If I see one more person exclaiming how minimalism has changed their life for the better, I think I might scream.
Pinterest, TV shows, social media – it seems that everywhere everyone is proudly proclaiming that they’re switching to a minimalist lifestyle and everything in their life is so much easier and more wonderful now that they’ve found minimalism.
I tried to be a minimalist and all it did was make me miserable to a degree I can’t even explain (I’m so thankful I stopped when I did). That’s why I’m now proudly and happily a minimalist drop out. And I can unabashedly say that I hate minimalism (or at least what people are saying that minimalism should be).
What is Minimalism?
So before I proceed to tell you how minimalism was not the answer to a happier life for me, let’s first get an understanding of what minimalism is. Becoming a minimalist means a lot of things to different people.
Minimalism is either one of the following (depending on who you are talking to):
- Getting rid of almost everything you own so that you don’t have to be stressed by keeping and cleaning possessions and other materialistic items
- Intentionally focusing on only what matters to you and removing everything that distracts you from what you love
Minimalism can be done in a variety of settings, too, including:
- Selling your home and buying a tiny home
- Minimalistic living in your own home
- Selling your large home and downsizing into a smaller home or condo
- Giving up everything and traveling, whether in an RV, van or hotels
When I say that I hate minimalism, I’m not talking about common sense decluttering and downsizing (here’s a helpful example of the differences). Lots of people think they are minimalists when all they’re doing is decluttering their life. I’m talking about the ideal of minimalism of *really* cutting back on everything in your life – living in a smaller house, giving up much of your belongings, etc.
In theory, minimalism sounds simple and great. Who doesn’t want less stress in their lives? Who doesn’t want more time? Who doesn’t want to save money by having so few things to spend money on?
It’s easy to get hooked into wanting to be a minimalist, especially when you see people traveling the world, sharing their gorgeous travel photos, proclaiming that their lives are free and happy because they’ve given it all up to focus on their dreams.
To which I would like to loudly cough and say ‘Bull S**t’ under my breath.
Minimalism Vs. Common Sense Decluttering
Our society seems to only see things in black and white lately. There is always a lot of shades of grey in between.
So our society has gotten to the point that either:
- You own WAY too much stuff and keep buying bigger houses to accommodate the stuff and rent storage units to store the stuff and need closets so big that they could be bedrooms on their own.
- People feel the need to get rid of everything they have, purge the majority of their life, and move into an over-priced tiny home with no possessions to keep their need for stuff at bay.
Can you see how there’s a lot of shades of grey in between these two completely different ideas?
There’s a lot to be said for decluttering and getting rid of crap. Yes, empty out that junk drawer. Declutter your bedroom so that you can sleep better tonight (here’s how). Yes, purge your clothing so that all you keep is what you love and wear. Yes, use up the food in your pantry that’s in danger of being thrown out because you just can’t remember what you even have anymore hidden in the back of the shelves.
That’s decluttering. That’s organizing. That’s appreciating what you have, no matter how much or how little of it that you have.
*Have you seen our 30 Day Declutter Challenge for a Healthy Home? It helps you both declutter and detox your home super quickly!
Minimalism, on the other hand, is thinking that you must have a capsule wardrobe of only 30 pieces that are all the same colors (including all of your pants, tops, sweaters and accessories) in order for your life to be more joyful.
Minimalism is encouraging you to get rid of your big refrigerator and visit a neighborhood store every day to buy fresh food.
Minimalism says take a picture of all of your sentimental things that you’ve got tucked away in a closet and get rid of them because they’re just ‘stuff.’
How I Got Into Minimalism
My husband and I started thinking about minimalism when we packed up our home for our first move. Doesn’t moving always inspire minimalism?
Seriously, anyone who has ever had to box up every single thing that they own, then move it into a vehicle (for which you’re paying a higher price for the more stuff you have) then move it into a new house and then unpack it certainly is screaming for minimalism throughout the entire moving process.
