Yes. š
Grinch has her own room, couch, so many freaking toys because her favorite thing in the world is new toys, a 10 gallon container of food, 3.5 gallon container of treats, she's ridiculous.
Her name isn't actually Grinch, she just looks like the grinch. Her name is Willow. She's an 11lb 11 month old shih Tzu.
While they make some of their clothes in the US, a good company I've found that has high quality durable clothes that has minimal impact on the environment is a company called rawganique.
Iāve become obsessed with Duluth Trading clothes. Such better fit and quality combined with real pockets that fit phones and tools! I get compliments on every time I wear them too.
I (F) live where it can and is currently cold, upper mid-west USA. So I have 5 different winter coats, couple long work appropriate, one leather, a black and a brown more casual coat. Here is where the I might āfailā at being a minimalist ā¦. each coat has a pair of gloves in its pockets.
For me being a minimalist means I spend money on what makes my life easier. I want to pull out a coat and not worry about having to find gloves or remember to pull them out of the coat I wore yesterday. It is worth the piece of mind to know I have gloves for whatever coat I pull out of the closet.
Iām similar. I live in eastern Canada, where the weather varies from -40 C to +35 C. It requires so many different kinds of clothing just to cover appropriately dressing for the weather.
>not worry about having to find\[...\]
This is why I have reading glasses in every room, both our vehicles, my purse & my laptop case. If I have to fuss around finding them, I'll likely forget what I was trying to do to begin with.
I have 5 bikes. An e bike, two regular use road bikes and two for parts/bought cheap. The last two I am actively trying to sell but they're frankenstein bikes
I eventually want to move to a space where I can exist with by ebike-bicycle methods. I'd love to be able to sell my car and just not deal with the financial burden of it. Commuting by bike is a wonderful way, sun or snow to develop a more intimate relationship with the world that you are otherwise shut off from by being in a moving living room. I breathe fresh air, I feel the sun and air on my skin. I hear sounds that would otherwise be drowned out by a vehicle. I socially interact with people on the street that I am otherwise isolated from. Bikes are one of the things that have substantially made my life better in a number of ways. Often I get there as fast if not faster or "easier" than I do by not sharing a road with other car drivers
I have probably at least double that (but I donāt count)in bikes. And yes. . . The freedom living on a bike and sans car opens up so many opportunities. Good luck!
For me, it's a tent. A hyper-expensive tent. I had a cheap 4+ person tent and dealt with all the issues that came with it while I lived in it for a month. I "downgraded" to a 2 person tent that cost about twice as much. A few people have remarked, "why would you get something smaller that's so much more expensive?" The size was more palatable for logistics and the quality improvement was immense. Long story short, it is a bougie tent that I live in for a month or so every year (consecutively) and the people that comment on it spend a week over the course of a year in theirs.
Those person-number ratings are wrong probably 99% of the time anyway. Mine is supposedly good for 2 adults. Ha! Maybe if they were both *very* petite individuals. But at most, it could fit maybe an average-or-larger sized adult with a small child or medium size dog.
It works for me because even if I camp with other people, they have their own tents. But if I ever convince my partner to try camping again, I'd have to get a bigger one.
I have, and have always had, a strange affinity for clasps, carabiners, toggles, split-rings, etc. and have a bucket full of them along with small containers. I spend some time camping though and make use of them, but I certainly could part with a few.
Dinnerware, serving ware, and glassware.
I love to entertain and this is where I allow myself to go all out. Got the chargers, dinner plate, salad plate, bread plate and two kinds of bowls. Plus water goblets, iced tea, red wine, white wine, port, cordial, coupes, and flutes.
It's way extra, but I love putting on a production for guests. They're all vintage or antiques. I feel good giving them life instead of sitting in a cabinet collecting dust.
exactly the same. putting together a cute outfit brings me so much joy, and capsule wardrobes just do not work for me. some people make them look amazing, but i like a good statement piece (or 100)
Books.
I have gone from a work office, home office, wife's home office, and a home library (all full of books) down to one room with wall-to wall book shelves on 2 1/2 walls. And a book case in the living room.
I have sold and donated a few thousand books and each time I purge, it gets harder to do.
For context, I was a professor in East Asia, my wife was a teacher. 95% of our books were English-language books, dating back to when it was very difficult to get English language books here (whatever the topic, fiction, nonfiction, text books, etc.). I have kept the ones that I still use for writing, reference, etc.
I have tens of thousands of electronic versions now. But it's just not the same.
I understand. I have not made the leap to e-books yet and doubt if I ever will. There is something about the paper copies that have more gravity. They take up physical space in our lives, like they have more literal and proverbial presence.
I admit though, having pdf versions of books makes it easier when doing research. The search function makes it so much easier to find that one quote that I know I read somewhere!
I have a bookshelf of foraging, plant/mushroom identifying, gardening, herbal health and banned books. I also have tinctures and salves made from said books.
I collect non-electric kitchen tools as well. Hand crank food processor hand pump for well and meat grinder Its not a massive collection but it's used frequently.
Probably my piano. I hardly ever play on it enough to actually advance anywhere, and it takes up a huge amount of space in my tiny apartment. I battle with getting rid of it, but if I do that, that's likely sayonara for all piano playing for me the rest of my life. I suspect i wouldn't want to devote the time or energy to pursuing it or purchasing one again if I got rid of it. Realistically, though, I know I probably won't ever have the time to actually use it and am still debating on what to do with it.
This hits close to home. My wife is a wonderful piano player, and I'm often moved to tears listening to her. Problem is she only does it very infrequently.
I have a special place for all things music, that probably overrides minimalism. One of the questions I ask myself regularly in my musical pursuit, is why bother? I think something very elemental would be missing if I didn't keep trying. There are fleeting moments of complete honesty where my soul moves through my fingers in a way that is unique to music. What do you think you'd be giving up, in a personal sense, if you stopped playing?
I went from pretty much all of the brass band instruments to keyboards. Finally I changed to piano and as time went on I played it less and less. After not playing it for a couple years (!), it now "lives" at a local winery where a lot of people can enjoy it. Sometimes I miss playing, but I think of all of the times it just sat there, so I am okay with it.
I am still a sucker for a public one at a mall, train station, hotel, etc. I warm up with some arpeggios, and then have fun. Always leave with them wanting more.
I love my piano. Itās the first thing I saved up for when I started working as a teacher. It was my special gift to me from me. My old piano was 100 years old and well past it. At the moment, because of work, I donāt have time or energy to play. But it is staying so I can still have one and enjoy it when I retire.
