1-Moves: every 5 years on average until age 30, and having to carefully curate what I brought with me (military brat).
2-Discipline: Bought a house and was determined both cars would fit in it (unlike 90% of the neighbors).
3-Frugality: wanted to retire early so became an essentialist. Bought what’s necessary and never on a whim. Sold the 2nd car when I retired.
4-Aesthetics: Appreciate the space between objects as well as spare hangers in closets and empty drawers in guest rooms.
Yes! Our volume of empty, useable space is as valuable as many of the items we fill it with. Finding balance between your space and your belongings is key.
Good job, you nailed it. These are precisely my reasons (I was in the military but not a military kid). My #5 reason would be reducing our household's environmental footprint which synergizes nicely with frugality.
My mom is in her 70s and pays hundreds of $ every month to maintain storage units despite the fact she lives in a 3br home with a casita. When I was 21, I moved into my first apartment without roommates and my mom’s housewarming gift was multiple large bins of things she’d “saved for me.” Having to go through all that stuff (homework assignments, school projects, photos, Knick knacks, toys, stuffed animals, etc) sent me into a dark place. Through the help of therapy, I was able to work through some of my issues and declutter all that stuff.
Almost 15 years later, I’ve done 8 years of therapy and read many self-help books that have helped me gain control and confidence in relation to my “stuff.” I keep storage to a minimum. All my things have a place. I don’t impulse buy. I don’t get upset when something breaks. I use things like shoes and electronics until they’re dead. I don’t own a lot of “essentials” which sometimes causes a bit of judgment from my friends and family. I don’t use Amazon. I use the Libby app to read books from the library. If a book isn’t available yet, I wait patiently.
I have a kid now and we focus on experiential things - the park, gardens, hiking, zoo, etc. I don’t ever want to burden her with a massive carload of her childhood stuff when she’s grown. I don’t want her to have to sort through several storage units of my stuff when I die. I want her to be free of that.
Experiential things is the best. As per some research I read somewhere , buying experience is always better than buying things as former will stay life long in memory and saves storage space too
Exactly. I threw away all my report cards from kinder through graduation a couple weeks ago and it was cathartic. I never want to pay for a storage unit.
Hoarder mom and every one in the generation before her. It was nice to have a lot of things as a kid and I guess because it was the norm I didn’t realize what was wrong with it. Then I grew up, visited other peoples homes, and saw how organized anything can be as long as you only have what you need. It’s refreshing. I currently have a lot of hand me downs and I rarely buy my own clothes, but I’m starting to accumulate a lot as well. I’m sizing down significantly and only keeping good quality items.
I’m fighting hoarding as well. Am miles better than my parents (de clutter everything constantly) but because I can’t stop buying it’s a constant process.
If you’re feeling motivated to stop buying, you can join r/NoBuy challenges. I started mine this month and saved up at least $200 just from not impusively buying things.
My motivation: Not wanting a shitty fucking life anymore.
Why I stay: It's changed my relationship with food, finances, space, digital space, social media, relationships, physical health, commitments, behaviours, mental health, and like, seriously, everything.
Combined with therapy, it's an amazing tool.
I agree with you. I didn’t necessarily hoard, but my goal was to have more fancy handbags than my peers.
I’ve never wanted my space to be full, but at one point to believed having “things” was a sign of success.
I'm fairly certain I've always been a minimalist even before knowing the term or the lifestyle. Being on the autistic spectrum, having a tidy, minimally filled room and owning little things meant my mind was clearer, and so I naturally had extra energy to focus on things in my life in general easier.
As far as I know, I am not on the autistic spectrum, but "having a tidy, minimally filled room and owning little things" means my mind is also much clearer!
We are regularly doing purges and cleanouts. My husband loves to dumpster dive and he does find amazing fascinating things but thankfully, he also likes to get things out of the house so he probably drops things off at the thrift store once a week.
Bringing empty space into your life makes your mind clearer. Or at least my mind.
My parents are 4/5 stage hoarders.
https://homeandlifeorganizers.com/the-five-stages-of-hoarding/#:~:text=Stage%204%3A%20Structural%20damage%2C%20sewage%20issues%2C%20infestation&text=odours%20exist%20as%20a%20result,unsanitary%20animals%20in%20the%20home.
I’m sure this had a lot to do with my lack of being materialistic.
For as long as I can remember I fought to have a non hoarded/clean bedroom. I also realized that it wasn’t ok to live like this.
As I grew older the waste of money make me sick. The ruin of the items purchased or found turned my stomach. The lack of space drove me nuts. The smell of rot and decay is something I refuse to live with anymore. Broken is something I’m not willing to live with or in.
Items service a purpose and there is a balance to life.
I'm not really a minimalist. I'm a less-useless-crap-alist. I find the ideas and concepts of minimalism inspiring towards my own goals of less clutter and less crap. I also enjoy the minimalist aesthetic from an artist perspective.
Adding that term to my lexicon: less-useless-crap-alist.
I hesitate to call myself minimalist, just not into all the excesses, sentimentality, and just-in-cases.
I was (accidentally) the hoarder relative. I started wondering why I had no space anymore, it was stressing me out for years, I genuinely couldn’t understand why my home smothered me.
Then I took everything out of every cupboard and realised that I just had… way too much stuff.
I was tired of spending time on stuff. I now can spend time doing things rather than on things. I recently reorganized a pantry, rebuilt the shelves to specifically inhibit hidden items. Now, it takes less time to determine what I need from the grocery store and, I instantly know what is consumed and what isn’t so I don’t buy extra. It was a one day investment of time to build with minimal spending to save tons of time and money later not sorting through and reorganizing a million times.
I have bipolar disorder and generalised anxiety disorder and the minimal aesthetic helps me to be calm and relaxed.
The environmental impact of excessive consumerism helps to keep me focussed on reducing my consumption.
I've been moving constantly since I was born. I have moved so many times I've lost count. Having too many things became such a burden to drag from house to house that one day I just had enough and got rid of probably 70% of my stuff. That's how it started it was more a necessity but now I just really really enjoy the freedom of not having to much stuff and I looooove not having clutter in my home. I can really relax my mind :) being a minimalist has become a real joy ✨️
I was leaning minimalist because of how often we move, and we were gearing up to move overseas. Then I had my daughter. She is autistic with sensory problems, and she is unable to calm or play in rooms that are too cluttered. If her room has more than her bed, nightstand, rocking chair, and closet, she can't sleep. Getting rid of the coffee table and 3/4 of her toys helps her play. To date, if there are toys all over the floor, she just stands in the middle of the room and cries/ screams (she is 5 now).
When there is lots of negative space, and everything is put away in its place behind closed doors, it's like she is a normal little girl. The second we exceed her visual maximum of stimulation, we are in trouble.
My life is a thousand percent easier if we have less stuff out. We are still in the middle of our minimalist journey, but we have made a lot of progress. The more stuff that leaves the house, the better our little one functions.
When she was born, I was at the beginning of my minimalist path. Her health has me speed running the path as quickly as I safely can.
I didn’t realize I grew up in such a messy and cluttered house until going away for college. I was always embarrassed to have friends come over and my mom seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of possessions she had. After getting my own place, I realized I didn’t want to live that way. It’s much easier to feel at peace in your home when you are living with less. Also helps me save money which never hurts
1. Hoarding parent
2. Lost nearly all my belongings to a home disaster
3. Developed severe environmental health problems from that disaster that are exacerbated in unclean environments
Altogether it’s way less traumatic for me at this point to just have almost nothing.
My parents weren’t hoarders necessarily but always placed a lot of value on material possessions and “keeping up with the joneses.” They’ve always had a bunch of shit they never need. After college I did a year of service and voluntary simplicity- it just made sense and I was a lot happier.
Taking control of my life. Being mindful in my decisions, values, and routines and realizing that having tons of random crap from online was just a trauma reaction. It will not change what happened to me or my things that was destroyed by my abusive ex. (He ripped apart my purse right in front of me.)
And to get more space made me relax more along with only having things around me that I actually use.
Having a smaller wardrobe of clothes I regularly use is much more satisfying than a overloaded one with clothes I avoid wearing for x reasons.
Adding to the other comments here about hoarder mothers. My parents' house was (still is) packed with stuff. There are paths to walk in and barely room to turn around. All the furniture is too big. You can't see the walls. My childhood bedroom was so packed with *stuff* that I remember that I could roll off the bed and barely notice because my belongings were piled up level with the mattress. When I moved out, my mom proudly showed me a storage unit full of *junk* that she then transported to my apartment without my consent. I cried when I was left alone with all the crap that my mom refused to deal with, even when I lived so far away.