I completely agree.
We were moving from a 900 square foot house into a 1,500 square foot town house based on many reasons – closer to work, cheaper, and new construction that wasn’t growing with mold (a problem we had in our other house). So we were going into a bigger space, but dreaming of owning less stuff.
And we got rid of LOTS of stuff! But only because we simply didn’t want it anymore. Not because we felt we had to in order to live a certain type of lifestyle.
In our new house, we still didn’t feel that we had room for *everything* to be put in its proper place, but we were pretty close. The garage was too tiny for two vehicles anyway, much less trying to store anything in there, as well. So that was frustrating.
My office and working from home is always a source of STUFF. From photography equipment to endless stacks of papers and brochures and media kits, I never can seem to keep my work-related items adequately tidy.
After two and a half years in our larger town home, we wanted to move to NC. We started designing a house to build, and quickly realized that the more square footage you need, the more you’re going to have to pay.
We didn’t want to be socked down by debt on a big mortgage well into retirement, so we started thinking of going tiny and smaller. Getting rid of everything that we didn’t need. We thought, let’s just build a really small house and make it work. That seemed like the stress-free way of doing things. (FYI, read this list about questions to ask before thinking about tiny home living.)
Then life changed. We didn’t want to stay in Florida but we weren’t comfortable investing in a sticks and bricks home in any location in NC just yet due to job issues. So we made a decision to sell lots of our stuff, buy an RV, and travel across the country while we were young and able.
It was the ultimate leap into minimalism.
It didn’t work out.
What We Got Rid Of
So when we were downsizing with an eye towards minimalism, what did we get rid of?
I had a three step process. Simply because we weren’t sure if minimalism would work for us. And we weren’t sure about housing situations in the future. So here’s the questions I asked:
- Does it bring me joy? (A true minimalist question.) Or do I NEED it?
- Do I want – or need – to keep this item in a future house should we decide we hate the minimalist lifestyle?
- Does this item make sense to keep in our tiny home (an RV) for our immediate needs?
Every item I touched, every single thing in our house went through this three step process. And it was exhausting.
A lot of stuff we owned I didn’t want to move to a new house in North Carolina. The stuff just reminded me of Florida. Even though it was great stuff and in good condition, I didn’t want it in my life anymore. We either sold it or gifted it to family.
Then there was the household stuff that I wanted to keep (plates, pots, quilts, etc.) that wouldn’t make sense in a tiny home. There’s also sentimental things and holiday décor that I wouldn’t get rid of. So those would go into a storage room for the time being (which costs money, by the way). And it’s not cheap. About $180 a month for storage.
We narrowed down a very small amount of stuff to travel with as minimalists living in an RV tiny home. Even then, we found out that half of the stuff we brought – thinking we NEEDED it – wasn’t even worth bringing. We ended up moving it into a storage unit, too.
What was the biggest purge?
Surprisingly, it was clothing. We shared a tiny walk-in closet in our home. So we didn’t have a clothing wardrobe that was too out of hand. But styles change, waistlines grow, and clothing just doesn’t seem in tune with your style anymore.
We got rid of about four trash bags full of clothing – but we gave the items to family, tried selling via ThredUp (a spectacular failure that you can read all about), or donated to church charities.
After we got rid of furniture that we didn’t like but made sense in our townhouse at the time, there wasn’t TOO much stuff left that was cluttering our lives.
Sure, we had artwork and home décor and normal household items. But these things weren’t taking away too much time from our lives or creating a home that we didn’t like. The opposite was true. They made us happy, we enjoyed the memories behind them, or they were functional items (like rakes or gardening tools) that made sense and we utilized frequently.
Turns out, we weren’t hoarders. We weren’t drowning in clutter. We just had stuff that made sense in a house.
