Minimalist Challenge

[WhoCares]

[MENTION=4939]kyuuei[/MENTION], I agree that reducing bills is a very good goal to have and I love the tiny house movement, more for its ideals than necessarily what it produces. Although there are some beautiful tiny homes around. I would love to build but sadly need a place to live pronto, so must buy established. But I am hopeful I will find a tiny home on land I want. A lot of the historic buildings in my country are tiny, mainly because they were built in either pioneering or depression era when resources were scarce. All I have to do is find one that hasnt been added onto horrendously to make it bigger. I've been tipped off to a contender coming on the market in a couple of weeks.

 

[Sunny Ghost]

[MENTION=4945]EJCC[/MENTION] That's good advice. I don't think I'm really a collector of "junk." Maybe I'm wrong. I suppose there is a guitar in my room that is warped and I've never really touched it. That could probably go...

 

[EJCC]

[MENTION=4945]EJCC[/MENTION] That's good advice. I don't think I'm really a collector of "junk." Maybe I'm wrong. I suppose there is a guitar in my room that is warped and I've never really touched it. That could probably go...

Thanks? I don't remember posting advice in here. Maybe I did...

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

I wish i could be a minimalist. Unfortunately, I am both highly materialistic, and highly sentimental; an atrocious combination for a wannabe Minimalist.

 

[kyuuei]

I wish i could be a minimalist. Unfortunately, I am both highly materialistic, and highly sentimental; an atrocious combination for a wannabe Minimalist.

In talking, I realized through Panda food that a lot of my desire to be a minimalist is stemming from being surrounded by stuff my whole life--my whole life has been constantly dusting things that aren't mine, and organizing/sorting through/caring for things that are not mine. My father and mother cling to objects for happiness, and they aren't really so happy.

.. Yet, I still grew up in a highly sentimental household full of possessions.. and I of course carry that with me. I like having books at my disposal, I enjoyed having movies available when the hurricane hit even though I'd never watch them normally.. These sort of things genuinely do make me happy, and I don't know if I'd be fully happy living in two bags as many people do (though I would highly enjoy it if I knew I could go home to my stuff..) so I've been striking a balance. Finding out what I really enjoy/love vs what I just have to have.. and trying to travel lighter and lighter.

It's been a work in progress--I started this thread long ago, and I'm no where near a minimalist for sure. But, the slower the process, the easier it is. It's a passive activity for me, with a bit of active effort. I got rid of a whole bag of clothes that, although I liked them.. I didn't really love them. They didn't strike me, they weren't amazing or incredible. I got them because I needed x dress for y activity, and it fit the bill at the time as cheaply (and/or freely) as possible. Then they just sat in my wardrobe. They weren't bad dresses and they looked good on me. But that's not really enough anymore.

I just want to surround myself with the things I truly do love--and I want to figure out what those things are.. and that really is hard to do if you keep everything around regardless of their level of involvement in your life--I clearly value my grappling hook more than I value my old Charizzard pokemon plushie.. yet they sit at the very same level on my shelf, as if there is no difference between the two. I had, in plain view, 4 pieces of artwork that I cared very little for actually.. but I didn't notice that until I replaced it with a piece I cared very much for and admired from a distance over a number of years. I don't miss the old pieces at all... but I would have never known that if I hadn't changed them out and tried.

I think the active effort, even a small amount of it, is enough.. I keep slowly refining this, and it'll never be perfect or down to a science.. but I envision a bathroom not full of cosmetics but of a few potions on a stand being enough for me, and a perfectly functioning wardrobe with only a few items necessary, and a piece of electronic that replaces massive amounts of stuff. And since I still like that idea more than the idea of having tons of potions at my disposal and tons of single function materials and items, I suppose it's worth it to keep trying.

 

[kyuuei]

Trash day is tomorrow, and there is literally an entire curb filled with junk, garbage, and old stuff cleaned out of my parents' garage and back porch.

 

[kyuuei]

I got all of my clothing to fit in my closet! Whoo hoo! I don't believe that's ever happened before--and I have huge chunks of my closet completely filled with stuff that isn't clothing, and a wide open space in my closet as well. I still don't have a functioning wardrobe, but it is what it has been most of my life in a more condensed space which is great enough for me right now.

Taking some sewing projects to the sew shop to clear off my vanity tomorrow.. And I'll take the time to clean up some potions in the bathroom. I can get rid of a lot of bottles by just combining alike things into half empty containers.