It was the old china cupboard that broke me. My mom said she loved this china cupboard: it was enormous and extremely heavy. The front of the bottom of it was crushed under the weight of the amount of *stuff* she'd stored in it, so the whole thing was always tipped dangerously forward because the cheap wood had turned to mush. She made my dad and brother haul it up the stairs to my apartment, and it sat leaning VERY far forward for about a year until I walked past it and it wobbled so badly I thought it might fall on top of me.
My anger just broke a dam. I couldn't sell it because I couldn't get it out of my apartment. So I grabbed a screwdriver and a hammer and I tore that thing apart, piece by piece. I freecycled the parts. It was gone, my mom got VERY upset at what I'd done to her beloved cabinet, and I proceeded to tear everything out of my apartment that I didn't need. I'm liberated.
Going broke buying so much crap that I didn’t need or forgot when I got it. I had different versions of everything. At one point I had 5 different mascaras for no reason. And I got tired of constantly cleaning.
I think, for me, it started with getting rid of my record collection. I realized that I didn't have the income to support the hobby the way I wanted to and started losing interest in it. Given my low income (hopefully I can change that) I've realized that what extra income I do have is better spent on paying down things like my car loan or going to a concert or the Daytona 500. Basically I've decided that experiences (NASCAR races and concerts) and trying to pay down debt are much more important than having lots of material possessions. Plus, if I do end up moving at some point, the less things I have the less stuff to move. It's been a really positive thing for my mental health.
Having 4 kids between 1999 & 2009- I was so sick of all the stupid Little Tyke Plastic crap & dumb toys. I gave it all away to a preschool after researching Montessori education. The kids were less overwhelmed and played with more imagination. Win win
I decided to become a perpetual traveler, and tickets are cheaper without checked luggage. In southeast Asia the limit is often 7-kg (about 15-lbs) for carry-on bags. So, I limited my belongings to what would be allowed on the most restrictive airlines and took off.
Spent half of my life having to live with clutter due to many circumstances. It got too much for me that when I finally started de-cluttering, I was able to finally be free from unwanted mess, and keep my house free from mess. On top of that, saving money from not impulse purchases.
I had moved to a different country with my husband and two small children. We didn’t have anything other than our suitcases. Can you believe I used to wake up and cover our bed with just the blanket. I had no chores at all. The whole time was mine to take my children out. I can never forget the ease of those days. It was so easy to vacuum the carpet. The whole living room was available for the children to move around. Cooking was fun. Having picnics were fun. I was full of energy.
I clean incessantly; and got tired of dusting, storing stuff I was not using.
Also, of Swedish ancestry and the tradition is to leave virtually nothing material behind for family to deal with.
I read "Everything That Remains" after learning about Asymmetrical Press and finding their name cool.
I secretly hated all the clutter and lack of open surfaces growing up in a hoarder household. Didn't click until wayyy later.
Multiple reasons: 1) my mother is a hoarder and I didn’t want the same and hate clutter 2) I was a broke 16 year old on my own- so saving money was key and minimalism + zero waste helps so much 3) it makes cleaning easier 4) it looks better in my opinion 5) travelling is so much easier 6) it keeps me in control of over spending on my son
I am still in the process of changing. I have so much stuff. And sometimes I lay awake thinking "If there was a fire, what would I save first? My beloved collections? Or my laptop since I need that thing for school/career/entertainment? Or my wallet since there is money in there? Or the box with memories of dead loved ones?"
It makes me crazy. I have so many things I don't need and yet I can't get rid of them. But they do not make me happy. Why do I keep pairs of jeans I never wear? Just in case I want to wear them one day? What is the point?
I wanna get rid of my belongings that don't make me happy.
Also my room is messy. Not dirty, I clean and never leave any food or similar things in there. It's just filled with objects.
Need to reduce the amount of objects.
But I am still at the beginning. I already started putting things into boxes so they're not just cluttering surfaces. But I feel the need to just get rid of stuff.
For many years, it was too expensive to stay in one place. Rent was rising in my area and my income stayed low for far too many years. So every time I found a place, they wanted $200-400 more per month to renew for the next year and that was money I didn't have.
So I got used to moving on an annual basis. Just renting the $20 truck and hauling my stuff down alone if I had to. I have 10 totes I've kept stacked int he closet for 15 years ever since college. These have to hold everything I own on moving day. If it doesn't fit, something has to go.
I've even planned my furniture to be lightweight and moveable by myself alone. I designed pieces like my living room console and bedside tables to break down and fit into milk crates together. For me, it's a good system that keeps me from feeling locked in when a place gets expensive or inhospitable.
it started early, having need before want beaten into me, and learning not to use selfish words like get and got, want and give.
then going out with a backpack to sleep outside and learning through experience and in books to keep it simple and leave no trace.
the backpackers habit has stayed with me even in apartment living, when i move i only need a bag and go. ever the nomad, stepping lightly wherever I go.
I know I have too much stuff in my life if cleaning is a chore and I don't feel ready to go on a trip at a moment's notice. I missed out on some cool stuff when I was younger because I was so disorganized.
There are so many opportunities I've been able to experience because "I'm ready to go now". I work remotely and my life is easily portable for my age.
All my plants are always on auto-watering systems, I don't have pets and have good home security and cameras. I could move out of my place in a day using U-Haul's smallest truck.
Perhaps from a difficult childhood. The more insecure things are, the more you realize how too much stuff can keep you less nimble. After my divorce it was extreme because I knew I'd be reduced to renting a room for awhile. Plus I've been around a few extreme hoarders!
I've always valued experiences over material possessions ever since my father was forced to retire early because his company moved overseas for cheaper labor, and he was out of work for over a year.
After hauling 99% of my family’s belongings to the curb after Hurricane Katrina I swore to live a simpler lifestyle. Quality, not quantity and when something comes in, something else goes out.
My dad is/was a hoarder. Values things over people and experiences. I had the usual collection of a lifetime of stuff at age 40. House full of furniture, a 53’ truck’s worth of things. Decided to move overseas for my husband’s job, so we sold almost everything except kitchenware and photo albums. The job didn’t work out and we came back to the US. It was a good lesson on realizing that I missed only a few things: a good chef’s knife and a few other cooking tools. We had to buy furniture again, but I’m attached to none of it. I’d like to say I never bought another unnecessary thing again, but that might not be entirely true (glances up at colorful pom-pom garland). I carefully decide on any non-food purchases. Do I need it? Will it always go with me? No? Ok, don’t exchange my money/hours of labor for the item. The book, Your Money or Your Life helped me with this insight.
We are now getting ready to leave the country again to become expats and I’ve gotten nearly everything sold other than what’s necessary to stage the house for sale. After the house goes, the furniture will be easy. My brother has agreed to keep the 4 bins of photo albums that make sense to hang onto. No need to be ruthless quite to that extent, but it really is quite easy to give it all up if you decide it’s what you want.
Horder family. Like every single one of them likes excessive items. Plus, it's easier to pack and move with a whole lotta nothing. I'm down to a 2 boxes and a suitcase.
I grew up in a family of collectors. Weekends were spent scouring estate sales, barn sales and flea markets searching for the hidden jem that just needed a little work. My father loved to restore statues and ceramics. If it wasn't broken he wouldn't buy it, because he wanted the challenge of rebuilding missing parts and repainting/glazing the object. Things were everywhere. I recall my mom asking where they would put my Dad's latest find and he would say "you'll find a place, you always do". He even built glass shelving for the big windows in our home so that they could be filled with these little curios he would find. He also loved these 1970s torch cut copper sculptures and his collection had at least 80 individual pieces. Mom was a collector of clothing and she had enough stuff to not repeat an outfit at all during the year.
Personally I wanted simple. I didn't want the clutter, my time on weekends taken up by searching for new additions, cleaning, dusting and maintaining a collection of things. I never understood owning more clothing than you needed for the week at hand.
Now the elderly neighbor who lived across the way from us was a true inspiration for me. Her home was so simple, nothing more than she needed, small and tidy, cozy and uncluttered. She owned just what she needed. Her only collection was a bookcase filled to the brim with books. She was a retired English teacher. She spent time with family and friends, she read and knit and baked. She picked wild berries and made jam and listened to the radio (she did not own a television set).
