be easy to replace and that he decided he didn't mind storing and moving, and got rid of the rest.  Now, several years later, he has the time again to get back into this and is really looking forward to it.  Once we have a space set up, he knows he has his tools.  He'll just need to find the local glass store and decide on a project and he can easily start up again.

Remember, though, that most hobbies are about skills and knowledge.  The things you need to get going again are usually pretty easy to re-acquire, especially used from people getting out of whatever it is! :)

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2017, 03:11:39 PM »
Any of the nice garage organization stuff is thousands of dollars, which seems counter productive to this whole site.

Organization products are actually counter-productive to minimalism itself, imo.  It just lets you fit more stuff into the same space, and have it look tidy so it doesn't bother you.  Get rid of the stuff and you don't need more stuff to organize the original stuff.  Organizing can help you see what you have, so you can see what you need to get rid of, but I would hold off on buying actual organization products until after you're done purging and you're comfortable with the amount left.  Don't just organize (another word for 'move stuff around') over and over and think you're minimizing :-)

I used to follow Unclutterer: https://unclutterer.com/
Not sure if it's still any good, but would be worth going through old posts for ideas at least.

I agree with others that true minimalism can get expensive, because you end up paying other people to do things because you don't have the ability to do it yourself anymore.  It's a curve, minimalism for a lot of people makes life cheaper, but you can hit a point where that reverses.  Gotta find the sweet spot on the curve.  Tools are the hard one.  I do like having a minimalist kitchen though.  Give me a knife and a surface to cut on, and a cast iron skillet, and let's rock this out.  Objects that perform a single function drive my batty, in general.

LadyStache in Baja

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2017, 03:29:20 PM »
I'm working on this right now!  I'm coming from a housewife perspective which is a little different than the garage tools perspective, but I'll share:

1. I went through our entire family's clothes and picked out 6 t's, 6 long-sleeves, 3 shorts, 3 pants, and 2 sweaters/jackets.
2. 2 towels/person.  2 sets of sheets/bed.
3. In the kitchen, I get rid of duplicate spatulas.  For some reason I had 3.  Then it's just 1 spoon, fork, knife, bowl, plate, cup per person. 

So far the above is going to cut down on laundry and dish-washing time.

Now a bit of the kitchen overlaps with your tool problem in the garage.  I just got honest with myself about how much I needed to do x that requires y.  This way I was able to get rid of some y's, and just know I'll never be able to make x.

PJ

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2017, 10:04:54 PM »
Any of the nice garage organization stuff is thousands of dollars, which seems counter productive to this whole site.

Organization products are actually counter-productive to minimalism itself, imo.  It just lets you fit more stuff into the same space, and have it look tidy so it doesn't bother you.  Get rid of the stuff and you don't need more stuff to organize the original stuff.  Organizing can help you see what you have, so you can see what you need to get rid of, but I would hold off on buying actual organization products until after you're done purging and you're comfortable with the amount left.  Don't just organize (another word for 'move stuff around') over and over and think you're minimizing :-)

I used to follow Unclutterer: https://unclutterer.com/
Not sure if it's still any good, but would be worth going through old posts for ideas at least.

I agree with others that true minimalism can get expensive, because you end up paying other people to do things because you don't have the ability to do it yourself anymore.  It's a curve, minimalism for a lot of people makes life cheaper, but you can hit a point where that reverses.  Gotta find the sweet spot on the curve.  Tools are the hard one.  I do like having a minimalist kitchen though.  Give me a knife and a surface to cut on, and a cast iron skillet, and let's rock this out.  Objects that perform a single function drive my batty, in general. 

Hey, did you hang out in the forums at Unclutterer?  I did, back when they were super active, then they had a lousy changeover of the forum format, and managed it poorly, and everyone stopped posting.  I sure would love to connect with some of those folks again!  The site, IMO, is not what it used to be at all, though there is an occasional good post.

Anyway, like LadyStache in Baja described, the first step for me in decluttering is always grouping things together.  If you have a lot of tools, you might be surprised to find out how many duplicates you have.  I don't even have a lot of tools, and was surprised at one point to find out how many of them I had!  You might start out, for example, with digging through all your tools and finding every single one of your screwdrivers.  If there are duplicates, start by getting rid of those.  And do it again with your wrenches, your drill bits, your socket sets, your hammers, and so on.  Levels?  Squares?  Oscillating grinders?  Mitre boxes (my dad had 3!) 

