shedding stuff / minimalism [Archive] - Beastie Boys Message Board

roosta

07-30-2010, 11:38 AM

recently i've been thinking alot about really trimming down my life. There's this whole movement towards minimalist living etc. and some of it has gotten me interested.

I've traditionally been a hoarder. My room is just full of stuff going back decades. Clothes I will never wear again. CD's i've ripped and will never be listened to again. Toys. Magazines. Books. And its all just sitting there.

But i find it hard to part with stuff. If you are a hoarder too, then you'll be aware of the old "but I may need it someday" thing. Or if you are a geek and into 'stuff' you want to hold on to that stuff. But these days I find my self rarely looking or thinking about half this stuff.

I've been reading about people who own a minimum of things, and its beginning to appeal to me. I've started doing simple things; archiving and wiping my computer regularly, donating old clothes. But i kind of want to go further; to really pair down my 'things' to the essentials. I've heard of people who keep a really minimalistic wardrobe; few pairs of trousers; shoes and t-shirts etc.

I've also been looking at people who live simpler 'sustainable' lives, they always seem really chilled out. This is also tied into trying to manage 'information overload' im a web-junkie and sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the various streams I dive into.

Is anyone else interested in this kind of stuff? Or do they live it?

nodanaonlyzuul

07-30-2010, 12:41 PM

it may be hard to tell if you were to come in to our home, but we are pretty minimalist. Aside from my affinity to video games and having every system *cough*, we keep very little games. I always rent them or the few times I did buy, I sell them. I never buy movies or music unless I truly, truly love them and even then we prune the desire to purchase even half of those. We use the library a lot for books instead of buying them. I always donate clothes I no longer wear and only tend to purchase very affordable: shirts $15 or less, jeans on sale for $30, etc or thrift store items.

Even the few items we do have, if they were to vanish tomorrow it's not like it'd be the end of the world to me. The only "material" item I'd ever really want to keep (aside from obvious things like a few sets of clothing) is a computer.

Otherwise I don't need any materials. And I like it that way.

Also, I like the rule of "If I haven't seen it in a year, used/touched it in a year, it's gone." Aside from important documents of course.

abcdefz

07-30-2010, 02:32 PM

I used to collect DVDs until I realized that, even for those I watch repeatedly, it would still be cheaper to just rent. Plus probably 15%
of the collection were movies I still had never even watched once. So I sold them all off.

The downside of that is that so many rental copies are too scratched to play uninterrupted. That part stinks.

But now I've been getting rid of all my stuff -- all my CDs, almost every book, almost all of my paintings and clothes -- because I have to
downsize to keep from being homeless altogether. It's somewhat liberating and somewhat depressing at the same time. Hopefully it will be
a good thing spiritually. I want to get closer to God and interact with other people more, and I distract myself with entertainment
waaaaaaaayy too much.

roosta

07-30-2010, 03:12 PM

Also, I like the rule of "If I haven't seen it in a year, used/touched it in a year, it's gone." Aside from important documents of course.

I've heard variations on this,with different time periods. It's definitely something i'm using to help decide.

I used to collect DVDs until I realized that, even for those I watch repeatedly, it would still be cheaper to just rent. Plus probably 15%
of the collection were movies I still had never even watched once. So I sold them all off.

I'm trying to cut down buying DVDs. there's so many that just sit there and i never watch them. I also do this bizarre thing where i won't watch a DVD when im bored, but if a film i own on DVD comes on telly i'll watch it.

It's somewhat liberating and somewhat depressing at the same time. Hopefully it will be
a good thing spiritually. I want to get closer to God and interact with other people more, and I distract myself with entertainment
waaaaaaaayy too much.

I was wondering if i'd get depressed dropping stuff, but i've thought about most of the stuff and I think i'll be OK. There's a part of me that thinks I'll regret it in years to come. You see people with collections of records/comics/toys etc and its all cool cult stuff. But i'll have nothing.

Adam

07-30-2010, 03:22 PM

I tried to do this moving into my new place a few months ago.

I left or sold stuff I didn't use or want. Bulky stuff that I couldn't fit into storage or shift easily had to go. Like sofa's - right now I don't have one but I have one being delivered next week that is flat pack and is supposed to be good.

I sold all my DVDs except Red Dwarf and Beastie Boys. My music is still here but its on a to do list to give away or sell. When I think about buying stuff I stop and think twice.

So yeah, I'm trying to because I'm sick of collecting junk and I want to travel light - hobo style...

I think owning a house you collect stuff, make a point of renting just the right size place you need - no spare room. Bedroom each unless you can share, kitchen, bathroom & living room. Anything else is excessive.

I also killed my car and joined a car club where you hire by the hour. It saves loads of £$ ... I have a motorbike though but I can go 300 miles on 10 litres.

Environmentally - music and movies can be bought digitally. No need for plastic to keep it in. Though you can't get everything.

Do it do it do it!

nodanaonlyzuul

07-30-2010, 03:38 PM

because I have to
downsize to keep from being homeless altogether.

Homelessness was pretty much how I ended doing all of this as well, except I was living on couches thanks to nice friends. But in the end I had no where to put my stuff and on top of trying to get on my feet again, I also needed to feed myself.

I had a ton of DVDs and CDs before and there was something about having all of that that was appealing. It was all stuff that I loved and enjoyed to watch or listen to. But after my couch living experience, I realized that I save a lot more money and space by not doing that and that it was still possible to enjoy and love those things by renting or by using a computer.