Also, tomorrow I might get an opportunity to take all the scrap to the metal recycling shop that's in the front yard. Whoo hoo! I have to do some damage control outside to make sure that we continue to have a back porch, but otherwise I think I'm ready to start moving on to the next project--the other side of the garage. *shudder*

 

[kyuuei]

I threw away 6 bottles of lotion today in the bathroom just by combining lotions that I usually end up mixing anyways into one big bottle to use up. I still needed a separate bottle of plain lotion for anti-itching and my scalp (I put lotion in my scalp) but this will be an awesome all over body lotion. Probably.

I'm working on using up extra toiletries.. but even so, I did end up getting a new acne system to try for my face. My face is just so bad, and not getting any better, and it gets worse sometimes. I really need something that keeps my face well enough that I don't poke and prod at it. I'm going to get rid of all the other products I used to use, because they just aren't working clearly.

Also, I took a car load to the scrap metal shop! Yay! Money for junk!

 

[cascadeco]

I threw away 6 bottles of lotion today in the bathroom just by combining lotions that I usually end up mixing anyways into one big bottle to use up. I still needed a separate bottle of plain lotion for anti-itching and my scalp (I put lotion in my scalp) but this will be an awesome all over body lotion. Probably.

I'm working on using up extra toiletries.. but even so, I did end up getting a new acne system to try for my face. My face is just so bad, and not getting any better, and it gets worse sometimes. I really need something that keeps my face well enough that I don't poke and prod at it. I'm going to get rid of all the other products I used to use, because they just aren't working clearly.

Good ideas; I read this post a week or so ago and it prompted me to clean out some of my drawers in the bathroom and just chuck some things that I will never use again; also, I combined a few bottles.

I've been trying to minimize too. There are a handful of things I don't really need, that are decor, but that I don't absolutely love and don't have an attachment to, so am going to try to sell those. I'll also be trying to sell my really old tv because I use it so rarely these days, and only for dvd's, which I can instead just watch on my computer. Speaking of the dvd's... a month ago I chucked all of the dvd cases, just threw them in the garbage... now have the dvd's in sleeves or stacked. Takes up much less space.

The 'biggest' thing I did in recent months was get rid of all of my music cd's. They'd been in 1.5 large narrow bins under my bed for the past 3 yrs, as I'd ripped them all onto my computer for electronic listening... so, they were just sitting there, though under my bed, still taking up a lot of space when you factor in moving to new places, and so on. So, I went through all of them, one by one, against an online site, shipped the ones that were worth the most, getting a check for $120 in return, then took the rest to a local store in town, got another $55 from about 20 others, then took all of the remaining (which were a lot) to the library, a donation.

And, I had I'll say over a hundred cd's I'd burnt over the years, made mixes myself or other ppl had made mixes for me... put all of those in a bag, along with the jewel cases, and dropped them off at Best Buy because they recycle all of that stuff.

Ended up donating a bunch of books, too, getting rid of 1.5 boxes worth of books - stuff I'd likely not read again, or, would just go to the library if I wanted to. I still have a desk full of books that are personal favorites that I could see myself reading again.

 

[kyuuei]

Good ideas; I read this post a week or so ago and it prompted me to clean out some of my drawers in the bathroom and just chuck some things that I will never use again; also, I combined a few bottles.

I've been trying to minimize too. There are a handful of things I don't really need, that are decor, but that I don't absolutely love and don't have an attachment to, so am going to try to sell those. I'll also be trying to sell my really old tv because I use it so rarely these days, and only for dvd's, which I can instead just watch on my computer. Speaking of the dvd's... a month ago I chucked all of the dvd cases, just threw them in the garbage... now have the dvd's in sleeves or stacked. Takes up much less space.

The 'biggest' thing I did in recent months was get rid of all of my music cd's. They'd been in 1.5 large narrow bins under my bed for the past 3 yrs, as I'd ripped them all onto my computer for electronic listening... so, they were just sitting there, though under my bed, still taking up a lot of space when you factor in moving to new places, and so on. So, I went through all of them, one by one, against an online site, shipped the ones that were worth the most, getting a check for $120 in return, then took the rest to a local store in town, got another $55 from about 20 others, then took all of the remaining (which were a lot) to the library, a donation.

And, I had I'll say over a hundred cd's I'd burnt over the years, made mixes myself or other ppl had made mixes for me... put all of those in a bag, along with the jewel cases, and dropped them off at Best Buy because they recycle all of that stuff.