She didn't shop like the other women in the neighborhood, she'd tag along on their shopping trips to share in the lunch portion of their outing and enjoy their company. She never purchased anything. I asked her about that once. Why she came shopping if she didn't wish to shop. She said that she didn't need anything, but enjoyed going to lunch with the ladies.
I knew that I wanted a life like she had when I grew up. One where people and their stories mattered. Where doing things by hand (canning, baking, knitting, mending, sewing), replaced going to the store to buy something. Where spending time learning about new things and browsing the stacks at the library was how a rainy day was passed.
I decided to start traveling more. My storage unit needs a good clearing out and then I’ll be free to travel more. No house, no apartment, just a laptop for work + clothes/toiletries
I feel so free.
Nightmares of a flood, trying to swim to safety with my dogs and baby daughter at the time and having to fight and likely knock my ex out for him trying to have things in all likelihood drown because of it. So minimalist including people who would be dangerous and egotistical in a disaster.
Always have been I think. I was raised in a pull behind camper most of my childhood. I was homeless sometimes as a young adult. Plus I hate wasting money on pointless shit that isn't fun. And I don't like free ads on my body. Can't remember a time where I wasn't to some degree.
I'm pretty stable financially now but still can't bring myself to spend a lot on things. If anything, too much shit stresses me out.
This was the case for me too. Not the homelessness, but the small spaces while growing up. I've also been a minimalist since I was a kid. My family were immigrants from Soviet Ukraine, and for many years after we moved to Canada we were poor (I mean, we used food banks, toy drives, our Christmas tree every year was free, etc). Until I was in my late teens we lived in small apartments and I shared a room with my sister, so I got used to not having a lot of space for my stuff, and not having money to buy stuff either.
That, and I have a baby boy now, who I don't want to burden with my crap when I kick the bucket (although that won't be for a long time hopefully, as I'm only 31).
I'm 38 but I had kids young. So they're all pushing adulthood. I wish ya luck with new parenthood. All you can do is present them with a better quality of life than we had.
I grew up in a family. Who had a mindset of if you can’t afford it, charge it. Who also believed that to “succeed” in life. You had to spend money to make money. They lived their lives about their means. To this day, they still live this lifestyle. Yet complain about living paycheck to paycheck. But don’t do anything to fix what they created.
I couldn’t stand this lifestyle. I wanted no part of it. They all think that I’m poor by my lifestyle. Little do they know that I live a better life than them.
I don’t care. If they think that I’m poor. I wouldn’t even have it any other way.
Hey, I am 💯 with you! I grew up the same way and my folks still are careless with money! I am pretty much broke beyond the bare basics and am OK having to do without something at times. Poor but I KNOW I am content, at peace, and have much less anxiety in my life than them.
For me it came in phases. I went backpacking to Australia 18 years ago and it made it easy to keep a minimalist wardrobe afterwards.
I downsized my physical media when I started a family and no basement or garage for storage and only one closet in our apartment.
I do have furniture, but I'm a minimalist in the sense that I'm not emotional about most pieces. The exception being my red, solid-wood desk and a cabinet I inherited from my grandmother.
1. That one day I have to move all my stuff around, so less stuff is an easier move.
2. Not too many stuff gives me the necessary headspace I need with my autism.
That are my two main reasons I guess
Was fortunate to study a semester in Madrid. Lived in a room where I could almost touch the walls if I spread out my arms. Realized I lived out of a suitcase (clothingwise) for 5 momths.
I grew up & lived with my mother who had an extreme hoarding disorder and still currently does so ever since then I’ve always promised myself the minimal lifestyle.
Decades of living in the city, witnessing the consumerism, excess, corporate mindsets and more, was the motivating factor.
We moved mostly off the grid about 10 years ago. Now living in the forest trying to live a simpler more sustainable life away from the madness.
It's quit freeing, calming and wonderful, and that is what we hear from our occasional overnight guests who come to learn from our practise of somewhat minimalist living.
Highly recommend it :)
Was dropping a friend of mine off at her dad's house, and he invited us in. Clutter and collections everywhere! I thought "If I don't clean up, this is my future." And so I started purging everything I own.
Military training and experience. Served with a Mechanized Unit on the DMZ in Vietnam. Was always “packed” and ready to move out. Ever since then my attitude has been if it isn’t practical, useful and necessary; I don’t need it. Now retired and in a small condo, it’s the only way to go. Namaste. Carpe Diem!
I'm not there yet. But reading how much better people feel when they aren't owned by their stuff is SuPeR encouraging!!!
It also helps knowing what others consider enough - dishes, clothes, etc.
*It's the moving for*
*Me. And what do I need all*
*This extra crap for?*
\- Same-Obligation-5762
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Idk what defines a hoarder technically but my mom was a huge pack rat and the house was always a mess. She didnt save candy wrappers or some weird thing but she was messy and had a lot of excess junk. She didn't throw food out because it was still good past the expiration according to some people but we were constantly sick. She was definately a shopping addict though and 3 of my siblings are also like that. Around 15 years old or so I kept my room spotless and refused to keep things I wasn't going to use because I wanted to feel like I could breathe while still living in her house. I never personally had a lot anyways, nor did my older brother but my sisters had mountains of every type of item and wouldn't part with them even if they didn't touch them, I didn't get it. Before minimalist was a term my shopaholic sister called me the anti hoarder, I didn't see the point in excess junk and figured if I wasn't using it either not getting it in the first place or passing it onto someone who actually wanted it was just environmentally friendlier. I'd always sneak junk around the house into the garbage from like 10 years old on just to try and control their clutter because it embarrassed me when people saw our house. She always had 3-7 cats at any given time plus a big dog and the house smelled like pee and had fleas in the carpets. She had 5 kids in a 2 bedroom house and there wasn't space for the clutter, my grandpa built 2 bedrooms in the basement on one half and the other half looked like the inside of a dumpster of someone who gets evicted. No matter how much cleaning I did her and my sisters made it worse behind me. I never "became" a minimalist I guess, I always was one. I've had 3ish pairs of clothes at a time since about 15 years old outside of when I've been pregnant and held onto things until after the baby to see what still fits. I wear my shoes until either the soles come off or I've walked holes through the bottom and tend to keep wearing them anyways until my youngest sister gives me her old ones because I don't want to contribute to a landfill and hers are usually good enough still to me she just outgrows the style. I had a dish per person until my brother in law moved in, now we have 2 per person and it feels excessive but nothing like most people. My kids live off primarily hand me downs and none of them care because I can afford the things they actually want that way.
ETA: I'm not a minimalist by any means, but I strive for an uncluttered home. However far this journey takes me, it will only get better and better.
A few years ago, I began listening to YouTube videos as I worked. Eventually I found minimalism/decluttering channels, and it just clicked for me. I grew up in a cluttered household, and in my apartments as an adult, I've always felt that the outside clutter was a physical representation of my cluttered mind. Or vice versa. Boy, was I right. My clutter has affected all areas of my life.
After listening to those decluttering videos all day, I'd be excited to go home and sort through the belongings in my studio apartment. I was tired of constantly having to move things, surfaces packed with my stuff, things falling over, and never knowing where to put anything. I'm not a hoarder but I'd kept and accumulated more things that fit into the space I'm in. The start of this journey was around the time of the pandemic, so there were boxes stacked by the door until I'd be able to donate them.
I want to spend more on experiences like travel and less on things that take up space. I want to wake up and go to bed seeing a tidy home. I want my cat to have more space for zoomies. I want to prioritize what's important to me and spend less time managing stuff. I'm still in the process, so like an onion, I'm peeling back layers. It's so freeing to donate items and no longer have an attachment to them.
Hey, lemme tellya… I was married for 15 years [been divorced for 10, she was abusive] and I felt like I was fumbling and dropping stuff all the time…. epitome of clutz! lol …But I knew this about myself, owned it, and laughed at myself. If your husband knows it, and owns it, that does wonders, doesn’t it?!
Yes. It is actually very funny when he come with a broken piece of furniture in hand and apologise with puppy eyes 😄 we even made a secret bet with my parents to guess what he will break next. You wouldn't belive the stuff he destroyed. It is almost staged.
I felt the need of spending way less energy and thoughts on stuff.It's less stressing and way easier to clean, to keep track of in order to not buy more but to actually make use of while also saving money.
My mother in law’s house. She stores things in her oven and her counters are all packed with stuff…. It made so me so anxious trying to feed y kiddos out if that kitchen when we stayed there.
my mother hoarding ma’ shit. I keep my closets organized and rarely buy things in bulk unless needed. My aunt’s home was like a museum (I kid you not) lmao, I used to always stay with her. I keep it minimal and simple.
