Reply With QuoteI'm of the same opinion. Live as lean as you can, difficult with children.
I'd live in the middle of nowhere with little responsibility if I could.
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I thought I’d post this to see if anybody can relate. I have this real desire to simplify things in life and de-clutter where something isn’t adding any real value. It’s not one specific thing, but a theme I’m recognising of myself.
I’ve always liked thing to be neat and tidy, I clear out crap from drawers every now and again, if I know I won’t use something I get rid (responsibly, e.g. charity, recycling, sell it, etc), I’m definitely not a hoarder. But recently it’s changing and hitting new areas.
I’ve just agreed to sold my car as it was OTT for my needs, and I’ll instead downsize to something nice but sensible, with less costs, less complicated servicing needs, etc.
I’m looking at my Apple Watch and wondering if I really need instant notifications on my wrist, and all the data it provides. Do I do anything with that data?
I’ve removed a bunch of subscriptions I was paying for because I felt obliged to have access to lots of media services, or enhanced services when the basic option will suffice.
I’m going to get rid of my Nespresso and the multitude of coffee pods I keep buying and don’t fully enjoy. AeroPress and a cafetière will do.
The list goes on… not as a conscious list, but a pattern I didn’t know I was following.
Does anybody else think like this, or has anybody found themselves doing anything similar? Or am I the freak here?
I'm of the same opinion. Live as lean as you can, difficult with children.
I'd live in the middle of nowhere with little responsibility if I could.
Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk
No I am with you on this, I try a rule whereby if it hasn’t been used for 6 months but is useful or has been used I store it and after 2 years I throw it and if I ever need it I buy another or borrow. You have encouraged me to declutter more just mentioning it
RIAC
I've been doing this for years, and it gives me way more joy than it should :-)
Also, I go on crusades to find the best possible solution to simplify things / tasks -- this can sometimes end up being expensive, but equally satisfying
Current crusade is finding the best USB dock for travelling and charging devices, as an example
I can vouch for the Aeropress - my father in law has a pod machine and they're so expensive when compared to old school ways.
BTW - I have to admit in a bit of a hoarder
I had to clear all my father's cra# when he passed. I'm not leaving my son to clear mine!
That depends if you go down the decent grinder with decent beans route! That rapidly gets very expensive.Originally Posted by Rick Hussey
Yes - I love the de-cluttering mindset, not that you necessarily would see that if you came to my house. One of the secrets is to employ the thinking of do I really need that before buying something!
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Good idea to get rid of the nespresso - they taste disgusting compared to an aeropress coffee anyway!
I have no problem living inexpensively and doing without the fancy car and multitude of subscriptions. I have problems throwing stuff out of sentimental value though. I've got crates of CDs that I collected at uni that I don't want to throw, even the downloadable music. Also got boxes of worthless junk but stuff that brings back memories of childhood. Maybe that's classic hoarding mentality, I'm not sure. I've definitely seen 'hoarder next door' programmes where the individual can't throw out junk because of sentiment associated with it. I guess it only becomes a problem when it effects everyday life.
Same here - and he'd already disposed of a lot by moving from the family home into a bungalow some years before he died.
Yes, I can definitely relate to this. It’s the middle-ground I guess, and keeps the fun of this sort of purchase alive. There’s an art to simplification, over-and-above just removing things.
Which leads me to this…
This is a great example of what I’ve realised I’m trying to stop. This is what I’ve done in the past, and ended up over-researching and over-investing for the sake of a cup of coffee I’m drinking while paying attention to 100 other things, so I don’t notice the finer differences, yet I’m left with the cost, complication, and feeling of being obligated to take it all very seriously.
I’m trying to de-clutter but find it hard to let go of things because much of what I own has plenty of life left in it, particularly clothes. So I’m trying to not buy anything new and wear/use out what I currently own.
Books are another thing I hold onto as my children are keen readers and in time, might enjoy the books I have.
I also have a few watches that I should sell but then doesn’t everyone.
Hi. I like the approach of a Theme rather than a New Years resolution and it’s a lot more encompassing and gives you a wide remit. I heard the concept on a podcast a while ago and thought I would try for this year.
