Carrying stuff and letting it go

Recently, as I moved into my new room, I figured I couldn't put up with so much junk being out in the open without a "home" to reside in. The plan is to free up as much space as possible, and have clear surfaces in the bedroom, so I can relax and enjoy white space. Since I have an unused room, I have decided to turn it into my official attic room and dumped all the stuff overflow up there. I have donated a lot of things over the years but I still own a lot. I can tell you that boxing and carrying all that stuff upstairs made me want to reconsider owning so much.

I felt the same when I
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Minimalism and idle time?

Hi guys,

I haven't posted in such a long time! Today I would like to talk about how my search for minimalism (and somewhat of a higher purpose) is going a few years on.

I came to the realization that --at least for me-- minimalism was another way to prep for the future. Less stuff means less to carry when you move. Lighter means freer. But what struck me the most is
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minimalism: the idea of one

I was reading this interesting page just the other day about minimalist closets and paring down your clothes. And I really love the fact that when you try to own less stuff, you should "embrace the idea of one". To sum up what the article said, it's all about owning only one coat, only one pair of black shoes, only one black belt, etc.

Then I figured...
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minimalism: spontaneity is the new black

Most people get caught up in weekly chores. Let's face it, we've all spent countless hours on Saturday afternoons shopping for food, clothes, you name it.
Although shopping for clothes is nice when there are people around, I find it terribly tiring to wait in line for over a half hour to try on that skirt that I don't even know if it'll fit. So if I want to shop for something special, I try to go off-peak.
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minimalist grooming

One day I was walking in a DC mall with a friend when a girl stopped me to ask me how long it took me to style my hair in the morning. That was the first step towards selling me hair styling products or equipment, I forget which. I told her point blank: "I don't style my hair in the morning, too much of a hassle, I just can't be bothered, I just brush it and leave". She stared at me in disbelief: "I'm sorry, what???"
To which I replied:
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The lazy minimalist

Last time I told you guys how the lazy factor helped a lot with cutting back, and not wasting money on disposable items.
Well, today, I would like to share with you yet another lazy idea to not waste money or time on something that, let's face it, we all use at some point or another: batteries.

When I was a student, I needed to record some of the lectures I went to (don't we all?), and decided to buy a really nice usb-enabled sound recorder. It was great because
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Minimalism and the lazy factor

I must have mentioned in previous posts that for some things I am very lazy. It's usually a bad thing to be lazy, but if you want to have a minimalist lifestyle, I think it can actually be a good thing. I usually tend to find a lazy reason not to purchase more stuff (bah, I'll go tomorrow...) and it's been helpful in some ways.

For instance, one thing that I do often is refuse plastic bags when I am offered some at the store, because I usually
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My minimalist kitchen

The other day I felt really stressed out/restless, so I decided to do something that would give me a sense of accomplishment. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but after reading so much on minimalism, I wanted to do something to make my living space better. Since I wasn't ready to let go of my own personal belongings just yet, I decided that a good place to start was the kitchen, because it has a lot of replaceable items, so throwing away old stuff was going to free up space without making me upset. Although cleaning the kitchen in and of itself wasn't going to bring me happiness, it was one step closer to simplifying my life and decluttering my house.

First things first, before I could clean and organize everything, I had to

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Minimalism, empty space and space filling

When I first moved into my new home in CT in October 2010, I was struck by two very opposite feelings... On the one hand, I loved the empty space, and wanted to keep it that way, but on the other hand, I was thinking that I needed to buy things (like kitchen appliances, etc) to fill the house.

In any case I think that the problem is the promise that... Read more »

Minimalism is cultural

Today I would like to talk about how minimalism is, in my opinion, cultural.

I think a lot of people who turn to minimalism in the US and elsewhere probably grew up in households where clutter was ever-present (myself included). I remember dreaming of owning a picture-perfect, magazine-like empty loft with nothing but a computer on the coffee table. That way I could always get up and go without thinking about hauling my whole life worth of belongings.

That being said, ... Read more »

About minimalism

Have you ever wondered how it would feel to own nothing and be free to roam the world and discover new countries, new cultures, new customs? If you owned nothing, you could go wherever you want without having to worry about packing and you would be free... free as a bird...

If that is what minimalism represents for most people,... Read more »