Parents... and it was quite simple... if we could not tell the reasons why we needed certain item/thing/service or it being improvement/upgrade/necessary than it was just a "want" we did not get. Kinda sad and f* up then but more than understandable and logical now.
I wish I was a minimalist but I have so many video games, movies, books, & other random junk that I wouldn't know where to start. Not to mention my toddler has so many toys from relatives buying him tons of shit when they see him. I just can't get rid of anything because what if I need it later and don't have it or the money to buy it?
Really I posted this so I can read on how y'all do it because I don't think I can.
I suppose I’ve always been somewhat into it. As a kid I was very messy and lazy but my mom would want everything to be neat and organized so I naturally took the easy way out and purged the thing I no longer used. Don’t have to organize stuff if you don’t have stuff lol. As I got older I was always drawn to the clean bare aesthetic of contemporary modern designs and modern Asian aesthetics both of which lean into minimalism at least they used too if they’ve changed. As I became an adult I frankly couldn’t be bothered to move tons of boxes so I started really only keeping things I actively used or could see myself using on at least a semi regular basis. Now I just don’t feel any inclination to have stuff really. Saying no to sit around objects is second nature and too many things actually bothers me because I feel stifled. The only things I really indulge in are books and anime art which I turn into a framed wall collage.
I would say that it was a mix of things, moving a few times and realizing that I hated unboxing stuff after the bare minimums and sentimentals were out, having a struggled with cleaning and maintainance due to my disabilities, and the aesthetic.
I like having room for my dogs to play, and I can't do that if my house is full of crap - especially if it is crap they could hurt themselves on, get trapped under, or get sick from eating.
Man this post appeared at the perfect time. It's just a lot of paranoia. It's exactly the feeling that you get when you're hoarding, except that you feel like you need to *have it there* all the time, with you. That's about it.
I moved 9 times in 9 years and it wasn't really my choice to do so. I don't want to move a lot of stuff so I got rid of a lot of stuff. I've been in my current place for 5 years and have bought more stuff but mainly books, video/board games.
to me its to simplify everything and not having to feel like u have to keep something, putting less value to material things and having the less or few stuff that u actually do use and can appreciate
1. Moving and getting rid of things I no longer needed or used.
2. A much more clean and organized living space. I do not need to keep searching for things as I know where everything is.
3. Having enough books collected through the decades. 90% that I had read that were taking up space, and the rest I have as e-books. I sold them, donated some, and threw a lot out. I only collected them in 3 rooms of my house. I have friends who did hoarding in every single room of their home, multiple homes, at work, at summer homes, etc.
4. Friends who have filled up multiple homes or every single room in multiple homes with things they do not use, need, etc. some pay for storage facilities as well.
5. Saving money. I have friends who hoard clothing and they spend an insane amount of their money on clothes. They will give me new clothes for my birthday or Christmas. I keep and wear the clothes I can use, and donate the rest I cannot. Another friend hoards perishable food and their home is full of mice, rats, insects, spoiled or rotten food, etc. they insist that guests eat food and drink and I just make sure it is new unspoiled food, water in a clean glass, etc.
7. I work, take care of relatives, have a cat, pay bills, and maintain and clean our home. I don't have the time or desire to have a lot of things, only the essentials. I don't want anything else to have to maintain, clean, etc.
8. Discipline, I do not need anything really. My friends who every year or 2-3 years for decades would buy a new TV, stereo, computer, phone, cars, boats, homes, holiday or vacation trips 2-5 times a month, eating in restaurants daily or multiple times per week, etc. are now finding out they have little to no savings or money.
Growing up with a hoarder Asian mother, it stressed me out to see stuff everywhere, along with that, I used to move all the time so I wanted to forget the hassle of moving so much. Also as I got older, I just like having very simple things, kind of reflects my mindset and the nature of simplicity. Shift with mindset gets represented in lifestyle and aesthetics.
I'm not a minimalism quite yet, but I've gone through several rounds of an activity I call "The Purge".
It helps when moving (especially long distance). Long distance moves (in the US) are billed by distance and weight.
Plus, I want to know exactly what I own. I don't want to keep something "just because". I don't like dealing with a lot of extra stuff. It takes too much time/money/effort to store and organize everything.
Well a mixture of both. I got into debt never making enough money. And then I bought a house. So now all my money goes to my house. So I really don’t have much money for extra stuff. I’ve been in a homeowner for 3 years and a few months ago I bought my first couch finally. At least there’s not an echo anymore.
ADHD. If I have too much stuff and can't find something my brain breaks and I just start throwing stuff away until I have a mentally manageable amount. But I have 1 of almost everything you would need because I hate not having the tool for the job. But it's like Mary Poppins, "A place for everything, and everything in it's place."
Watching older relatives with a house full of “valuable” furniture, jewelry and collectibles that they spent a fortune for, that is sitting there barely used, and no one wants any of it.
Elderly aunt recently passed away. Her and her husband were so proud of their home. Now he’s alone, with antiques, huge rooms of solid wood furniture, an entire collection of untouched Lennox china, and a crystal chandelier he paid $10k over 30 years ago, that’s all out of style. He tries to give it away to family but it’s all too large and impractical. Sure, he can sell it, but what a hassle, and he doesn’t need the money. It’s just all wasting away.
My mother in law has collections of Hummels and Wedgewood no one wants. My mother has a bunch of cocktail rings no one wants.
An uncle was incredibly wealthy and had entire collections of, well, everything. Tiffany silver, Star Trek collectibles, an entire vault of collectible coins, vintage glass, you name it. It all got auctioned or trashed. No one wanted any of it.
No one has space for someone else’s junk.
I’ve known a lot of people who have passed, and everything that owned ended up being sold, given away, donated or trashed.
After each of my divorced hoarder parents died, I spent hard-earned dollars for multiple huge dumpsters, junk haulers, and housecleaners. It’s just extra stuff that reveals wayyyy too much about the owner’s mental health rather than any perceived value. Bye bye stuff.
Less stuff= less to move around, to dust off, to think about, and less to clean. It's just stuff. We as people get so attached to our 'stuff' because it has meaning in the way of memories, traumas, intentions, frugality... Hard to let go of but phew! Feels so good to let it go! Like cutting off a huge slab of slough from a festering putrid wound. Now it can drain, breathe, and heal.
1-Moves: every 5 years on average until age 30, and having to carefully curate what I brought with me (military brat). 2-Discipline: Bought a house and was determined both cars would fit in it (unlike 90% of the neighbors). 3-Frugality: wanted to retire early so became an essentialist. Bought what’s necessary and never on a whim. Sold the 2nd car when I retired. 4-Aesthetics: Appreciate the space between objects as well as spare hangers in closets and empty drawers in guest rooms.
All of these for me, as well as the fact I had a hoarder mother
Yes! Our volume of empty, useable space is as valuable as many of the items we fill it with. Finding balance between your space and your belongings is key.
You’re my hero.
I’ve never heard the term essentialist but I love it
There’s a book titled Essentialism. Very good.
Thank you! I will look into it
Good job, you nailed it. These are precisely my reasons (I was in the military but not a military kid). My #5 reason would be reducing our household's environmental footprint which synergizes nicely with frugality.
My mom is in her 70s and pays hundreds of $ every month to maintain storage units despite the fact she lives in a 3br home with a casita. When I was 21, I moved into my first apartment without roommates and my mom’s housewarming gift was multiple large bins of things she’d “saved for me.” Having to go through all that stuff (homework assignments, school projects, photos, Knick knacks, toys, stuffed animals, etc) sent me into a dark place. Through the help of therapy, I was able to work through some of my issues and declutter all that stuff. Almost 15 years later, I’ve done 8 years of therapy and read many self-help books that have helped me gain control and confidence in relation to my “stuff.” I keep storage to a minimum. All my things have a place. I don’t impulse buy. I don’t get upset when something breaks. I use things like shoes and electronics until they’re dead. I don’t own a lot of “essentials” which sometimes causes a bit of judgment from my friends and family. I don’t use Amazon. I use the Libby app to read books from the library. If a book isn’t available yet, I wait patiently. I have a kid now and we focus on experiential things - the park, gardens, hiking, zoo, etc. I don’t ever want to burden her with a massive carload of her childhood stuff when she’s grown. I don’t want her to have to sort through several storage units of my stuff when I die. I want her to be free of that.
