I do wish living standards were relaxed more so people aren't forced to choose between $1000 a month apartments and homelessness. We need more lower-tier living options that are clean and healthy, but simple and low-cost.
Perhaps there is a market for it. Maybe some developer with a lot of money could start something like that up :o If there's money on the table, someone should grab it.
In my last town, I was trying to help a friend find an apartment. It was a college town so there were some lower rent options - but the market wasn’t big enough to serve the community by any stretch. It seemed 60-75% of apartments on the market were deemed luxury and offered tennis courts, basketball courts, pools, coffee, and other perks to justify the price. It was frustrating bc all of that stuff is available for free or cheap in public spaces and not necessary for an apartment (also not a proper justification in raising a price by 70-150% 🙃). No new complex going up (my partner worked most of the construction in town) was serving just the basic purpose of a normal apartment. It was pricing out families and increasing the rate of homelessness locally. The rent prices are a crisis in many places, we gotta figure something out.
The problem with the lower income housing is it is almost always taken over by druggies. Around here even nice, simple and cheap housing is taken over and turned into ghettos. I think the only real way to change that is to have like campus police or something residing in the block.
As long as we don't become intentional livers. Definitely, DEFINITELY *DO NOT* *be an intentional liver.* "If I were informed tomorrow that I was in direct communication with my liver, and could now take over, I would become deeply depressed. I'd sooner be told, forty thousand feet over Denver, that the 747 jet in which I had a coach seat was now mine to operate as I please; at least I would have the hope of bailing out, if I could find a parachute and discover quickly how to open a door. Nothing would save me and my liver, if I were in charge. For I am, to face the facts squarely, considerably less intelligent than my liver. I am, moreover, constitutionally unable to make hepatic decisions, and I prefer not to be obliged to, ever. I would not be able to think of the first thing to do." Lewis Thomas, The Lives of a Cell
I like it cause: - It saves me money - I don't waste my time, energy, thoughts and space - It's a part of my personal effort to reduce waste etc. - Because of previous three it makes me feel better, more free etc.
I disagree. To me, happiness isn't constant joy (which is unrealistic). Instead, happiness is overall fulfillment about your life. That fulfillment CAN be experienced most of the time.
I just love decluttering. Every time I get rid of something I feel like I got rid of something that is inside me taking extra space, like bad thoughts or smth.
I owned a condo for three years. I had so much stuff when I moved in that a lot of it stayed in boxes. It looked like a dumpster. When I put it on the market, my realtor advised me to clean the place up. I hauled a bunch to storage but threw out a lot of junk. I felt very foolish for not having done that three years earlier, because for the first time since I moved in I actually enjoyed coming home and seeing the place spotless, ready to show to buyers at any minute. It was beautiful and I only really got to enjoy that sense of lightness and tidiness for a month before I sold it. When I moved to a different city later, I went through all my stuff in storage and realized I didn't need any of it. About half was given away, a quarter went to thrift shops and the rest was garbage. It felt so good to unload the stuff I no longer used or cared about. In 2010 I was on a road trip for six weeks and it was a wonderful experience to realize that all I really needed could fit in my trunk. Granted, I did stay in a hotel every night, but I realized that what was most important to me was very portable. Ever since then I've tried to limit what I buy, donate old clothes when I bring in new pieces, and every few months do another review of things I don't need. It feels AWESOME to pare things down to the most important.
Ugh, same. I threw out and gave away when I moved last time and it felt really liberating. But it's like oil on water, somehow there's still too much or already new stuff. I need to get to decluttering again.
The same thing occurred to me when I sold my last property. I tend to buy homes that need modernisation and so I was living in it and working on it over time. One day I decided life was getting a bit stale so decided to sell up and I finished the remaining 30% of the work in a few weeks. I gave away/sold virtually everything and had the place immaculate and dressed for sale. It felt so good to have everything complete. But it sold straight away so I never got to enjoy it for long. The same thing is happening with my current place. I get things to a stage when it's comfortable then really slow down. But I want to move on again!