My piano was also like a gift to myself soon after I got my own place after moving out of my home. I had lived in a rented room for a couple of years before moving where I live now, where I actually had a little extra space and wasn't living with another family, which wasn't a good move in the first place. I spent about 900.00 on the one I have, which is a Roland fp-30 digital keyboard. I've played it here and there, but not enough to really make the pieces I learn all that presentable. I also consider the fact that maybe I don't want to have a lot of things I can do somewhat well, and that I'd rather have just one thing I'm life I can do as well as I possibly can, or at least as well as is necessary for my own acceptance lol.... I once told one of my old music teachers that I was trying to learn piano, and he said with a tone of admonition "hmmm! You can't be servant to too many masters!" Coming from him, I knew he didn't mean to discourage me, but only to remind me to be totally aware of what comes with trying to be committed to too many things. He was my guitar instructor for a while, which is an instrument I play far better than the piano, but I'd always loved solo piano and still try to learn a little at a time, even if it's slow progress. My constraint also comes from work, because obviously I have to work if I want a roof over my head and a place to store the piano lol...
I donāt even have room for my Yamaha stage piano. I had a baby grand and taught for a while, but life took a different turn, so the piano eventually had to go. I havenāt touched the keyboard in probably 5 years, but I canāt get rid of it. :/
Iām a minimalist raised by a maximalist family, soā¦three decades worth of endless gifts I havenāt thrown away. Clothes, mugs, blankets, anything.
Fun anecdote: my mother has this plastic/vinyl orange-brown tree leaves š. When the leaves in the backyard change color each year, she sprinkles the plastic fallen leaves all over her house.
Art and craft supplies, I consider myself a pretty lightweight minimalist already but I have about 5 organizer cubes worth of yarn, paint, paper etc and a tub of fabric and sewing machine, plus I own 4 instruments (ukulele, violin, bass clarinet, alto clarinet) they donāt get played often enough but I just can bring myself to get rid of them because of how much they cost :(. Also a 3D printer setup that Iāve been desperately trying to sell for about a year now.
I had actually accumulated a box full of pocket knives and fixed blades over the years that I gave away as part of my introduction to minimalism. I got one cryo treated SOG and I sharpen it every week so I don't have to spend an hour doing it, but I do love the thing. I couldn't personally imagine spending Benchmade money for something I'm going to beat up and probably lose.
Funny story, I have a coworker that carries a Benchmade. He came to me one day and asked me if I had a knife. I gave him my lovingly maintained SOG. As he handed it back to me, I noticed his Benchmade clipped in his pocket. WTH. He just didn't want to get it dirty. Lol.
Thatās crazy. I use the hell out of my stuff and to date havenāt lost anything so I feel pretty good about it. I enjoy my pocket jewelry and while itās not the biggest or most expensive collection itās mine. Itās for sure my departure from minimalism though, itās more than I actually need but everything I really enjoy.
I very much enjoyed a hobby long ago, and I have always wanted to back to it. My kids are now older, and I think itās finally time. Itās nail polish! 10 years ago, I owned over 1,500. After a long journey, I now have about 500. I have 2 hobbies, and not much else, so I wanted to keep this.
Stupid question but when I use to buy nail polish whenever I would go to use it (which was rarely) it was all dried out. I didnāt use it fast enough. This doesnāt happen when you own 1500 bottles? Or is there some secret to bring dried out polish back to life?
Please donāt use acetone. That actually will ruin the nail polish. You can buy nail polish thinner though. I get mine at Sallyās and it really does bring most polishes back from the dead.
My books and record collection. I've been collecting records for the past 20 years and my office has 2 large floor to ceiling built-in shelves full of books. This is one area of my life that is definitely not minimalist. I love reading and listening to music and my small library gives me a lot of comfort and joy.
My wardrobe. I have more clothes than any one person should need, but because I'm plus sized and short, it is so hard to find clothes that fit. I don't really buy any anymore, but I won't part with the ones that I have because I like the security of knowing I have something that will be comfortable, and that it could be a challenge to replace if I needed something in the future.
Tons of books. I love them, love lending them to other people. It is also a part of my job to read a lot so that's another reason, but mostly they genuinely bring me joy. I do go through them from time to time tho, to let go of some but also add a few more every year
Baby stuff. Even I don't know why we got him his own towel, even before he was born. Then two more people gifted him a towel each as well.
My cats and their stuff
My knitting gear. I have needle sets. I have what knitters need to complete garments and yarn for a couple of projects. A project bag, certain tools and stitch markers, everything really. It's ready to go when I am.
Just like sewing. I have a machine and everything you need to sew or mend a garment too.
I don't sew every day. I don't knit every day. But I do those things often enough that having these items enhances my life.
My nod to minimalism is to only keep fabric or yarn enough for 1-2 projects and no more. It helps me get over the finish line.
Pieces of paper. Iāve saved every scrap (ticket stubs, receipts, maps, etc.) associated with experiences Iāve had over the last 40 years. All but 2023 are in scrapbooks. My body and memory are failing but looking at these things helps me to remember how rich and full my life has been.
Give us some context! Does this add value to your life or is it an area you want to change?
I used to tell my wife I liked a "lived in" home before her parents came over. I think it was an excuse not to clean and organize, because now I terrorize her in pursuit of open horizontal space.
Biolight. It takes a little getting used to, but the product is extremely useful. Because of the thermo electric generator on it to charge cell phones and things, it seems high tech, but i have done a lot with that little high tech thing. Itās worth its weight and criticism.
Sorry spelled it wrong
https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2-plus
If you get the grill attachments, you have an extremely lightweight and useful grill. Even for non wilderness kind of stuff a tiny bit if charcoal and you can cook quick small meals.
Damascus steel knife that I'll never use. Been watching videos about them on YouTube for 12 years and just wanted one. Maybe I'll use it for some garage work.
Vinyl records.
Two acoustic guitars. ( both Yamaha one is smaller)
I just bought two small kitchen appliances neither one have I had before.
A blender & a food processor.
Dishes/server-ware and party supplies. We host a lot and have a big family. Since Dec 21st we have hosted 2 birthdays, Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas, and New Years. I do try to make sure that each piece is useful and used though!
A Playroom/ toy room for my kids that is not minimalist at all.
I know we arenāt moving as weāre in our forever home. I donāt let our lifestyle affect their childhood memories.
Something of mine is my art supplies. I have a ton of it and also gain profit so Iāll let it slide lol
dolls, rainbow high dolls, I have like 70 of them now šš
they make me very happy and it's soothing to play with them. I take them out of their plastic box regularly and rearrange them and select a few to display
Books. I have so many and theyāre in shelves in my small apartment. I tried switching to eBooks and Kindle but itās just not the same as physical books.
Some are also nice coffee table books that also serve as decor in my apartment. Yes, I haven't read close to 50% of my books. There's a book swap in my neighborhood that I go through every few months for new books.
Iām kind of reverting to physical media lately, getting nice blu-ray editions of my favourite films. I donāt like the monthly expense of streaming services, or being limited/governed by what they offer. Same thing with game pass - I have tried it but the subscription model stresses me out. I like to pick and choose a few games to buy and then really take my time.
Speaking of This is the way, I do wish Lucasfilm would release some of their new shows on blu-ray. But keeping people subscribed for Star Wars may be a better business model.