Also there is something about not having a lot of stuff that feels free. You're more mobile. You can pretty much up and go at any time because you don't have to worry about all the "stuff" you have. Even if I chose not to leave, the option is there. I'm the kind of person that likes that feeling.

abcdefz

07-30-2010, 03:39 PM

I'm trying to cut down buying DVDs. there's so many that just sit there and i never watch them. I also do this bizarre thing where i won't watch a DVD when im bored, but if a film i own on DVD comes on telly i'll watch it.

I was wondering if i'd get depressed dropping stuff, but i've thought about most of the stuff and I think i'll be OK. There's a part of me that thinks I'll regret it in years to come. You see people with collections of records/comics/toys etc and its all cool cult stuff. But i'll have nothing.

Most things are replaceable, but yeah, there's always that chance.

I just got convicted, personally, about how I was collecting things just to collect them. I was actively using maybe 20% of my collection.
Its main function was to grow on the shelves as a tribute to my taste. Seriously; that was basically it.

nodanaonlyzuul

07-30-2010, 04:08 PM

I also killed my car and joined a car club where you hire by the hour. It saves loads of £$

I do that too! :) Thankfully I live in an area that has semi-decent public transit as well so I can get by just fine. But when I do need a car, I rent one by the hour through zipcar.

I love it. I love not having a car about 90% of the time because it saves me a ton of cash.

The itch to drive gets scratched when I rent one though so it works out alright.

cosmo105

07-30-2010, 04:11 PM

Hello, my name is Jessica, and I'm a hoarder. :o

Growing up my room was an utter disaster area - when I got to my teen years and went through all THAT fun hormone-induced insanity it was even worse. Since moving out and living with comparatively cleaner roommates/boyfriends, I've had to clean up my act. That hasn't necessarily meant having less stuff until the last time I moved. I had already gotten rid of several overstuffed bags of clothes and crap from a move a few months prior, but this time I really dug deep. It was hard. I had never really given much thought to how much I held on to all of this stuff before, and it was liberating to finally let a lot of it go. I've been going through things more and more and keeping my place cleaner than ever, and I really like it.

You can pry my Futurama crap out of my cold, dead hands, though.

TAL

07-30-2010, 04:41 PM

You can pry my Futurama crap out of my cold, dead hands, though.

And your shoulder.

ms.peachy

07-30-2010, 04:44 PM

Move to the other side of the earth. It's a great way to focus your thoughts on what you really do and don't need.

yeahwho

07-30-2010, 05:05 PM

Your post made me think of my problem.... from the other side of the world

I'm livin' on a Chinese Rock.
All my best things are in hock.
I'm livin' on a chinese rock.
Everything is in the pawn shop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_-HR3R72hc&feature=fvw).

man i love rock & roll

jabumbo

07-30-2010, 07:54 PM

when i got my house, the lady who lived here before was a complete hoarder. the family left behind a lot of junk (along with some very usable furniture and dishware) so i spent loads of time fishing through stuff to donate/throw out.

while i feel very liberated after filling a trash bag up with stuff like that, i find it hard to really go full out. my biggest waste of space right now is baseball cards. most of them are worthless but i still feel the need to stuff shoe boxes full of them. thankfully i haven't purchased any more in quite some time.

other than dumb collections of things though, i'm not too bad about it. i like removing things very systematically.

kaiser soze

07-30-2010, 09:23 PM

I've been trying to travel down this road but I have such a hard time departing with my music/movies/books/art supplies -

plus I live with a pseudo-hoarder/bookworm

I truly wish I could let go.....of her of course ;)

we talk about it often - slowly we shed some shit, cloths, extra dishes, junk we know we won't use again, but there is the stuff that matters even if it's collecting dust and breaking down in a dark corner of a stuffed room

roosta

08-01-2010, 08:10 AM

Stewart Lee has a fantastic article in the Guardian today about hoarding/collecting/shedding stuff. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/aug/01/stewart-lee-collecting-comics-stand-up)

Adam

08-01-2010, 08:36 AM

roosta

08-01-2010, 10:27 AM

literally 2 secs ago I finished reading this article and was gonna post it here for ya.

:D

jabumbo

08-01-2010, 03:31 PM

so, eery sequence of events:

went to church last night (for the first time in a while) and the gospel/sermon was about not spending your life searching for wealth in money/things, but to really appreciate the things you have in front of you, ie family, friends, etc.

today, my mother is over my place helping me sort through things in my basement (mostly lingering items left here by prior old lady tenant) and pitching a lot of junk and donating lots of boxes full to goodwill.

clearing out her old stuff has helped me find reason to sort through some of my old junk and rid myself of some of those things. it feels great!

yeahwho

08-01-2010, 04:27 PM

Stewart Lee has a fantastic article in the Guardian today about hoarding/collecting/shedding stuff. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/aug/01/stewart-lee-collecting-comics-stand-up)

I had 6ft of Fall CDs, 5ft 8in of Miles Davis, 5ft 6in of Sonic Youth and its solo spin-offs, 5ft 2in of John Coltrane, 4ft 11in of the free improviser Derek Bailey, 4ft 4in of Robert Pollard and Guided by Voices, 3ft of Bob Dylan, 2ft 8in of the Byrds and various tributaries, 2ft 6in of the Texan outsider artist Jandek and 2ft 4in of the saxophonist Evan Parker; I had 20ft of European improvised music, 20ft of jazz, 14ft apiece of British folk music, reggae, and blues, 7ft of Japanese psychedelia, and 6ft each of music from Tucson, New Zealand and 1970s Germany.

