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Yeah I think it's really a way of life. Sometimes people can be addicted to stuff. It's a way of replacing something in your life that's not there. Maybe as we get older we have those other things (family, love, self confidence, whatever...) and that's why we are more willing to part with material possessions. I do think we sometimes hold on to small tokens bc they remind us of something and that's okay to an extent. But sometimes of course that can get out of hand too. It seems like they are 2 different things: one is constantly buying new things and bringing them home and the other is never letting go of old things. For me, it was the first one that was a problem. Before I got married and I was living in a new town I would just go out and shop whenever I was bored or lonely. I constantly got rid of stuff--there wasn't an emotional attachment--but it was a budget problem!Â
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Now I'm so much happier with my family and friends that I don't have the same need to go out and shop. I am also more conscious about money and need my house to be easier to clean bc of chronic fatigue/pain. I do struggle with managing the money-saving and minimalist aspects of my life sometimes. For example: Sugar is a great deal with a sale plus coupons and I know I'll be using it bc I bake a lot. Should I go ahead and buy 5 or 6 bags of it, saving several dollars but having it sit around my house?... or do I just buy one and pay full price when I need it later? 
My mother loved her things.... she had beautiful antiques, china, silver etc. She was a woman that should have been born in the Victorian era. Our house was covered, every single soiltary thing was covered in her stuff. The dinning room table was always set for 6 for a five course meal, she wanted her things out where she could see them. It was like living in a museum. Most of the time even our bedrooms were decorated with her stuff, I had a china wash basin in my room, until I just said no more as a teen. There was no place to do homework except on the floor, our beds were off limits most of the time because it ruined the linens (also something that stopped when I was a teen). I have relized as an adultl ( some 22 + years out of my mothers home) that I am easily overwhelmed by clutter, even beautiful clutter. it really has taken me that long to do something about it. I love my mothers memory but I remember by the acts of kindnees and loving ways, not by her STUFF! when she dies 12 years ago, we had all of her stuff to contend with. i moved a lot of it into my home and for years I lived with it, the furniture mostly, but have slowly re-gifted her things out slowly to people who would LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I feel it is wrong ofr me to keep things that I don't love, they have a life of their own and deserve to be cherished. It has taken me awhile and there are a few pieces that I will alwys keep, because I love them and they work for me, not because they remind me of my mother only...
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My spiritual life is calling to help me as well with my culling of my stuff. I have collected a lot of things in my past, esp. BOOKS, that I thought would make me a better: mother, wife, homeschooler, friend etc., and they don't. i believe I have the power to be all those things without all the stuff attached to me....I am learning to just be who i am....
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Kathleen
I want in on this! I'm definitely still in the aspiring catagory. DH is a pack-rat, but we're really working together on it. Having less stuff is so freeing to me, and thankfully dh is supportive because he sees how much peace it brings me. I literally feel a rush of euphoria when I'm decluttering, which has been an ongoing process since becoming pregnant with ds in Feb 2010.Â
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The one area I really struggle with is the kitchen. I love to cook. Heaven to me is playing in the kitchen all day! As a result though, I've acquired all kinds of kitchen equipment: a blender, food processor, stand mixer, hand mixer...I could go on. Any tips on minimizing a kitchen without compromising my ability to cook what I want? The minimalist in me says I don't need two muffin tins, but the baker in me says I do!
For example: Sugar is a great deal with a sale plus coupons and I know I'll be using it bc I bake a lot. Should I go ahead and buy 5 or 6 bags of it, saving several dollars but having it sit around my house?... or do I just buy one and pay full price when I need it later?
Well, firstly I'd say if you have chronic fatigue and pain skip the sugar! 
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But all kidding aside the way I solve this is by knowing how much I use. I go through about 1 pound of shredded coconut a week, so if it's on sale I'd get a month's worth. That doesn't feel overwhelming and I know it will be gone soon. I try not to ever have more than a month's worth of anything in my house. That to me seems impractical and hard to navigate.Â
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As far as minimums go, I tend to have one reserve. If I run out of something I want a back up. So even if I take two months to get through a bottle of ketchup, I still have one in the pantry. Same for toiletries.
