Thoughts on Minimalism

[Flitter]

It's something I've had an interest in and have been working toward for the last couple years now. It's been a slow and careful process but the results have been satisfying. The idea of minimalism has changed my attitude towards shopping and what I own so much.
I now only have collections of MLP, Ball-Jointed Dolls & DVDs, and those have been reduced and focused. I gave up Zelfs, Ever After High, Re-Ment, Nail Polish, Lolita fashion, Plushies & childhood toys, any sort of knick-knack type item in general, books, and a few other collectibles.
Went form a 5x10 storage unit to a 5x5, then to none at all
Got rid of 2 dvd shelves, a sofa, coffee table & end tables, folding chairs, a dresser, I think 4 bookshelves.... so many clothes, kitchen items and just random 'stuff'.

I lurk around r/minimalism, r/declutter and occasionally r/konmari & r/simpleliving on reddit for ideas, perspective and to see what other people have to say on the subject. I sometimes watch youtube apartment/home/'everything I own' tours and more recently some videos from 'The Minimalists'.
Also, here are a couple previous arena threads on the topic
http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,389991.msg1693246.html#msg1693246
http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,380883.msg1565889.html#msg1565889

What book did you buy, Sonata?
As far as where to start, some people find the Konmari method useful.
The process of decluttering takes some planning and often a lot of introspection. For me, it's taken several rounds of going through some categories of items.
I personally only try to sell something I'm sure I can get more than $20 or that I feel a collector would really want. Selling is a lot of work and it's often better to donate.
Overall, I enjoy my space and the items I kept much more. I'm at a point now where I keep a bin for donations out that I slowly add to as I decide an item can move on and take in once it fills (It's like the more you get rid of the more you realize you don't need) and I'm working on perfecting what I decide I do need and value which involves some careful replacing or upgrading. It really has been life changing.
I wish you luck on your minimalism journey and hope in the process you will identify what does bring you joy.

[Elfpony]

Interesting read.

We’re a house of two collectors, so we’ve always been careful about what comes in and what goes out of the house. We are very big fans of curating our collections, and it’s definitely a never ending task, but to my mind it makes collecting more enjoyable.

Elf

[Sonata]

A quick update on this !

But first, thank you all for the replies ! I love hearing how people do it here

Since the last time I wrote here, I went through my closet and my drawers and have about 6 bags of stuff to give to charity. I'm not even done yet ! xD Mostly clothes, accessories, a few shoes and some rugs. Can't wait to take those out of the storage room lol there's a mountain of stuff, it's a bit scary haha I also reviewed the things I had for sale on Ebay and realised a lot of it was just... well, stuff. No point in losing time with that, so it goes for donation as well.

The feeling I got so far on this has been amazing ! Completely worth it. It's like a weight lifting off my shoulders. Can't wait to do more !

[Flitter]

That's great, Sonata! 

[Sonata]

That's great, Sonata! 

Went to give away four bags today, still have about 6 more now xD

The book was Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki. A very nice read !

[applejackbunny]

The way I cope with this dilemma is by allowing certain things as collections, to take up their space, but by keeping the rest of the house as minimalist as possible, if that makes sense? So, my ponies have their room (all neatly in boxes and catalogued, of course!) and my gem collection has its place too, but the other spaces are pretty much clutter-free. I couldn't cope otherwise 

[Gizmo]

The way I cope with this dilemma is by allowing certain things as collections, to take up their space, but by keeping the rest of the house as minimalist as possible, if that makes sense? So, my ponies have their room (all neatly in boxes and catalogued, of course!) and my gem collection has its place too, but the other spaces are pretty much clutter-free. I couldn't cope otherwise 

That's me as well.

Eight years ago I got rid of an endless amount of nonsense that I hoarded along the years as I was losing track of what I have and it made a massive difference to be able to finally see what I own. Occasionally boxes would start piling up again but thankfully it only takes about an hour nowadays to move things out of the way and everything clears again in an instant.