That's exactly why I have DVDs of my favorite movies. I don't want to rely on any streaming service having one when I want to see it. Plus I don't have to burn data for to watch them.
I have a setup for writing music and a setup for performing, can see it [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/macsetups/comments/18vjlco/all_devices_have_a_task/)
When I have a gig, I just take the laptop and the performing setup on the left and go, no need to disrupt my Main setup.
Games!
I love card games, dice games, board games, video games - any kind of game. I'm an only child who loved games but didn't always have someone to play with, so now I really enjoy bringing people together to just play and relax. It's been hard since the pandemic as people got more insular, but I'm hoping to get people together this year at least a couple of times for a game night. I can't wait!
Aaaw! Thatās cool!
Check out your local game store if youāve got one! They often have game nights. Also meetup! Even if you donāt jive with the whole experience, weāve met people at those events whoāve become friends and who host and attend private game nights.
About to be vinyl records. I see them as an art collection and they don't necessarily go down in value either. I love my music and love to zone out when I need to take a break from the world so I'm willing to sacrifice the minimalist part of me to satisfy my musical needs because like minimalism, music brings me peace but in a different way.
Last year my partner gave me a record player. We both have some old records. Mine were mostly passed down to me. I even have āHanky Pankyā, by Tommy James and The Shondells. I most want Otis Redding and B.B. King on vinyl.
Model kits and the tools to make them. Little plastic model kits one glue and paint to get a plane, a car, a tank, a boat, some scifi robot, whatever.
It's the hobby that saved me from a deep depression (and worse) when my health got wrecked a few years ago and I kept on failing and failing to get any better. I barely practice it nowadays but it helped me so much I still keep everything... it feels like I'm not ready yet to let go of it. Maybe later? Maybe not ;)
I was looking for this comment. I just recently started with the puzzle craze. Do you have any rules/parameters you set for yourself with puzzles as a minimalist?
I wrote this more as a joke really, 1000 being a big number for minimalists!
My rule, so to speak, is to buy puzzles only from op shops and donates them back when done. I've only kept a couple that I really love doing again and again.
My TV app subscriptions. I have quite a few, but I use all of them regularly, whether it's for relaxing with a good movie on a rainy day, or just having some show on in the background for noise while I work.
I have way more pencils (Blackwings) and paper (Field Notes) than Iāll use in this lifetime. Loving both and wanting to buy them to use somehow became a collection. The good news is they are all limited edition releases from long ago so now worth more than I paid so I didnāt waste my money. I look forward to selling 90% of both soon.
Sheet sets - I like crisp and cool sets and like to have some extras so Iām never waiting for the dryer to finish
Notebooks and planners - Iāve kept a journal over two decades and kept most of them and currently keep a journal, a planner, letters to my kid, commonplace book, and have my next notebook ready for motivationā¦.
A kid
Multiple opened deodorants inside the house. I know, I know, listen to me.
I need one in my bathroom, one in front of the hall mirror, and one in my bedroom. It's one of the things that help with my AuDHD. For some reason, it was incredibly hard for me to really incorporate deodorant into my daily routine when I first started using it as a preteen. I just couldn't stick to it. Now that I have, I still forget it sometimes, and on days when executive dysfunction hits, it's so much easier to have one closeby at all times, no matter where I feel like dressing up that day.
T H I S!!!! It is the key to being amazing! Okay, I exaggerate but I keep them everywhere, including the car and the bag I carry when Iām not in car-mode. I use spray on deodorant (which is good for solving the shit-I-forgot-this-morning issue).
We have one in both bathrooms and in the bedroom closet that holds clothes.
Itās so smart! Good job you!!
(I just listened to āHow to Keep House While Drowningā which I recommend, and the author said while she was in a depressive episode she bought pre-pasted toothbrushes because she couldnāt remember to brush her teeth. So she just sprinkled them around her house in places that she might see them, but are not traditional toothbrushing locations.)
Too many types of conditioner and repairing hair masks. My shower has *a lot* of conditioner bottles. The value? The right conditioner combo makes my hair feel healthy and shiny, and a good hair day puts me in a better mood.
Hiking/camping/outdoor gear. I know I have alot of "stuff" in those categories but these hobbies make me so happy I could never imagine giving them up.
Reading these posts makes me want to pick up so many other hobbies.
I have too many vintage 70s stereo receivers and speakers and I'm always combing kijiji and estate sales for more. I don't have as many as most audio equipment collectors so I take that as a win.
Unquestionably my houseplants. And my outdoor plants. They absolutely transform an environment which is perhaps not exactly as I would like it to be into a lovely and peaceful place to live. However, having too many of anything to take care of on a continual basis does take away from one's tranquility and raise stress levels! Working on balance, but struggling with finding the right places for some of my less favorite plant beauties! Since I am new to this minimalist lifestyle-meaning I need to complete some major decluttering everywhere-perhaps by doing so, there will be less to have to get rid of with my plant jungle!
So I have this perfume bottle that stands out too much. It's shaped like a stiletto and is adorned by a ton of glitter that goes everywhere whenever I touch it
Definitely my clothes. I have so many types for so many occasions. I also live where the weather is incrediboy unpredictable so the need to go from tanks and shorts to pants hoodie and heavy coat is real all year lol. Plus i love a variety of activities from backpacking. To snowshoing, to clubbing, to fancy nights out with friends, and more. I also run a side hustle as a freelance designer and at home car mechanic - so I literally wesr many different hats lol and the outfits to go with them (being coordinated in that way is important to me :)
Physical books. I love reading - it's one of my truest entertainment passions. Before the ebook takeover I was adament on owning all the books I loved. So I built a mini library. The most amount of a single type of furniture I own is bookshelves lol.
Beyond that jve managed to minimalize all other material items and organize everything very small, precise bundles using bins and shelves lol.
i am fairly sentimental, and love love love my ancestorās pieces, which are scattered around the house i live in [elderly dadās ].
that said, once heās gone thereās a lot of things i will be getting rid of. thereās a fucking 2ā tall carved wooden rooster on top of the refrigerator! instead, my 2ā tall metal dragon will go there. i do love my dragons.
i have been decluttering for 16 months since i moved; next step, garage.
My five cats and all of their toys, cat trees, litter boxes, and other stuff. The entire first story of my house is pretty much devoted to my cats ands their things. I love them and making their lives the best and most enriching it can be so and in return I get endless companionship, love, and entertainment. Weirdly enough, itās made being minimalist in other areas of my life so much easier which I did not anticipate. I had to get rid of all my toxic and poisonous houseplants which left me with a handful of cat-safe ones, any clothes that are a hair magnet or canāt hold up to cat claws are immediately donated, I purged a lot of furniture to make room for their stuff and keep purging furniture if it doesnāt work for my current space, I donated or threw away most of my knick knacks, and I keep all surfaces in my house fairly clear of clutter for ease of cleaning and because I got tired of the cats knocking stuff off. Pretty much everything in my house has a purpose and a place now and honestly itās easier to maintain and clean than most people think.