Almost 6' of Fall CD's, dude is lucky he never collected the Grateful Dead obsessively[/URL]. There are sites with "This Day in Grateful Dead History (http://www.photog.com/gdead/index.html)" plus with over 2300 soundboard recorded shows, a few hundred releases and spin offs there also was all of the fan tapers making up multiple bootlegs numbering well over 80 gagillion or so recordings.

I have about 20' total of vinyl and it's all in the garage hidden away under a work bench. Only the stuff that matters, I thinned out the multi-platinum albums unless they were early pressings.

Schmeltz

08-01-2010, 10:04 PM

Move to the other side of the earth. It's a great way to focus your thoughts on what you really do and don't need.

Straight up. I came to Australia in October 2008 and I've lived out of my backpack ever since - about ten days' worth of clothes, a bathroom kit, and my laptop. I literally carry everything I own in the world around with me. Obviously I can't do this forever, but it's been a real lesson in keeping my life simple and stress-free so as to enable me to do and see more things. I'm determined to live the rest of my life as simply and minimally as I can. It's the only way.

Adam

08-02-2010, 02:55 AM

Straight up. I came to Australia in October 2008 and I've lived out of my backpack ever since - about ten days' worth of clothes, a bathroom kit, and my laptop. I literally carry everything I own in the world around with me. Obviously I can't do this forever, but it's been a real lesson in keeping my life simple and stress-free so as to enable me to do and see more things. I'm determined to live the rest of my life as simply and minimally as I can. It's the only way.

/jealous

Pretty much, you're my hero.

Kid Presentable

08-02-2010, 06:04 AM

I'd rather have my stuff than the satisfied air of a psuedo-minimalist. That's not directed at anyone here, more at everyone in general. (y)

Guy Incognito

08-02-2010, 06:19 AM

i'm pretty useless at shedding stuff. We tend to have clearout once/twice a year but still dont really get rif of enough and having kids just means we end up with more stuff. We are in the process of putting lots on ebay but its still a mission to sort all our stuff out. Got a cupboard full of cds and vinyl but i just never get round to sorting it out and getting rid

roosta

08-02-2010, 06:24 AM

I'd rather have my stuff than the satisfied air of a psuedo-minimalist. That's not directed at anyone here, more at everyone in general. (y)

what if it was the satisfied air of an actual-minimalist?

Kid Presentable

08-02-2010, 07:29 AM

As long as they post from computers, they aren't minimalists.

jabumbo

08-02-2010, 08:16 AM

i send my posts via carrier pigeon to a drone who types everything in for me

Adam

08-02-2010, 08:54 AM

As long as they post from computers, they aren't minimalists.

Minimalist doesn't mean nothing.

Bob

08-02-2010, 09:20 AM

wifi does kind of seem like a big thing though

Kid Presentable

08-02-2010, 09:34 AM

A planet's worth, at least.

roosta

08-02-2010, 01:10 PM

As long as they post from computers, they aren't minimalists.

Hahaha, that's nonsense.

Adam

08-02-2010, 01:28 PM

Hahaha, that's nonsense.

pretty much. I think surviving today without web access is taking it too far. I mean, we grow, evolve, we need certain things in life. I would say, any1 with a laptop can live with less stuff for having one that not one.

Like, I'm sure Schmeltz would love to minimize down his life style by getting rid of his laptop and carrying around all his bank, personal and ID details, guide books, access to friends and family contacts, photos as well as few DVDs and music because they take up waaaaaaaaaaaaay less room than that big bulky laptop that sits at the back of his bag.

Like I say, it doesn't mean nothing, taking it to the extreme would be climbing back up the trees and live with the other apes who have yet to develop wifi.

roosta

08-02-2010, 01:53 PM

exactly, it doesn't mean getting rid of everything, ever.

what we're talking about in this thread is trying to live more minimalist. it doesn't mean moving to a cave in a forest. everything is about balance.

I've read a bunch of stuff from people who live minimalist lifestyles, some pretty extreme, and most of them have computers. in fact, having a computer allows them to cut out other stuff (tv/films/books).

abcdefz

08-02-2010, 02:02 PM

I'm scaling back to:

Laptop
Space heater
futon
two pillows
some clothes
three pairs of shoes
iron
probably two pans
glass
one Tupperware-like piece to pack lunch
towel
some paints and brushes
a few papers
two paintings
rice cooker
one cookbook
Bible
cell phone
toiletries
some cleaning supplies
laundry soap
bleach
backpack

Debating:
TV
stereo
DVD player
blender

I think that's it.

Adam

08-02-2010, 02:05 PM

Adam

08-02-2010, 02:07 PM

TV, DVD player and stereo can be your laptop.

Your space heater I first read as space hopper and I thought awesome!

abcdefz

08-02-2010, 02:12 PM

My laptop's headphone jack doesn't work, though. It's probably a simple fix, though.

Yeah -- I already ditched the space hopper. :D

roosta

08-02-2010, 02:31 PM

abcdefz

08-02-2010, 02:38 PM

Oops. I forgot about my digital camera. That stays.

jabumbo

08-02-2010, 02:50 PM

Nice list.

That's kinda what this dude is doing. (http://www.farbeyondthestars.com/57-things/)

so basically he has an apartment with everything just scattered about on the floor?

abcdefz

08-02-2010, 03:15 PM

Broom.