Same issue I had some crap I ended up giving away tons of filled up boxes when I left my house and a whole nother pack of boxes when I unpacked for my new house. It's so much fulfilling to have only the necessary stuff and much organized
I totally get the feeling, my mother is a terrible hoarder and when I moved out all my things (including clothes) actually fit inside my backpack. Moving in an empty house was the best feeling in the world
Maybe he can make a video about how that generation has so much stuff and the next generation don't want to go through all their stuff when they pass away? That's another reason to downsize so people don't have to go through all your junk when you pass away.
@@cordialgreetingsart they have so much stuff because it's a lifetime of acquirement. The sad thing is though the boomers knew how to make stuff which lasted and now we are so driven to buy cheap that we end up buying stuff which must constantly be replaced. My parents freezer finally died earlier this year after working great for 40 yrs. We had the same stove washer and dryer my entire childhood but once they finally had to be replaced the stove washer and dryer have had to be replaced 3 or 4 times in 20 yrs. Same kitchen table since the 70s same with the dressers and other stuff. It can be tempting to buy stuff which seems as though you're getting a deal but if it wears out quick you're creating more waste and losing more money in the long term. So I think buying high quality is a good way to help being a minimalist and not wasteful.
Imagine being so rich, you have someone who does your errands for you that you then instruct to throw out/get rid of all of your belonging FOR you and then treat that as a relatable anecdote.
I would call it “favoritisms”. Look: you have 10 different drinking glasses, which ONE is your favorite? Good. Get rid of the rest. Since I’ve become a minimalist I can afford more expensive items, most importantly BETTER items. Which helps me in happiness and focus on my few hobbies and interests.
TheRealNaxos So you break that glass and just drink out of the initial container until you buy a new one? Better yet - friends come over and you all share the same glass?
I love love love how James said we have demonized fine feelings like melancholiness. It is such a refreshing and in my mind a very correct opinion. I love overcast/foggy days.
I apologize for being a 60 year old dropping in on the video of 30-somethings, but back in the day we called it being Spartan (self-restrained, disciplined). I suppose every generation has it's own way of discovering and dealing with what has been around forever, and giving it a new name. I mean, do I really need Marie Kondo to tell me to clean my room?! Anyway, I applaud the intention. Starkism is certainly preferable to excessivism. And don't forget to declutter your digital life as well. If you own 6 devices, pay for data plans, have 3 TV's and spend all day on your phone...
This is the heart of why minimalism is attractive. They just all stare at their screens anyway. Why not get rid of everything lol No hobbies or interests, no ongoing learning, no socializing. Just work and sit in front of a screen, generally their phone.
@@Rudenbehr I think you read that wrong cause so did I, I had to reread it. They're saying most people just spend all their time on their phones so they might as well get rid of everything else and Become "minimalist" since they spend all their time on their phone doing nothing else.
I love this insight Damian! I'm sorry you feel like you need to apologize, kinda sucks. I do feel like trends repeat and just get rebranded so the next generation looks like they invented it themselves hehe.
@@Lunatheia I agree with you.. it's sad that someone have to apologize for stating the similarities of the old days and the now. History does repeat, people just refuse to look back, contemplate, and take lessons from that. The urge for being inventive and innovative are crazy, while sometimes those new things are actually a regression of the good that has actually been in place. Even though we all know the theory that smart people are the ones who learn from history and previous mistakes.
Actually i so agree. Cleaning is a struggle if you have to lift and clean everything individually. I mostly notice it in the one thing that is really important to me: my book collection. Everytime i reorganize it, i clean all the books and the shelves.
Ugh I'm a struggling minimalist. . .hubby is a hoarder, spent years sneaking stuff into the bin, he's never noticed. But after losing his parents (😢 both of whom I adored) our house is now full again. .of stuff he'll never use, won't sell, and I trip over on a daily basis. It's hell. I love you guys you make me laugh so much 💚
Sounds exactly like my situation but my husband's parents are still alive (and unloading their junk onto him 😂). No matter how much I can sneak out of the house, I still feel buried alive, because let's face it, he's bigger than I am and stronger and faster and able to pack stuff in faster than I can sneak stuff out.
I'm more of a minimalist and my husband is more of a hoarder. He recently help a real hoarder move to a new state. By real hoarder, I mean that the was trash everywhere, stuff piled high in every room, in every corner, in multiple sheds, all over the yard..... My husband now wants to purge!