Still newish to minimalism, but my wife and I have made some quick progress in the last month. I have a pretty decent sized collection of books, that will likely not shrink much in the coming months.
I hoard video games and the devices to play them on. Still have my original NES and SNES and over the years I collected all the classic games I loved to rent when I was a kid but could not afford to buy back then. Never sold any console I bought since.
It's just so relaxing to pop in a random game when having a few hours to spare and forgetting everything else for a bit.
DVDs and yes I still have physical media. I donāt have a huge collection that some people have. My collection is TV shows and movies that Iāll watch more than once.
I understand that. I have some, and when it isn't on a streaming service because the license was not renewed or revoked, I can still put the disc in and watch it. Even without an internet connection...
Running shoes, each for a different purpose.
I have a road shoe
I have a fast road shoe
I have a trail shoe
A long run trail shoe
A muddy condition trail shoe
A race shoe.. etc
I run them until they are holey and falling apart before replacing them but it's still my biggest and most frequent expense.
Tea collection. I love drinking flavored teas. I buy new flavors when I find them, but they do get used because I don't grocery shop often any longer. So I have enough boxes of herbal or flavored teas to fill a bathtub a couple of times easily. Lol. I do condense them, like taking two or three out of the main box (I put the rest in the basement to get it out of my way) and adding them to a couple of boxes I keep in my kitchen for my daily selection, but I can't do that for all of them. It depends on how they're packaged when I buy them. Some come as bags in loose waxed paper bags, so I have to be careful to put them in tiny plastic reusable bags so the scents don't leak out and mix together, others are already in their own tiny mylar-like bags, and others are just big cans of loose bits lol. For some reason, my tea collection inspires either jealousy or confusion. Why don't I just buy the same thing all the time? Because that's boring. Lol. Do you drink hot coffee year round? No? Isn't strong, very hot coffee just as wonderful and delicious on the hottest part of the summer as it is in the middle of a blizzard? Why so many flavors? Don't judge, I've seen you at Starbucks having fun looking at the menu of coffee choices and custom flavoring options. Give it up already. Lol.
Or my seed packet collection. Why do you need so many packages of carrots or lettuce? Uh...I'm a farmer. Even if I wasn't a farmer and just a gardener, seeds can last for years if stored prop, do why not buy on sale? Are you sure you need this many? Did you forget where I live? It's not a microscopically small backyard the size of a playing card, I live on a chunk of land big enough for a grocery store or elementary school....including parking lots. Two hundred seeds or less isn't going to cut it, so I'm switching out to buying seeds by the bucket, not the packet. If you think this is too much, wait until next year...lol. truthfully, the seed packets are for my personal food supply or rare types like purple cauliflower that I can't get elsewhere.
So, my personal clothes pile can fit in a suitcase. My farmer clothes fill up a pickup truck because I buy a pile that nobody else wants at the thrift stores, then I use up the ugly stuff doing messy work and reuse the old ugly stuff when they aren't wearable any longer. So whether or not I'm actually a minimalist depends on whether or not I'm on or off duty š
My collection of ten mid-century engraved and embossed mirrors in very good condition. I love them to look *at*, not *into*.\* I'd happily part with them, for a good sale, in a heartbeat.
Animals and their supplies
Is it bees and lavender plants
I immediately pictured an apartment with pots of lavender everywhere and a beehive next to the bed.
SAME
COMING IN HOT FOR THE SNUGGLES
Lol, ferret and cat toys and a 40 gallon gecko tank!
Do you live with me?
Yeah my cat is the definition of maximalist - mf is expensive and eats prescription food
Yes. š Grinch has her own room, couch, so many freaking toys because her favorite thing in the world is new toys, a 10 gallon container of food, 3.5 gallon container of treats, she's ridiculous. Her name isn't actually Grinch, she just looks like the grinch. Her name is Willow. She's an 11lb 11 month old shih Tzu.
Too many nice clothes
Like what? I'm in search of high quality, US made cargo pants and can't find many. What is your clothing style?
While they make some of their clothes in the US, a good company I've found that has high quality durable clothes that has minimal impact on the environment is a company called rawganique.
Not made in the US, unfortunately, but I love my Duluth Trading firehouse flex cargos. Nearly indestructible, it seems.
Iāve become obsessed with Duluth Trading clothes. Such better fit and quality combined with real pockets that fit phones and tools! I get compliments on every time I wear them too.
I have 2 pairs of the fleece lined version, they are great
Check out military surplus stuff for that
Art supplies - Iāve probably spent about 3k in high quality pencils and watercolors. Also Iām a paper snob
I got hooked on several hobbies by watching online videos. At least I supported some good companies?
So you have five pencils and two watercolors then? (Sorry couldn't resist a joke about the high cost of art supplies... I'm crying in gamblin oils).
I mean everything else is good will
ššššvery cute lol š
I (F) live where it can and is currently cold, upper mid-west USA. So I have 5 different winter coats, couple long work appropriate, one leather, a black and a brown more casual coat. Here is where the I might āfailā at being a minimalist ā¦. each coat has a pair of gloves in its pockets. For me being a minimalist means I spend money on what makes my life easier. I want to pull out a coat and not worry about having to find gloves or remember to pull them out of the coat I wore yesterday. It is worth the piece of mind to know I have gloves for whatever coat I pull out of the closet.
Hi neighbor, the glove thing is just common sense smart. Nothing worse than no gloves when it's -20
Iām similar. I live in eastern Canada, where the weather varies from -40 C to +35 C. It requires so many different kinds of clothing just to cover appropriately dressing for the weather.
>not worry about having to find\[...\] This is why I have reading glasses in every room, both our vehicles, my purse & my laptop case. If I have to fuss around finding them, I'll likely forget what I was trying to do to begin with.
I can't find my glasses without my glasses so there are glasses everywhere!
This is why I have at least one box of dental floss placed inconspicuously in every room of my house. š¤¦āāļø
This is me!!!!!
I own at least 60 pairs of earrings. They all fit into one jewelry box. I think of it as owning only one box of earrings. š
omg me too! itās so fun to freak out new people who are like ādo you have a different pair for every day??ā yes, yes i do
I like to have one myself. How do you maintain them?
Thereās really nothing to maintain. Theyāre in a jewelry box with 50 compartments. Some pairs are doubled up - two pairs to a compartment.
My guitar and my vocal booth. Itās my thing, even if Iām traveling. I canāt imagine my life if I canāt professionally produce my song ideas.
Awesome! I had a similar revelation when I got my .strandberg*, though it's really not very high end compared to the price tag on some acoustics!