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I want in on this! I'm definitely still in the aspiring catagory. DH is a pack-rat, but we're really working together on it. Having less stuff is so freeing to me, and thankfully dh is supportive because he sees how much peace it brings me. I literally feel a rush of euphoria when I'm decluttering, which has been an ongoing process since becoming pregnant with ds in Feb 2010.Â
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The one area I really struggle with is the kitchen. I love to cook. Heaven to me is playing in the kitchen all day! As a result though, I've acquired all kinds of kitchen equipment: a blender, food processor, stand mixer, hand mixer...I could go on. Any tips on minimizing a kitchen without compromising my ability to cook what I want? The minimalist in me says I don't need two muffin tins, but the baker in me says I do!
I am of the belief that if you USE it all and you have space for it to be organized, then it isn't clutter and it's okay to have all of it. Do you routinely use both muffin tins? do they have their own space? keep 'em!
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I am of the belief that if you USE it all and you have space for it to be organized, then it isn't clutter and it's okay to have all of it. Do you routinely use both muffin tins? do they have their own space? keep 'em!
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I agree, I think if it's what you spend a lot of time doing and you are passionate about it and have the space to keep it organized, it's worth having. I have a bin of craft stuff that is beyond a necessity. I've pared down a lot and will continue to do so. It's my one 'thing' though and since I don't have any other collections of stuff I'm OK with it.
I like what someone said about a month's supply, that's a good way to decide. I usually will only buy one extra of something if it's on sale, rather than 5 or 6 but I also don't have somewhere really great to store stuff and I don't use things up quickly so it would annoy me to have a bunch sitting around.
Can you offer the bulk food to a church or homeless shelter if it is still packaged?
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Another thought I am having....
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When I was in the military and deployed, several older members of my family passed away. I received several frantic calls from my mother stating I had to come home ASAP because the business of doling out the "stuff" had to be taken care of quickly. It took me 4 months to come home off deployment and barely a day into my time off, I was on a flight to my mom's. I arrived, jet lagged and exhausted and within 2 hours, the boxes started appearing from out of nowhere. Box upon box upon box...then, the next day, we had to go to a relatives house. I thought this was all on the up and up, been when we parked halfway down the street and literally snuck into the house, I was NOT having any part of this. Seems everyone was fighting over the "stuff" this relative had and though my parents were the rightful owners, by will decree, other family members felt they should all have dibs. The sneaking around and the padlocks on the doors creeped me out. You know what I found? A house that had been ransacked 2 days after my relative died, BY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS!!! I couldn't believe it. My mother was shoving things into some totes for me, though I was declining it all. It just felt wrong and I am not a big fan of old stuff, no matter how valuable or who it belonged too. I didn't have really fond memories of these particular relatives anywho, so it didn't matter to me. I remember how stressed my family was over this. My mom boxed up 4 totes of items she choose for me and shipped them to me. 1 was lost in the mail and the other 3, I opened, organized what was acceptable to pass on and tossed the rest and quickly hauled them off to Goodwill. The time, money and the STRESS absolutely floored me with the whole situation.
I am now am adamant about not leaving my son with my things. If he wants something now or later, take it. Or he can donate it all, when I am gone and if I have anything left. I don't want him to feel obligated to keep something just because I had it. I want to leave of legacy that I helped others, travelled with great passion and loved my dear son as best as I could. I want him to know I loved my life, not my things. I am almost crazy about it but it is truly how I feel.
Can you offer the bulk food to a church or homeless shelter if it is still packaged?
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It never was packaged, it came from the bulk bins. 
 Like pounds and pounds of masa harina because I made tortillas a couple of times.  What was I thinking!  I gave a bunch of jars and cans to a food drive though.
It's about balancing the needs of each family member. Like it would be silly for me to say that DD "needs" her own room, because she is 2 1/2 and has no concept of it. She isn't asking for any stuff, toys, clothes, her own bed, anything, so it would be silly for me to say she needs x amount of toys or a bed of her own.
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I'm not taking away what she has (I did cull baby toys but we are past that point) and she is old enough to be asked for her opinion on letting go of books etc. By not buying her a lot of toys and by encouraging others to follow suit, I'm not depriving her, she has no NEED for those things, though I still WANT her to get some toys for birthday and christmas.
