Now THIS is de-cluttered... - Page 3

[Marsupialmom]

I think they have a lot of money.

Also, some things I do not like from the kitchen. One main one is I would be worried about cross contamination. Yes, there are many things we can adopted. 

All books from the library??? I can see not having a library of books (I have thousands and are shifting them out) but none is scary! I want to share with grand kids their parents favorite books. Were does she store library books?  

Hankerchief are not always better. They can actually cause more germs and waste water to wash them -- now I am for using washable butt wipes (which they don't use) but tissues are generally one use so you are not reputting germs on your face or sharing it with others. 

She is redistributing her trash by putting it back in the Netflix envelope. That, IMO, is like sticking your trash in your neighbor's trash can. You are letting someone else through it out. It makes me wonder what else she is doing this with, not saying it is all bad returning products to be recycled.  

As for the clothes, I see value in having less but her life style allows for that little. I don't go to church but there really no accommodations for that. Or other specialty wardrobe many people may need - my dh is a chef and needs more pants. Yes, you can minimize but not all people that low. Also, when her kids have preferences how is she going to respond? Also, no winter coats?  I bet she would balk at having 2 sets of snow stuff for a child 1 for wearing while the other is drying -- I think it is more wasteful to have to toss them in the dryer after each use.  Now that my kids are old we do have less
 

Medicine, I don't know if I agree with her idea of smaller bottles. I typically buy 1 large bottle - because child A get sick, then a few days later, child B, then C, then DH and finally me. That one package saved me money and multiple small package bottle. If it goes un-used that is ok. I check the expiration date. Most likely someone will use it before it expires. I very rarely have medicine expire. I don't have a lot of medicine either. I am for decluttering medicine cabinets but at the same time it does not seem completely efficient or eco-friendly to buy small bottles. 

What if she had a dd that wanted curling irons and make up?

I don't display photos at all.

I like it overall but at the same time, I need color.  The white couch?  Well makes the home look un-liveable, IMO.  Nobody makes messes ever?  

[Marsupialmom]

I think having a eletronic photo frame would be nice.  Scroll through pictures. 

Also, even though those kids are older, why now kid art?  My SIL has framed kid art and it looks AWESOME! She has changed it out through the years using the same frame and matting, 

Also were is their computer?  What do they actually do at home? There seems to be no shelves with books, games, et?  Or do they just sit there watching Netflix?
 

Originally Posted by *bejeweled* 

A Memories get stale when photos are displayed for too long, Béa says. To keep the past fresh, albums come out yearly around the holidays. Oooh, this statement and this house is :cold :cold :cold

[bcblondie]

I dont mind the all-white as that's how I grew up as well but... Why in the heck have they not converted to family cloth instead of toilet paper?!

Also, they need a whole separate car so she can do errands? We have one car and thats plenty.

I agree that they're just passing off their junk to someone else.

Ow on the peroxide. More abrasive than helpful.

[catscharm74]

I like how they are doing the best they can and they seem to really be doing a good job. Lots of ideas here...it may not fit everyone's idea of minimalist, but again, the definition can mold to fit whom it needs to. : )

[Crayfish]

Originally Posted by Lucy Alden 

And I can just imagine lugging all my glass containers down to Safeway.  

I wouldn't think that they'd take the glass jars - I assume that they'd take cloth bags (our grocery sells cloth produce bags) to buy the stuff in, and then bring the stuff home and dump it in the glass containers.

[Belia]

When I read this article, I had two thoughts at exactly the same time competing in my brain:

1.  How awesome... good for them... 

AND

2.  I wanted to punch them in the face.

I'm not quite sure why.  For some reason I have this impression of these folks being so elitist.  Like, there are so many people... KIDS!... who have never even seen a dentist in their life, yet they're ordering toothbrushes from Australia.

Not entirely rational, I know.

[freestylemama]

We take a lot of glass and plastic containers to our co-op. I use some cloth and plastic bags (and regular packaging, of course) as well but for things like honey glass gets brought.

[marimara]

I think it's funny that they seem to have struck a nerve w/some people and caused such a strong reaction.  I personally didn't have any negative thoughts while I was reading the article.

My thoughts:

1.  i love the all white, in fact my house is mostly white.  i like it that way because it's insanely hot in florida and white keeps the atmosphere and the actual temp cooler.  You know when white is dirty and you clean it.  I have a white cotton couch too, and I have a dog and 4 year old. It's not really that hard to keep clean. The couch has a removable washable slipcover and I keep a white cotton dobby blanket on it so and you can't even tell there's a blanket on it unless you look close.  It helps with the dog hair for when the dog sneaks on the sofa, she's not supposed to be on there.  She has her own mommy made princess and the pea bed to lounge on :lol

2.  I don't have a problem with the glass jars for storage, it's pretty.  I personally wouldn't lug glass to the store, perhaps cotton drawstring bags (upcycled), and then transfer when I got home.

3.  I love art, and as an artist I have art in the home.  Actually this was part of the all white choice, my art is very colorful and I can put whatever colors in it and it will always go with the decor.

4.  Books.  Um yeah we have a lot of books, and I use the library a lot too.  We are voracious readers. 

My overall impression of the story was "not realistic for me but a worthy direction to aim".

[2GR8KIDS]

I have been fascinated by this since I read the Sunset article a week or two ago. The woman profiled in the article has a blog that answers some of the same questions/criticisms raised in thus thread. I find myself with mixed feelings. On the one hand their goal seems admirable and they have really put a lot of thought and effort into their lifestyle. But some of the information on her blog bugs me - especially something about how one of her sons liked bandaids but she basically pressured him not to feel that way, and times she has felt the need to "educate" her husband when he slipped and brought home a scrap of this or that. Overall I find it thought-provoking although somewhat gimmicky.