Related Posts:
- How to Be a Minimalist Without Giving Up Things
- Free Minimalism Artwork
- Downsizing vs. Minimalism
- Minimalist Kitchen Essentials
- Best Gifts for a Minimalist
Myth About Selling All of Your Stuff for Profit
If there is one thing that I hate about people downsizing their life and promoting minimalism, it’s the myth that by selling your stuff, you’ll receive a sudden windfall.
Ugh. Where do I begin…….
Okay. If you’re selling your house, you’re going to get a big fat check. ONLY if you already have lots of equity, you’re not underwater in your mortgage, you sell it for a great price and you can pay off all of your house-related debts and realtor costs and still walk away with a chunk of change.
Do you understand me? Selling your house doesn’t equal peace of mind and money to retire on. And you BETTER have a way to buy a house later on with whatever income you’ll have. In today’s housing market, you might be shocked at how little you’ll get in return for the same amount of money that you sold your house for.
Just because you sell your 2,500 square foot house doesn’t mean you can pay cash for a 250 square foot tiny home and still have enough money to live on for years. It can happen, yes. I don’t think it happens to as many people as you might think, though.
If you’ve got a fancy car or truck, it’s the same thing. What can you sell it for compared to what you still owe on it? Once you get rid of it, what are your options for transportation? Can you really find an affordable, dependable vehicle that’s going to cost less? Can you utilize public transportation – and how much will it realistically cost? Will you be able to bike or walk all year long?
And then there’s all of your STUFF. Yes, the household goods, the furniture, the clothing, the toys. Everything that cost you a small FORTUNE and you took good care of it. You think it’s worth a lot of money, that people will be thrilled to buy what you have.
Don’t kid yourself.
Just because you went into debt for an item or paid a pretty penny in no way guarantees that anyone wants to pay you a decent amount of money for it.
In fact, you’ll be shocked at how little you’ll get for all of your stuff. (Here’s the best places to sell clothes online and what you’ll make.)
People don’t pay premium prices at garage sales. They don’t want to pay anything at all. That’s why they’re always haggling. Selling your stuff on Facebook groups or Craigslist won’t get you tons of money, either. These places are where people are trolling for BARGAINS, not where they want to pay fair value.
I made a video about how much money we got for all of our great quality stuff. I never posted it. Because I was SO upset when I realized what we gave away and how little we got for it.
We made $600 from selling solid wood bookcases, our end tables, a dining room table and chairs, lamps, clothing and other home décor items.
Let me tell you, these items cost a LOT more than $600 to buy. And they will take a LOT more than $600 to replace.
All of the time I spent posting on Facebook groups, chatting with potential buyers, scheduling appointments, being at home to show items and disrupting my routine for over a month only netted six hundred dollars.
I could have kept the stuff and worked and made more money than that.
But I didn’t. Now we don’t own any of the furniture anymore. And we didn’t even have enough money to cover the expense of the moving truck.
Doesn’t seem like a great thing, does it? Minimalism would have been saving my precious time not doing these things. Instead, I wasted my time trying to get rid of it all.
The Good and Bad of Minimalism
I’m not about to say that minimalism is all bad. It isn’t. But it’s not as great as all that, either.
I don’t blog about minimalism. I don’t have a minimalism YouTube channel.
So here’s my unvarnished opinion:
What’s so good about minimalism?
- It does reduce your stress, IF your stress is about cleaning, owning and organizing stuff.
- It allows you to focus on what you love the most.
- You’ll require less room, less storage space, etc.
- You won’t spend as much money on accumulating stuff.
- You do truly realize that you need very little to survive and function daily.
- The less stuff you own, the more freedom you have to leave it all behind for a different opportunity.
- Simplifying is great. Get these 3 free minimalism printables to remind you of that.
What’s bad about minimalism?
- Replacing things you gave away is costly.
- You give away things that can never be replaced.
- Once you give up your possessions, you might find that it’s way more costly to replace them months or years later because of a booming market (such as housing, electronics, etc.)
- You can’t take advantage of sales or good deals if you don’t have room to store items.