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When she is older she will have different needs, and more wants, and I don't intend to override those. My aim is to raise a conscious child who appreciates what she has and is happy with less. What she needs and wants now is our TIME and ATTENTION and PHYSICAL CLOSENESS. I agree that love is not always enough, if it doesn't manifest in actions, or if it manifests in buying stuff. DD loves to BE WITH US, play outside mostly, read books, just be side by side all the time. That is truly what she needs (and wants). When she is older she will still need that, but also a growing amount of personal time and a bit more personal space.
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Still, I stand by my opinion that the amount of space and stuff we think we, and our kids, need in Western countries, is just cultural and societal illusion.
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In a way, WE are determining what our kids need, if we say outright that they need this and that, a crib, a room, a big house, a yard, toys, bikes, what have you. Then later it's often their friends and TV and magazines who determine what they "need". I'm not saying those do not feel like valid needs, just that they are necessarily not true needs and they are brought on by external pressure and influence, not inherent need.
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If there is something my DD really really wants (keeps talking about if over again) then I will get it for her. She is not expressing any wants yet though. Her wants have to do with wanting to wear the red socks, or choosing to wear rain gear even if it's sunny :) I let her practice making decisions and being trusted and her wishes respected (if it's nothing potentially harmful).
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There is also the point that we adults are the one carrying the financial responsibility, and by choosing to have less space and less stuff, we may be able to feed our kids better quality food, to stand by our values, to live in a nicer neighborhood. I also think that living in smaller spaces, co-sleeping for an extended time, and siblings sharing rooms, will work towards keeping the family really close and affectionate.
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for me, minimalism is a part of who i am, and finally I am able to embrace it and be it.
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it's kind of sad that it took me this long, but both my DH and I talked about how difficult it was to become free of stuff. even though i've been a de-clutter-er for years, and really hewed toward minimalism time and again, i was often thwarted come the holidays. LOL And, i really couldn't come up with a reason to let go of something that was "perfectly good." EG, "i dislike the sofa, but it's perfectly good!"Â
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In selling everything to come here, i really learned about trash-to-treasure. Not that i ever felt my stuff was "trash" but there was this great fact -- everything that I needed rid of, somenoe else really wanted. It was kind of cool to see how that works.
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Now that I'm here, and buying things used, i'm seeing how things another wants to be rid of becomes my new treasure. "stuff" just seems fluid in a way that it never did before.
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people here, too, do a lot of trading and sharing. people are constantly borrowing things, trading, or just giving things away and others finding use for them. it's great, really. and, it helps with minimalism for sure. :)
in regards to food, we do declutter it quarterly. that's the pantry clean out.Â
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we use three shelves in our pantry. the top shelf is for art supplies -- which I haven't used in over 6 months, so I sold them to a friend. the second shelf has the spices and other dry goods -- all in jars. I actually went through today and culled my spices, giving them to some kids whom I really love and I know they will eventually use it.Â
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I finally realized that we tend to use use ready-made spice blends that we like, rather than individual spices. Herbs du provence, mexican, jamaican, persian, berbere, curry powder, garam masala, and a few others. Might as well just keep those, rather than the other ingredients that we don't use much of, you know?
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the bottom shelf has our oils, vinegars, sweet potatoes, and onions/shallots. Â
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Since I don't bake, and we really don't keep a back-log of food (we are trying to figure out earth quake preparedness though -- we do have stored water), we mostly buy what we need week-to-week, and buy enough for our pantry (2-4 weeks worth of spice, ground almond, whatever).Â
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If I have something to donate, I will -- though it's usually easiest to give it to a friend. :) i gave my various baking ingredients to a friend recently too.
Well, firstly I'd say if you have chronic fatigue and pain skip the sugar!Â
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But all kidding aside the way I solve this is by knowing how much I use. I go through about 1 pound of shredded coconut a week, so if it's on sale I'd get a month's worth. That doesn't feel overwhelming and I know it will be gone soon. I try not to ever have more than a month's worth of anything in my house. That to me seems impractical and hard to navigate.Â
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As far as minimums go, I tend to have one reserve. If I run out of something I want a back up. So even if I take two months to get through a bottle of ketchup, I still have one in the pantry. Same for toiletries.
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lol I know! Most of my baking is eaten by other people so I guess that's okay :) A month's supply is good but I have a hard time keeping up with it. I don't have a pantry so I have stuff organized but hidden away in closets so I guess it's hard to me to see what I have and I quickly loose track.Â
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Can you offer the bulk food to a church or homeless shelter if it is still packaged?
