I would say I’m a minimalist in the sense that I enjoy being surrounded by LESS. I like things tidy and calm... my family has other ideas. My husband is what I consider a pack rat. He cannot get rid of anything so there are empty boxes everywhere. For what? I don’t know. But it makes me anxious all of the time. I have a few areas in the house that are an oasis to me and I try to spend as much time in those spaces as I can when I’m not able to be out and about in nature.
I'm a minimalist with 'stuff' but maximalist with decor 😁 I've lived in New Zealand for 6 years and in that time furnished a house gradually, all the while having a flat's-worth of stuff in a storage unit in the UK (I didn't know if I'd stay in NZ and then covid happened so it was all I storage for way longer than I thought).
I finally got it all shipped over a couple of months ago and all of a sudden I had a small cottage full of two house's worth of stuff. No kidding, I found it very overwhelming and almost distressing. I'd loved living with less, and all of a sudden I was surrounded by more, and not only that, more that came attached with memories long forgotten. Every day was like an assault on my brain. "Remember this?" "When you last used this you..." "Your mum gave you this." It was EXHAUSTING. But necessary.
I've gradually merged, passed some things on, some sold, and it's settling down to now be a melting pot of both NZ and UK life. But I found it fascinating how almost debilitating it was - I never anticipated the memories (I have no idea why, naivety I think). 'Stuff' is not just clutter, it's a vessel for emotional baggage, and I hadn't appreciated how freeing it'd been to live without that for the few years over here.
“‘Stuff' is not just clutter, it's a vessel for emotional baggage”. Absolutely! There are so many memories in our things, aren’t there? Some good, some bad, but the emotional weight can be so heavy, right?
I am glad you were able to sort out your things and get to a point where you have just what you need 🤗💛
Yes! I agree with everything you’ve written. I’m definitely a minimalist, but we have ‘stuff’ that comes from having 3 children. The difference is, though, that the stuff we have is what we need. We don’t have clutter. We don’t have things just because, we have things that are useful, we enjoy and that we use. I don’t think people would walk into my house and say that I’m a minimalist. I think they’d say it’s tidy to say I’ve got 3 children 🤣 but that’s what minimalism does. It’s much easier to keep clean, which has been exactly what I needed with a newborn, and possibly part of the reason why I’m enjoying him so much and not having to constantly do housework.
I would say I’m a minimalist in the sense that I enjoy being surrounded by LESS. I like things tidy and calm... my family has other ideas. My husband is what I consider a pack rat. He cannot get rid of anything so there are empty boxes everywhere. For what? I don’t know. But it makes me anxious all of the time. I have a few areas in the house that are an oasis to me and I try to spend as much time in those spaces as I can when I’m not able to be out and about in nature.
Oh, I am so with you! Clutter makes me anxious as well 🙈 Tidy and calm makes everything better, right? 🤗💛
I'm a minimalist with 'stuff' but maximalist with decor 😁 I've lived in New Zealand for 6 years and in that time furnished a house gradually, all the while having a flat's-worth of stuff in a storage unit in the UK (I didn't know if I'd stay in NZ and then covid happened so it was all I storage for way longer than I thought).
I finally got it all shipped over a couple of months ago and all of a sudden I had a small cottage full of two house's worth of stuff. No kidding, I found it very overwhelming and almost distressing. I'd loved living with less, and all of a sudden I was surrounded by more, and not only that, more that came attached with memories long forgotten. Every day was like an assault on my brain. "Remember this?" "When you last used this you..." "Your mum gave you this." It was EXHAUSTING. But necessary.
I've gradually merged, passed some things on, some sold, and it's settling down to now be a melting pot of both NZ and UK life. But I found it fascinating how almost debilitating it was - I never anticipated the memories (I have no idea why, naivety I think). 'Stuff' is not just clutter, it's a vessel for emotional baggage, and I hadn't appreciated how freeing it'd been to live without that for the few years over here.
“‘Stuff' is not just clutter, it's a vessel for emotional baggage”. Absolutely! There are so many memories in our things, aren’t there? Some good, some bad, but the emotional weight can be so heavy, right?
I am glad you were able to sort out your things and get to a point where you have just what you need 🤗💛
Yes! I agree with everything you’ve written. I’m definitely a minimalist, but we have ‘stuff’ that comes from having 3 children. The difference is, though, that the stuff we have is what we need. We don’t have clutter. We don’t have things just because, we have things that are useful, we enjoy and that we use. I don’t think people would walk into my house and say that I’m a minimalist. I think they’d say it’s tidy to say I’ve got 3 children 🤣 but that’s what minimalism does. It’s much easier to keep clean, which has been exactly what I needed with a newborn, and possibly part of the reason why I’m enjoying him so much and not having to constantly do housework.
Yes, it is so much easier to clean and keep it that way, with less stuff! Clutter can accumulate quickly especially with little ones, right? 😆🤗