- Shopping and decorating are hobbies and activities that can make you happy, as any other activity would.
- If every member of the family does not believe in minimalism, there can be a lot of conflict and stress.
- Giving away *stuff* doesn’t reduce your stress if your stress is unrelated to owning stuff.
- Being free to pick up and leave whenever you want is great. Yet switching jobs, not having a steady job or constantly changing housing can really impact your finances, especially your ability to get a mortgage or loans.
Your success with minimalism really is dependent on your own unique situation. If you only have your job so that you can make enough money to afford a too-big house, too many cars and too many shoes, then, yeah, minimalism might work for you.
If you like your job, your house works for you (even if you could give up a few pairs of shoes) and your stress is more related to relationships or other issues not related to STUFF, then minimalism isn’t going to be your cure-all answer.
Most of the negatives for me revolve around financial security (which is a REALLY big deal, y’all. Don’t kid yourselves). Which is ironic because people promote minimalism to save money and not be tied to a job. There is a lot to be said about peace of mind over years and decades and establishing a stable financial future, though, compared to living in the moment and sacrificing peace of mind in the future.
Why I Don’t Want to Be a Minimalist Anymore
There is something to be said for simplicity. I admit, I enjoy not having to clean a huge house. Or worry about shopping to find the perfect piece of home décor.
But there’s also a lot to be said for those problems. They’re great problems, and ones that I’d love to have again.
Our stress never came from owning a house or paying for it. Our stress was directly related to a work environment. The desire for minimalism was only to have less financial stress in starting up a new career. However, minimalism hasn’t helped.
If we had decided to move into a house rather than traveling in an RV, we would have bought into a lower-priced housing market. We could have gotten more house for less money. We would have more equity and not have to worry about where to live over the next few years.
If we hadn’t given up half of our possessions, I wouldn’t be overwhelmed with the cost of trying to replace all of them. Getting something as nice as what we had costs even more in today’s economy.
If we didn’t downsize, I wouldn’t be storing my 7 pairs of shoes in a kitchen cabinet because my bedroom closet is so small. I wouldn’t be in a house so small that my husband can hear my stomach growl when he’s in the living room and I’m in the bedroom with the doors closed.
I’d have room for my work – maybe in a separate office again – so that I wasn’t hogging the entire dining room table and we could actually eat on it again.
I’d love to have a big house, so that we could have accommodated friends and family who recently had to evacuate because of a hurricane. It would have made me happy to have offered up a place to stay for them. I’d love to have extra room so that friends could come visit us in North Carolina. Or my niece could come stay for a week and introduce her to hiking and nature.
There’s nothing wrong with large houses or lots of space if they are part of your lifestyle that makes you happy.
We were designing a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home before. Now I won’t settle for anything that small. I’ve seen what it’s like only having room for just enough of what you have. I don’t want to deal with that the rest of my life. I want a bigger house than I had originally planned, more bathrooms, more storage and more fanciness than ever before.
I like having piles of stuff that I need. Enough food in my freezer or pantry so that I can create something easy for dinner without having to go out to eat. I don’t like shopping for just a few days at a time because that’s all my refrigerator will hold. I want to SAVE TIME by being able to buy more all at once. And SAVE MONEY by being able to stock up on sales and deals, something that I can no longer do in a tiny home.
Not having a piece of clothing for a specific event or climate is frustrating to no end. As is the lack of closet space that I have. I’m not someone who buys new wardrobes for every different season. I hold onto my clothes for years on end. I take care of them. I don’t buy a lot of clothes, because I keep the ones that I have. There’s something minimalistic in that behavior. Why do I have to get rid of everything so that I need to buy more down the road?
I have a friend who wanted to downsize and embrace minimalism. She had four grey sweaters. She loved wearing grey, because it was a neutral that she always wore to work. She got rid of three of the grey sweaters. Which left one. Which she accidentally lost somewhere. So she had to go buy a new one. Does that make sense? Giving up something that you own and love and use all of the time for the sake of being minimalistic? Only to have to buy something new again?