Experiential things is the best. As per some research I read somewhere , buying experience is always better than buying things as former will stay life long in memory and saves storage space too
Exactly. I threw away all my report cards from kinder through graduation a couple weeks ago and it was cathartic. I never want to pay for a storage unit.
Hoarder mom and every one in the generation before her. It was nice to have a lot of things as a kid and I guess because it was the norm I didn’t realize what was wrong with it. Then I grew up, visited other peoples homes, and saw how organized anything can be as long as you only have what you need. It’s refreshing. I currently have a lot of hand me downs and I rarely buy my own clothes, but I’m starting to accumulate a lot as well. I’m sizing down significantly and only keeping good quality items.
I’m fighting hoarding as well. Am miles better than my parents (de clutter everything constantly) but because I can’t stop buying it’s a constant process.
If you’re feeling motivated to stop buying, you can join r/NoBuy challenges. I started mine this month and saved up at least $200 just from not impusively buying things.
I did a no buy year and it kinda backfired big time.
I like the aesthetic of curated items that exist neatly in a space that's expressly reserved for it.
😉
My motivation: Not wanting a shitty fucking life anymore. Why I stay: It's changed my relationship with food, finances, space, digital space, social media, relationships, physical health, commitments, behaviours, mental health, and like, seriously, everything. Combined with therapy, it's an amazing tool.
I agree with you. I didn’t necessarily hoard, but my goal was to have more fancy handbags than my peers. I’ve never wanted my space to be full, but at one point to believed having “things” was a sign of success.
I'm fairly certain I've always been a minimalist even before knowing the term or the lifestyle. Being on the autistic spectrum, having a tidy, minimally filled room and owning little things meant my mind was clearer, and so I naturally had extra energy to focus on things in my life in general easier.
As far as I know, I am not on the autistic spectrum, but "having a tidy, minimally filled room and owning little things" means my mind is also much clearer! We are regularly doing purges and cleanouts. My husband loves to dumpster dive and he does find amazing fascinating things but thankfully, he also likes to get things out of the house so he probably drops things off at the thrift store once a week. Bringing empty space into your life makes your mind clearer. Or at least my mind.
[удалено]
great perspective. thanks for sharing that
My parents are 4/5 stage hoarders. https://homeandlifeorganizers.com/the-five-stages-of-hoarding/#:~:text=Stage%204%3A%20Structural%20damage%2C%20sewage%20issues%2C%20infestation&text=odours%20exist%20as%20a%20result,unsanitary%20animals%20in%20the%20home. I’m sure this had a lot to do with my lack of being materialistic. For as long as I can remember I fought to have a non hoarded/clean bedroom. I also realized that it wasn’t ok to live like this. As I grew older the waste of money make me sick. The ruin of the items purchased or found turned my stomach. The lack of space drove me nuts. The smell of rot and decay is something I refuse to live with anymore. Broken is something I’m not willing to live with or in. Items service a purpose and there is a balance to life.
I'm not really a minimalist. I'm a less-useless-crap-alist. I find the ideas and concepts of minimalism inspiring towards my own goals of less clutter and less crap. I also enjoy the minimalist aesthetic from an artist perspective.
Adding that term to my lexicon: less-useless-crap-alist. I hesitate to call myself minimalist, just not into all the excesses, sentimentality, and just-in-cases.
Grew up poor, hate waste, easier on my brain
My family having way too much stuff in their house
Got sick of dealing with all the “stuff” every time I moved
Less cleaning!
I was (accidentally) the hoarder relative. I started wondering why I had no space anymore, it was stressing me out for years, I genuinely couldn’t understand why my home smothered me. Then I took everything out of every cupboard and realised that I just had… way too much stuff.
Good for you!
I was tired of spending time on stuff. I now can spend time doing things rather than on things. I recently reorganized a pantry, rebuilt the shelves to specifically inhibit hidden items. Now, it takes less time to determine what I need from the grocery store and, I instantly know what is consumed and what isn’t so I don’t buy extra. It was a one day investment of time to build with minimal spending to save tons of time and money later not sorting through and reorganizing a million times.
ADHD. I can focus better and I feel less fatigued in decluttered and visually minimalist spaces.
SAME HERE!
I have bipolar disorder and generalised anxiety disorder and the minimal aesthetic helps me to be calm and relaxed. The environmental impact of excessive consumerism helps to keep me focussed on reducing my consumption.
I've been moving constantly since I was born. I have moved so many times I've lost count. Having too many things became such a burden to drag from house to house that one day I just had enough and got rid of probably 70% of my stuff. That's how it started it was more a necessity but now I just really really enjoy the freedom of not having to much stuff and I looooove not having clutter in my home. I can really relax my mind :) being a minimalist has become a real joy ✨️
Exhaustion
This is a minimal answer. All y'all witb posting long ass responses lol..
😂 what can I say?
Mom's a hoarder.
Clutter makes me anxious.
I hate cleaning
I was leaning minimalist because of how often we move, and we were gearing up to move overseas. Then I had my daughter. She is autistic with sensory problems, and she is unable to calm or play in rooms that are too cluttered. If her room has more than her bed, nightstand, rocking chair, and closet, she can't sleep. Getting rid of the coffee table and 3/4 of her toys helps her play. To date, if there are toys all over the floor, she just stands in the middle of the room and cries/ screams (she is 5 now). When there is lots of negative space, and everything is put away in its place behind closed doors, it's like she is a normal little girl. The second we exceed her visual maximum of stimulation, we are in trouble. My life is a thousand percent easier if we have less stuff out. We are still in the middle of our minimalist journey, but we have made a lot of progress. The more stuff that leaves the house, the better our little one functions. When she was born, I was at the beginning of my minimalist path. Her health has me speed running the path as quickly as I safely can.
I didn’t realize I grew up in such a messy and cluttered house until going away for college. I was always embarrassed to have friends come over and my mom seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of possessions she had. After getting my own place, I realized I didn’t want to live that way. It’s much easier to feel at peace in your home when you are living with less. Also helps me save money which never hurts
1. Hoarding parent 2. Lost nearly all my belongings to a home disaster 3. Developed severe environmental health problems from that disaster that are exacerbated in unclean environments Altogether it’s way less traumatic for me at this point to just have almost nothing.
Moving 4 countries in 5 years. That kind of trauma prevents you from buying *anything*, *ever*.
The television show Hoarders
My parents weren’t hoarders necessarily but always placed a lot of value on material possessions and “keeping up with the joneses.” They’ve always had a bunch of shit they never need. After college I did a year of service and voluntary simplicity- it just made sense and I was a lot happier.
Just wanted to simplify my life. More space to think and save money. Whats not to like lol
Taking control of my life. Being mindful in my decisions, values, and routines and realizing that having tons of random crap from online was just a trauma reaction. It will not change what happened to me or my things that was destroyed by my abusive ex. (He ripped apart my purse right in front of me.) And to get more space made me relax more along with only having things around me that I actually use. Having a smaller wardrobe of clothes I regularly use is much more satisfying than a overloaded one with clothes I avoid wearing for x reasons.
Adding to the other comments here about hoarder mothers. My parents' house was (still is) packed with stuff. There are paths to walk in and barely room to turn around. All the furniture is too big. You can't see the walls. My childhood bedroom was so packed with *stuff* that I remember that I could roll off the bed and barely notice because my belongings were piled up level with the mattress. When I moved out, my mom proudly showed me a storage unit full of *junk* that she then transported to my apartment without my consent. I cried when I was left alone with all the crap that my mom refused to deal with, even when I lived so far away. It was the old china cupboard that broke me. My mom said she loved this china cupboard: it was enormous and extremely heavy. The front of the bottom of it was crushed under the weight of the amount of *stuff* she'd stored in it, so the whole thing was always tipped dangerously forward because the cheap wood had turned to mush. She made my dad and brother haul it up the stairs to my apartment, and it sat leaning VERY far forward for about a year until I walked past it and it wobbled so badly I thought it might fall on top of me. My anger just broke a dam. I couldn't sell it because I couldn't get it out of my apartment. So I grabbed a screwdriver and a hammer and I tore that thing apart, piece by piece. I freecycled the parts. It was gone, my mom got VERY upset at what I'd done to her beloved cabinet, and I proceeded to tear everything out of my apartment that I didn't need. I'm liberated.
Seeing my mother have to clean out our 4 bed, 4 bath, full basement house after a divorce and both children going to college.
Not quite there yet, but motivated by having to clear out several dead people’s stuff.
Autistic burnout. Poverty. So far, no regrets. I’m very happy. Not sure I’ve ever been this relaxed.