A few years ago I had a resolution of not buying anything new for a year. It had to be a gift, given to me for free or used. I really enjoyed the challenge. I did succeed and found it pretty easy after a few months.
Having to scour charity shops and eBay was fun and actually made you think about whether you did really need it for the stuff that was more difficult. Often I realised it was a like and not a real need.
With online shopping and instant gratification it’s just too easy now.
This year I’m using the theme of “Enjoy what you have”.
One facet of which will include not buying anything new.
It also makes you appreciate other maybe less tangible things like family, friendships and your health.
I’ll also be doing some decluttering and downsizing certain things. Watches and cameras spring to mind!!
Cheers, Shaun
I love these threads as it encourages me to simplify my life but I am a bit of a hoarder. Like others, my problem is with the emotional bond that I have with some things.
For example, I spent my childhood years living in East Africa and I have a few nice quality carvings, curios, batiks, etc that we had in our homes over the years that my parents have given me. I love them but my wife absolutely will not give them house room - I need to get rid of them as they are in my attic and never see the light of day but I'm finding it hard to get shot of them.
I went down the coffee route for a couple of years and very quickly realised that I was cluttering my life with all sorts of paraphernalia so in the end I ditched it all and purchased one of these - a stove top really, but works really well. and make a good brew.
Last edited by Eddiex; 10th January 2022 at 16:40.
Sounds extremely sensible to me. I really should try; I’ve got all sorts of **** I don’t need and never will - but have some odd psychological attachment to.
Family kindle sharing sorted that for us. Love stories but books as a whole are very unsustainable
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I think with clothes you have to accept they might need recycling even when they are technically perfectly serviceable to wear. Otherwise you ultimately end up looking like pensioner that still wears their clothes from the 1970s because there is still life left in them. It's a bit like home decor - needs refreshing now and again otherwise you slowly end up living in something very out-of-date without realising it.
This is me.
I think I need to be more ruthless.
I'd hold the opposite of this view. Paying for a decent grinder is well worth it for the quality of coffee you will drink, particularly as a decent burr grinder will last you a lifetime. It's the most important factor to a decent coffee. Otherwise, you may as well take the concept to the ultimate degree and say...I'm simplifying my life and only drinking instant.
Last September we sold our family home (lived there for over 30 years) and will be downsizing to a small bungalow when built. Currently enjoying the delights of a static caravan on site.
I couldn’t be believe the amount of clutter that went into skips, an 8 yard one alone for the garage. Having said that, I’ve managed to fill two barns with stuff.
I get that and totally buy into that view. In this example (sorry for what I’m about to say, coffee purists…) I know I can find ground coffee in the supermarket that gives me a nice enough coffee. It’s not instant, it’s the next step up from that and probably sits alongside Nespresso in terms of quality, but for less cost and faffing about. It takes up less space in my brain.
If only...... My parents had to deal with all my grandfathers stuff when he died many years ago, and they now joyfully tell me they're going to do exactly the same and are filling every shed and square inch with their rubbish so i can have as much fun as they did sifting through it all.
^^^ this^^^
We moved from a very large house (6 bedrooms) to a small bungalow with only 2 bedrooms. The amount of stuff I've thrown away... And now, over a period of 13 months, there was not a single moment where I thought "I should not have thrown that out!" Same goes for my clothing: I've given away my suits, ties etc. I only have one pair of 'fine trousers' (1-on-1 translated from Dutch into English), a few proper sweaters etc. Come to think about it: I haven't worn my Ludwig Reiter shoes since the day I retired: I'm wearing leather boots for the garden and workshop and trekking shoes when walking the dog.
Same goes for my watch collection: I sold nearly all my watches, apart from a few Seiko's and my dad's Speedmaster. E.g. the sale of my Submariner paid for >350m new fence + 2 oak double gates. That's something I enjoy every single day (it keeps the dog on my grounds) - and I wasn't wearing the Sub when working in the forest or garden!.
I've sold my Porsche and bought back another classic that's only 20% of the Porsche's value. But it gives me 100% joy when driving. And even more joy when I buy parts... Porsche parts are eye-watering expensive for no other reason than having the logo stamped on them.