Debating about the vacuum, too.

Guy Incognito

08-02-2010, 03:17 PM

This thread has made me look at my junk though, no-one will buy my CDs because there is nothing really rare about them. I don't play them, if I want to hear a certain song I youtube, mp3, or google it. Far quicker than looking in my DJ boxes even though they are designed for quick access.

I listen to Last.fm more than stored music anyway, it knows my tastes and has it pretty much programmed in if it tries to put on coldplay, travis or like it will be killed quickly.

So anyway, do I dump them? Would charity shops want them or am I just creating a storage problem for them. Should I just let people take what they want when they come round slowly and stop replacing things or buying things?

I think I might try the latter. Spread the wealth.

i think charity shops would want them and any they didnt want they would get rid. There are music/book bins at most municipal tips these days.
Or you could car boot sale them. a freind of mine just put all his cd's on hard drive then sold them all in an hour. he was very surprised.

Or you could ebay them in a lucky dip style. Say publish the list on ebay then have charges for different amount of cd's then just send them a random selection of the amount they paid for.

abcdefz

08-02-2010, 04:13 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VbI5zcB8Ac&feature=youtube_gdata

Bob

08-02-2010, 04:34 PM

I don't need any of this. I don't need this stuff, and I don't need you. I don't need anything except this. And that's it and that's the only thing I need, is this. I don't need this or this. Just this ashtray. And this paddle game, the ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need. And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that's all I need. And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And this lamp. The ashtray, this paddle game and the remote control and the lamp and that's all I need. And that's all I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one - I need this. The paddle game, and the chair, and the remote control, and the matches, for sure. And this. And that's all I need. The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, this magazine and the chair. And I don't need one other thing, except my dog. I don't need my dog.

yeahwho

08-02-2010, 05:17 PM

Me, my juggling skills and cats. That's all I need.

Adam

08-02-2010, 05:52 PM

Don't forget the roads.

Kid Presentable

08-02-2010, 08:30 PM

Hahaha, that's nonsense.

Convenient, for you.

ms.peachy

08-02-2010, 11:50 PM

Bob

08-03-2010, 01:59 AM

I'll trade you. I've got this really great thermos. It's got stripes, and a cup built right in.

I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days. The first day seemed like a week and the second day seemed like five days. And the third day seemed like a week again and the fourth day seemed like eight days. And the fifth day you went to see your mother and that seemed just like a day, and then you came back and later on the sixth day, in the evening, when we saw each other, that started seeming like two days, so in the evening it seemed like two days spilling over into the next day and that started seeming like four days, so at the end of the sixth day on into the seventh day, it seemed like a total of five days. And the sixth day seemed like a week and a half. I have it written down, but I can show it to you tomorrow if you want to see it.

roosta

08-03-2010, 05:38 AM

Convenient, for you.

haha, ok.

You are singularly ignoring what we are actually talking about in this thread to make some kind of point, but go ahead.

It's convenient, for you.

Kid Presentable

08-03-2010, 06:46 AM

Not even. When I get a helicopter, I'll probably think about getting rid of it.

It's funny, you have to admit, that we became trapped by these things in the first place, to such a point where we now have to consciously decide to "shed stuff". Will that be the answer? Worth a shot.

No need to get into a thingo about it, though. Your idea of minimalism is plenty of people's excess, but as long as we have society to blame for that then it's all good. If you don't like my opinion of minimalism, I will minimalismise it. You aren't much of a salesman, though. :p

roosta

08-03-2010, 07:35 AM

i'm not trying to sell anything, i'm just having a discussion.

it boils down to us having different definitions of minimalism. no biggie. what i'm talking about is simplifying my life in a way that benefits me. I dont think living in a cave would be good for me, so its all relative to my life. and part of that is looking at the stuff i own and seeing what do i need and what don't i need.

Kid Presentable

08-03-2010, 07:47 AM

It's all good. On a relative scale, I'm probably more minimalist than you are.

roosta

08-03-2010, 07:47 AM

It's all good. On a relative scale, I'm probably more minimalist than you are.

no doubt. i'm not very minimalist. hence this thread.

Schmeltz

08-03-2010, 09:24 AM

As long as they post from computers, they aren't minimalists.

That is pretty much a crock, bro. Why draw the line at computers? It's totally arbitrary. Why not say "As long as they use rotary telephones, they aren't minimalists." Or "As long as they use tools made of iron, they aren't minimalists." What is it about a computer that complicates things so much? Especially in the era of digital communication when a computer or something like it is almost a necessity? You're confusing simple living with Luddism. The two aren't really comparable.

With that said, I never claimed to be a minimalist. I only remarked on the attractions of a lifestyle that requires comparatively few possessions. The amount of air travel I regularly undertake pretty much undercuts any real claim I could make to some philosophical kind of minimalism as I understand the term. But I'd rather have plane tickets than possessions. Way better.

Kid Presentable

08-03-2010, 09:26 AM

I think if it weren't for the word 'minimalist' (its existence more than just its use) I'd have taken a serious approach. It's such a silly word. That guys' blog you linked up "*tug tug* life isn't about things *tug tug* it's about experiences ". I mean, what a cunt.