@@marjieyoung9570 My husband's late grandmother has so much stuff his brother could only partially move into her home and he just lives around her antiques. They won't have an estate sale. We have no room for his grandmother's items. Plus my in laws are in their 70's and they have so much stuff. My husband has lots of old things that belonged to his grandmother he won't give up. He's an OCD kind of guy but he hoards memories and lots of things we never use. I survived a house fire from the 90's and a divorce in the mid 2000's and I moved around alot in small apartments. So I had to get rid of lots of stuff to fit into a space. I have lots of art/craft stuff cause of my side hustle but that's my materialism issue. I would have room if he would get rid of all the stuff in the closet spaces. So I beg for a shed out back but he won't let it happen. So I have things in containers out in the open in our bedroom. But I think since the depression era many generations hoard things and it becomes a burden on their children.
I feel for you guys. My mom has been a home wife with pocket money for as long as my parents have been together. My mom is not very good with doing research. She shares articles with catchy titles without reading it and most of the time they're super inacurate and bs. She also buys all kinds of low quality stuff. Like shitty clothes she insist is accidentally small for her, to put it in perspective she recently bought me and my sister a pair of rubber mat of owls with wrinkles on it that are supposed to help wash make up brushes. * facepalm * ma if i wanted to wash something thoroughly i have my hand and fingers for that. And the thing is this is how she has always expressed her love to others by smothering everyone with gifts noone asked for. Before she met my dad, her family wasn't extremely poor but they really had to think about buying stuff, they were a working class family in eastern europe from the 60s to 90s. In 1993 she met my dad who came from a pretty well of family and was a pretty good business man himself. And since he was married and my mom just left her husbandat first my dad just gave her pocket money to care for her kid from her previous marriage. That was real nice of him. And back than she used it on what was considered stylish clothing for my sis and herself and to feed themselves. But because next to my dad she never had to really work. She rarely went to work at the family business since i was born. Which was almost 20 years ago now. And she has evolved a lot and did a few declutters herself which i was really proud of. But she can't stop herself and buys stuff that just keeps piling on. Im not sure if it wasn't for her buys that i can't seem to scrape the level of minimalism id like to practice. Id surely also have some stupid impulsive buys. She also snoops around too much. Refills all my liquid soap dispensers(yes multiple). And i just recently learned that, eventhough i told her about my desire to let go of some habbits and use up what i have, i told her that like 5 months or more sgo and she keeps refilling it. Im sorry. Cause it might sound like i hate her for all of this. And i dont. I know im lucky to be in a family with more than enough money. I love her for trying to connect with me in her way and take care of me. My problem is if we have all this money, why not use it on experiences. Going to the movies, theathers and the opera more. Or travelling.
His GF left him so he sold all his stuff. I would ve sold all her stuff. And he had 7 days worth of stuff so he probably had financial capacity to get them all back if necessary
True Potential Well, you are assuming that their divorce wasn’t amicable or mutual AND if he had done so, or you had, it could end up in a huge lawsuit. People don’t usually smile upon those so vindictive no matter how _justified_ they make it sound. Or at least, that is my opinion.
Essentialism is a good term for it. After all whats essential to someone in outback australia isnt essential to someone in siberia. Also i'd consider my cat essential my books essential all to my welbeing even if i could exist without both for me personally i wouldnt be living without the things that are essential to making me happy and greatly improving my quality of life.
The Netflix movie from those guys explains just that. Your needs are different that other ones needs so your minimalism is different than mine. You have just the minimum things that make you happy. Whatever else that doesn't satisfied a need they get out 👍
I disagree, I have a lot of things that aren’t essential but in my opinion completely enhance the way I live. It’s not essential to have a fan when I sleep but I sleep better with it. It’s not essential to have multiple size pans in my kitchen when I could get by one just one, but I enjoy cooking and i find the value of having 2 sizes instead of 1. It’s not essential to have a dog, but I like him. 🖤
@@shanaesmith112 youre agreeing with me. The point you just made was my point. Including the pet and non essential to life but essential to my life. Dude. Please read and comprehend the og comment before replying because you just repeated what i said.
I lived in Seattle for 2 years as a visiting professor at University of Washington. Every lease was month-to-month. I moved every 3 months. Every place came furnished. I could fit everything into my SUV. Most of my stuff was my academic research files. My wife and I each had one check-in bag full of personal items. We did acquire small things along the way--tupperware, etcetera--that we left behind. It was okay for the two years. You do get a little tired of all that.