We've invested in 22 solar panels and we're currently looking into other ways of heating the house (other ways than natural gas).
And I think I'm happier than ever. No stress, no fuss. But being retired helps with that as well.
The wife is doing the 30 day challenge this Jan.
On day 1, you get rid (throw, recycle, sell, chazzer) of one thing. On day 2, two things. And so on.
She's not getting near my watches...
I am worried that on day 30, I might be deemed surplus to requirements...
If the pattern is doubling - so 4 things on day 3 and 8 on day 4 - by the end of the month you will have got rid of nearly 1.1 billion items! Now that's a proper tidy!
Last edited by David_D; 10th January 2022 at 17:32.
I am HOPING that she is just gettting rid of one extra per day. If she's doubing, I'm stuffed!!
Your post has reminded me that 2022/23 is the year(s) I plan to offload *a lot* of stuff surplus stuff.
My wife frequently reminds me that I have too much stuff & I cannot really argue to be fair.
If anything were to happen to me then she says she would just open the doors to everywhere and let whoever take whatever they wanted.
Watches, motorbike stuff, shooting stuff are all going to sorted out. Excess clothes & shoes etc will most likely go to charity.
I have a garage at home, a large workshop, & 4 other lock-ups that all need a good going through…not relishing the thought tbh.
In that case, I would throw out a family pack of rice. One by one. Not that it reaches 1.1 billion, but it's getting you somewhere
In June, we left Qatar after 21 years. My wife was a bit of a hoarder - she also loved gifting things to people - and we had a big house, and some disposable income, so our house was pretty full. My wife was ill, and rather than do all the work, the sorting, the throwing out, we simply send everything back to the UK.
We returned to the UK, did our 10-days quarantine, and had a week in our old Warwick house before we moved to our newer, bigger, forever house. (And yes, our old Warwick house was also full! I should be grateful that it was small!) And moving house is always a lot of work, especially if you've been in it for nearly a quarter of a century!
We managed six days in our new house before my wife died. Since then, since the middle of July, I've worked nearly full time in sorting things out. First, our things from the old house. Then sorting out new things for the new house - new beds, new bits. Then a 40' container arrived from Qatar containing a whole other life.
I think at one point I had four food mixers. We had over 30 bath towels - there are three of us in the house, and the kids don't even like having baths! It's been exhausting.
But I've given stuff away, sold stuff. I've enlisted my parents to drop things off at local charity shops. I've sent things to friends. I've sold a lot of stuff on the SC! I've been an ace face at the local PO.
And getting rid has given me enormous pleasure. Giving gifts, simplifying, simplifying...
And I repeat, I'm exhausted. This was never meant to be a job for one person. I should have been two.
And today is my late wife's birthday. Not meaning to hijack the thread, and not looking for sympathy - I have that from my friends and family. But this... cleanse has reminded me of those sellers who do up the kitchen of their house before selling it. Why? All the expense, all the mess, and they don't get to enjoy the kitchen!
Do it as soon as you can.
If you're going to do it, do it now. Because you don't know when will be too late, and FFS your kids don't want to sort through your stuff.
I’m really sorry for your loss. I know you said you weren’t looking for sympathy, but I am sorry for your loss and hope you’re well.
In the context of this thread, what you’ve said shows how things can become normal and creep up on you slowly. Before you know it, you’ve got some de-cluttering to do!
And I’m sure there’s an old adage about shelves and finding things to put on them…
My Mum has a policy of redecorating (sometims lightly, sometimes whole hog) one room in the house every year. Means the house as it is is perfectly modern and when they pass hopefully won't be one of those houses that has to be sold on the cheap because it's not vaguely modern. Light switches need changing though. Still the original 70's light switch design and they stand out like a sore thumb to me.
Thank you, and yes - it's very much the the old frog in a pan business - it can very easily creep up on you! Start now. :)
This was similar to us we moved from a 4 bed family home ( over 30yrs) into a two bed five roomed bungalow whilst our new house was being built. We de cluttered massively before the bungalow move, with the obvious stuff ( loft nearly 99% casualty rate for that stuff). We also took a medium sized self store which we filled with about 30% of our stuff
After the inevitable first few weeks in the bungalow of saying wheres X “its in the unit” we settled down. It was now the 2020 lockdown and our new house was delayed , so the splash and dash of 3 months in the bungalow became 14 months.