Kid Presentable

08-03-2010, 09:40 AM

That is pretty much a crock, bro. Why draw the line at computers? It's totally arbitrary. Why not say "As long as they use rotary telephones, they aren't minimalists." Or "As long as they use tools made of iron, they aren't minimalists." What is it about a computer that complicates things so much? Especially in the era of digital communication when a computer or something like it is almost a necessity? You're confusing simple living with Luddism. The two aren't really comparable.

Shedding possessions, I can dig. Being a self-labeled 'minimalist', I can not. I get that you yourself don't think of yourself as such, as would no self-respecting individual.

Calling a computer an essential in your life isn't really trying to be minimalist, no matter how much you may believe it to be. Why couldn't they (the evil minimalists) use computers at libraries instead of owning one? Because that doesn't suit them? It's not convenient? If you wanted the bare essentials of data storage, then why not just a mobile phone with contact details and account numbers stored in it?

Is that not arbitrary, if an alternative exists that they could surely afford with all of their extra cash from not owning stuff?

roosta

08-03-2010, 09:50 AM

Calling a computer an essential in your life isn't really trying to be minimalist, no matter how much you may believe it to be. Why couldn't they (the evil minimalists) use computers at libraries instead of owning one? Because that doesn't suit them? It's not convenient? If you wanted the bare essentials of data storage, then why not just a mobile phone with contact details and account numbers stored in it?

Is that not arbitrary, if an alternative exists that they could surely afford with all of their extra cash from not owning stuff?

what is wrong with the word 'minimalist' in and of itself? if you are ok with the concept, but just the word, what is it about that word you dislike?

and i couldn't disagree more with the computer thing. i think you are taking an extremist position just to knock it. its perfectly fine to say you are going to live a minimalist lifestyle but not shed everything.

Extremism (of any kind) just pushes an idea to its logical conclusion, but that doesn't mean you have to. You could argue that if you pushed it completely to its final conclusion you would just kill yourself and save yourself the inconvenience of breathing.

What I/we are talking about here is adopting minimalist ideas to help ourselves. We are not talking about living in caves eating grass.

roosta

08-03-2010, 10:00 AM

Possessed, a short film about Hoarders (http://vimeo.com/603058)

I actually feel sorry for the people in this. This is extreme hoarding.

abcdefz

08-03-2010, 01:52 PM

I sent off my rent check with a note saying I'm moving out at the end of the month, so now I have to find a place for sure.

I just took another load of books to a donation site today and probably have two more loads to go. Once I get the place cleaned up
a bit more I'll probably post an ad on Craigslist to see if anyone wants to come and pick up the weights and exercise bike.

The place is thinning out!

ms.peachy

08-04-2010, 09:02 PM

You know, my kid was singing to herself a little bit ago whilst I was making dinner and not really paying attention to her, and it slowly dawned on me that the song she was singing was quite appropriate for this thread. It goes a little something like this:

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

Dorothy Wood

08-05-2010, 02:04 AM

this thread is pretty intense, dudes.

anyway, i have quite a lot of crap, but mostly because i find a lot of junk that i like or think might be useful some day and collect it. when i moved recently, i got rid of a lot of things that i couldn't see a use for, which added up to a lot. i still ended up moving a lot of useless junk, but as i look around me, i like almost everything that i have, and that's kinda nice i guess.

other than stuff, i keep a pretty low profile. work for a small business in a kind of old tymey trade, don't have a car, rent from an individual rather than a company.

and anyway, because of that, i kinda see kp's point. to choose to be minimalist, means you have the choice...when many people don't have the option to not live minimally.

Adam

08-05-2010, 03:08 AM

I realised I can't get rid of my junk too easily but I can not buy things easier because I hate shopping.

If I'm feeling kind I'm gonna slowly give stuff away. But y'know - it feels good to spend money sometimes.

I'm lucky, I have enough money atm - I've had time when I haven't and it was hard but right now I should count my blessing but realise I can live under my means for a softer landing for when I hit the times I might live beyond again.

roosta

08-05-2010, 12:36 PM

and anyway, because of that, i kinda see kp's point. to choose to be minimalist, means you have the choice...when many people don't have the option to not live minimally.

but what's wrong with making that choice?

Dorothy Wood

08-06-2010, 12:30 PM

but what's wrong with making that choice?

oh, nothing at all...just that the topic and the minimalist blogger people just seem a little...yuppie? or, i don't know, can't think of a good term to describe it that would make sense across cultures.

it's a good topic though, don't get me wrong. it's just the guy with the yoga and the tank tops just seemed a little punch-worthy.

roosta

08-06-2010, 01:00 PM

i can see where you and kp are coming from to be honest.

its like meditation, its been co-opted into this yuppie-ish self-help movement. people in white leggings on cliff tops aspiring for peace etc. its definitely annoying.

Adam

08-07-2010, 04:36 AM

Its that feeling of being superior to both camps is what we all really want.

Minimalist - yes I am. But check out my awesome iPhone_4 and look how peaceful I am... Oooooooooooooooommmmm...

We should probably steal all his stuff and burn his house down.

roosta

08-08-2010, 04:52 PM

interesting article in the New York Times about the links between consumerism and happiness (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1)

Adam

08-09-2010, 04:14 AM

interesting article in the New York Times about the links between consumerism and happiness (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1)

(y) Like

+1

yeahwho

08-09-2010, 01:19 PM

I like my stuff but that NYTimes article is good, it linked to this site (http://rowdykittens.com/portfolio/) which linked to multiple other sites and ideas.