I must give credit to ValeofSpring though for inspiring me to edit and not worry about letting go.

[Luxrayx]

I've been thinking about this kind of thing a lot lately. Throwing stuff like clothes away is something I have no problem with, and that really makes me happy. Doing the same with ponies feels a lot harder, though. I've been meaning to buy a smallish display case that can only hold my very favorite ponies, so I can get rid of all the other ones, but choosing only a few favorites is so hard!
I also haven't been able to find a display case exactly like the one I want, which totally isn't just an excuse to postpone the whole plan

[Sonata]

Update on this - gave away a few more bags to charity yesterday and managed to get another bag and a half full yesterday. Will be getting rid of those next weekend I hope. It's amazing how I keep on finding things I definitely no longer want or need lol. I can't wait to go through the books we have here.. I have a feeling a decent amount will go haha.

[achab1984]

Well a new update for me also. I know that I posted that I bought 9 NIB Breyer horses. I ended up selling all of them but 5. That was a big impulse buy for me!   I also have sold off some of the ponies in my collection that did not bring me joy! I now have over $200 in my account! That is good cause I have a new Premier club horse coming out next month that I can pay cash for!

We have also cleaned out some more things in the house, next up is Christmas stuff when it gets closer! We have to much of that stuff!

[Aadra310]

Good for you, achab1984!  I got rid of Christmas stuff last year.  I'm not really into it but I have great memories from when I was a kid so I have to keep some for my kids to build traditions with.

I have a trunk load of stuff for charity and I just gave a friend a bunch of baby clothes.  WOOT!  More stuff out of the house!

[achab1984]

Good for you, achab1984!  I got rid of Christmas stuff last year.  I'm not really into it but I have great memories from when I was a kid so I have to keep some for my kids to build traditions with.

I have a trunk load of stuff for charity and I just gave a friend a bunch of baby clothes.  WOOT!  More stuff out of the house!

I have one tote that my mom gave me that has all of my childhood ones in it. She gave me one for a gift every Christmas, so that is a lot of Hallmark ones! I smile when I go threw them though. I don't use them on my tree cause I like a simple matching tree. Sometimes it does bother me to know they are all down there not being enjoyed! There are some that she wrote a special message to me on them. Those will stay!

We have a big tote that has some big garlend that we stopped using, I think I might sell this christmas!

Feels good to get things out of the house that is not being used!

[Flitter]

applejackbunny That totally makes sense. I think it's important when pursuing minimalism to still allow for things that make you happy, even if those things "aren't minimalist", and to give those items proper space in your home. I'd feel like was  going too far or losing track of my goals if I got rid of or packed away all my collections. There may come a time when they no longer have the meaning to me they do now, but for the time being they still have value in my life.

Luxrayx, you'll figure your display out when you're ready. Choosing fav's can be tough. I found packing everything away helped me. I would pull out and display ponies as I found my thoughts dwelling on them. It took a while of taking out and sometimes packing away ponies again before I figured what I wanted to do.

Sonata, books  good luck!

Nice, achab1984! It seems you are working to get a handle on impulse buying and being able to let go of things you no longer need.

This past week I donated 2 club chairs I no longer wanted in my living room, along with a tote box of random things, a large light box I no longer used, and an empty file box.
Also, I just finished my pony collection restucturing!
http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,392778.0.html

Still a few up on ebay but I feel I've met my goal with the collection now. 

[achab1984]

Thank you Flitter! I should get some pictures of my home and share them all with you. I love to have a clean house! I did not grow up a clean house. So I am the opposite now!

I am going to put a link to my facebook album but it might not work unless we are friends.


https://www.facebook.com/amanda.chabane/media_set?set=a.10202988642144826.1073741832.1467421722&type=3
 

[Wardah]

I personally feel that ideal minimalism is too extreme on the other side. Like yeah too much stuff is bad but so is too little.  There's a happy medium between cluttered home and cold stark emptiness. What ever happened to the idea of just maintaining balance?