This led us to question the contents of the storage unit. Aside from garden furniture it seemed to be full of duplicates of what we had in the bungalow.
By the time we moved into the new house the storage unit had been reduced by 60% and the bungalow contents by 20%. As others have said its strange how liberating giving stuff away is.
I had a life threatening situation in 2001 when in Kosovo and ended up being medivac'd to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham; it took 9 months to recover. This was coincidentally where I went to university. I found this experience an extreme catalyst for simplifying my life. I had financial investments in a myriad of places and reconciled them into one; I ditched my girlfriend as I knew I didn't want to spend the rest of my life with her (very tough on both of us); and on moving home shortly after used it as an opportunity to get rid of a lot of belongings/crap! I have found house moves are very good for this and as I've got older I no longer have a need for as much 'stuff.' What I have will be quality and as I look to move from a very large barn conversion to a 3 or 4 bedroom apartment the cull will continue.
I’m keen on this but feel I have reached a limit.
I have done the following;
- given away all books and CDs
- shredded all paperwork which is scanned
- thinned out our wardrobes
But I don’t think we can go further, we like sailing, cycling, camping and skiing and each one requires quite bit of kit which I don’t want to lose.
Also, the garage is busy with tools and materials I have acquired over years all of which seem useful.
So, I still feel we have too much stuff but it doesn’t feel like it would be sensible to dispose of any more of our possessions.
Edit. Don’t know why the emoji is at the top.
Last edited by Montello; 10th January 2022 at 23:30.
I described my drastically simplified wardrobe in this thread late last year:
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...the-exit-watch
Since then I have continued the decluttering to include furniture and various possessions.
So much so that when I moved to my small studio flat (part of a modern barn conversion) just before Christmas I had no problem moving everything myself with a hired SWB Transit.
My living space is furnished with
A futon (sit and sleep on it!)
Two high quality folding chairs (expensive but super comfy)
Three small sets of oak draws
Three ottomans (hold all bedding for futon)
A folding wooden room divider (separates the kitchen area off)
A very small dining table and two chairs
A wooden 'ladder' shelving unit
A small oak bookcase (10" wide)
Small oak coffee table
The above drawers contain nearly all of my possessions and clothes. I dont hang anything up in a wardrobe as all my clothes are folded and in drawers. The draw tops and shelves have framed photos of family and some good quality fake plants and flowers. There are three wooden display models of spacecraft - a Saturn V5, a space shuttle (full stack) and Space X Star Ship. More pictures and art work on the walls. All of the things on display and lying around the place can be packed into a couple of small boxes.
I keep work things and my hiking equipment in the boot of my car.
I have various dimmable remote controlled lights around the place - I can change the colours for mood lighting.
A small hoover and steam iron lives in a kitchen cupboard and a table top ironing board hangs up in the shower room. I have a dehumidifier that lives in their too that dries my laundry quickly and efficiently.
I dont have a TV and I dont want one. I have a good quality Roberts stereo radio that I can link an MP3 player to and I keep a couple of laptops in a draw that I can watch Amazon Prime on if I want to.
Most of my books and all of my music is digital. I have a small selection of DVD's - mainly obscure titles.
Things are minimal but the place doesnt look sparse and a number of people have commented on how nice it looks. I find it homely, comfortable and calming. I love the compact size - I can do the housework (which I am quite obsessional about) top to bottom, every nook and cranny, in about 2 hours.
My next minimalist ventures in planning are holidays - probably next years as covid puts my off planning anything for this year. One to the Kennedy Space Centre and the other to the Star Trek TOS sets exhibition also in the states. I plan to take only a 20 litre backpack as luggage. Ive done a few dry runs with domestic trips in the UK and know it can ne done.
Oh, and Ive still only got one watch.........
Last edited by Velorum; 10th January 2022 at 23:52.
It’s interesting that so many people have also considered this sort of thing, but also interesting that physical things tend to dominate. I’ve also taken to simplifying things like finances, digital subscriptions, digital / connected distractions, etc.