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Another thought I am having....
Â
When I was in the military and deployed, several older members of my family passed away. I received several frantic calls from my mother stating I had to come home ASAP because the business of doling out the "stuff" had to be taken care of quickly. It took me 4 months to come home off deployment and barely a day into my time off, I was on a flight to my mom's. I arrived, jet lagged and exhausted and within 2 hours, the boxes started appearing from out of nowhere. Box upon box upon box...then, the next day, we had to go to a relatives house. I thought this was all on the up and up, been when we parked halfway down the street and literally snuck into the house, I was NOT having any part of this. Seems everyone was fighting over the "stuff" this relative had and though my parents were the rightful owners, by will decree, other family members felt they should all have dibs. The sneaking around and the padlocks on the doors creeped me out. You know what I found? A house that had been ransacked 2 days after my relative died, BY OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS!!! I couldn't believe it. My mother was shoving things into some totes for me, though I was declining it all. It just felt wrong and I am not a big fan of old stuff, no matter how valuable or who it belonged too. I didn't have really fond memories of these particular relatives anywho, so it didn't matter to me. I remember how stressed my family was over this. My mom boxed up 4 totes of items she choose for me and shipped them to me. 1 was lost in the mail and the other 3, I opened, organized what was acceptable to pass on and tossed the rest and quickly hauled them off to Goodwill. The time, money and the STRESS absolutely floored me with the whole situation.
I am now am adamant about not leaving my son with my things. If he wants something now or later, take it. Or he can donate it all, when I am gone and if I have anything left. I don't want him to feel obligated to keep something just because I had it. I want to leave of legacy that I helped others, travelled with great passion and loved my dear son as best as I could. I want him to know I loved my life, not my things. I am almost crazy about it but it is truly how I feel.
That sounds so awful!
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When my grandmother went to the nursing home and we moved into her house we had to deal with all the stuff crammed into every surface/drawer/cabinet /closet/shelf. There was so. much. stuff. it was completely overwhelming. I swore then and there my kids would never have to go through that. My mom has caught my minimalist bug so I don't worry about her but my dad has a LOT. Not looking forward to it. :-(
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for me, minimalism is a part of who i am, and finally I am able to embrace it and be it.
Â
it's kind of sad that it took me this long, but both my DH and I talked about how difficult it was to become free of stuff. even though i've been a de-clutter-er for years, and really hewed toward minimalism time and again, i was often thwarted come the holidays. LOL And, i really couldn't come up with a reason to let go of something that was "perfectly good." EG, "i dislike the sofa, but it's perfectly good!"Â
Â
In selling everything to come here, i really learned about trash-to-treasure. Not that i ever felt my stuff was "trash" but there was this great fact -- everything that I needed rid of, somenoe else really wanted. It was kind of cool to see how that works.
Â
Now that I'm here, and buying things used, i'm seeing how things another wants to be rid of becomes my new treasure. "stuff" just seems fluid in a way that it never did before.
Â
people here, too, do a lot of trading and sharing. people are constantly borrowing things, trading, or just giving things away and others finding use for them. it's great, really. and, it helps with minimalism for sure. :)
That whole sharing/trading concept is something I wish was more prevalent around here (meaning the US). I have mentioned to a few friends that aren't into minimalism and wondering why I'd get rid of so much that I could just borrow if I needed to and they acted like that was inappropriate somehow.
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It never was packaged, it came from the bulk bins.  Like pounds and pounds of masa harina because I made tortillas a couple of times.  What was I thinking!  I gave a bunch of jars and cans to a food drive though.
I would think just giving it to friends or offering it on Craigslist or Freecycle.
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I feel kind of like the only one who lives as minimal as I do so I can't tell you what a nice post this is to find. Â My minimal mindset came when my dad moved the family to South America. Â It was the poorest city in the world in those days. Â Shocking at first. I never got used to seeing the children begging but I learned some invaluable lessons while living and schooling in Bolivia. Â I noticed how families were tighter. Â I noticed how the fathers would take time with their kids after a work day. Â Mostly playing footbal in the streets. Â I noticed how one can survive on so little. Â Â Moving back to material Southern California, the waste around me really became clear. Â In a long story short, I have found a way to live without ever having to go in to stores for most things except food. Â Must go, more later.Â
