Could you live as an extreme minimalist?

[BarilynBordeaux]

Fallen down a YouTube rabbit hole recently about people living with 50 things in a suitcase or whatever. One dresser full of calm linen. i love the idea and the aesthetic (which I know is a lot of new agey style waft in some cases)but I don’t know if I could do it, not with my shopping problem. Anyone here reckon they could be an extreme minimalist? Or are you one? What is it like?

I'm not an "extreme" minimalist, but I do adhere to a minimalist approach. I don't have any ornamentation, bric-a-brac, or sentimental stuff around my home as I see it as nothing but a pointless dust-trap. I don't have decorations, adornments, pictures, photos, or clocks on the walls for the same reason. I can tell you right now precisely how many of each item of cutlery I have in the cutlery tray, likewise with how many items of underwear I own.

I do not keep things that have no practical use, I don't "collect" anything (although I used to in the past and it triggers compulsive behaviour), and despite having a large loft above my flat, it's entirely empty apart from the water tank.

I just can't abide anything I consider clutter, so I refuse to give it space in the first place. I couldn't imagine having to search my home for an item or not knowing where something is at any given moment, so I don't ever allow a situation to occur where this is a possibility.

My partner is the total opposite. ADHD, so their home environment is absolute chaos. Funnily enough, it doesn't bother me because it isn't my home and my living space, but when I am there I do sometimes have to move cables and so on before I can sit down comfortably otherwise I'd be shifting nervously and pacing about all day.

I have never been sentimental, and I don't understand why some people appear to believe the accumulation of material items is indicative of personal success, so I feel no compulsion whatsoever to fill my home with this and that. I lived without a TV set for about five years, and only actually bought one when I moved home so that if my partner was over they could watch their shows and movies. It hasn't been switched on in the past month+ and I barely ever look at the thing. To me, a home needs to be comfortable and relaxing, and in order for me to feel comfortable and relaxed, it needs to be organised, clean, floors clear or obstructions, and simple to maintain, hence why I don't accumulate tat. It's one of the reasons I always knew I never wanted children, I couldn't abide the mess and disruption, and it's why I know I will never share my home with another adult again.

Depends what you mean by extreme. I live in one room in a flatshare, by choice. Everything I own fits into a modest size double room, and I still have a decent amount of floor space. It’s lovely - no clutter, only clothes I wear on a rack with shelves, books I’m currently reading, one change of bed linen, desk, chair, bed, bedside table. Oh, and a piano…

I don't see the point of assigning a random number of items that you're allowed to own so I wouldn't do the "fifty things in a suitcase" thing.

I do think we tend to accumulate mountains of useless stuff and buy too much tat, and I'm working on that. Trying to declutter regularly and get rid of stuff. Now that I know I won't have any further children at least I can get rid or any clothes/shoes/toys that don't fit or interest my youngest. I also move frequently for work (every few years) which is the opportunity for an in depth "get rid of stuff" exercise.

Despite all of this I still do have too much stuff. I know it and I'm working on it.

No, I'm a maximalist and happy with it. Nearly everything I have is from a charity shop or antique so I don't think I'm negatively contributing to over consumption, but all around me are things that make me smile.

I don't see the point of assigning a random number of items that you're allowed to own so I wouldn't do the "fifty things in a suitcase" thing

I agree on the arbitrary number thing, though I suspect if I actually had to I probably could. I more or less lived out of a suitcase for 8 weeks when I was between permanent homes, and when I go away I'm usually able to manage with just hand luggage, so aside for the obvious need for white goods, furniture and so on in a permanent dwelling, I probably could cope with just 50 items or so if pushed.

It would give me the heebie jeebies. I like a home to look and feel what I call 'lived in'.

I'm suspicious of this claim. I did live for years owning only what fit in my shoulder bag (I was moving around a lot, travelling and effectively homeless). That isn't the whole story, though - I had to buy whatever I needed at any place, then leave it behind when I moved on. If you have a specific need, say for some medical gubbins or some tools, you either buy them again or scrounge off someone else.

Now in my over-cluttered home, I've got things like plasters, antiseptic, painkillers and antacids in a drawer. I own a full set of tools, an iron, a sewing machine, a cupboard full of cleaning stuff, spare batteries and a food backup, you get the picture. I am self-sufficient.

If these people really own just 50 things, they're either dependent on others or the worst kind of throwaway consumer. Or both or lying!

No. This wouldn't suit me at all. But I would pay someone to get rid of a lot of stuff. I'd prefer to live with a lot less than we do.
I too don't like the idea of putting a number on it, plus 50 doesn't seem sensible long term. You'd need shorts for summer, a winter coat, sandals, winter boots. A needle and thread. I actually think it's more a sign of a mental illness, needing to control, to be so stringent, so definite, when there's no need. Is it done just for show, oh I can live on only 50, well bully for you!

My great grandad lived like that for years. He was a farm servant in the Downton abbey era. Everything he owned fitted into a trunk. By contrast, my mum still has the trunk! 😂Each to their own really.

I absolutely could not do it. I remember having a hypothetical discussion with someone about if we had a war and London (where I live) was being bombed and we had to leave and be refugees. I said I'd be one of those stubborn people who stayed put! To have to start my whole life again with just a suitcase of belongings would not be for me. I just couldn't face it. So it's certainly not how I would choose to live. The things I own have built up over decades and I like being surrounded by my things. I find it comforting.

No i couldnt.

i have a lot of stuff for cooking, gardening, games, family trips out. Stuff to mend bikes, stuff to clean the car. A few musical instruments and music. Two shelves of books and a cupboard full of arts and craft supplies.

I don’t have a lot of clothes or shoes or bags - just enough.

I do have two boxes of Christmas decorations and two boxes for Halloween, as well as three boxes of things that belonged to my family plus some keepsakes from my kids’ early years (all my family bar one overseas branch are dead, and I can’t bear to part with everything).

We regularly clear stuff out and I’m fairly ruthless I think!

Yeah I don't get the 'number of things' style videos and think that tips over into being obsessive or controlling, like competitive almost.

But I have to say I love the idea of paring things down to feel light and airy, I know I do have too much stuff. I think I fall into the trap of my things being my personality to be honest, and I know a lot of that is sheer brainwashing by ads. Works too easily on me though.

I couldn't - but I have been doing a lot of decluttering recently and the house feels a lot lighter and calmer. I love knowing exactly what I own and where to find things.

I still have books on my shelves and photos out- makes the place feel welcoming. Cushions have stayed on the sofa but the bed ones have long gone. Only things in the attic are a bag of Christmas decorations and 1 suitcase. I'm about 80% to where I want to get to and the end result will be a long way off proper minimalism.