Comments on: Living The Minimalist Lifestyle – Is it Possible?

By: J. Money

J. Money — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 09:14:20 +0000

In reply to Holly Ruehlin. Rock on!!!! What an excellent challenge!

By: Holly Ruehlin

Holly Ruehlin — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 22:27:25 +0000

Thanks for your post! Love the minimalist thinking and doing. In addition to the one-in-one out habit, for the past few years, I’ve been donating one bag per week to good will – 52 bags per year does add up! House is much easier to manage. No more junk drawers, no more stuffed closets, and the garage is on the path to becoming manageable.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 13:55:54 +0000

In reply to Ann Marie Stewart.

YES TO ALL!!

Not as much Zero Waste as I’d like it to be (went through a good obsessing a few years back but have slipped a little), but minimalism wise my entire MIND is different now. And loving every bit of it :) I’m 100x more conscious with what I consume and how it makes me feel and what’s more important vs what’s not, etc… I still slip at times, but fortunately I”m better about getting rid of stuff too so the times when I do mess up I quickly make myself feel better by getting it out of the house :) (usually by donating or re-selling)

So yes – still going strong baby!!! Incredible how this community online can influence your life… Almost a decade now of being more FREE!

By: Ann Marie Stewart

Ann Marie Stewart — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:02:29 +0000

Now that it’s been several years, how has minimalism benefited you? For me it’s a cornerstone for having a budget and getting out of debt. Has your minimalism led to an intersection with zero waste? I’m just getting to that point myself.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 19:45:33 +0000

In reply to Dennis B.. Nice! I'm still working at it myself after all these years, but definitely WORLDS ahead of where I used to be. And feel damn good, too :)

By: Dennis B.

Dennis B. — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 00:14:20 +0000

Great read. Lots of great comments here too. I started being a minimalist about two and a half years ago. I live by a 100 item rule and it works for me. Now that I am not as materialistic, it has helped me gain control of my finances. Ive never been good with money. I also have a restless heart and sobI move around a lot. This is a great way to move from place to place without quite all the headaches. Investing in wool products has been a big help as well. Rather than 20 pairs of socks and 12 pairs of underwear, I have 4 pairs of wool socks and 3 pairs of underwear. Sounds kind of foul I know, but with the moisture wicking properties you can wear wool much longer than cotton.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 20:09:21 +0000

In reply to Pol le Breton.

oh wow – that’s incredible.

I’m still learning as I go here, but I can say that in the past 6 years since publishing this post I’ve gotten happier and happier the more I’ve shed myself. I probably have a good 50% less than I owned since then (though not including kid stuff as we’ve had two baby boys in the time span – hah!) but I’m considering going down to just 2-3% of my stuff and really try to go for the gold. I seem to get a high every time I sell or donate something and I’m addicted! It’ll be interesting to see what happens when I’ve gotten rid of as much as I can and what I turn to next :)

But yes – owning less seems to free up the mind and stress (and save money!), which is prob why it makes us happier. Either that, or we’re buying the wrong stuff – hah.

By: Pol le Breton

Pol le Breton — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 00:43:48 +0000

It is weird. There is more to it than we think (& say). We (spouse & me) lost everything we had except some money in the bank. No home, no car, no clothes, no books, nothing but relatives, friends & a little cash. I never felt so happy.

We started again to own things (on a minmalist level) & we are happy… yet not as deeply happy as when we had nothing (almost). This is a total mystery to me. If someone could explain this rationally, I would like to hear from him.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 00:27:25 +0000

In reply to peabright green.

Yeah, lots of people out there like that. Totally makes sense to a degree, but at the end of the day it’s all about doing what makes you happier and stress-free. If it’s hoarding stuff, well, I guess more power to you. But I know personally it seems the more I get rid of the more free I feel so gonna keep on riding the train :)

And looking at the date of when I published this, the mindset isn’t new anymore – it’s been 5 years, wow!

By: peabright green

peabright green — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 22:20:33 +0000

I guess you could say I’m a quasi-minimalist…I have the mindset but putting it into action is my biggest concern. My biggest obstacle is my massive book and CD collection…but I am slowly determining what I really need and acting accordingly…and it feels good to see free shelf space again. Growing up I always felt that our family crest included the motto “Don’t throw that away, it might be good for something”. I lived with my mother and grandparents, all of whom lived thru the Depression in Appalachia so they were loathe to get rid of anything. My grandmother would beg me to help clean the basement but would stop me before I threw anything away. So basically ” cleaning” was simply rearranging clutter. My brother is still like that. The way he sees it, he PAID for all that stuff so he’s keeping it….even if it is worthless or obsolete. Therefore incurring fees for storage rental units, new outbuildings, etc. I remember my mother had a storage unit for some of her possessions and after she died it took us months to clear it out…all that time having to pay rent on it…and the stored goods couldn’t even be sold for enough to pay the rent. As I get older I am more and more drawn to the saying, “You don’t own possessions, possessions own you.”