TMedina

Awesome!  That's one of the few(ish) reasons I'm glad I don't live in Portland anymore - the Good Will stores out there were just...insane.

@Evicious:   (this is why the Army has tough boxes.  In a pinch, I've found those large Rubbermaid 14 gallon storage totes to be a good substitute.)

For myself, I've discovered another pitfall - experimentation.  Rather than just use the tool at hand and have done, I constantly look for the one utensil or tool or bit of clothing that's just right.

My only consolation, thus far, has been to give away the tools/utensils that didn't make the grade so they aren't cluttering my space, collecting dust.

To date, I've given away six pairs of exercise shorts, five tank tops, five shirts I've never worn but were convinced were a good buy, a colander, a four quart (?) stock pot, a stack of plastic bowls, a bag of pens that will dry up before I use them (darn you, back to school clearance sales!), and two running pullovers I haven't worn in over a year.  And a couple of fleece beanies.

Organizing counts!

 

Throwing it at the floor with force after each set with no plates on it so as to make maximum noise. He was also doing other daft things but that was the objectionable one.

I can't like this.  We absolutely need a "yeah, I'm hating this with you!" button.

I don't see it as being in the opposite boat - your needs have changed, so your possessions have changed to reflect your changing needs.  That's the crux of minimalism - having what you legitimately need, rather than artificial, or imagined needs.

A person living on the road will have a far different set of minimal needs than a person who owns a house, and now you can personally attest to that.

You haven't, for example, filled all your closets with 60+ sweaters for no other reason than you don't want to waste the money by throwing away a perfectly good sweater.

8 hours ago, namelesswonder said:

Lawl KM's house really lacks personality to me. I guess not everybody needs that in their home. I like having photos and artwork on display. The lack of color kind of creeps me out.

 

And ONE kitchen knife?! Geez. Having small, large, and serrated is freaking wonderful and I would never change that. Plus my knife handles make a rainbow :3

Welcome!  And that's why "minimalism" will always mean something different to someone else.  I have to imagine a chef - or even just someone who takes joy in their cooking - would have a very different view of minimalism than someone who could live off chips and Ramen (guilty).

I think the key element is to ask yourself objective questions and answer them honestly.  And accepting that your needs will be different from mine, which are in turn different from Raincloak's and, well, so on.

4 hours ago, namelesswonder said:

Making my bed is a habit I've never had a problem with. It takes about 3 seconds. I'm not crazy about it, just pull the sheets up and straighten them out a little.

 

I like seeing my bed tidy [[shrug]]. It's like when I come home to an empty kitchen sink, it makes me feel less stressed.

Pretty much this.  It's a little ritual that ripples out.  

Admittedly, not everyone feels the same way, but for some of us, it sets the tone for the rest of the house, or maybe just the morning.

*grin*  It isn't her idea specifically - I've heard other clutter/organizational specialists tout the same idea, with varying interpretations.

This is one site I visit periodically - a little salty, but good information: http://www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/

On 4/1/2016 at 10:49 AM, Jonesy said:

Mostly, I didn't like getting rid of items that I spent my hard earned money on. Selling items can be a pain in the butt and somethings can't be sold. This thought process has helped with future buying processes though.

I know I read a specific post/article/rule/something on this very point and I couldn't find it, hence my earlier post summarizing the idea (too long to 'splain, lemme sum up).

I still can't find the specific reference I had in mind, but a quick Google search turns up enough of the references I was thinking of - specifically, the "sunk cost fallacy".

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/how-the-sunk-cost-fallacy-makes-you-act-stupid.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/an-economist-reads-marie-kondo/392921/

Cheers!

Under one of my posts before the forum re-vamping, I had a number of spoiler tags to help sort the information.

After the forum re-vamp, none of the old spoiler tags worked.  So I re-created them with the "spoiler" button on the menu bar and they work, cool!

Except I have small dumping ground of empty spoiler tags that I can't seem to delete, or remove.

Any ideas?

11 hours ago, Jonesy said:

I never thought I was emotionally attached to the things I own until I decided to go through my computer area. I discovered I had a very real emotional attachment to my old Sims games. I mean I can't even play them (I tried!) but they sat in a box for a few weeks until I recycled them. That was definitely a hard day. It really made me look at other things in my house in a different way. 

 

Mostly, I didn't like getting rid of items that I spent my hard earned money on. Selling items can be a pain in the butt and somethings can't be sold. This thought process has helped with future buying processes though.