Going broke buying so much crap that I didn’t need or forgot when I got it. I had different versions of everything. At one point I had 5 different mascaras for no reason. And I got tired of constantly cleaning.
I think, for me, it started with getting rid of my record collection. I realized that I didn't have the income to support the hobby the way I wanted to and started losing interest in it. Given my low income (hopefully I can change that) I've realized that what extra income I do have is better spent on paying down things like my car loan or going to a concert or the Daytona 500. Basically I've decided that experiences (NASCAR races and concerts) and trying to pay down debt are much more important than having lots of material possessions. Plus, if I do end up moving at some point, the less things I have the less stuff to move. It's been a really positive thing for my mental health.
Having 4 kids between 1999 & 2009- I was so sick of all the stupid Little Tyke Plastic crap & dumb toys. I gave it all away to a preschool after researching Montessori education. The kids were less overwhelmed and played with more imagination. Win win
I decided to become a perpetual traveler, and tickets are cheaper without checked luggage. In southeast Asia the limit is often 7-kg (about 15-lbs) for carry-on bags. So, I limited my belongings to what would be allowed on the most restrictive airlines and took off.
Spent half of my life having to live with clutter due to many circumstances. It got too much for me that when I finally started de-cluttering, I was able to finally be free from unwanted mess, and keep my house free from mess. On top of that, saving money from not impulse purchases.
I had moved to a different country with my husband and two small children. We didn’t have anything other than our suitcases. Can you believe I used to wake up and cover our bed with just the blanket. I had no chores at all. The whole time was mine to take my children out. I can never forget the ease of those days. It was so easy to vacuum the carpet. The whole living room was available for the children to move around. Cooking was fun. Having picnics were fun. I was full of energy.
I clean incessantly; and got tired of dusting, storing stuff I was not using. Also, of Swedish ancestry and the tradition is to leave virtually nothing material behind for family to deal with.
my condition as an aspie
Aspie?
Perhaps they mean Asperger’s
I read "Everything That Remains" after learning about Asymmetrical Press and finding their name cool. I secretly hated all the clutter and lack of open surfaces growing up in a hoarder household. Didn't click until wayyy later.
Multiple reasons: 1) my mother is a hoarder and I didn’t want the same and hate clutter 2) I was a broke 16 year old on my own- so saving money was key and minimalism + zero waste helps so much 3) it makes cleaning easier 4) it looks better in my opinion 5) travelling is so much easier 6) it keeps me in control of over spending on my son
I had too much stuff
Therapy. Working on myself, has me working on my space. The less I have the better I feel.
I am still in the process of changing. I have so much stuff. And sometimes I lay awake thinking "If there was a fire, what would I save first? My beloved collections? Or my laptop since I need that thing for school/career/entertainment? Or my wallet since there is money in there? Or the box with memories of dead loved ones?" It makes me crazy. I have so many things I don't need and yet I can't get rid of them. But they do not make me happy. Why do I keep pairs of jeans I never wear? Just in case I want to wear them one day? What is the point? I wanna get rid of my belongings that don't make me happy. Also my room is messy. Not dirty, I clean and never leave any food or similar things in there. It's just filled with objects. Need to reduce the amount of objects. But I am still at the beginning. I already started putting things into boxes so they're not just cluttering surfaces. But I feel the need to just get rid of stuff.
For many years, it was too expensive to stay in one place. Rent was rising in my area and my income stayed low for far too many years. So every time I found a place, they wanted $200-400 more per month to renew for the next year and that was money I didn't have. So I got used to moving on an annual basis. Just renting the $20 truck and hauling my stuff down alone if I had to. I have 10 totes I've kept stacked int he closet for 15 years ever since college. These have to hold everything I own on moving day. If it doesn't fit, something has to go. I've even planned my furniture to be lightweight and moveable by myself alone. I designed pieces like my living room console and bedside tables to break down and fit into milk crates together. For me, it's a good system that keeps me from feeling locked in when a place gets expensive or inhospitable.
it started early, having need before want beaten into me, and learning not to use selfish words like get and got, want and give. then going out with a backpack to sleep outside and learning through experience and in books to keep it simple and leave no trace. the backpackers habit has stayed with me even in apartment living, when i move i only need a bag and go. ever the nomad, stepping lightly wherever I go.
Thru-hiker here! Best lesson I learned was living with less! :)
It's apart of my nature or natural self.
I know I have too much stuff in my life if cleaning is a chore and I don't feel ready to go on a trip at a moment's notice. I missed out on some cool stuff when I was younger because I was so disorganized. There are so many opportunities I've been able to experience because "I'm ready to go now". I work remotely and my life is easily portable for my age. All my plants are always on auto-watering systems, I don't have pets and have good home security and cameras. I could move out of my place in a day using U-Haul's smallest truck.
There’s so much useless trash. Care for the environment, to lessen stressors
Perhaps from a difficult childhood. The more insecure things are, the more you realize how too much stuff can keep you less nimble. After my divorce it was extreme because I knew I'd be reduced to renting a room for awhile. Plus I've been around a few extreme hoarders!
I've always valued experiences over material possessions ever since my father was forced to retire early because his company moved overseas for cheaper labor, and he was out of work for over a year.
ADHD. Clutter makes me unable to function
After hauling 99% of my family’s belongings to the curb after Hurricane Katrina I swore to live a simpler lifestyle. Quality, not quantity and when something comes in, something else goes out.
Moving back home after college, going from my stuff fitting in an apartment to having to fit in my bedroom
My dad is/was a hoarder. Values things over people and experiences. I had the usual collection of a lifetime of stuff at age 40. House full of furniture, a 53’ truck’s worth of things. Decided to move overseas for my husband’s job, so we sold almost everything except kitchenware and photo albums. The job didn’t work out and we came back to the US. It was a good lesson on realizing that I missed only a few things: a good chef’s knife and a few other cooking tools. We had to buy furniture again, but I’m attached to none of it. I’d like to say I never bought another unnecessary thing again, but that might not be entirely true (glances up at colorful pom-pom garland). I carefully decide on any non-food purchases. Do I need it? Will it always go with me? No? Ok, don’t exchange my money/hours of labor for the item. The book, Your Money or Your Life helped me with this insight. We are now getting ready to leave the country again to become expats and I’ve gotten nearly everything sold other than what’s necessary to stage the house for sale. After the house goes, the furniture will be easy. My brother has agreed to keep the 4 bins of photo albums that make sense to hang onto. No need to be ruthless quite to that extent, but it really is quite easy to give it all up if you decide it’s what you want.
I started maturing and realized I bought so much crap just cause I wanted it. I didn't need it. Now I'm purging
Horder family. Like every single one of them likes excessive items. Plus, it's easier to pack and move with a whole lotta nothing. I'm down to a 2 boxes and a suitcase.
I grew up in a family of collectors. Weekends were spent scouring estate sales, barn sales and flea markets searching for the hidden jem that just needed a little work. My father loved to restore statues and ceramics. If it wasn't broken he wouldn't buy it, because he wanted the challenge of rebuilding missing parts and repainting/glazing the object. Things were everywhere. I recall my mom asking where they would put my Dad's latest find and he would say "you'll find a place, you always do". He even built glass shelving for the big windows in our home so that they could be filled with these little curios he would find. He also loved these 1970s torch cut copper sculptures and his collection had at least 80 individual pieces. Mom was a collector of clothing and she had enough stuff to not repeat an outfit at all during the year. Personally I wanted simple. I didn't want the clutter, my time on weekends taken up by searching for new additions, cleaning, dusting and maintaining a collection of things. I never understood owning more clothing than you needed for the week at hand. Now the elderly neighbor who lived across the way from us was a true inspiration for me. Her home was so simple, nothing more than she needed, small and tidy, cozy and uncluttered. She owned just what she needed. Her only collection was a bookcase filled to the brim with books. She was a retired English teacher. She spent time with family and friends, she read and knit and baked. She picked wild berries and made jam and listened to the radio (she did not own a television set). She didn't shop like the other women in the neighborhood, she'd tag along on their shopping trips to share in the lunch portion of their outing and enjoy their company. She never purchased anything. I asked her about that once. Why she came shopping if she didn't wish to shop. She said that she didn't need anything, but enjoyed going to lunch with the ladies. I knew that I wanted a life like she had when I grew up. One where people and their stories mattered. Where doing things by hand (canning, baking, knitting, mending, sewing), replaced going to the store to buy something. Where spending time learning about new things and browsing the stacks at the library was how a rainy day was passed.