The Most Important Thing to Declutter
In the end, I think the true wealth of minimalism would be if we were all minimalistic in our digital and information lives, and less in materialistic possessions. “Stuff” doesn’t own us. Obviously you can go overboard in owning stuff, but most of us aren’t too possessed by our belongings.
What we are burdened down with, though, is too much information.
- Too many people telling you that you need minimalism to be happy (when you thought you were already happy).
- Too many ads showing you unnecessary things that you need to buy.
- Too many political viewpoints, too much strife, too much hatred.
- Too many *things* to do – including scrolling through Facebook for an hour and leaving feeling worthless and like your life is boring.
What if we chose to embrace minimalism only in our technology? If you weren’t constantly comparing yourself to anyone else’s standards, would you be happier? Would you have more time to work on your hobbies or use your gardening tools if you weren’t stuck behind a computer screen endlessly posting to Pinterest?
Would you have more time and less stress in your life if you had less to follow on social media and the internet?
That’s the real question. And one that I think anyone who wants to try minimalism should do first. Can you honestly purge your technological habits and addictions to create a happier life? Throwing out stuff is easy. Changing your habits to live without stress is hard.
We all need stuff. We need a roof over our head. We need food to eat. We need clothing. These are basic necessities. We don’t need a LOT of them, but we need these things for our entire lives. Putting yourself in a situation where you are financially strapped to replace these items is stupid and cruel.
What we DON’T need, anymore, is to live our lives tethered to what artificial intelligence, social media or marketing campaigns want to force feed us. Including the pretty pictures and lofty ideals of minimalism. Yes, there’s something to be said for downsizing and only holding onto what makes us happy.
But I don’t hear a lot of people who are truly happy living their lives behind computer screens. I know of no one. So why not put minimalism to work where it’s needed the most? Purge technology.
And keep that closet full of clothes.
Yes, finally! I feel like ninimalist people can be really judgemental, as if I was selfish or materialist for not throwing away almost every prossession. I understand and respect their opinion, if the feel better and free with an empty apartment, well, go for it. I personally love my (maybe crowded) apartment. I love that the walls are not empty, it’s full of paintings of my favourite artists and photos of my family and friends.:) I love that there are memories in every inch of the house, gifts from loved ones, souvenirs from the countries I have been before, tons of book (because i’m a bookworm, haha), etc. It makes me happy, that basically everywhere I go in my house, I am reminded that I love my life. Because after a bad day, sometimes I believe the opposite, and if I had to go home to an empty home, well, I would be bad mood the whole evening. Maybe some people are more happy in a minimalist house, and that’s okay, but we are not the same, and we sould respect each other’s opinion.
Kiera, I really agree!
I totally agree! Decluttering makes more sense than getting rid of everything. You can donate your extra furniture and household items to the Salvation Army. It’s a win-win with you getting rid of your EXTRA STUFF, and someone in need gets a helping hand. No need to stress about trying to sell it.
Having “stuff” isn’t always the same as having junk or clutter… For example I love to garden and I want farm fresh organic food, which means I need tools for gardening and equipment for canning and preserving food. I guess I could just get rid of it all and borrow it from someone that isn’t a minimalist but everything only has so many uses and it seems unfair to declutter my life only to rely on others… I’m all for getting rid of the unnecessary stuff but some things do have a purpose and I think it ok that I am willing to make room for those things.
Lila, well said!
I really appreciate this post because minimalism is this trend/bandwagon that so many young people think they want to embrace, yet they don’t see the overall cost.