I still like my junk and I think this comes from being destitute for several years. I miss my 5 years of condo life in downtown only because it was so much easier to lock up and leave. Now I have dogs, cats, a big ass yard and gardens which require upkeep. But the trade off is I actually feel more open and I know my neighbors better. Plus pets are awesome. I am a dog park dufus.

I need the car, I commute over a hundred miles per day at all hours, rapid transit isn't also anytime transit. So in order to simplify I try and not use or purchase products that do not directly help the community I'm in.

Dorothy Wood

08-10-2010, 02:10 AM

interesting article in the New York Times about the links between consumerism and happiness (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1)

holy. shit. that article really struck a chord with me, and has basically just set the desired course for the rest of my life. hopefully i remember that tomorrow when I'm not fffffffp.

roosta

08-17-2010, 08:20 AM

Article from the BBC

Cult of Less : Living Out of a hardrive (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10928032)

Goes into a bizarre tangent on the end about our brains being recorded on hardrives, but its interesting enough.

People who are going completely digital, so they own only a computer but no 'things'

Any thoughts?

I'm interested in eBooks/eReading, but I guess i still like flicking through a real book.

jabumbo

08-17-2010, 12:33 PM

interesting article in the New York Times about the links between consumerism and happiness (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/business/08consume.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1)

not to say this wasn't good or anything.....but i am pretty sure going from working an invesment management job in Davis to working from home at your leisure doing websites in Portland would make me a happier person regardless of all the junk.

i mean, i'm sure the change in philosophy and the removal of all the extra stuff was a great start in the right direction, but i bet the woman would still be a lot less happy if she hadn't changed her career path and everything else with it.

roosta

08-17-2010, 04:30 PM

Follow up interview with one of the dudes from the BBC article (http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/17/the-nitty-gritty-of.html#more)

FunkyHiFi

08-24-2010, 04:00 AM

I'm glad someone linked to this discussion because its a relief to see - at the risk of sounding like a poser - others out there that don't need more things to feel good.

Have to add my thoughts about the computer though. The first 35 years of my life were spent without one and I have to say, I wouldn't really miss it if my computer spontaneously combusted right now. It's nice to have around, but not mandatory. Using just one, relatively fragile, device for so many activities causes a quiet but clearly audible ding!ding!ding! warning in the back of my head.

Music playback? Got to have a home system for that* because to me a decent system, I guess you could say.....respects....the work & imagination an artist put into his/her audible artwork by reproducing it more like what they wanted you to hear (hence my screen name :)). Doesn't need to be a hi-end system costing $10K but definitely has to sound better than the awful tinny speakers built into a laptop. And headphones bother me after like thirty minutes or so, plus the inside-my-head effect is not what's heard at a performance venue. And probably worst of all, 'phones isolate me from others.

I keep my CDs for the ultimate backup (as I just wrote in another thread here) but listen a lot to the mp3s made from them with my Sansa player while outside hiking, biking yada yada.

Definitely like the idea of a Kindle or a Nook - the reduction in paper and consequently less trees felled and less crap emanating from nasty paper mills (huge sources of pollution btw) is totally worth it. But as someone else already said there's something about the feeling of holding a book in your hands that an electronic device cannot match. So I'll keep the three dozen or so books that have made a difference in my life, meh, it's just one small wooden rack in the corner, so no big deal (same with the CDs and dvds of movies and music very dear to me).

Dvd movies - funny so many have mentioned this. I used to collect them (just for me, not to sell later) but like so many people, realized I basically never watched like 75% of them!! So either gave those titles away or sold them. Big relief material-wise.

No that I was ever into the buy for buying's sake lifestyle, but after hitting some very low points ($$ speaking) in my life around 1995, I realized even more clearly that having just enough to allow me to live comfortably - a hazy subjective term I know so you'll have to trust me! - is all I need. Excuse the well-worn cliche but people are what matters, everything else is secondary.

* home system = pair of speakers + receiver + source (CD/dvd player, internet radio stream, or mp3 player)

FunkyHiFi

08-29-2010, 04:24 AM

Sorry about posting the above message i.e. thread killer -after posting it I realized I kind of barged in and "shouted"(?) and then ended up sounding like a shill for the stereo gear industry.

But did want to add something that I think will be of value to those reading this thread.

If you've never seen the movie/documentary Koyaanisqatsi ("koy-aunis-cot-see") I really recommend it.

From Koyaanisqatsi's (http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/koyaanisqatsi.php) official site:
The title is a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance."* Created between 1975 and 1982, the film is an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds -- urban life and technology versus the environment.We usually perceive our world, our way of living, as beautiful because there is nothing else to perceive. If one lives in this world, the globalized world of high technology, all one can see is one layer of commodity piled upon another. In our world the "original" is the proliferation of the standardized. Copies are copies of copies. There seems to be no ability to see beyond, to see that we have encased ourselves in an artificial environment that has remarkably replaced the original, nature itself.

From the Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koyaanisqatsi) for the film:The film consists primarily of slow motion and time-lapse photography of cities and many natural landscapes across the United States. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and musicAlong with Philip Glass' music, watching those images really gets your imagination working. Though don't be in a hurry when watching this film.....you'll know what I mean after just 10 minutes or so (some people hate this film because of the style used, so beware! Though I liked it myself enough to buy the dvd).

Heres' the trailer. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PirH8PADDgQ)

I think this is a great film but I won't sugarcoat it, it won't exactly leave you jumping for joy when the end credits finally roll. But it definitely makes you think about what you should and shouldn't be doing as far as material things.