Ended up donating a bunch of books, too, getting rid of 1.5 boxes worth of books - stuff I'd likely not read again, or, would just go to the library if I wanted to. I still have a desk full of books that are personal favorites that I could see myself reading again.

Love love love this post!!

I'm loving my combined lotion, for what it's worth. It smells great, feels great, and all of the little things I disliked about each bottle in particular seems to be counterbalanced in the others. When it runs out I'll be in the market for travel samples of great lotions until I find a favorite to stick to.. though, I still want to delve into making my own products sometime.

I still have a FEW DVDs that have some value in cases--like my Kaamelott DVDs since they're impossible to get Stateside. I have two black boxes of higher-value DVDs that I might re-sell sometime in the near future, so I kept the cases for them just in case. The rest, I LOVE being in small metal cases. They're easy to access, easy to play, and take up no space at all. I don't know why we don't get the option to buy DVDs without the cases. Minimalist packaging is awesome. My bookcase now fits every book I own, finally--with the ONLY exceptions of my school textbooks, which would take up 2 shelves on their own. Since I use them on a daily basis, they're all chilling out on my desk in horrid-looking stacks of sucky homework to be.

But since you inspired me so much and I'm already doing paperwork, I'm scanning a few documents so they aren't on my desk and can be shredded, and going through some more bathroom stuff to get rid of some items I know no one uses.

 

[cascadeco]

Love love love this post!!

I'm loving my combined lotion, for what it's worth. It smells great, feels great, and all of the little things I disliked about each bottle in particular seems to be counterbalanced in the others. When it runs out I'll be in the market for travel samples of great lotions until I find a favorite to stick to.. though, I still want to delve into making my own products sometime.

I still have a FEW DVDs that have some value in cases--like my Kaamelott DVDs since they're impossible to get Stateside. I have two black boxes of higher-value DVDs that I might re-sell sometime in the near future, so I kept the cases for them just in case. The rest, I LOVE being in small metal cases. They're easy to access, easy to play, and take up no space at all. I don't know why we don't get the option to buy DVDs without the cases. Minimalist packaging is awesome. My bookcase now fits every book I own, finally--with the ONLY exceptions of my school textbooks, which would take up 2 shelves on their own. Since I use them on a daily basis, they're all chilling out on my desk in horrid-looking stacks of sucky homework to be.

But since you inspired me so much and I'm already doing paperwork, I'm scanning a few documents so they aren't on my desk and can be shredded, and going through some more bathroom stuff to get rid of some items I know no one uses.

Ah, ha, glad I could inspire you!!!!

Your mention of shredding reminded me... I spent hours upon hours a few weeks ago shredding a box full of really old ppwk. Then, I contemplated the fact that I had half a thin crate of journals I'd written in over the years.... and..... I made the executive decision to rid myself of six of them (I kept 4 or 5 that I find more 'valuable', that contain somewhat interesting stuff)... because, after journaling for years upon years... I realized that I tend to write a lot of the same stuff over and over again..thus, silly to keep them, since they're more for emptying thoughts vs. something I'll read again in the future.

[caveat: when unemployed 5 yrs ago, I spent about a month going through all of them, and taking out highlights, putting it in an electronic document, like a super long 'summary' of my thoughts over the years -- so, much more 'ok' ridding myself of the cumbersome books, to avoid toting them wherever I go]

Edit: Oh, and yesterday I discarded my old junior high/ high school yearbooks (all except for Senior year) - a) because I have no nostalgia for any of that, b) but tore out pages I was in, then recycled all other pages.

 

[kyuuei]

^ I did a lot of the same with my old art doodles--I didn't want to let them go, so I scanned them instead. I like it better that way. I need to go through and scan more.. I have a bunch more art that I'm not particularly attached to the originals of.. I also tossed out all of my old arts that were just "I'm drawing this that x person drew" and "I traced sections of this to help me" because they weren't 100% original.

 

[Codex]

Awesome!

I found a blogger on youtube the other day, lightbycoco, she is pretty mature compared to what I've read afterwards, but it introduced me to minimalism. It really got me inspired to get rid of all this crap piling up in my apartment. The biggest push for me was Project333. The idea of being able to pack everything I own into one bag is incredibly attractive to me as well. I just started slowly going through my things and segregating them about 2 weeks back. I've pretty much reduced my wardrobe into 1/4 of what it used to me. Same goes for my makeup, my jewelry, and a ton of other stuff. I am going to work at maintaining it. It has really got me looking at the way I've been doing things. Looking forward to see how things change.

