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I have a friend who will not allow himself more than 100 items.
Example - dishes are 1 item / drinking glasses are 1 item / books are 1 item / clothes are 1 item, etc.
I don't do this, but I do make sure that on a TYPICAL (i.e. mode, not median or mean) day, my level of daily spending is $0.
If I want something, I give myself until the next scheduled shopping trip to change my mind. I rarely just rush out to get something unless it would be a problem to not have it that day or very soon.
I don't do this, but I do make sure that on a TYPICAL (i.e. mode, not median or mean) day, my level of daily spending is $0.
If I want something, I give myself until the next scheduled shopping trip to change my mind. I rarely just rush out to get something unless it would be a problem to not have it that day or very soon.
I grew up in a family that had 7 kids and a very low income. I learned how to get along fine without much money.
I try to spend as little as possible and when I do spend it is rarely for myself. I have never understood the American habit of recreational shopping. My 20 year old shirts still fit. I still wear them.
Minimalism has it's place ,but I find it frustrating because there are so many things that I love to do and learn ,rather than pay some one else to do them for me.
I worked many different jobs during my lifetime ,mostly in machinery repair and manufacturing.
An automotive mechanic might actually need 200-300 different tools depending on his expertise ,but he only works on cars and may be a particular brand which keep his tooling requirements stable some what.
But all the different pieces of equipment require a much larger tool reserve and even some of my own creation ,to get the job done .
My collection is well into the thousands.
Most companies do not supply tools ,so if you don't have you own your not hired.
On top of that some shops do not allow craftsman tools or tools of lesser quality than snap on or MAC tools ,,seriously.
The air craft industry is particularly critical on tool quality, some wrenches do leave marks on the fasteners.
Many mechanics have several sets of tools and some at home as well usually for doing their own projects at home.
Since my interests are far broader then mechanics alone the range of tooling is exponentially broader as well.
With this life style it is virtually impossible to be a minimalist, especially just in this one aspect of my life.
Mechanics are only the tip of the ice burg in the list of things I do and want to do and create.
From my POV minimalism is for the nonproductive , and it robs one of adventure in learning new things and or being self sufficient .
I have been poor and had next to nothing, and when things go wrong ,there is nothing to fall back on ,one becomes the faceless victim of society dependent on public services .
When the dollar does collapse, having a savings account won't matter for much ,and not having a reserve of resources at home makes one even more vulnerable to a catastrophic event like a snow storm.
In My Opinion .
I grew up in a family that had 7 kids and a very low income. I learned how to get along fine without much money.
I try to spend as little as possible and when I do spend it is rarely for myself. I have never understood the American habit of recreational shopping. My 20 year old shirts still fit. I still wear them.
I grew up in a family that had 7 kids and a very low income. I learned how to get along fine without much money.
I try to spend as little as possible and when I do spend it is rarely for myself. I have never understood the American habit of recreational shopping. My 20 year old shirts still fit. I still wear them.
I need very little money to be satisfied.
How do you make your shirts last 20 years without holes, tears, etc. ?
I have always had an aversion to owning things. I was raised with looottsss of stuff. Fancy stuff.
I made sure my kids had lots of nice things. Never cluttered, always neat on shelves and in bins; they had a playroom. It looked like a really well equipped daycare. They had an abundance of things for sure. Fancy room furnishings in their bedrooms, changed every few years at their whims, the works. They got stuff all year round and at Christmas prob 20-30 gifts each.
But my personal possessions amount to books, CDS and DVDS. I loathe decor.
I have given away everything I owned over the years. Piece by piece as kids grew up and I didn't have to maintain the image of a normal home. My kids got my good jewelry.
Now I own just books, DVDs and CDS. It makes me happy to own almost nothing.
I am now poor but I was like this even when solidly middle class.
LOL, I thought I was the only one who loathes decor. I don't know if that makes me intentionally minimalist or just a grouch. My walls have zero paintings, pictures, etc. on them. I despise knick-knacks, gewgaws and chotchke. The idea of placing something on an end table because it "looks good" seems incomprehensible to me. Some of this is because I hate putting holes in walls and I think dusting is a complete waste of time. Some is because the idea of "going shopping" makes me feel ill and I avoid it as much as possible, other than shopping for necessities like groceries. Some is because my cats like to play hockey with anything that isn't nailed down.
Paradoxically, I like putting up fun paper decorations for various holidays. But as soon as the holiday is over, the decorations go into their plastic storage bins until next year.
Minimalism is not about being cheap and refusing to spend money or being poor. It's a lifestyle choice based on not wanting or needing clutter, and not wanting anything around that blocks energy, and choosing those things that have the most meaning and enhance one's life, to keep it simple. Choice is the operative word here.
One can be cheap and poor and still be surrounded by lots of stuff. Ever seen a hoarder or someone who is on their way to being a hoarder? They acquire lots of stuff, often cheaply, and never let it go. They can be dirt poor, be on welfare or qualify for it.
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