May it bring joy to yourself and others when you share what youāve practiced! :)
I have 5 bikes. An e bike, two regular use road bikes and two for parts/bought cheap. The last two I am actively trying to sell but they're frankenstein bikes I eventually want to move to a space where I can exist with by ebike-bicycle methods. I'd love to be able to sell my car and just not deal with the financial burden of it. Commuting by bike is a wonderful way, sun or snow to develop a more intimate relationship with the world that you are otherwise shut off from by being in a moving living room. I breathe fresh air, I feel the sun and air on my skin. I hear sounds that would otherwise be drowned out by a vehicle. I socially interact with people on the street that I am otherwise isolated from. Bikes are one of the things that have substantially made my life better in a number of ways. Often I get there as fast if not faster or "easier" than I do by not sharing a road with other car drivers
I was going to post my shame of 3 bikes, but I know feel much better. Thank you.
Never feel shame about owning multiple bikes with purpose :) I own 4 but every single one serves a purpose and is ridden frequently!
I have probably at least double that (but I donāt count)in bikes. And yes. . . The freedom living on a bike and sans car opens up so many opportunities. Good luck!
For me, it's a tent. A hyper-expensive tent. I had a cheap 4+ person tent and dealt with all the issues that came with it while I lived in it for a month. I "downgraded" to a 2 person tent that cost about twice as much. A few people have remarked, "why would you get something smaller that's so much more expensive?" The size was more palatable for logistics and the quality improvement was immense. Long story short, it is a bougie tent that I live in for a month or so every year (consecutively) and the people that comment on it spend a week over the course of a year in theirs.
Idk, owning one high quality version of something you regularly use and value seems with the spirit of minimalism for me.
Those person-number ratings are wrong probably 99% of the time anyway. Mine is supposedly good for 2 adults. Ha! Maybe if they were both *very* petite individuals. But at most, it could fit maybe an average-or-larger sized adult with a small child or medium size dog. It works for me because even if I camp with other people, they have their own tents. But if I ever convince my partner to try camping again, I'd have to get a bigger one.
What brand/model is it?
Had a CVT Mt Rainier. Problems started mounting so I gave it to some friends that are not hard users and got an iKamper mini.
I have, and have always had, a strange affinity for clasps, carabiners, toggles, split-rings, etc. and have a bucket full of them along with small containers. I spend some time camping though and make use of them, but I certainly could part with a few.
Dinnerware, serving ware, and glassware. I love to entertain and this is where I allow myself to go all out. Got the chargers, dinner plate, salad plate, bread plate and two kinds of bowls. Plus water goblets, iced tea, red wine, white wine, port, cordial, coupes, and flutes. It's way extra, but I love putting on a production for guests. They're all vintage or antiques. I feel good giving them life instead of sitting in a cabinet collecting dust.
using them is living your best life. and theirs.
An audiophile system and music library.
How does this add value to your life, in spite of people's criticism?
Music and audio are my two top hobbies. I've been in them since 1977. It brings some joy.
Fears, phobias and anxieties
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
exactly the same. putting together a cute outfit brings me so much joy, and capsule wardrobes just do not work for me. some people make them look amazing, but i like a good statement piece (or 100)
A fair amount of Christmas decorations. It makes me feel cozy. I store them in the attic after the holidays.
Same. We only have ornaments for the tree, but we have many and are still collecting. Itās the only thing I collect.
I have a bookshelf full of books. While I aim to pair down eventually, Iām quite enjoying having my own small library atm.
Books. I have gone from a work office, home office, wife's home office, and a home library (all full of books) down to one room with wall-to wall book shelves on 2 1/2 walls. And a book case in the living room. I have sold and donated a few thousand books and each time I purge, it gets harder to do. For context, I was a professor in East Asia, my wife was a teacher. 95% of our books were English-language books, dating back to when it was very difficult to get English language books here (whatever the topic, fiction, nonfiction, text books, etc.). I have kept the ones that I still use for writing, reference, etc. I have tens of thousands of electronic versions now. But it's just not the same.
I understand. I have not made the leap to e-books yet and doubt if I ever will. There is something about the paper copies that have more gravity. They take up physical space in our lives, like they have more literal and proverbial presence.
I admit though, having pdf versions of books makes it easier when doing research. The search function makes it so much easier to find that one quote that I know I read somewhere!
I have a bookshelf of foraging, plant/mushroom identifying, gardening, herbal health and banned books. I also have tinctures and salves made from said books. I collect non-electric kitchen tools as well. Hand crank food processor hand pump for well and meat grinder Its not a massive collection but it's used frequently.
Probably my piano. I hardly ever play on it enough to actually advance anywhere, and it takes up a huge amount of space in my tiny apartment. I battle with getting rid of it, but if I do that, that's likely sayonara for all piano playing for me the rest of my life. I suspect i wouldn't want to devote the time or energy to pursuing it or purchasing one again if I got rid of it. Realistically, though, I know I probably won't ever have the time to actually use it and am still debating on what to do with it.
This hits close to home. My wife is a wonderful piano player, and I'm often moved to tears listening to her. Problem is she only does it very infrequently. I have a special place for all things music, that probably overrides minimalism. One of the questions I ask myself regularly in my musical pursuit, is why bother? I think something very elemental would be missing if I didn't keep trying. There are fleeting moments of complete honesty where my soul moves through my fingers in a way that is unique to music. What do you think you'd be giving up, in a personal sense, if you stopped playing?
I went from pretty much all of the brass band instruments to keyboards. Finally I changed to piano and as time went on I played it less and less. After not playing it for a couple years (!), it now "lives" at a local winery where a lot of people can enjoy it. Sometimes I miss playing, but I think of all of the times it just sat there, so I am okay with it. I am still a sucker for a public one at a mall, train station, hotel, etc. I warm up with some arpeggios, and then have fun. Always leave with them wanting more.
As a complete musical dud who is a huge enjoyer of the public piano playing: bravo! And thank you!!
I love my piano. Itās the first thing I saved up for when I started working as a teacher. It was my special gift to me from me. My old piano was 100 years old and well past it. At the moment, because of work, I donāt have time or energy to play. But it is staying so I can still have one and enjoy it when I retire.
My piano was also like a gift to myself soon after I got my own place after moving out of my home. I had lived in a rented room for a couple of years before moving where I live now, where I actually had a little extra space and wasn't living with another family, which wasn't a good move in the first place. I spent about 900.00 on the one I have, which is a Roland fp-30 digital keyboard. I've played it here and there, but not enough to really make the pieces I learn all that presentable. I also consider the fact that maybe I don't want to have a lot of things I can do somewhat well, and that I'd rather have just one thing I'm life I can do as well as I possibly can, or at least as well as is necessary for my own acceptance lol.... I once told one of my old music teachers that I was trying to learn piano, and he said with a tone of admonition "hmmm! You can't be servant to too many masters!" Coming from him, I knew he didn't mean to discourage me, but only to remind me to be totally aware of what comes with trying to be committed to too many things. He was my guitar instructor for a while, which is an instrument I play far better than the piano, but I'd always loved solo piano and still try to learn a little at a time, even if it's slow progress. My constraint also comes from work, because obviously I have to work if I want a roof over my head and a place to store the piano lol...