One thing I’ve never seen discussed is that the value you give items can really change as you get older. A family heirloom item you might think is clutter when you’re in your 20’s will be cherished when you are in your 40’s. For example, my grandmother had two floral salad bowls that were handmade in Sweden. They were on her table at every family gathering. When she passed away no one (including my other female cousins) wanted her things because they saw them as useless clutter. Now years have passed and my sister and I each have a bowl and use them at our own family parties. We cherish them and are so glad we never gave them away as they make us feel connected to our grandmother. Meanwhile our cousins wish they would have kept some things too as they try to recreate family recipes and traditions.
I agree. There are so many things of my grandparents that I wish I had. My mom agrees, wishing that she would have kept some things from her relatives. An uncluttered house is nice, but guilt from not appreciating memories from your family past is hard to get over. There is a difference between hoarding and keeping sentimental memories. Enjoy those salad bowls!
I love to have the house clean and free as much as possible from messy objects around, but who throws everything away, including family memories, valuables furniture I don’t understand them. One day I saw a video where a minimalist woman suggested not to exhibit family, travel etc. photos kinda disturbing
In today’s society, with expenses so high, minimalist living, owning less unnecessary stuff reduces your expenses. I think minimalist living benefits significantly with finances. When I owned my 4000 sq. ft townhouse, my heating bill was $500 monthly, downsized to a 1500 sq ft home, and now my monthly heating bill is $150.00… so many ways to save with minimalist living!
Glad to see I’m not the only one that sees the flaws in minimalism. One of my biggest issues with minimalism is this: it’s supposed to promote happiness by letting go of material possessions – giving you more money, more time, and less stress, therefore letting you focus on what’s important. This makes perfect sense on paper, right?
But, what if one of those things that’s important to you, is enjoying your limited time on this earth as much as possible? And enjoying life entails rewarding and fun experiences. The problem? The most rewarding experiences are those that you’ve never done before. But all the same, because you’ve never done it before, you do not know if it will be a good or bad experience. Therefore, you truly have no idea if that experience in question is important or not, until you actually do it! So how do you go about approaching it? Do you choose to avoid it to minimize stress, or do you take the plunge? This is a constantly recurrent problem in my attempt at minimalism, what many people refer to as FOMO, or fear of missing out, which adds its own kind of stress. The only possible answer I have for this, is that if the experience is important enough to you, then you’ll know intuitively. But, is that true? And how can you ever know that’s true?
Minimalism can refer to being not materialistic you know, it doesn’t have to be something like not traveling or otherwise enjoying your life.
That what I thought reading this whole article. Minimalism isn’t at all about living in a tiny home or traveling the world in an RV. It’s about decluttering unnecessary things in your life (not only material, but maybe also in the appointments you make or a mount of people you see or the work you do) and keeping the things you love.
I’m a minimalist and do not have a capsule wardrobe/have not moved to a smaller home/own a large amount of yarn cause I live knitting and it makes me happy. Nevertheless I own way less stuff then most and get happy from the big open space that is our living room. Which is what minimalism is all about.
I really appreciate reading this post! I actually came across it by researching other people’s approaches to minimalism as its something I take a strong interest in, but, like you say, its usually approached in extremes within our culture.
I’m all for keeping only things that make me happy (clothing especially), and I HATE HATE HATE clutter! Especially when it’s cheap and doesn’t serve any practical purpose. However, me and my boyfriend have quite a library, love playing music, love cooking, I have camera gear for work, tons of notebooks for writing, and we love having guests over. I could live out of a backpack for six months of the year no problem and travel and work (I’m a digital nomad), but he prefers a a more steady routine with regular planned travel or living abroad for a year or two at a time, and a home base is really a beautiful thing to have.
For us, minimalism seems necessary only for the sake of moving countries on a semi-reguar basis, but I think everyone needs a home base, and a home that they can make their own, care for people in, and create a comfortable haven in. It should serve the regular functions of life and be a place for its inhabitants to learn and grow.
But this definitely means something different for everyone. It in the end comes down to what you value in life and what it takes to sustain the lifestyle you enjoy most. 🙂
That is one pet peeve of mine: the mentality of this society about seeing everything in extremes, no balance or a happy medium whatsoever. And trying to go by what others do and comparing instead of looking for a way to find what works best for only them and customize their happiness by what they truly want and not the wants or expectations of others.