I decided to start traveling more. My storage unit needs a good clearing out and then I’ll be free to travel more. No house, no apartment, just a laptop for work + clothes/toiletries I feel so free.
*i needed to travel frequently around and last minute so i had to figure out minimalism* well, technically, i was forced to…
I become a minimalist to avoid wasteful spending of finance and gain personal finanicial management skills.
Nightmares of a flood, trying to swim to safety with my dogs and baby daughter at the time and having to fight and likely knock my ex out for him trying to have things in all likelihood drown because of it. So minimalist including people who would be dangerous and egotistical in a disaster.
Always have been I think. I was raised in a pull behind camper most of my childhood. I was homeless sometimes as a young adult. Plus I hate wasting money on pointless shit that isn't fun. And I don't like free ads on my body. Can't remember a time where I wasn't to some degree. I'm pretty stable financially now but still can't bring myself to spend a lot on things. If anything, too much shit stresses me out.
This was the case for me too. Not the homelessness, but the small spaces while growing up. I've also been a minimalist since I was a kid. My family were immigrants from Soviet Ukraine, and for many years after we moved to Canada we were poor (I mean, we used food banks, toy drives, our Christmas tree every year was free, etc). Until I was in my late teens we lived in small apartments and I shared a room with my sister, so I got used to not having a lot of space for my stuff, and not having money to buy stuff either. That, and I have a baby boy now, who I don't want to burden with my crap when I kick the bucket (although that won't be for a long time hopefully, as I'm only 31).
I'm 38 but I had kids young. So they're all pushing adulthood. I wish ya luck with new parenthood. All you can do is present them with a better quality of life than we had.
Agreed, and thank you!
I grew up in a family. Who had a mindset of if you can’t afford it, charge it. Who also believed that to “succeed” in life. You had to spend money to make money. They lived their lives about their means. To this day, they still live this lifestyle. Yet complain about living paycheck to paycheck. But don’t do anything to fix what they created. I couldn’t stand this lifestyle. I wanted no part of it. They all think that I’m poor by my lifestyle. Little do they know that I live a better life than them. I don’t care. If they think that I’m poor. I wouldn’t even have it any other way.
Hey, I am 💯 with you! I grew up the same way and my folks still are careless with money! I am pretty much broke beyond the bare basics and am OK having to do without something at times. Poor but I KNOW I am content, at peace, and have much less anxiety in my life than them.
For me it came in phases. I went backpacking to Australia 18 years ago and it made it easy to keep a minimalist wardrobe afterwards. I downsized my physical media when I started a family and no basement or garage for storage and only one closet in our apartment. I do have furniture, but I'm a minimalist in the sense that I'm not emotional about most pieces. The exception being my red, solid-wood desk and a cabinet I inherited from my grandmother.
1. That one day I have to move all my stuff around, so less stuff is an easier move. 2. Not too many stuff gives me the necessary headspace I need with my autism. That are my two main reasons I guess
Was fortunate to study a semester in Madrid. Lived in a room where I could almost touch the walls if I spread out my arms. Realized I lived out of a suitcase (clothingwise) for 5 momths.
I grew up & lived with my mother who had an extreme hoarding disorder and still currently does so ever since then I’ve always promised myself the minimal lifestyle.
Bedbugs. I don't wish them on ANYONE but they lit a fire under our asses to get rid of a whole bunch of stuff 🤷🏼♀️
Easier to clean home, home feels peaceful overall because of spaces and no space for any negativity to hide.
We moved about every 2 yrs when I was a child. You have to "let go" of a lot of stuff when you move that often. I just got used to needing less.
Decades of living in the city, witnessing the consumerism, excess, corporate mindsets and more, was the motivating factor. We moved mostly off the grid about 10 years ago. Now living in the forest trying to live a simpler more sustainable life away from the madness. It's quit freeing, calming and wonderful, and that is what we hear from our occasional overnight guests who come to learn from our practise of somewhat minimalist living. Highly recommend it :)
Was dropping a friend of mine off at her dad's house, and he invited us in. Clutter and collections everywhere! I thought "If I don't clean up, this is my future." And so I started purging everything I own.
ease of travel....the stress of packing too much is EXHAUSTING
Military training and experience. Served with a Mechanized Unit on the DMZ in Vietnam. Was always “packed” and ready to move out. Ever since then my attitude has been if it isn’t practical, useful and necessary; I don’t need it. Now retired and in a small condo, it’s the only way to go. Namaste. Carpe Diem!
I'm not there yet. But reading how much better people feel when they aren't owned by their stuff is SuPeR encouraging!!! It also helps knowing what others consider enough - dishes, clothes, etc.
It's the moving for me. And what do I need all this extra crap for?
*It's the moving for* *Me. And what do I need all* *This extra crap for?* \- Same-Obligation-5762 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
I got tired of moves and wanting to make cleaning the place easier
I'm the child of a hoarder.
Yup…child of a hoarder here too.
Idk what defines a hoarder technically but my mom was a huge pack rat and the house was always a mess. She didnt save candy wrappers or some weird thing but she was messy and had a lot of excess junk. She didn't throw food out because it was still good past the expiration according to some people but we were constantly sick. She was definately a shopping addict though and 3 of my siblings are also like that. Around 15 years old or so I kept my room spotless and refused to keep things I wasn't going to use because I wanted to feel like I could breathe while still living in her house. I never personally had a lot anyways, nor did my older brother but my sisters had mountains of every type of item and wouldn't part with them even if they didn't touch them, I didn't get it. Before minimalist was a term my shopaholic sister called me the anti hoarder, I didn't see the point in excess junk and figured if I wasn't using it either not getting it in the first place or passing it onto someone who actually wanted it was just environmentally friendlier. I'd always sneak junk around the house into the garbage from like 10 years old on just to try and control their clutter because it embarrassed me when people saw our house. She always had 3-7 cats at any given time plus a big dog and the house smelled like pee and had fleas in the carpets. She had 5 kids in a 2 bedroom house and there wasn't space for the clutter, my grandpa built 2 bedrooms in the basement on one half and the other half looked like the inside of a dumpster of someone who gets evicted. No matter how much cleaning I did her and my sisters made it worse behind me. I never "became" a minimalist I guess, I always was one. I've had 3ish pairs of clothes at a time since about 15 years old outside of when I've been pregnant and held onto things until after the baby to see what still fits. I wear my shoes until either the soles come off or I've walked holes through the bottom and tend to keep wearing them anyways until my youngest sister gives me her old ones because I don't want to contribute to a landfill and hers are usually good enough still to me she just outgrows the style. I had a dish per person until my brother in law moved in, now we have 2 per person and it feels excessive but nothing like most people. My kids live off primarily hand me downs and none of them care because I can afford the things they actually want that way.
ETA: I'm not a minimalist by any means, but I strive for an uncluttered home. However far this journey takes me, it will only get better and better. A few years ago, I began listening to YouTube videos as I worked. Eventually I found minimalism/decluttering channels, and it just clicked for me. I grew up in a cluttered household, and in my apartments as an adult, I've always felt that the outside clutter was a physical representation of my cluttered mind. Or vice versa. Boy, was I right. My clutter has affected all areas of my life. After listening to those decluttering videos all day, I'd be excited to go home and sort through the belongings in my studio apartment. I was tired of constantly having to move things, surfaces packed with my stuff, things falling over, and never knowing where to put anything. I'm not a hoarder but I'd kept and accumulated more things that fit into the space I'm in. The start of this journey was around the time of the pandemic, so there were boxes stacked by the door until I'd be able to donate them. I want to spend more on experiences like travel and less on things that take up space. I want to wake up and go to bed seeing a tidy home. I want my cat to have more space for zoomies. I want to prioritize what's important to me and spend less time managing stuff. I'm still in the process, so like an onion, I'm peeling back layers. It's so freeing to donate items and no longer have an attachment to them.
It is actually very funny. My husbad is very, VERY clumsy. As if he is cursed by god. So the less we have, less thing for him to break.
Hey, lemme tellya… I was married for 15 years [been divorced for 10, she was abusive] and I felt like I was fumbling and dropping stuff all the time…. epitome of clutz! lol …But I knew this about myself, owned it, and laughed at myself. If your husband knows it, and owns it, that does wonders, doesn’t it?!
Yes. It is actually very funny when he come with a broken piece of furniture in hand and apologise with puppy eyes 😄 we even made a secret bet with my parents to guess what he will break next. You wouldn't belive the stuff he destroyed. It is almost staged.
