Minimalist vs hoarder

thunderstorm

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 9:34 am

I’m very sentimental , so I hold onto memorabilia, gifts, my kids certificates and yearbooks from preschool through high school, their art projects and things of that nature. But I don’t hoard and I do have a name for “tossing” in my home. I don’t like when closets are overloaded and anything that doesn’t fit gets given away. I don’t believe in “holding on to it” just in case.

amother

Wheat

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 9:44 am

I am 100% frugal hoarder and dh is 100% frugal minimalist. It's caused more than a few fights but I'm slowly learning to come over to the dark side (his) it's just so difficult for me, but at least I have all his support.

zaq

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 10:02 am

Hoarder by nature, quasi-minimalist by necessity. Yes, Virginia, a hoarder CAN learn to give things up.

Not a true minimalist by any means. I possess more than one place setting per household member and a few spices I use very seldom. Plus I buy non perishable consumables in quantity when they’re on sale rather than be forced into paying full price because I ran out of TP and pantyhose.

Lesia

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 10:07 am

flowerpower wrote:

I voted number one. I hate clutter!!! If anything doesn’t get used then it goes.

Google minimalist living to understand what the real definition for that is. I don’t think that kind of living is doable for frum families who have several children.

amother

Beige

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 10:11 am

Horrible hoarder! I just-can't-throw-things-away. Just as an example: Yesterday I had a fight with myself over an old tablecloth with dozens of holes in it and frayed edges. Yes, it had history and a pedigree. But it was beyond repair. I kept thinking that maybe I could taylor it into a mitpachat or turn it into cleaning shmattes or tiny pieces to clean my glasses or... Took me about 15 minutes of hard thinking until I could throw it away.

zaq

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 10:15 am

Uncluttered and minimalist are related but not the same. A minimalist wouldn’t have a thirty-room house even if each room contained just one piece of furniture. And while it’s harder to have clutter if you’re a minimalist, you can still create the impression of clutter if the few possessions you have are all over the place.

zaq

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 10:18 am

yo'ma wrote:

Which one are you? The poll is minimalist is 1 and 5 is hoarder. Most likely the majority will be in between.
Interesting article/blog

Cool website, thanks.

zaq

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 10:26 am

Lesia wrote:

Google minimalist living to understand what the real definition for that is. I don’t think that kind of living is doable for frum families who have several children.

Clearly. We need at least two sets of kasherable kitchenware and we’re supposed to have four if we can afford them. That’s the barest minimum unless one is vegetarian. But we don’t need separate sets for weekdays and for Shabbat, for example, which many people do, and we don’t necessarily need much in the way of pareve although it’s convenient. (You need never worry about the status of onions if you always use pareve utensils to cut and cook them. )

amother

Wheat

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 10:34 am

How about the example in the article of saving baby clothing - you bet I packed mine away for 2 years til the next one was born.

My niddah (thinx panties and tznius nightgown) and clean stuff (white sheet, pj, undedwaera) takes up a whole drawer that was touched once in the last year and a half, but I still need to keep all that stuff obv.

amother

Chartreuse

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 7:02 pm

Heres my philosophy on clothes, which is a huge catagory in our homes with big families:

The closets/dressers should ONLY contain clothing that is used regularly, is in season, fits nicely, you like, and is in good condition.
The basement or attic should contain the rest of your wardrobe, separated and labeled clearly in bins, according to size and season. Before "binning" them, check for stains and ask yourself if you want you or your kid to wear it next time around.
Keep two big baskets in your storage room: one for garbage, one for donations. Get rid of then when you "bin" every 3-4 months.

Its hording with sechel. You save money but dont go crazy from clutter=best of both worlds.

Dont ask about any other categories, I'm definitely closer to a horder and havent yet figured out good systems for the rest!

amother

Sienna

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 7:18 pm

I'm probably about a 3. One of those who has reformed, largely because DH is a 5 or 6. When we were married, I had to clean out all kinds of stuff that hadn't been used in 10 years. He still protests vigorously any time I want to get rid of old junk. We have files of papers, taxes, etc going back 30 years. He won't let me toss it, because he has to pull out anything with important ID on it to shred, and can't be bothered. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Sigh...

flowerpower

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 7:41 pm

Lesia wrote:

Google minimalist living to understand what the real definition for that is. I don’t think that kind of living is doable for frum families who have several children.

Ok. You’re right. I’ll promote myself to a 2!

zaq

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 8:24 pm

Lesia wrote:

Google minimalist living to understand what the real definition for that is. I don’t think that kind of living is doable for frum families who have several children.

Everyone has his or her own definition. The one I found “It is marked by clarity, purpose, and intentionality. At its core, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It is a life that forces intentionality. And as a result, it forces improvements in almost all aspects of your life.”

That really had nothing to do with how many place settings or pairs of shoes one has. It actually sounds like the ultimate Torah lifestyle. Promote the things you value—derech haTorah—and remove everything that distracts you from it. I can think of a whole lot of excesses that even frum people embrace that can only distract them from a genuine Torahdik life.

amother

Orange

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 8:40 pm

Minimalist here. I only have clothes that I actually use, I don't mind repeating an outfit if I enjoy it. I prefer spending much in one that I will use many times than buying a bunch I'll get tired of.Dh and kids are the same, that also saves me a lot of time with decision making. If I notice I have a book, or something I am not using, I give it away. I only buy stuff I need.

amother

Forestgreen

Tue, Nov 26 2019, 8:58 pm

I find it very helpful to visit hoarders and clutterbugs now and then, or, in a pinch, watch the shows. The thought that I could be like that scares me so much that right awayI start cleaning stuff out. A few times a year does the trick. Of course I still have more possessions than I need and even some I never use, but it’s controlled and it’s reasonably neat. As much as I value possessions, I also value room to move around and closet doors that close.