************************************************** *
On an audio related note and I'm ONLY mentioning this because it has to do with the instrumental music which is so important to this film's message: the soundtrack many times contains some very powerful low frequency synthesizers and other instruments, intense enough to make my couch cushions pulsate. Unfortunately if you listen to it using a TV's built-in speakers - speakers very probably no larger than 4" across - you'll hear none of that. But also because when a 5.1 channel sound mix like the dvd uses is "downmixed" to stereo, which is what you get out of a standard dvd player's left/right analog RCA outputs, standard players delete the LFE channel from the downmixed version. FYI: the LFE - low frequency effects - channel is the ".1" or "subwoofer" channel you see listed on dvd labels or theater ads. There's a good reason for the deletion but won't go into it here (think about those four inch speakers.......).

Now, I've never listened to this dvd without my subwoofer to find out if the following was done with Koyaanisqatsi, but many times a mixing engineer will place a "lite" version of what's in the LFE channel into the front left-right channels so people without subs can experience some of what the musician/director wanted them to hear. Though if you're lucky, the movie studio will include a true stereo mix option on the dvd, which usually means all the sounds the musician wanted you to hear will be present in the left-right channels & you shouldn't be missing out on anything.

* from Wikipedia's entry for it: "crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living"

roosta

08-29-2010, 06:26 AM

i love Koyaanisqatsi !

great film / soundtrack.

(y)

Adam

08-30-2010, 05:49 AM

I'll check it out. But I don't have fancy speakers.

When I searched, Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation - 1988 and Naqoyqatsi - 2002 which seem like follow ups.

abcdefz

08-30-2010, 05:34 PM

It's only 1:30 and I am pretty fried. Spent the morning hauling stuff out of the apartment down the flight of stairs to the dupster;
also took a lot of clothes to the donation center down the block. Went to change from shorts back into my jeans and realized the jeans
were no longer there and I'd have to call the donation center and see if someone could come and open up the collections box so I could get
my wallet and keys to the new place! Then I realized I might have put them in the trash, because they weren't really in good enough
condition to donate. Thankfully, they were in the dumpster.

FunkyHiFi

08-31-2010, 01:15 AM

I'll check it out. But I don't have fancy speakers.

When I searched, Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation - 1988 and Naqoyqatsi - 2002 which seem like follow ups.I've been meaning to watch those, but no $$ for dvds or CDs for awhile now and I don't own this PC I'm typing on and cannot easily watch an entire movie/documentary without....problems...with other people here. :(

FunkyHiFi

08-31-2010, 01:22 AM

Thankfully, they were in the dumpster.(y)(y)(y)

On another forum I read, when discussions involve electronic banking, some people (like me) admit they still hang onto their paper bills and coins in addition to credit cards or debit cards, but others have declared themselves free of such things and now only use electronic means for their financial transactions, even trivial daily ones like buying bread at the grocery store (but when they get the urge, how do they buy a Snickers bar from the breakroom vending machine? :eek:). Personally speaking, relying on an electronic & hackable network for EVERYthing spooks me more than a little.......

abcdefz

08-31-2010, 02:47 PM

Yeah, I dunno. Maybe that's a financial strategy?

FunkyHiFi

09-01-2010, 09:30 PM

Yeah, I dunno. Maybe that's a financial strategy?Hmm, didn't think of that. But makes sense since I've had buddies who seemed to have little control over themselves when it came to buying stuff & they weren't particularly well-off either.

Sometimes, being a Luddite makes me stand up a little straighter. :D

p-branez

09-06-2010, 11:29 AM

i had a friend best describe all this as "making his life mobile."

especially now for the younger generation in the united states, we have an incredible amount of flexibility in choosing where we want to live; our lives are dynamic. i could move to singapore or china if i wanted to, an option my parents never had coming of age in the early 1970s.

for me, it's practical: since jobs are scarce, it's about being able to move quickly when an opportunity comes my way. it allows me to move efficiently, knowing that i'll be driving to my new location in my small car and will want to make only one trip. and part of it is psychological as well - when i'm moving out on my own, getting rid of high school t-shirts, old essays, christmas cards still in envelopes, keychains that have never been used, is like shedding dead weight and makes it easier to make a fresh start.

Adam

09-06-2010, 12:55 PM

I am very close to deciding to sell my PS3. I don't use it that often, I have a gaming PC I should get rid of the consoles.

I also should sell my other computer although its not worth much but works great (for me).

But p-branez said it. I used to have a small car and moved every 6 to 12 months, at first it was one car load, then two - last count was 6. Its especially more since my parents died and the house I've collected stuff in for nearly 30 years needed emptying. But I can't help but hold onto some sentimental stuff.

Slowly getting rid. But I like having things generally.

FunkyHiFi

03-10-2011, 05:58 PM

O.K. I'm posting this strictly for humor sake & only because I thought it was funny/creepy, not because I think minimalism is a bad thing.

That being said :D.......

http://unhappyhipsters.com/post/3721953486/mom-needed-some-crazy-to-balance-her-otherwise

kaiser soze

03-10-2011, 06:13 PM

stick that kid in a corner!

someone might trip over her!

Adam

03-11-2011, 01:37 AM

Oh yeah, this thread.

Since this thread I've bought more shit, got into more debt, become a little bit fatter. w00t, self improvement.