Spunkymunky why move every 3 mos? Any idea of apt costs there? Like a 2 bedrm, not studios. I am going to Bastyr in a couple yrs and need to rent off campus with my teens girls.
I heard a phrase a while back that summed up my subconscious feelings towards stuff..... Visual Noise. It describes exactly how clutter affects me. Its a journey and I'm on it ❤
Oh my, YES clutter is visual noise to me too. Yet I have been surrounded by it for my whole life. KIDS 🤷🏼♀️ (Had kids very early and very late - not yet 19 with my first, early 40s with my 4th and 5th)
So, I find myself in a unique position. Perhaps is not unique. However, I am an over-the-road truck driver. I sold my house. All of my belongings are in a storage unit that cost about $100 per month and I realized over the two years that I didn't have access to any of it... That I don't really need any of it. I'm on the road for three to four months at a time and everytime I pack up my car, everything fits into 5 40 liter nylon backpacks. Truck driving isn't for everybody, but it does grant me the kind of freedom that I know is required for me to feel the kind of purposeful detachment that people wish they could have from their small hometowns. It's merely convenient to have less things- and the things that I do have take up limited space. I spent 20 years playing guitar... But I just don't anymore. Not needed. Storage it is. Same thing with violin.... And piano. These days I carry around a DSLR camera w/10-15 lenses, a laptop, a 4tb hard drive, 2 microphones, an audio interface and a Nintendo switch. 🤷🏻♂️ My hobbies have been the most important things to me for as long as things have been important to me. It's never been the "things" themselves. And I found that particularly Pleasant to learn. Something became pretty apparent to me within the first 2 years that I was driving. I didn't realize that while I was away my core group of five to six friends naturally drifted away from each other. Everytime I would visit every 3 to 4 months all of us would get together for a UFC pay-per-view, a bunch of steaks, beers & catch up. It took me two years to realize that the only time we all got together is when I visited. I brought nothing with me except the spirit of fellowship everyone knew would arrive when I arrived. The people who don't want what you have. I don't even want what I have, probably. All I know is that my absence has created a rare opportunity three to four times per year where 20+ year friends reconvene their brotherhood when I show up... With nothing to offer but a night of fights, steaks, beers and laughter so intense our faces hurt. I'm accidentally minimalist and in a weird way... The people I care about most benefit from it... accidentally. Thanks, dude. 🙂 Great video.
My dad's birthday is also October 5th, and since he's the kind of guy who already has everything he wants (/otherwise just goes ahead and buys it for himself), I think a donation to Save the Children on his behalf will be a great gift! Happy birthday Wheezy!
It makes life simple, the house easy to clean, less stress and more happiness. And i think minimalism is universal, but it can look very different. I became a minimalist because I was sick of the mindless consumption of stuff and because of the environment.
The closest i got to that is packing a laptop bag and travelling to the netherlands for 4 days. But when i come home im still greeted with al my cluttered mess. Lol. But it was awesome living out of my bag for a short while. And the host i was in was very co-living based. The shared common room was awesome. Comfy couch lots of tables, a soccer table. A shared kitchen. Every dorm had 48 beds. So it was very much a camp experience. And that feeling of community when random people find a common ground or language and just talk and have a godo time.
The Safe the Children part at the end was the best part of this video imo. Its always nice to give attention to people and children less fortunate than yourself and have a way to help those people.
When I see less clutter around me, my brain can relax... I could also pack my belongings in a couple of hours if I ever wanted to move. I also had things I was sooo emotionally attached to even though I hadn’t looked at it or touched it in years.
