Author Topic: One piece of trash at a time  (Read 1922 times)

TheyCallMeWiz

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One piece of trash at a time
« on: December 20, 2014, 05:14:18 PM »
Good morning all, I'm new to the forums but hey, a contribution is a contribution, right?

So as a teenager near the very cusp of adulthood I am bound to my parents. We have never been particularly wealthy, just a typical lower-middle class upbringing with a moderate amount of stuff. But my mother has trouble giving stuff away.

This posed a problem when I decided to denounce consumerism, and live a minimalist lifestyle. I have an addiction to getting rid of things. Of course my mother had to go through my trash bags and keep most of it. Fine, I let her on the condition that it never enters my room ever again.

I still look around my own room and see excess, whereas my mother keeps panicking, buying more stuff for me, me refusing, and her refunding it. A vicious cycle. So I've figured out my own method of getting rid of things that keeps my mother's anxiety at bay. I get rid of one thing everyday. Eventually I will pare it down to something I'm comfortable owning.

I think it's a fantastic method for people looking to declutter but not knowing where to start. For me it's an easy way to feed my addiction, and ease my way into realizing what is important and what is not. For some objects, it takes a while to let go. I just counted 42 items in on one side of my rooms that when I did my first round of cleaning I thought I should keep and now I want to get rid of. 365 items a year. It adds up. The important thing is not to fill it up with other things again.

There nothing better than knowing that it's not going to take days to pack up my stuff and move out. The freedom of mobility is worth more than possessions. It really is priceless.

The_path_less_taken

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Re: One piece of trash at a time
« Reply #1 on: December 20, 2014, 08:25:17 PM »
Congrats on getting a system in place for you that you're happy with. And being an uber young mustachian.

How would your Mom be with you selling you 'excess' stuff on craigslist? Maybe if she saw you were shooting for a goal she can 'relate' to...it might be easier for her to accept?

Another thing which might help her wrap her head around the concept is showing her things like tiny homes, small rv's, and boats: with boats being the winners in "no excess shit anywhere"...everything is necessary and fits "just so" on a boat.

There are a ton of articles on the net about the zen of having just enough, and only things that you find beautiful, useful, or preferably both in your space. Those might help her as well. And anything which makes her more accepting of your lifestyle is going to help you, in the long run.

I remember freaking out that we had one room that you couldn't walk in because of all of the excess crap in it when I was a kid. Now I know that wanting that much extra stuff is a form of hoarding and not very healthy...but even at ten I knew it didn't make any damn sense.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!