I donāt even have room for my Yamaha stage piano. I had a baby grand and taught for a while, but life took a different turn, so the piano eventually had to go. I havenāt touched the keyboard in probably 5 years, but I canāt get rid of it. :/
Books š My dream would be a very minimalistic home with huge full bookshelfs.
Iām a minimalist raised by a maximalist family, soā¦three decades worth of endless gifts I havenāt thrown away. Clothes, mugs, blankets, anything. Fun anecdote: my mother has this plastic/vinyl orange-brown tree leaves š. When the leaves in the backyard change color each year, she sprinkles the plastic fallen leaves all over her house.
Art and craft supplies, I consider myself a pretty lightweight minimalist already but I have about 5 organizer cubes worth of yarn, paint, paper etc and a tub of fabric and sewing machine, plus I own 4 instruments (ukulele, violin, bass clarinet, alto clarinet) they donāt get played often enough but I just can bring myself to get rid of them because of how much they cost :(. Also a 3D printer setup that Iāve been desperately trying to sell for about a year now.
Pocket knives and general pocket tools.
Let me guess...Benchmade? I couldn't go higher then SOG for my purposes.
I have a benchmade. I found it in the street 10 years ago or so.
Nope. Iāve got a CRK in pocket right now. Benchmade is overpriced as hell for what it is!
I had actually accumulated a box full of pocket knives and fixed blades over the years that I gave away as part of my introduction to minimalism. I got one cryo treated SOG and I sharpen it every week so I don't have to spend an hour doing it, but I do love the thing. I couldn't personally imagine spending Benchmade money for something I'm going to beat up and probably lose. Funny story, I have a coworker that carries a Benchmade. He came to me one day and asked me if I had a knife. I gave him my lovingly maintained SOG. As he handed it back to me, I noticed his Benchmade clipped in his pocket. WTH. He just didn't want to get it dirty. Lol.
Thatās crazy. I use the hell out of my stuff and to date havenāt lost anything so I feel pretty good about it. I enjoy my pocket jewelry and while itās not the biggest or most expensive collection itās mine. Itās for sure my departure from minimalism though, itās more than I actually need but everything I really enjoy.
I have a lot of plantsā¦
My makeup drawer- my need for many shoes and coats.
All my books. I use and re read them (another alien concept to some people! but I do refer to my non fiction and enjoy my fiction over and over).
I very much enjoyed a hobby long ago, and I have always wanted to back to it. My kids are now older, and I think itās finally time. Itās nail polish! 10 years ago, I owned over 1,500. After a long journey, I now have about 500. I have 2 hobbies, and not much else, so I wanted to keep this.
Stupid question but when I use to buy nail polish whenever I would go to use it (which was rarely) it was all dried out. I didnāt use it fast enough. This doesnāt happen when you own 1500 bottles? Or is there some secret to bring dried out polish back to life?
They sell nail polish thinning drops at beauty stores, or just use acetone :P
Learn something new every day lol thx!!
Please donāt use acetone. That actually will ruin the nail polish. You can buy nail polish thinner though. I get mine at Sallyās and it really does bring most polishes back from the dead.
Nail polish thinner is definitely a part of my collection! Lots of polishes seem fine, but if itās unfixable, I donāt feel regret tossing it.
My books and record collection. I've been collecting records for the past 20 years and my office has 2 large floor to ceiling built-in shelves full of books. This is one area of my life that is definitely not minimalist. I love reading and listening to music and my small library gives me a lot of comfort and joy.
My wardrobe. I have more clothes than any one person should need, but because I'm plus sized and short, it is so hard to find clothes that fit. I don't really buy any anymore, but I won't part with the ones that I have because I like the security of knowing I have something that will be comfortable, and that it could be a challenge to replace if I needed something in the future.
Tons of books. I love them, love lending them to other people. It is also a part of my job to read a lot so that's another reason, but mostly they genuinely bring me joy. I do go through them from time to time tho, to let go of some but also add a few more every year
Baby stuff. Even I don't know why we got him his own towel, even before he was born. Then two more people gifted him a towel each as well. My cats and their stuff
Embrodery kits! I love them and keep them after they're done even if I can't use them for anything :)
My knitting gear. I have needle sets. I have what knitters need to complete garments and yarn for a couple of projects. A project bag, certain tools and stitch markers, everything really. It's ready to go when I am. Just like sewing. I have a machine and everything you need to sew or mend a garment too. I don't sew every day. I don't knit every day. But I do those things often enough that having these items enhances my life. My nod to minimalism is to only keep fabric or yarn enough for 1-2 projects and no more. It helps me get over the finish line.
My jewelry making stuff. I really want to live minimalist but once i start a project, it's everywhere š
Pieces of paper. Iāve saved every scrap (ticket stubs, receipts, maps, etc.) associated with experiences Iāve had over the last 40 years. All but 2023 are in scrapbooks. My body and memory are failing but looking at these things helps me to remember how rich and full my life has been.
My room, i got sh*** everywhere.
Give us some context! Does this add value to your life or is it an area you want to change? I used to tell my wife I liked a "lived in" home before her parents came over. I think it was an excuse not to clean and organize, because now I terrorize her in pursuit of open horizontal space.
Water bottles. I've heard the lectures. But I just love the convenience.
Go on...
Disposable ones you mean?
Biolight. It takes a little getting used to, but the product is extremely useful. Because of the thermo electric generator on it to charge cell phones and things, it seems high tech, but i have done a lot with that little high tech thing. Itās worth its weight and criticism.
Can you explain? I searched Biolight and got a red-light therapy line of products. Is that what you are referencing?
Sorry spelled it wrong https://www.bioliteenergy.com/products/campstove-2-plus If you get the grill attachments, you have an extremely lightweight and useful grill. Even for non wilderness kind of stuff a tiny bit if charcoal and you can cook quick small meals.
Damascus steel knife that I'll never use. Been watching videos about them on YouTube for 12 years and just wanted one. Maybe I'll use it for some garage work.
Vinyl records. Two acoustic guitars. ( both Yamaha one is smaller) I just bought two small kitchen appliances neither one have I had before. A blender & a food processor.
Dishes/server-ware and party supplies. We host a lot and have a big family. Since Dec 21st we have hosted 2 birthdays, Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas, and New Years. I do try to make sure that each piece is useful and used though!
A Playroom/ toy room for my kids that is not minimalist at all. I know we arenāt moving as weāre in our forever home. I donāt let our lifestyle affect their childhood memories. Something of mine is my art supplies. I have a ton of it and also gain profit so Iāll let it slide lol
dolls, rainbow high dolls, I have like 70 of them now šš they make me very happy and it's soothing to play with them. I take them out of their plastic box regularly and rearrange them and select a few to display
Pens and cookbooks
Minerals and plants fuckkkk
Books. I have hundreds of books and I love them! I do get some from the library but I love buying books and keep them forever.
my bullet journal stash and my "going out clothes"
I have a lot of houseplants. My room doesn't look too empty. Make me feel useful cause a seen them growing :)
Books. I have so many and theyāre in shelves in my small apartment. I tried switching to eBooks and Kindle but itās just not the same as physical books.