The "money invested" or "not wasting money" scheme is one of several pitfalls that lead us astray.  The counter argument is, how much is the Stuff costing you in space, energy to straighten, clean, and maintain?  

They're not "hard" costs, like money spent, but once we start contemplating the on-going "soft" costs, it becomes easier to let go - at least it did for me.  Particularly if you can recycle, or gift, your Stuff to someone else who might need/use it.

I know I flinch more at typos and grammar mistakes, but it's hard to be too critical when I know I still make mitakes left, right, and sideways.

21 minutes ago, Jothra said:

They all bring me joy.

Tears of joy, even.

12 hours ago, Jonesy said:

Glad I found this thread!

 

I've attempted to minimalize my life in the past but sort of stopped because I was overwhelmed. Right now I don't want to go full blown minimalist but picking a place to start when your life is very cluttered can be intimidating. As I've gotten older I feel like the less meaningful stuff I collect stresses me out. 

 

When you guys decided this is how you wanted to live, where did you start? 

For me, it was realizing I was engaging in emotional buying, rather than because I actually needed stuff.  The practicality of the lifestyle just makes so much sense when you strip away the emotional trappings we attach to Stuff.  Kind of like a lifestyle Zen, although that's a bad comparison.

I will probably never be living in a one-room tiny house, but I needed to break the cycle of needless materialism and the illusions, or delusions, that come with it.

Have you considered trying a cheap neoprene knee brace?  Something for both support and keeping the joint warm?

I also really like the idea of spending time warming up the knee(s) prior to work - from a certain point of view, your work could be viewed as a bodyweight drill, which you're trying without proper prep work.

That said, you might want to consider talking to a medical professional - particularly if you don't see yourself changing jobs anytime soon.  

Sudden epiphany - the road to minimalism: buy like a Vulcan!  "Is this logical?  Why am I buying this?  Do I need this?  Or do I want it?  Fascinating."

Yes, but that's not the actual point, is it?

That's one of the traps of "Stuff".  Not only do we have Stuff, but we spend money to organize the Stuff.  Which, if we don't need the Stuff to begin with...

For me, I am very much an "out of sight, out of mind" person - which is probably why I have three or four sweatshirts, three or four fleece pull overs...well, you get the idea.  I bought hangers to organize my stuff, then I was debating boxes to pack them away for the season...I'm buying organizing stuff for my Stuff!

I know that I get a certain emotional high from cleaning, and organizing.  It's me,exerting my will on the chaos of my life.  The more insecure or frustrated I am, the more likely I am to buy "that thing" that will make everything better, or alright, or that I've always wanted.  And then I have to organize it, right?  My very own self-perpetuating trap.

The first link in the chain is to stop buying Stuff as an emotional placebo - given my day at work, it's going to be a long, tedious project.  But that's my path, at the moment.

It's easier, I have found, when you are honest with yourself.  You have that conversation with yourself about what you're holding on to, and why.  

And challenge yourself.  "I keep this because I might need it".  "But when have I ever needed it?"

"It was a good deal."  "Yes, it was - and you've never used it, and now it's actively costing you - in stress, space, and cleaning."

Identify the underlying emotional triggers and motivations.  Address those, and then you can move forward.  

That's half the battle.  The other half is actual organizing, assuming you have things left that need organizing.  I'll never be fully minimalist, but I am working to break my emotional attachment to things as pacifiers and placebos. 

She's an Assassin.  Should have been your first clue.

Hrrrrm - good to know, thanks!

I might still try a cheap one for testing my commitment to the effort, before committing to a better model for long term use.  

I'm debating getting a blender to create a pulpy drink mix - for example: two peeled oranges with ice cubes turned into a pulpy orange drink mix.

Has anyone tried this before?  Any recommendations for an economy, or an entry-level blender that would work?

WOOOOOOOT!

Folks are about to dig you up and apply electrodes.

That might be inconvenient.  Just saying.

See if you continue to have the cramping issue.  

Your treadmill time is a new change to your workout and your body is adjusting.  Depending on the yoga poses, you were taxing already fatigued muscles.

But I also agree with the others - make sure you're hydrating, especially if you're sweating a lot after the treadmill.  It takes, if I recall correctly, hours for the body to properly absorb water, so be mindful of your overall consumption.

Watered down Gatorade might not be a bad idea either to help take the edge off, if your body is slow to adjust to new pace.