[swede]

Originally Posted by goinggreengirl 

Way too sterile for me. I prefer this house and lifestyle! Adding in using cloth instead of paper, buying bulk and recycling!

YEs , I like the one in your link better, too.

[Peppermint Leaf]

I cant image hauling those big glass jars to the supermarket everytime I want to go shopping!

[Chamomile Girl]

Originally Posted by Peppermint Leaf 

I cant image hauling those big glass jars to the supermarket everytime I want to go shopping!

Well I don't have jars quite that large but hauling my quart-sized mason jars to the store is not so bad.  I carry them in a woven market basket, and I have the tare weights written on them with black ink.

[Crayfish]

Originally Posted by Peppermint Leaf 

I cant image hauling those big glass jars to the supermarket everytime I want to go shopping!

But but but - they don't _say_ that they haul them there, do they? I assume they take reusable bags, and then dump the stuff in the jars.

[cyclamen]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl 

Originally Posted by Peppermint Leaf 

I cant image hauling those big glass jars to the supermarket everytime I want to go shopping!

Well I don't have jars quite that large but hauling my quart-sized mason jars to the store is not so bad.  I carry them in a woven market basket, and I have the tare weights written on them with black ink.

Ooh, I was wondering how one would do that. 

[Irishmommy]

Our bulk stores don't allow outside containers due to risk of contamination. Not sure I think it's a real risk though.

[aileen]

i think it's inspiring.

i'm a little surprised by the outrage. 

when i decided to breastfeed my children until they decided to stop we re-defined normal for ourselves and our family. not better. normal. it's normal in my house to nurse babies until they lose their milk teeth. that has nothing to do with my neighbor's house. how lovely to think that someone else's normal is just trying really hard; not to bring waste into a living space, not to acquire, to use less. how great would it be if it was normal (not uppity) to "lug" glass jars to the food co-op? that's what i do on my g. d. bicycle and i'm not a self-aggrandizing a-hole. even though i have some expensive stuff i don't need. i swear. it's just normal. a lot more normal than how i horde bags from our gluten free bread for more poo than my dear old dog will ever poo. that's not normal. that's a problem. for me. in my house. which is not staged. because it wasn't IN A MAGAZINE SHOOT. (it's all in the edit, really, isn't it? i'll never forget the EC interview which lasted an hour and a half and i "won over" the camera man and the interviewer and it was gorgeous and sweet and my 10 week old peed and pooped in the can and it was edited down to my toilet flushing on the today show and a random pediatrician saying that while, no, EC wasn't child abuse, technically, they would prefer that parents spend that time reading to their children.) maybe she's a nice lady. maybe she's not. it's her house.

http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/2010/10/is-zero-waste-home-only-about-waste.html

seems nice enough to me.

[Peppermint Leaf]

I went back and checked ---she says she takes the jars with her to the super market :-)

[clutterwarrior]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2GR8KIDS 

I have been fascinated by this since I read the Sunset article a week or two ago. The woman profiled in the article has a blog that answers some of the same questions/criticisms raised in thus thread. I find myself with mixed feelings. On the one hand their goal seems admirable and they have really put a lot of thought and effort into their lifestyle. But some of the information on her blog bugs me - especially something about how one of her sons liked bandaids but she basically pressured him not to feel that way, and times she has felt the need to "educate" her husband when he slipped and brought home a scrap of this or that. Overall I find it thought-provoking although somewhat gimmicky.

My sentiments exactly.

Their powerful conviction is admirable but somehow the word controlling keeps popping into my mind....dunno why...

[monkey's mom]

Hahahaha, Aileen!

Yeah, they had me 'til they got to the kids' toys. Or lack thereof. :shrug: To each their own. And, yeah, editing. I know a couple of bloggers and their real-lives bear a slight resemblence to the shiny, happy, perfect blog-life. I figure (hope?) everyone kind of understood that.

[ChristyMarie]

Toilet paper with individually wrapped rolls?  Um...family cloth anyone? 
 

Originally Posted by Irishmommy 

She has more clothes than I do! And what about the environmental impact of importing their toothbrushes from the other side of the world? I think they are hypocrites actually.

And my kids would KILL me if I said no books except from the library.

My first thought was that the cost of importing toothbrushes is way worse than using a regular one from a local supplier.

Originally Posted by nanette0269 

I dont know....everything appeared TOO new.  I think what bothered me is that the article sounded as if they 'got there' rather than they were on their way there.  all that new furniture was recently varnished, skinned, dyed, etc.  it was not used or vintage.  while the belongings are minimal, which i can appreciate, it didnt appear that any furniture came from an amish workshop directly.  it looked all pretty mass produced, which means a lot of environmental wear and tear.

Exactly.  It looks like they got rid of all their old stuff and bought all new, shiny, mass produced items.  Kind of defeats the purpose...they created waste when purging then how many resources were used to produce and ship all that new stuff? 

And with no garbage where did they put all the packaging???

Originally Posted by Marsupialmom 

She is redistributing her trash by putting it back in the Netflix envelope. That, IMO, is like sticking your trash in your neighbor's trash can. You are letting someone else through it out. It makes me wonder what else she is doing this with, not saying it is all bad returning products to be recycled.  

I don't see anyway to have NO trash.  I see a way to bring no trash into your  home - but not to be responsible for creating none.

And Netflix?  Really?  Packaging and transportation costs?  Regular tv channels would be much more environmentally friendly.