In 2009/2010 we decided to RV for awhile. I wouldn’t call us hoarders but we had stuff. 😆 Going through it all was eye-opening (and some of it gut wrenching). We had to decide what really mattered to us, what we really needed etc. This was before Kondo but there’s a quote that guided me: “Have nothing in your home you don’t know to be useful or find to be beautiful.” If we didn’t LOVE it or NEED it we couldn’t justify space for it in a 22ft RV. After 4 years on the road we finally moved back into a home and to this day, that quotes guides us. We aren’t extreme but we are pretty minimalistic compared to most. It’s freeing to realize how little you need. Plus, there’s less sh*t to dust. 😂
The dramatic zoom on the clutter is how I feel before I begin decluttering....just staring at everything I’ve pulled out of shelfs wondering if I regret this whole thing ...but it’s on my bed so I have to deal with it
I have learned to love minimalism. I grew up an army brat. Moved every two years and that was when my family did their spring cleaning. We threw away things we no longer needed while packing for the move. I graduated high school, joined the army, served four years, then got out. I have lived in my apartment for 15 years, which is the longest I've ever lived anywhere. Things hit hoarder status at about year 10. I had a guilt complex about throwing away perfectly useful things. Couldn't have a garage sale because of my apartment complex layout. And the time it would've taken to sort everything for donation was hours of labor and energy that I didn't have. But these things were ruining my life. So I threw them away, and I'm ok with it. I wasn't emotionally attached, I just didn't know how to organize my home.
Hey! That video of yours titled "The value of getting rid of stuff" helped me shape a portion of my life too! I believe you talked about cards (birthday, anniversary ect.) and enjoying them for the day and then getting rid of them, rather than keeping them, you keep the memory of them. I've continued to live with that mentality and it's helped me a lot! I always felt bad about getting rid of cards, I felt it was sorta mean/disrespectful. I ended up keeping cards from 10+ years ago lol. I saw that video, and now yeah, thanks for that!
The only things I’m interested in constantly taking care of and organizing are my clothes... and I’m sick and tired of buying the slave-labour made literal garbage that kills the environment. So intentional shopping is important to me even if I’m a broke student, I can get better quality clothing used than I can New most of the time :(
I just had the urge to declutter a few days ago when I had to make up my mind because my relationship is going through a rough time atm. Decluttering my stuff helped me a lot to get a clear focus on what's important to me and what's not - in all aspects of life.
@Steve Slade I'm not sure wether I understand you correctly because English isn't my first language, but I am emotionally ready to leave him after more than 5 years. When holding some stuff in my hands, a lot of old memories were evoked which I repressed before (I have the tendency to repress everything bad in my life) and I finally understood why I have the feelings I feel and that they did not just "appear" like a mood swing. The thought hurts so much, but the decluttering really helped me to understand that I grew a lot as a person during the last years and I'm ready to let go and start a new chapter.
@@HomemakerDaze I wish you the very best. Decisions like this take some time and that's okay. We have to figure out our own feelings first and where they originate from before involving another person in our thought process.
Me and my girlfriend have been living in a tiny house for 4 years now have having less stuff gives us more life, more experiences and more time to do the things we love.
J G we do not feel superior, but do feel incredibly grateful to be living a more fulfilling life. Sharing about our experience is to encourage others to explore other lifestyle opportunities, not to show off. For us, tiny house living (as kind of minimalist living) is about prioritizing your life around what’s meaningful to you, by downsizing what’s cluttering your space and mind. It’s about doing what’s right for you-not anyone else. But we have seen that sharing our experience makes others somehow feel guilty about their choices, or like we’re out of line somehow for doing what makes us happy. Not our intention. Do you.
J G wow, your perception is quite unfortunate. What we do comes from a place of sincere passion. We live tiny in a home we built, share our experience and others’ stories to hopefully inspire people to reconsider the meaning of home and success. The little money we make from YT helps us produce more content that we truly enjoy making. Just like dear Wheezy Waiter enjoys making his videos. Many appreciate our work, but we understand that it’s not for everyone. Clearly not for you. That’s ok.
Hannah Reynolds ....what building regs are you referring to? I have exactly the opposite opinion, the uk makes it extremely easy. What’s your experience?
Came for the parents scene, stayed for the social commentary. I actually really like the idea of tiny homes and would try living in one because it gives you a lot of freedom that owning a bigger home does not
I’ve been doing a lot of research into tiny homes that are so small that they can fit on trailers you hitch up to your vehicle and take with you wherever you want. There are ways to get around with tiny homes. As for getting around inside them... yeah, I got nothing.
When I first got a house, there was a huge urge to fill up EVERY ROOM. The thing is, if we move or have kids in a few years, we'll have to go through the process of emptying those rooms again. It's been weird to keep them mostly empty, and I haven't been doing a great job of it, even though I only need my bedroom and I'm literally just saving the others for kids. The urge to fill rooms up is real.