For example, today I’ve decided to stop wearing my Apple Watch for a few weeks and to reduce the number of notifications that ping my phone. Each one is a distraction and takes me out of whatever moment I’m focusing in. I’ll keep asking myself ‘does this need an instant reaction’ or ‘do I need to know this right now’ and try and reduce the number of services that can distract me. I think I’ve realised that every one of these interactions is a cognitive load, so needs to give me more than it cost. It’ll be interesting to see what made the cut.
I'm trying to do the same and so far have managed to clear out some stuff from the garage (still a lot more to do).
Over the last couple of days I've just got a load of my old stereo gear out of the loft - I still have my first amplifier, record deck and speakers from the early/mid 70's which have been checked over and will be going to the local BHF charity shop, along with a more recent stereo system and other bits like previous Freeview box/recorder and an old VCR on which I checked out some old tapes that have been stuffed in a cupboard for years - they weren't old porn in case you wondered, so they went in the bin.
If nothing else I've lightened the load on my loft joists and have cut down on the crap I will need to move if we ever move again (or that my kids will need to go through).
It's an ongoing challenge to sort my own stuff out, but persuading the missus to do the same is nigh on impossible; my concern is that any space I clear will be filled by her crap (sorry, essential wardrobe).
It's looking increasingly likely that my wife is going to have to stop working due to several long-standing health issues. It therefore feels like a good time to take stock of what's important materially as we'll have to adopt a different approach to what we prioritise and spend money on. De-cluttering seems like a good place to start.
Sorry to hear about your wife mate.
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks Neil.
Sorry to hear this. We did similar, I am the unhealthy one here. We prioritise time with family and friends, which is sometimes expensive but mostly free. Materially I allow myself the odd cheap indulgence, as you may recall from a previous watch purchase, but mainly we focus on things that make memories or will improve the quality of life in some way. I actually feel lucky to have the ability to make the choices I do, many others literally just scrape by.
This is exactly where my head's at. You've definitely got your priorities right
We don’t have a TV in our bedroom. Never want one again either. Sounds a small step to take but the difference it has made is huge.
Today, one of my neighbours came over to help me with the excessive amount of wood that's on my grounds after last week's storms. A really nice old bloke, nearly 80s old. Fit as a butcher's dog. A true 'old timer' in a good sense. He came over with a 1990 Mercedes 190 and started cutting with his 40(!!!) yrs old Sachs-Dolmar chainsaw. "It gets the job done; why bother buying a new one?" I commented (positively) on his Mercedes. He mentioned that his Case International tractor is even older! Icing on the cake was a hammer for driving wedges into the chainsaw cut. He: "That hammer must be 100 yrs old. It was my grandfather's, then my dad's and it's mine since he passed away, more than 40 yrs ago!" Isn't that great!
His attitude is in line with the 'simplifying' thread. If it's (still) good and if it works, why replacing it?
This thread reminds Me of something My old Mum said to Me after Her stroke. “ I would rather do things than have things”.
I have heard similar sentiments but have never heard that exact wording before.
A great moto to live by.
Best wishes to those having simplification forced on them through personal circumstances, and as reaching an age where the big C and heart issues are taking friends down too soon makes you take stock.
I'm contemplating clearing the decks of books that are making the cases groan but the local charities are already well stocked and not interested, have any of you used Ziffit or another app as seems they sort everything other than packing it (resold via World of Books, so not just landfill/ pulped etc), although finding enough boxes might be the real challenge!
I've been inwardly frustrated about it for a while now. I don't mind admitting it. I'm proud of the fact that I've worked through it and can see things differently about our future now. It's not what I saw for us but some people are dealing with an awful lot more than me / us and overall we have a pretty comfortable life. If the drop in income affects us too much I'll look for promotion. That's not something I wanted to do as I've achieved the position I always wanted but....
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails (H. Jackson Brown Jr)
....it's my new mantra!
Coming soon to SC with a lump into the fundraiser:
PRS-18Q COSC
Newmark 6BB
Pagani Design GMT Batman
Grenson Archie
Lacoste Jacket
Last edited by TaketheCannoli; 25th February 2022 at 16:36.
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