PS- I also am concerned when people talk about how much clutter gives them anxiety. I honestly feel that anyone who gets anxiety from simply seeing a lot of things 1. needs to get outside in nature a LOT more and 2. Should seek therapy.
I’m not saying that to downplay therapy AT ALL. I think therapy is amazing. I’m just really concerned at the fragility of people whose mental health is sho tied to such a simple variable in life. That’s not healthy to be so affected by such a trivial matter. We should be much more resilient than this. If we aren’t, we need to seek the root of that issue and not slap a band aid on it by removing the stressor.
I agree with the fact that “downsizing” usually costs a lot more money than just keeping your stuff. Relating to clutter I can personally say that I’m someone who gets very overwhelmed when in a room thats very cluttered. It’s just uncomfortable, especially trying to work or relax. I think there are also a number of personality factors that affect this in some people over others though, such as being very conscientious (Big 5 Model) who just require their homes to be very organized to function. Depends on the person, in my opinion 🙂
Oh my goodness, YES. I am 2 years late in finding this, but it was at the perfect time.
We recently moved and had to put our things in storage temporarily. The storage unit was broken into and all our furniture was stolen.
What struck me is how expensive it is to replace. We didn’t have expensive furniture. They were all hand-me-downs, but good quality. We got a paltry amount from insurance (though I’m thankful we got anything). I ordered cheap furniture we had to put together ourselves, and we still paid over $3,000 out of pocket for the bare necessities for our family. The worst part is, this furniture won’t be heirloom quality. We’ll likely have to replace it at some point.
As for selling a house, people are silly to think they really come out ahead when downsizing. Real estate typically trends positively. The home you bought 8 years ago is almost certainly to sell for a higher price, barring major market crashes. However, so will every other house you may consider buying. Add into that realtor fees for every sale, closing costs, fluctuating mortgage rates, and the fact that rent is usually more expensive than a mortgage payment. You’ll find that it is rarely economical to move from a home you own unless you’re adding several family members or are disabled to the point where you can no longer care for your home.
If people really want to minimize expenditures and be able to be free to give financially to others, they should purchase a single house in their lifetime- one suitable for all stages of their lives- fill it with good quality items, and take care of those things. Minimalism is NOT frugality. Minimalism does not solve problems; it only kicks them down the road.
I completely agree! I am needing to replace all of that furniture that I sold. As we buy items (from IKEA, no less) I can’t believe how expensive it is to get furniture! As I said in my story, I only made like $600 from selling stuff. Replacing it is much more! Sure, you can always find things on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for cheap or free. But then you’re living with something that’s not a style you love, and how is that good for your mental health when you look at it every day and wish for a day to get rid of it?
And real estate will always fluctuate. There’s always people who will say how they came out ahead. I believe they can. But for 100% of the people who try selling and making money by downsizing – No. There’s a lot of factors involved in life. No one solution will work for everyone.
I started my adult life with only thrift store finds and we moved an average every 1.5 years. Minimalism was just a given. I de-cluttered and re-resold all my furniture (flipping for a profit on most things) then we loaded up two compact hatchbacks and moved 1200 miles away without jobs or a home lined up, and it was fine. If you start with nothing and have low expectations, it’s a lot easier to “become a minimalist”. This fad has grown into just another extremist trend that has everyone thinking they can live out of a backpack. I am personally anti-consumerism and a penny pinching tight wad, and now the popular thing is Hygge and I fall right in with that, but neither of these things are new concepts or very special. I appreciate you telling your story and the lesson you learned. I think people are so desperate for change that they jump on these extreme bandwagons, but can they really change? These people are selling half their clothes, but still buying a new Iphone every year. But hey, live and let live. I just think moderation is the name of the game. (and everything is just a game, you lose one round and win the next).