I think minimalism was a trend sparked by the 2008 financial crash, coinciding with emerging tech and cloud storage. Notice how minimalists almost always own a MacBook and a smartphone. DVD’s, CD’s, photo albums, Books, letters, maps, cameras, household documents, notebooks, diaries, televisions, radios, clocks... The stuff that filled our shelves until the 2000’s can now all be stored and/or streamed & taken with you wherever you go.
In the past 12 years I have moved 11 times. After the 7th time I got tired of carrying boxes of stuff I never use and started getting rid of things later I learned it’s called minimalism 😬
I will probably never live in a tiny house, but I sure could do with less junk lying around. Although I do want to keep boxes of memory-evoking items from my past.
I was doing this before it was cool. I had boxes of stuff that I had left in those boxes through multiple moves over a several year period. Once I realized I was never, ever using this stuff I decided to thin down a lot.
"An individual's actions can help. A little bit of help is a little bit of help... and it could lead to a bigger bit of help, as long as we remember that it's not the only answer" I really like that
Listening to this while decluttering my bathroom cabinet and closet was so motivating! Idk if I'll ever be a minimalist in the sense that people who have dedicated UA-cam channels to it are, but I have definitely found ease and financial benefits in becoming less materialistic over the years. One weakness I used to have was buying geeky merch. Instead of stopping buying merch completely, I instead do it only when I know a specific place in my home where I will display it. I also don't impulse buy. If I get a cool thing, it's often only because I've been thinking about it for several weeks or months. If it's something to wear, like a t-shirt, then I ask myself which t-shirt I will donate to make room for it because I refuse to have more than one drawer full of t-shirts. I still like to buy things that express my interests and personal aesthetic, but keeping those things to a minimum makes them stand out more and keeps me from having overwhelming piles of stuff that seem much less cool once they are collecting dust in the corner. My next purchase will be a Gudetama mug from ThinkGeek I saw 2 months ago, and it will become a succulent planter in my windowsill!
My mom and I have sponsor one child each through Save the Children for nearly two years. We got involved after P4A 2017. Glad you and Isah have the same birthday and that he's 7!
A completely empty 18ft by 23ft room with 2 huge tables and like 8 chairs is a very satisfying clean large amount of room. Not to say that's all I own I just have everything organized in such a way most of it is in my dresser drawers in shoe boxes cell phone boxes or wireless charging drawer boxes like cameras electronic accessories clothes or trinket memorabilia.
When I first moved into my current apartment I was able to, for the first time, buy things new for myself. And I considered that a milestone in my adultness. Granted it was still nearly all from IKEA, but I had an interior that looked balanced. The style was classic/rural with a lot of white/light colored elements. Over the years my tastes changed and I started to dislike my interior. There were a lot of problems with the insulation in the apartment as well, which had the effect of stains on the walls and problems with the uneven floor. I did the minimal level of house work to keep things acceptable looking. I did not enjoy living there. A few years later my boyfriend moves in with me temporarily before his new house would be done. Months before he moves in I start taking an interest in decluttering my apartment to make room for him and I find so many things that I can donate/recycle. He moves in and brings a lot of his stuff. In the 8 months he lives with me he keeps buying so much stuff that he has 1.5 times the amount of stuff that I own in my apartment. I break up with him and give him another month and a half to move out. And when he has picked up the last of his stuff I realize how much I actually hate clutter and just too much stuff in a place. I actually start to enjoy the interior again just a little, as things are now very decluttered and spacious. But I do actually want to move (because of the insulation problems) and start a new with the interior in the future apartment/house. So I have started to sell my furniture online. I've already sold 3 pieces. And it feels amazing.
Hey happy burthday fellow Libra, mine was October 9th. Thanks for the 'Save Tha Children' pitch. It's refreshing to watch a philanthropic pitch (inspiring actually) when everyone else's on YT is just hustling. That my dear has made me a subscriber.