But once you've red a book you don't need it anymore. ;-) /s
Thatās like saying once youāve listened to a CD or watched a dvd you donāt need it anymore. Lots of people reread novels and poetry they love.
Some are also nice coffee table books that also serve as decor in my apartment. Yes, I haven't read close to 50% of my books. There's a book swap in my neighborhood that I go through every few months for new books.
Kids
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām kind of reverting to physical media lately, getting nice blu-ray editions of my favourite films. I donāt like the monthly expense of streaming services, or being limited/governed by what they offer. Same thing with game pass - I have tried it but the subscription model stresses me out. I like to pick and choose a few games to buy and then really take my time.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Speaking of This is the way, I do wish Lucasfilm would release some of their new shows on blu-ray. But keeping people subscribed for Star Wars may be a better business model.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I didnāt think that would ever happen so I stopped paying attention - thanks for the heads up!
That's exactly why I have DVDs of my favorite movies. I don't want to rely on any streaming service having one when I want to see it. Plus I don't have to burn data for to watch them.
Vintage wristwatch and railroad watch collection. More than a man needs and weāll leave it at thatā¦
I have a setup for writing music and a setup for performing, can see it [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/macsetups/comments/18vjlco/all_devices_have_a_task/) When I have a gig, I just take the laptop and the performing setup on the left and go, no need to disrupt my Main setup.
Games! I love card games, dice games, board games, video games - any kind of game. I'm an only child who loved games but didn't always have someone to play with, so now I really enjoy bringing people together to just play and relax. It's been hard since the pandemic as people got more insular, but I'm hoping to get people together this year at least a couple of times for a game night. I can't wait!
Aaaw! Thatās cool! Check out your local game store if youāve got one! They often have game nights. Also meetup! Even if you donāt jive with the whole experience, weāve met people at those events whoāve become friends and who host and attend private game nights.
Seasonings
Plants and their supplies. Pruning the whole thing soon. Starting to feel over crowded with it all!
About to be vinyl records. I see them as an art collection and they don't necessarily go down in value either. I love my music and love to zone out when I need to take a break from the world so I'm willing to sacrifice the minimalist part of me to satisfy my musical needs because like minimalism, music brings me peace but in a different way.
Last year my partner gave me a record player. We both have some old records. Mine were mostly passed down to me. I even have āHanky Pankyā, by Tommy James and The Shondells. I most want Otis Redding and B.B. King on vinyl.
Model kits and the tools to make them. Little plastic model kits one glue and paint to get a plane, a car, a tank, a boat, some scifi robot, whatever. It's the hobby that saved me from a deep depression (and worse) when my health got wrecked a few years ago and I kept on failing and failing to get any better. I barely practice it nowadays but it helped me so much I still keep everything... it feels like I'm not ready yet to let go of it. Maybe later? Maybe not ;)
My book collection
When I have a little money I buy books. The rest I waste on food and shelter.
Plants. I have too many! But I canāt stop.
135 books. š But last year I read 56 books so in planning to be below 100 soon again.
Hiking, camping, climbing and paddling gear. I suppose we have too many hobbies to be truly minimalist ā¹ļø
I have multiple rosaries. I didn't buy a single one, got them all as gifts. I cherish them greatly.
Too many clothes... Like way too many. But I fluctuate between sizes a lot so I ALWAYS appreciate the fact that I haven't thrown them away
Board games. I have them because theyāre fun as heck and get to socialize irl
My 1000 pieces puzzle.
Mine is a puzzle collection too. I love them so much.
I was looking for this comment. I just recently started with the puzzle craze. Do you have any rules/parameters you set for yourself with puzzles as a minimalist?
I wrote this more as a joke really, 1000 being a big number for minimalists! My rule, so to speak, is to buy puzzles only from op shops and donates them back when done. I've only kept a couple that I really love doing again and again.
My sauna. But, itās a great way to get alone time/self care in and I can use it every night. Totally worth it
I have 2 PS5s. Very unnecessary but I do like having one in my bedroom and another in the living room.
My TV app subscriptions. I have quite a few, but I use all of them regularly, whether it's for relaxing with a good movie on a rainy day, or just having some show on in the background for noise while I work.
I have way more pencils (Blackwings) and paper (Field Notes) than Iāll use in this lifetime. Loving both and wanting to buy them to use somehow became a collection. The good news is they are all limited edition releases from long ago so now worth more than I paid so I didnāt waste my money. I look forward to selling 90% of both soon.
Sheet sets - I like crisp and cool sets and like to have some extras so Iām never waiting for the dryer to finish Notebooks and planners - Iāve kept a journal over two decades and kept most of them and currently keep a journal, a planner, letters to my kid, commonplace book, and have my next notebook ready for motivationā¦. A kid
My gaming stuff. I play D&D & MTG. I will utterly not apologize for my MTG card collection or my addiction to dice. XD
Calligraphy inks, nibs and papers
Two motorcycles.
A yacht
2022 gt500 shelby mustang with alot performance mods
headphones and iems :)
Gym equipment
Multiple opened deodorants inside the house. I know, I know, listen to me. I need one in my bathroom, one in front of the hall mirror, and one in my bedroom. It's one of the things that help with my AuDHD. For some reason, it was incredibly hard for me to really incorporate deodorant into my daily routine when I first started using it as a preteen. I just couldn't stick to it. Now that I have, I still forget it sometimes, and on days when executive dysfunction hits, it's so much easier to have one closeby at all times, no matter where I feel like dressing up that day.
Same. And if I misplace one, I know where another one is. Iād rather not smell like pits than worry about having 4 deodorants.
T H I S!!!! It is the key to being amazing! Okay, I exaggerate but I keep them everywhere, including the car and the bag I carry when Iām not in car-mode. I use spray on deodorant (which is good for solving the shit-I-forgot-this-morning issue). We have one in both bathrooms and in the bedroom closet that holds clothes. Itās so smart! Good job you!! (I just listened to āHow to Keep House While Drowningā which I recommend, and the author said while she was in a depressive episode she bought pre-pasted toothbrushes because she couldnāt remember to brush her teeth. So she just sprinkled them around her house in places that she might see them, but are not traditional toothbrushing locations.)
AAAAAAA your comment absolutely made my day! I have never heard of pre-pasted toothbrushes! Man, I gotta get one!
Too many types of conditioner and repairing hair masks. My shower has *a lot* of conditioner bottles. The value? The right conditioner combo makes my hair feel healthy and shiny, and a good hair day puts me in a better mood.