 

[kyuuei]

Awesome!

I found a blogger on youtube the other day, lightbycoco, she is pretty mature compared to what I've read afterwards, but it introduced me to minimalism. It really got me inspired to get rid of all this crap piling up in my apartment. The biggest push for me was Project333. The idea of being able to pack everything I own into one bag is incredibly attractive to me as well. I just started slowly going through my things and segregating them about 2 weeks back. I've pretty much reduced my wardrobe into 1/4 of what it used to me. Same goes for my makeup, my jewelry, and a ton of other crap. I am going to work at maintaining it. It has really got me looking at the way I've been doing things. Looking forward to see how things change.

I had to come to terms with the fact that there is no way I'll ever fit everything I own into a bag.. because I don't want to require resources outside of my own for daily living.. You have to be a little bit grounded with stuff when you require resources. If you get rid of all of the empty plastic bottles you own always, you never have them for a handy project when you need them, ya know?

But. I like the idea of streamlining things so that the most important aspects of my life could be packed and taken with me in under an hour. I'm starting to get there. I can easily travel with just a suitcase and a backpack.. I'd like to eventually get it down to a backpack though...

 

[Codex]

I had to come to terms with the fact that there is no way I'll ever fit everything I own into a bag.. because I don't want to require resources outside of my own for daily living.. You have to be a little bit grounded with stuff when you require resources. If you get rid of all of the empty plastic bottles you own always, you never have them for a handy project when you need them, ya know?

But. I like the idea of streamlining things so that the most important aspects of my life could be packed and taken with me in under an hour. I'm starting to get there. I can easily travel with just a suitcase and a backpack.. I'd like to eventually get it down to a backpack though...

That has always been my problem as well. Tbh, it has pretty much been the sole reason I have not gotten rid of some stuff in the past. I like to always be ready for everything. I keep so many emergency kits or backups for everything. Bandaids for all kinds of scenarios, hair products for all kinds of events, makeup for all kinds of looks, etc.
Then I considered: how often do I actually do anything outside of my routine? Do I go to parties/events that often? Do I need all those different dresses? Do I need all those bandaids? The store is a walk away from here. I can probably get what I need when I need it in about 10 minutes.
I never really came to terms with that until now. I have so much food in my cabinets for certain moods or when I am too lazy to cook/go out and shop, but I really do not need as much as I have. I think its about settling on how often you use an item/ wanting to be ready for when you do want to use it/ the amount you need/ how accessible it is to you. I like space, and decluttering has reminding me of how large my apartment is!




I like this part of the "rules" the best. I think it can pretty much apply to anything. Try it out for something you think you'll end up needing. Put it all in a box, seal it. Open it only to get what you need within those 30 days, after which, get rid of it without looking back inside!

Start making piles of clothes and be ruthless.
Pile One: I love these items. They fit me well and I wear them frequently: Keep
Pile Two: I want to keep this but I don’t know why
Pile Three: These items don’t fit me or my style: donate.
Pile Four: These items aren’t in good condition: trash.
Next:
Take Pile Four to the trash.
Box up Pile Three and put in your car before you have time to re-think.
Put the items from Pile One back in your closet.
Box up all items from Pile Two and put the box in the back of your closet for 30 days.
If you didn’t miss the box after 30 days, DO NOT OPEN IT, donate it.

 

[kyuuei]

That has always been my problem as well. Tbh, it has pretty much been the sole reason I have not gotten rid of some stuff in the past. I like to always be ready for everything. I keep so many emergency kits or backups for everything. Bandaids for all kinds of scenarios, hair products for all kinds of events, makeup for all kinds of looks, etc.

Oh man I am BAD about that too. Make up not so much because I only know how to apply the same cookie-cutter stuff: BB cream, mascara, a neutral tone for the eye shadow, sometimes I don't suck at eyeliner with a pencil, and colored lip balm. Everything else? I wouldn't know how to use it if I tried. I tried make up tutorials and I pretty much suck at everything that isn't make-yourself-look-like-a-witch-for-halloween.

I've gotten a little better at hair products now too. I used to have tons of bottles of shit everywhere. I've sort of reduced it to bobby pins for when I want curls, lots of hair ties of all shapes and sizes, a hair brush that has some microfiber villi to help distribute and absorb oil, and a set of 4 soultanicals items + one dandruff shampoo. For hair as long as mine, that's a feat. I'd like to add a couple head bands to that but I'm always too lazy.