You may even find, as the regularly used stuff is sorted through and put away, that you have some odd tools - maybe you bought something for a specific project, and didn't need it, or are very unlikely to ever need it again.  This could be, for example, a plumbing tool, but after a bad experience you've decided you're not going to handle anything beyond the "changing a washer" level of plumbing again.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2017, 11:55:43 PM »
Hey, did you hang out in the forums at Unclutterer?  I did, back when they were super active, then they had a lousy changeover of the forum format, and managed it poorly, and everyone stopped posting.  I sure would love to connect with some of those folks again!  The site, IMO, is not what it used to be at all, though there is an occasional good post.

Nah never checked out the forums.  Uncluttering, like personal finance I imagine, is just not possible to keep writing about without getting repetitive.

PJ

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #14 on: February 15, 2017, 09:22:56 AM »
Hey, did you hang out in the forums at Unclutterer?  I did, back when they were super active, then they had a lousy changeover of the forum format, and managed it poorly, and everyone stopped posting.  I sure would love to connect with some of those folks again!  The site, IMO, is not what it used to be at all, though there is an occasional good post.

Nah never checked out the forums.  Uncluttering, like personal finance I imagine, is just not possible to keep writing about without getting repetitive. 

Sure, it got a bit repetitive, but for people who like external accountability, we had certain threads similar to the Gauntlet section of these forums.  So like the ATAD (A Thing A Day) in which you were challenged to put aside one thing every day for donation or in the trash, or the FATAD (Fix A Thing A Day) thread where we committed to catching up on those odd chores that many of us tend to procrastinate on.  There are, in fact, similar threads in the Gauntlet section here that are active right now.  The benefits of being part of a community all working on the same thing is that you get encouragement from the others, and rewarded (in terms of praise when you accomplish something) and as well, that you get ideas from them.  So if I was feeling unmotivated to do any decluttering, and someone posted that they threw out some old nail polish, I could say - "oh yeah, I guess I have enough energy to look in my cosmetic bag and get rid of some nail polish too!"  Etc.

Anyway, that may not be your thing, and I'm not trying to convince you :-)  But posting a bit more detail about it in case anyone else reading the thread might benefit.

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: how do I become more minimalist?
« Reply #15 on: February 15, 2017, 10:17:12 AM »
Hey, did you hang out in the forums at Unclutterer?  I did, back when they were super active, then they had a lousy changeover of the forum format, and managed it poorly, and everyone stopped posting.  I sure would love to connect with some of those folks again!  The site, IMO, is not what it used to be at all, though there is an occasional good post.

Nah never checked out the forums.  Uncluttering, like personal finance I imagine, is just not possible to keep writing about without getting repetitive. 

Sure, it got a bit repetitive, but for people who like external accountability, we had certain threads similar to the Gauntlet section of these forums.  So like the ATAD (A Thing A Day) in which you were challenged to put aside one thing every day for donation or in the trash, or the FATAD (Fix A Thing A Day) thread where we committed to catching up on those odd chores that many of us tend to procrastinate on.  There are, in fact, similar threads in the Gauntlet section here that are active right now.  The benefits of being part of a community all working on the same thing is that you get encouragement from the others, and rewarded (in terms of praise when you accomplish something) and as well, that you get ideas from them.  So if I was feeling unmotivated to do any decluttering, and someone posted that they threw out some old nail polish, I could say - "oh yeah, I guess I have enough energy to look in my cosmetic bag and get rid of some nail polish too!"  Etc.

Anyway, that may not be your thing, and I'm not trying to convince you :-)  But posting a bit more detail about it in case anyone else reading the thread might benefit.

Oh whoops, yea mine were two separate statements.  My second statement was about the blog itself in response to your "The site, IMO, is not what it used to be at all, though there is an occasional good post."  Yea I can see the forums, like this one, being worthwhile for a much longer period of time, since it's 100s of people sharing ideas instead of just one.