The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Off Topic => Topic started by: achab1984 on July 06, 2013, 08:18:13 PM
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I have been doing a lot of reading on this stuff. I like it cause it does almost fit me. Does anyone else read or live that life? I know that I have more money in my account and have not bought any extra things for over a month now.
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I think I am way too attached to my collections to go for the minimalist lifestyle! It would be nice to have free space in the house for a change though :)
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My dad lives in a small place, and hasn't bought anything new in forever... except the things he needs. And even then, he uses things till they get worn down. (X_X; He used the same pot holder for 20 years, until I bought him a new one a few years ago).
I can't tell you how much I admire that. And how much I want to be like that. But I have stuff. :< I've been selling it, but in the end, I'll still have stuff.
Cuz he's had things paid off for years (house, cars), he's never wasteful, always resourceful... probably has a nice savings (which is needed, to retire in this world...).
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I care very much about the environment so I try not to waste or use too many things. without exaggerating, 90% of the things I own here in Iceland are second hand, and those that aren't are necessities i couldn't find 2nd hand:) I'm not familiar with the exact concept of minimal living so i'm not sure I have anything to do with it, but I try not to be wasteful :)
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I think im a lot like my dad. Im by no stretch of the imagination a packrat but a lot of things hold sentimental value to me.
And I wanted to be an interior designer growing up. So theres the artist side of me that needs something to be there and look great :)
But yes, as far as using things, I do try to 'wear it down' before getting something new, if possible. That I get from my nonna >>
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I think it's awesome but not for me.
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I would not do that one were they live with under 100 things. Cause I have over 300 ponies!!! LOL But I have been putting it in other places in my life. It does feel good to not buy things that I do not need right now.
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I have a bit of a hoarder thing in me... LOL
I am trying to reduce the unnecessary things I buy lately and sell the things I don't want nor need. I'll still have a lot of things, but I am trying to stop for a bit because not only do I not have the money to be spending on random stuff, but also I don't have enough space to keep unnecessary stuff at the moment. So, I am working in the direction of just having less but having what I really like and need instead :)
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I think that minimalism is a great way to live, as it's easy to get caught up in too many material distractions and be buried in stuff we really don't need instead of focusing on family and the things we do need and like most. The problem that I have with it is that it would be near impossible for me to give away my many items that hold sentimental value. I've found that it's a whole lot easier to not buy new items than get rid of my old treasures.
A few months ago, I was able to spend a few days in an Amish community. The family I stayed with had only the things they needed and liked the most, which made their home very tidy and open despite them having five young kids in the house. (The kids had a few MLP fakies by the way!) The same went for other homes in the community. Even if I was there for only less than a week, I forgot about the internet and whatnot and focused more on spending time with the families and my friends who came along.
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I have been reading a lot of sites about it . A lot of the things that I have gotten out of it is.
1. You have less stress due to having lots of things around you.
2. You have less things you have to clean and insure and worry about.
3. You have more financial freedom.
4. You learn to enjoy life more and spend more time with the family.
There is no way that I could be a full blown Minimalist that is for sure. I do not buy extra things anymore. The only thing that I have spent extra money on has been my ponies. I have sold off most of my Breyers and have not looked back.
I have been using coupons a lot more on food and other things that we need for personal care.
I just think that its neat what some people are able to do. I grew up with a mom that saved everything and I was always stressed out at home. When I got out and on my own I always kept things nice and neat around me. I have learned in the last few years that things do not make me happy. I was always wanting more and more to be happy. I sat back and looked at things. Its family and friends and my pets that make me truly happy :) And now I am happy were I am at in life. :)
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I could do it IF I didn't have kids. :) But I do, so I won't.
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I know quite a few people that do and it works for them. Not so much my thing, but whatever floats your boat!
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Yes its not for everyone. I think that having kids would make it even harder to do.
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I don't understand why having kids would make it harder. (I've read otherwise in articles).
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Ya I have read about it also. I have read families that have done it right away when they were little. And others that have done it when the kids were getting older. It was harder on the kids then the adults. I also read one were this family did not do it with your oldest and they did with there youngest. It was crazy how different they were when it came to wanting things and have an attachment to items. Guess its how we all were taught about things in life.
Love to read all kinds of things on the internet :)
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Ah I see...
I figure it's good because don't have to buy tons of toys...
Which is good for not having to pick toys up constantly, obviously saving money, but also can put that money towards productive things like something creative or active. (ie, arts or sports).
But even older children can learn the benefit of letting things go. Not all at once. But making wise decisions of what is most important and what can move on. And it can be tied into the value of money...
I'm crazy attached to all my childhood things. And it is really hard to let go. I STILL want to get rid of stuff, but I can't... and it kills me.
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I've been wanting to practice this lately. Trying not to spoil myself so much on eBay. And I really NEED to save money for some things coming up like a vacation, getting new tires, etc.
It's hard, especially with all these new ponies and other toy lines coming out. I am definitely a person who has a hard time sticking to a budget and loves to spoil herself.
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I would love to be able to live with less stuff. I easily feel cluttered with too much things, and I hate having too much around me that I don't use for anything. If I do have stuff that is not useful, they have to have some sort of sentimental value to me (and then it has to be a big one, not just because it's pretty...).
Still I always feel like I have too much stuff and once every third month I get this need to clean out my closet and give stuff away for flea markets or donate them to someone who might need it. It always makes me feel better to get the stuff out of the house. And even with all this I know that I am materialist at heart, my things mean a lot to me. The things I surround myself with makes me happy :) There are some stuff that I don't want to part with... at all! So, even though I like the idea - and I am doing my best to live by the concept - I would never be able to truly commit to it! I mean - only 100 things? That is....impossible! :shocked:
But I do like the idea of introducing this in its mildest form when I have kids. I don't want my children to have too many toys or too much stuff.
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I have seriously considered selling quite a few of my collections so I can get my house back. I am not a hoarder but I do find it stressful that I have ended up with so many things. Its just insane. I wish I could move to a new home though and do it slowly. Its hard for me to work for long periods of time on clearing things out. I need to do it though and I am almost there. I will pick my favorites and get rid of the rest of what I have.
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Thank you everyone that has posted on here. I like to see and read what you all have to say. I also do not like to have a lot of things around me also. I did list something over the last few month that I was not looking at or using anymore. The first round I made almost $500!!!! Of course my car needed some work and that all went to her. This second time around I have made almost $500 again and have nothing to spend it on. Its all going into savings.....well some of it might go to pay off my CC that I need to get rid of. But it does feel good to not spend. I did break down yesterday and bought the new Collectors Guide, but it was just a few dollars :)
It does feel good to get rid of things. My mom brought over a lot of my child hood things last year and I really did not want it all. But I put it down stairs and did not look at it. We had a rummage sale last month and I put almost all of it in there. I could not believe that I sold all of it! And the good thing, I did and do not miss it anymore :) I think it was harder on my mom then me.