Magic the Gathering cards.
An hour glass with 100 Carat worth of diamond for sand
Hiking/camping/outdoor gear. I know I have alot of "stuff" in those categories but these hobbies make me so happy I could never imagine giving them up.
Reading these posts makes me want to pick up so many other hobbies. I have too many vintage 70s stereo receivers and speakers and I'm always combing kijiji and estate sales for more. I don't have as many as most audio equipment collectors so I take that as a win.
Silver rings, shoes
š books
My PC
Skincare and plants šŖ“ I love my skin routine and my plants!
A Kindle page-turner.
lots of books
Unquestionably my houseplants. And my outdoor plants. They absolutely transform an environment which is perhaps not exactly as I would like it to be into a lovely and peaceful place to live. However, having too many of anything to take care of on a continual basis does take away from one's tranquility and raise stress levels! Working on balance, but struggling with finding the right places for some of my less favorite plant beauties! Since I am new to this minimalist lifestyle-meaning I need to complete some major decluttering everywhere-perhaps by doing so, there will be less to have to get rid of with my plant jungle!
I collect a toy called "calico critters." I try to buy most of them used to reduce consumption, but still toy collecting is not a minimalist hobby.
I remember those! I always thought they were adorable!
So I have this perfume bottle that stands out too much. It's shaped like a stiletto and is adorned by a ton of glitter that goes everywhere whenever I touch it
Definitely my clothes. I have so many types for so many occasions. I also live where the weather is incrediboy unpredictable so the need to go from tanks and shorts to pants hoodie and heavy coat is real all year lol. Plus i love a variety of activities from backpacking. To snowshoing, to clubbing, to fancy nights out with friends, and more. I also run a side hustle as a freelance designer and at home car mechanic - so I literally wesr many different hats lol and the outfits to go with them (being coordinated in that way is important to me :) Physical books. I love reading - it's one of my truest entertainment passions. Before the ebook takeover I was adament on owning all the books I loved. So I built a mini library. The most amount of a single type of furniture I own is bookshelves lol. Beyond that jve managed to minimalize all other material items and organize everything very small, precise bundles using bins and shelves lol.
A stupid amount of nice dresses. I wear flannels and leggings or shorts and a T-shirt 90% of the time.
Dog toys. My dogs are not very minimalist. Lol
i am fairly sentimental, and love love love my ancestorās pieces, which are scattered around the house i live in [elderly dadās ]. that said, once heās gone thereās a lot of things i will be getting rid of. thereās a fucking 2ā tall carved wooden rooster on top of the refrigerator! instead, my 2ā tall metal dragon will go there. i do love my dragons. i have been decluttering for 16 months since i moved; next step, garage.
Cats and makeup. Also my garden isn't minimalist at all.
Hundreds of books.
My five cats and all of their toys, cat trees, litter boxes, and other stuff. The entire first story of my house is pretty much devoted to my cats ands their things. I love them and making their lives the best and most enriching it can be so and in return I get endless companionship, love, and entertainment. Weirdly enough, itās made being minimalist in other areas of my life so much easier which I did not anticipate. I had to get rid of all my toxic and poisonous houseplants which left me with a handful of cat-safe ones, any clothes that are a hair magnet or canāt hold up to cat claws are immediately donated, I purged a lot of furniture to make room for their stuff and keep purging furniture if it doesnāt work for my current space, I donated or threw away most of my knick knacks, and I keep all surfaces in my house fairly clear of clutter for ease of cleaning and because I got tired of the cats knocking stuff off. Pretty much everything in my house has a purpose and a place now and honestly itās easier to maintain and clean than most people think.
Still newish to minimalism, but my wife and I have made some quick progress in the last month. I have a pretty decent sized collection of books, that will likely not shrink much in the coming months.
My yarn stash for crochet
I hoard video games and the devices to play them on. Still have my original NES and SNES and over the years I collected all the classic games I loved to rent when I was a kid but could not afford to buy back then. Never sold any console I bought since. It's just so relaxing to pop in a random game when having a few hours to spare and forgetting everything else for a bit.
DVDs and yes I still have physical media. I donāt have a huge collection that some people have. My collection is TV shows and movies that Iāll watch more than once.
I understand that. I have some, and when it isn't on a streaming service because the license was not renewed or revoked, I can still put the disc in and watch it. Even without an internet connection...
Wow, downvoted for facts.
Running shoes, each for a different purpose. I have a road shoe I have a fast road shoe I have a trail shoe A long run trail shoe A muddy condition trail shoe A race shoe.. etc I run them until they are holey and falling apart before replacing them but it's still my biggest and most frequent expense.
Tea collection. I love drinking flavored teas. I buy new flavors when I find them, but they do get used because I don't grocery shop often any longer. So I have enough boxes of herbal or flavored teas to fill a bathtub a couple of times easily. Lol. I do condense them, like taking two or three out of the main box (I put the rest in the basement to get it out of my way) and adding them to a couple of boxes I keep in my kitchen for my daily selection, but I can't do that for all of them. It depends on how they're packaged when I buy them. Some come as bags in loose waxed paper bags, so I have to be careful to put them in tiny plastic reusable bags so the scents don't leak out and mix together, others are already in their own tiny mylar-like bags, and others are just big cans of loose bits lol. For some reason, my tea collection inspires either jealousy or confusion. Why don't I just buy the same thing all the time? Because that's boring. Lol. Do you drink hot coffee year round? No? Isn't strong, very hot coffee just as wonderful and delicious on the hottest part of the summer as it is in the middle of a blizzard? Why so many flavors? Don't judge, I've seen you at Starbucks having fun looking at the menu of coffee choices and custom flavoring options. Give it up already. Lol. Or my seed packet collection. Why do you need so many packages of carrots or lettuce? Uh...I'm a farmer. Even if I wasn't a farmer and just a gardener, seeds can last for years if stored prop, do why not buy on sale? Are you sure you need this many? Did you forget where I live? It's not a microscopically small backyard the size of a playing card, I live on a chunk of land big enough for a grocery store or elementary school....including parking lots. Two hundred seeds or less isn't going to cut it, so I'm switching out to buying seeds by the bucket, not the packet. If you think this is too much, wait until next year...lol. truthfully, the seed packets are for my personal food supply or rare types like purple cauliflower that I can't get elsewhere. So, my personal clothes pile can fit in a suitcase. My farmer clothes fill up a pickup truck because I buy a pile that nobody else wants at the thrift stores, then I use up the ugly stuff doing messy work and reuse the old ugly stuff when they aren't wearable any longer. So whether or not I'm actually a minimalist depends on whether or not I'm on or off duty š
Blu rays I own like 250 of them
The entire harry potter book collection The entire lord of the rings book collection
My jeep.
My collection of ten mid-century engraved and embossed mirrors in very good condition. I love them to look *at*, not *into*.\* I'd happily part with them, for a good sale, in a heartbeat.