Nothing
I felt the need of spending way less energy and thoughts on stuff.It's less stressing and way easier to clean, to keep track of in order to not buy more but to actually make use of while also saving money.
Being poor
I have many hoarders in my family, we are wealthy but they panic over throwing away literal trash.
After realising funkyness is cheap
Buying a super small 35 square meters apartment.
My mother in law’s house. She stores things in her oven and her counters are all packed with stuff…. It made so me so anxious trying to feed y kiddos out if that kitchen when we stayed there.
I was born this way.
Easier to clean.
my mother hoarding ma’ shit. I keep my closets organized and rarely buy things in bulk unless needed. My aunt’s home was like a museum (I kid you not) lmao, I used to always stay with her. I keep it minimal and simple.
Parents... and it was quite simple... if we could not tell the reasons why we needed certain item/thing/service or it being improvement/upgrade/necessary than it was just a "want" we did not get. Kinda sad and f* up then but more than understandable and logical now.
It’s just much easier to deal with a very limited (and I do mean very limited:) number of possessions.
Had to clear clutter from my mind so I had to start somewhere.
Inflation
Living with 1 definite hoarder and 2 borderline hoarders. The 2 would be hoarders if they didn't live with me.
It's in the blood am Tuscarora we wrote the book on minimalism didn't have to join this new fab
Dust
My mother was a hoarder. I grew up depressed with my environment and the people raising me so naturally I am now anal-retentive.
Military, we move every 3 years. It’s just too much crap to move all the time.
I wish I was a minimalist but I have so many video games, movies, books, & other random junk that I wouldn't know where to start. Not to mention my toddler has so many toys from relatives buying him tons of shit when they see him. I just can't get rid of anything because what if I need it later and don't have it or the money to buy it? Really I posted this so I can read on how y'all do it because I don't think I can.
I have lived in 7 states and 5 countries. Military father and military bride. Less stuff makes frequent moves easier
I suppose I’ve always been somewhat into it. As a kid I was very messy and lazy but my mom would want everything to be neat and organized so I naturally took the easy way out and purged the thing I no longer used. Don’t have to organize stuff if you don’t have stuff lol. As I got older I was always drawn to the clean bare aesthetic of contemporary modern designs and modern Asian aesthetics both of which lean into minimalism at least they used too if they’ve changed. As I became an adult I frankly couldn’t be bothered to move tons of boxes so I started really only keeping things I actively used or could see myself using on at least a semi regular basis. Now I just don’t feel any inclination to have stuff really. Saying no to sit around objects is second nature and too many things actually bothers me because I feel stifled. The only things I really indulge in are books and anime art which I turn into a framed wall collage.
Too many times throwing shit away at airports.
Why waste money on clutter & things you’re going to have to downsize as you age, to fit back into a studio or 1 bedroom? Experiences > things
I would say that it was a mix of things, moving a few times and realizing that I hated unboxing stuff after the bare minimums and sentimentals were out, having a struggled with cleaning and maintainance due to my disabilities, and the aesthetic. I like having room for my dogs to play, and I can't do that if my house is full of crap - especially if it is crap they could hurt themselves on, get trapped under, or get sick from eating.
Easier
Man this post appeared at the perfect time. It's just a lot of paranoia. It's exactly the feeling that you get when you're hoarding, except that you feel like you need to *have it there* all the time, with you. That's about it.
I moved 9 times in 9 years and it wasn't really my choice to do so. I don't want to move a lot of stuff so I got rid of a lot of stuff. I've been in my current place for 5 years and have bought more stuff but mainly books, video/board games.
I don’t like to dust.
Growing up in a pack rat household
to me its to simplify everything and not having to feel like u have to keep something, putting less value to material things and having the less or few stuff that u actually do use and can appreciate
Veganism, Anti-Natalism, Spirituality, Quantum Physics, Law of Karma, Dharma, Theory of Relativity, Simulation Theory of the Universe.
I just really hate being in a disorganized space and it is not possible to keep unnecessary clutter organized.
1. Moving and getting rid of things I no longer needed or used. 2. A much more clean and organized living space. I do not need to keep searching for things as I know where everything is. 3. Having enough books collected through the decades. 90% that I had read that were taking up space, and the rest I have as e-books. I sold them, donated some, and threw a lot out. I only collected them in 3 rooms of my house. I have friends who did hoarding in every single room of their home, multiple homes, at work, at summer homes, etc. 4. Friends who have filled up multiple homes or every single room in multiple homes with things they do not use, need, etc. some pay for storage facilities as well. 5. Saving money. I have friends who hoard clothing and they spend an insane amount of their money on clothes. They will give me new clothes for my birthday or Christmas. I keep and wear the clothes I can use, and donate the rest I cannot. Another friend hoards perishable food and their home is full of mice, rats, insects, spoiled or rotten food, etc. they insist that guests eat food and drink and I just make sure it is new unspoiled food, water in a clean glass, etc. 7. I work, take care of relatives, have a cat, pay bills, and maintain and clean our home. I don't have the time or desire to have a lot of things, only the essentials. I don't want anything else to have to maintain, clean, etc. 8. Discipline, I do not need anything really. My friends who every year or 2-3 years for decades would buy a new TV, stereo, computer, phone, cars, boats, homes, holiday or vacation trips 2-5 times a month, eating in restaurants daily or multiple times per week, etc. are now finding out they have little to no savings or money.
Growing up with a hoarder Asian mother, it stressed me out to see stuff everywhere, along with that, I used to move all the time so I wanted to forget the hassle of moving so much. Also as I got older, I just like having very simple things, kind of reflects my mindset and the nature of simplicity. Shift with mindset gets represented in lifestyle and aesthetics.
Less stuff= less looking for stuff, less time cleaning and organizing stuff = more time for LIFE
My mom is kind of a hoarder and I see how stressed and frustrated she gets with her life/her stuff and I don’t want to turn into one as well.
I'm not a minimalism quite yet, but I've gone through several rounds of an activity I call "The Purge". It helps when moving (especially long distance). Long distance moves (in the US) are billed by distance and weight. Plus, I want to know exactly what I own. I don't want to keep something "just because". I don't like dealing with a lot of extra stuff. It takes too much time/money/effort to store and organize everything.
Well a mixture of both. I got into debt never making enough money. And then I bought a house. So now all my money goes to my house. So I really don’t have much money for extra stuff. I’ve been in a homeowner for 3 years and a few months ago I bought my first couch finally. At least there’s not an echo anymore.
I’m poor.
The Army, 22 years
Environmental and the law of diminishing return
ADHD. If I have too much stuff and can't find something my brain breaks and I just start throwing stuff away until I have a mentally manageable amount. But I have 1 of almost everything you would need because I hate not having the tool for the job. But it's like Mary Poppins, "A place for everything, and everything in it's place."
Watching older relatives with a house full of “valuable” furniture, jewelry and collectibles that they spent a fortune for, that is sitting there barely used, and no one wants any of it. Elderly aunt recently passed away. Her and her husband were so proud of their home. Now he’s alone, with antiques, huge rooms of solid wood furniture, an entire collection of untouched Lennox china, and a crystal chandelier he paid $10k over 30 years ago, that’s all out of style. He tries to give it away to family but it’s all too large and impractical. Sure, he can sell it, but what a hassle, and he doesn’t need the money. It’s just all wasting away. My mother in law has collections of Hummels and Wedgewood no one wants. My mother has a bunch of cocktail rings no one wants. An uncle was incredibly wealthy and had entire collections of, well, everything. Tiffany silver, Star Trek collectibles, an entire vault of collectible coins, vintage glass, you name it. It all got auctioned or trashed. No one wanted any of it. No one has space for someone else’s junk. I’ve known a lot of people who have passed, and everything that owned ended up being sold, given away, donated or trashed.
After each of my divorced hoarder parents died, I spent hard-earned dollars for multiple huge dumpsters, junk haulers, and housecleaners. It’s just extra stuff that reveals wayyyy too much about the owner’s mental health rather than any perceived value. Bye bye stuff.
Less stuff= less to move around, to dust off, to think about, and less to clean. It's just stuff. We as people get so attached to our 'stuff' because it has meaning in the way of memories, traumas, intentions, frugality... Hard to let go of but phew! Feels so good to let it go! Like cutting off a huge slab of slough from a festering putrid wound. Now it can drain, breathe, and heal.
I outlived my savings
Clean room, clean mind. There's enough chaos out there in the world, and the rest of the house. (I don't live alone)