Loving the Unhappy Hipsters link (y)

Adam

12-05-2011, 07:10 AM

Two minutes ago I did something I haven't been able to do for years - get rid of some old t-shirts that had emotional attachment including some beastie tees.

I've lost a lot of weight over the years since acquiring a lot of these shirts and they were just old. My favourite one with the break dancing dogs and twin towers in the background I've kept even though it's over 10 years old - it's been my favourite t-shirt of all my shirts for far too long.

It feels good to lighten the load and now that I'm sharing in a smaller space it seems like the right time. :o

roosta

12-07-2011, 04:03 PM

yeah, I haven't simplified my life at all.

I keep buying things like Kindles which I think will help me. But they don't

silence7

12-08-2011, 12:43 AM

For the first 6 years or so of my life, we lived down the street from a hippie lady and her husband, never met the husband. They kept bees, had parrots, she blew glass, and did a lot of pottery stuff. Had a built in pool, with naked mermaids painted on the bottom. Really cool shit when you're a little kid. And even when you're older.

Got to go in their house 4-5 years later, and they basically had cement floors, painted with hippie symbols, (suns, moons, etc, just weird stuff) and a couple chairs. The house was real far back from the street and LOTS of trees/bushes before the actual house, so they didn't have curtains, and it seemed like it was made out of walls of glass. It seemed about as minimal as I could think a house could be, and just seeing it a couple times has stuck with me all these years. I was 10, 11, 12?? I'm 40 now and I still think back to how cool their lifestyle seemed. Like they didn't have a lot of "Stuff" but they were living a good life.

Me, I'm a damn pack-rat, I always think, "Well, someday I'm going to need this." so I store it away. I really need to get rid of some crap I haven't seen in years.

I'm not exactly to Hoarder status yet. :o

Adam

12-08-2011, 04:39 AM

I totally aspire to the hippy status but that can go two ways - some hippies keep everything, reuse, up-cycle etc and others just have nothing except the clothes they wear but smell.

Like if I want to cut down on the amount of laundry I do to save hot water/save the planet, it makes sense to have a lot of underwear but then I'm buying more things. Or I could just smell. Like with the ebook thing, my gf wants one for Christmas (or has dropped enough hints that she does) but I know there is no way she is gonna get rid of the 1million books she has. So we will have another gadget and right now we each have a smartphone, a netbook, a laptop and I have a desktop /w large monitor and she has a monitor she docks to, all get some use and sometimes all at once. Plus the PS3 and then all the cables and spare for everything that sometimes would be of some use.

I could get an ultralight gaming laptop for £3k each to combine the lot but that ain't gonna happen.

Grr@modernlife.

b-grrrlie

12-08-2011, 09:57 AM

Guess I'm the hippy type who saves everything cause they can most propably be used for something sometime, buy almost everything used or second hand (when I need something), re-cycle everything (and I mean EVERYTHING!) and use my clothes till they're total shreads (and then I cut them up to weave carpets or patch something...).

The worse thing is I'm a collector... I still need everything with Beastie Boys, Bowie, BRMC, Campanulas (that's bellflowers to you, nothing to do with music...). I don't think I can move without throwing 10% of my stuff away... Ten years ago I studied far away and took my bookshelf and about 10% of my vinyl with me. Of course the others were terrified about the amount of stuff I'd taken with me, but I said it made me feel at home whereever I was.

Luckily I'm at that age that if I still find someone to share my life with he'd (she?) propably will be just like me and we'd need a huge flat or house for our collections.... It was pretty close a while back, but luckily it fell through...
But I have no need to move anywhere, I'm just happy here under my corkoak smelling the flowers...

Kid Presentable

12-08-2011, 08:04 PM

I shedded all the stuff I didn't want by leaving it with my ex. So good. (y)

Gareth

12-09-2011, 04:37 AM

i sold a gang of shit earlier this year
like 20 pair of shoes
some clothes
books, vinyl, dvds
got some decent prices
felt good

Adam

12-09-2011, 04:59 AM

I have 5 pairs of shoes and I think that is almost kinda excessive - but you sold 20 pairs!?! :eek:

I just updated to my discogs to take a job lot - there is about 300 items and I've guesstimated it'd cost about £800 for the lot so asking for offers around £600.

This morning I won some lego off ebay. But lego is an important part of modern day living and I won't be without it!

DJ Pioneer

12-12-2011, 03:56 PM

(y) Just stumbled across this thread. I've been trimming down my lifestyle for about 2 years now. I'm definitely no yuppie or hippie. I just got fed up with having so much junk around. Not only did it not make me happy, I also realized that I had so much stuff I didn't care about and would probably never use. I went through all of my possessions and really looked at what I wanted to save and what I didn't need.

Maybe it's a part of transitioning from being a "young adult" to a full-fledged adult, even though it took until my mid 20's. I had containers of baseball and basketball cards, old video games for systems I didn't have, matchbox cars, childhood toys, kid books, children's records and tapes, old notebooks and tests and homework assignments from grade school through college, old rap CD's that embarrass me to listen to them, tons of papers from college, etc.

I sorted through everything, little by little, threw away the trash, sold what was worth anything, and now I'm almost down to a manageable level of possessions. Luckily my apartment has a dumpster with no limit for tenants. I can agree with most here - it does feel good. There will never be a day when I wish I had saved those old ninja turtle action figures so I can play with them. And if I do have kids some day, I doubt they would want any of this junk either.

checkyourprez

12-12-2011, 08:40 PM