But I am an emerency kit fiend if left to my own devices. @_@

Then I considered: how often do I actually do anything outside of my routine? Do I go to parties/events that often? Do I need all those different dresses? Do I need all those bandaids? The store is a walk away from here. I can probably get what I need when I need it in about 10 minutes.

Yeah, this is how I feel. Like, yeah sure I could have a load of cough syrup with me.. but some cough drops are smaller, cheaper, do the same shit, and they're portable so I can have a couple in my car in the winter, and in my book bag or pocket in case someone needs them. I don't really need a ton of allergy medicines, a travel packet is enough usually.

I think its about settling on how often you use an item/ wanting to be ready for when you do want to use it/ the amount you need/ how accessible it is to you.

Yeah, this I'm still playing with a lot. But I realized that making a cubby for things, and giving them a particular home, changes the game a lot. If I know I only have x set of shelves for things.. yeah, I can maybe make space for that panini maker that's only 50 cents at the garage sale, but turns out I can also just use this pan I already have. My only main advantage to that is that I've lived in small spaces and had to move out in <1 day on many occasions.. so I can get completely shut down and set up again in a day's time. Not all of my stuff would fit in my car necessarily currently though. Which is kind of my next goal.. But I don't know how I'll get there with my love of books yet.

I like this part of the "rules" the best. I think it can pretty much apply to anything. Try it out for something you think you'll end up needing. Put it all in a box, seal it. Open it only to get what you need within those 30 days, after which, get rid of it without looking back inside!

I've also been trying out this 30 day list idea, and it's been helping a LOT with keeping clutter out.
It has to answer yes to 3/6 questions to go on the list:
1. Do you need this because you broke/lack/never had something similar to this before?
2. Is it discounted/marked down instead of being full price?
3. Would it do a better job than whatever you're currently using?
4. Will you use this more often than one time a month?
5. Is it within my budget to comfortably buy this right now?
6. Can I get rid of some less functional, bulkier items when this comes into my space?

Once it passes that inspection, it goes on the list. You can't buy it for 30 days. If it is something that is on clearance at a store, you have to buy it, and then keep it in a box and not touch it for 30 days. After which, you have to open the box/go to the store again/re-evaluate it and see if it really does still answer yes to the questions. If it does, keep it and use it and toss the items it was replacing. If not, take it back to the store for a refund since it is unopened and with the receipt.

 

[kyuuei]

I have a tendency to hold onto textbooks... even if I don't need them.

A little proud of myself today that I let go of an admittedly useful textbook, but under my criteria for keeping it... I honestly never touched it between the semester I had it and this upcoming semester.. and when I looked at the HAP book I had on my shelf that's only worth $4 now because a newer edition came out since then... and how I've never touched it either... I decided to keep the older one that was worth less and sell the newer one. Along with 12 other textbooks. With the money, I'm getting myself a tablet I've been needing pretty badly for travel and school! Whoo!

 

[prplchknz]

I dunno if I am a minimilist probably not. I don't buy a lot of things but I do accomulate things because I'm just too lazy to throw it out. though every time I go grocery shopping i go through the fridge and cabinets and throw out anything expired but that's more so i can fit stuff. but I don't really buy a lot of clothes I tend to wear jeans and free shirts. and I have like one pair of shoes, I don't need more.

 

[kyuuei]

101 Physical Things That Can Be Reduced In Your Home

Really awesome article. If you're looking for digestible segments, this is it.

And to go hand-in-hand with it, a study (I didn't bother to check out the validity, don't kill me plz) that says experiences make people much happier than physical items.

Experiences make you happier than possessions

 

[kyuuei]

*Creeks door open.* Helloooo? *echoes..*

*Flips the lights on and dusts the whole place off.*

I am in need of this space again. I've accumulated so much shit over the past 4 years, some of it awesome, a lot of it silly and too much in between. My needs have changed, and I noticed that in my rush to get rid of some things in the past that made sense at the time, I turned out to truly miss some items that did give me joy, but I rationalized otherwise. So, I have a renewed perspective to take into here.

Been spring cleaning this week and last week, and started reading books that were just sitting on my shelves last month--and already at work, I have conquered 2 books on my lunch break.

Anyone who wants to jump in and lay out a plan to reduce the crap they use and clutter in their lives, come on in! Minimalist challenge space is open for business in 2018!