Megan, Love your insight! And, yes, when you have less it’s so much easier to pack up and move. I do believe people hop on the trend that is hot on social media right now. What everyone needs to do is listen to their soul. Whether that means owning stuff or not, you’ve got to be in tune with your own life rather than trying to mimic someone else’s. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I know this post is from a while ago, but I just wanted to say that I love it! It’s refreshing to see that not everyone has been completely seduced by minimalism….I for one, really enjoy my clothes and having hard copies of books, CDs, and DVDs….yes, I could probably get rid of a lot of things, but since I’m enjoying and using pretty much everything on a regular basis, why should I? A friend of mine always chided me for things like “You have such a big purse, look at my little clutch, it has everything I need!” Like, good for you? I like having my purse, leave me alone, haha!
Your article was a much-needed alternative, while still well-balanced contribution to belief systems surrounding the “minimalist” world view. I personally have struggled greatly with this concept because I would by no means fall under this category or even on its “spectrum”. I’m viewed by one who is close to me as being a “keeper”. I have many conflicting thoughts and feelings around this matter as I am aware that I have too much “stuff”.
I could go on about this point but I’d like to weigh in to say that, so much of what I’ve gathered (at exceptional prices or at no monetary expense) has been for the sake of being able to provide such “stuff” to the many family members, friends, and children that I’ve served in a professional capacity over many years. I do not collect “baubles and beads” just for the sake of admiring them. I look for, and see potential in so many “things”. As a result of acquiring such “things”, I’ve been able to provide my family with many needed supplies and decor for their weddings, clothing items for which they did not have financial means, “stuff” that has met basic physical and health needs that they have not been able to afford among many other examples. “Things” that I’ve acquired at garage sales, second hand stores, and internet sites has greatly helped children with challenges to learn skills using unique materials that I myself could not have otherwise have afforded or to which I would not have had access since they are so unique. These materials have been a vehicle to helping children with challenges because they are so unique and engaging. This motivation increases their ability to acquire skills (without an iPad or other technology although I have found technology to be essential and invaluable when used intentionally).
There have been so many references to one of the Gold Standards of Minimalism being to evaluate what you own or plan to own as to whether “it brings you joy” and “Do you need it?”. I’ve seen very little (so far) written about whether it brings joy to someone else, if it would meet a significant need of someone other than yourself, or does someone else need it? I also think it’s legitimate to consider the future and make the best judgement you can about whether something, that you won’t be able to just go out and buy, will be very useful, necessary, or make one’s experience richer because you were able to provide it.
Even though I’m a little on the other extreme given that I am a “keeper” (a “quality/character negative” on which I’m working), I could also place myself under the rather broad spectrum category of “minimalist” because – Yes – these things do bring me joy mainly because I see how they might benefit others around me and Yes – I believe that I need them because so very often, someone around me needs them or will need them. I do not want to present myself as an unselfish individual by any means. I certainly acquire some things because I like them, want them or think I might need them. I know there will be a thousand arguments that challenge my point of view. I constantly challenge my own point of view. I do genuinely appreciate the values and philosophies behind those who have adopted the guidelines surrounding “minimalism”. I wouldn’t otherwise be conflicted about how much “stuff” I have and wish so much to simplify my life. That being said, I ultimately don’t think that being a hard core “minimalist” is the Holy Grail of our struggles related to this in life.
Respectfully submitted.
So well said. It’s interesting to look at it from the viewpoint of not just looking at yourself, but how you can help others, too. Thanks for sharing and for doing good in the world and making a difference in people’s lives! 🙂
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I have to admit I was intrigued by the idea of minimalism. I read many articles to which I found disheartening .As far as I am concerned my mother’s china, crystal bowls, wicker baskets, tea wagon and all the rest of her things which are now mine deserve my love and attention. When I dust I am reminded of her. I smile as I see these things set around my house. Pure Joy.