The rewound footage of the airplane taking off to “I landed back in New York” is legit one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. In fact, it has been years since I last saw this video and when I stumbled back upon this channel I scrolled until I found it. Don’t ask me how long it took, but it was worth it. 👌🏻
I like it because it makes the things that I really do use or care about stand out. I cleaned out half of my belongings earlier this year, and now when I look around the room all I see are things that I use regularly, and none of the clutter and random stuff that I never touch. When I buy things or fill out my Christmas list now, I'm a lot more mindful. I generally can't find any new things that would be useful to me, so I end up just replacing the things I already have with nicer, higher-quality things... which is kinda cool. The people who stretch it all the way, and barely have anything in their houses and can fit most of their things in a backpack, intrigue me. I like the idea of not being tied down or attached to anything in any way. Imagine if a friend came and said "Hey, wanna go on a road trip across the country for no reason, and maybe not even come back?" and you could just say "Sure, why not? Let's go right now. I'm already packed." That's a difficult point to reach, though.
an empty apartment with barely anything is incredibly easy to clean. a table to eat at that also doubles up as a place to talk to guests. a computer and a bed. toilet, and kitchen, you need nothing else
I am exactly 1/2 way between maximalism and minimalism based on moderation and caring about each and every object that you are the caretaker of. Minimalism is a conscious uncoupling on the road to not caring about ANYTHING.
I disagree. It helps me to have money for the things I want to care about. For example donating money to charities and activists that do important work. I can also help people directly by giving stuff away. A kid might enjoy those books I don't need anymore and get entertainment and education out of them. It helps me to be more motivated to declutter.
Loved your sense of humour and the fact that you interviewed a bunch of people whose videos I love. Subbed instantly. I like to think of myself as a minimalist-in-progress. The "trend" hasn't quite changed my life yet but it has helped me open Pandora's box and start to confront the reasons behind me owning useless crap. Even as someone coming from a relatively low-income family where the mindset "deal=good, spending=bad" endured for most of my life, I've found it difficult to find reasons behind why I cannot get rid of my shit.
I'm the same way. I'm a bit sentiment with stuff. I just do what I can handle and come back to the stuff that's too hard later with a clear head . The problem I find is stuff is hiding everywhere.
carochan86 the one thing that has helped me get things into perspective is following Marie Kondo’s method of trying to find every single item from a single category at once. That’s the only way I managed to declutter my pens and pencils into a manageable and useful stash after years of attempted decluttering. It’s not always easy but I find it more difficult to find reasons to keep duplicates and literal trash when I see all of them right in front of me. Best wishes for your journey!
5:12 I miss that tiny living room. Some darn good Wheezy videos were made in and around that living room. Is it weird to feel nostalgic for a room I've never been in?
ENOUGHISM!! Yes, this is what I want. I have been stressing over cleaning out my house, but I realized I really want/need/or possibly might need all my stuff. I DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF IT!! But also, I think I have ENOUGH! I am not shopping for entertainment like I used to. I am getting my urge to buy fulfilled by donating to causes and candidates and organizations that I think are good. I don't have a big enough income to waste money replacing things that I get rid of, just because of this guilt I have absorbed because of my jam-packed living quarters. It's MY stuff, I bought it fair and square, and if I find I really want to get rid of it, there are LOTS of places to donate or recycle all kinds of things. Thank you, universe. I am an ENOUGHIST, and I have ENOUGH!!
Just found the channel "never too small", they show very small apartments 20-40sqm), I love most of the apartments shown, I wouldn't need more than 25sqm, if they are well designed
I studied interior architecture and that channel gives me life, hope and is the reason why I have chosen my career, I wish one day make something as beautiful as that and sell it to people and make them happy
I really love what James speaks about in not demonising the sad and melancholy feelings that we are gifted in our human experience on the piano keys of human feeling.. its important to be able to meet all of these different feelings and experiences in life, to wrap ourselves in compassion around our human experience... otherwise we spend our whole life running from feeling states because we are afraid of them, which really just prevents us from genuine growth, maturity, wisdom... not to mention, that when you can dissolve the preference against your own feelings... they are simply just feelings that pass through your system. I have found that there can be joy in sadness as much as happiness, when I committed to wearing down my own objection to life based upon some learned arrogance.
I think my generation at this point (im 25) are defined as minimalist. Not only because things cost more to us, but because we tend to move more than we want, so it's easier to have less. I have a twin size bed, a desk with my computer, a dresser, and a shelve for my books.
I auctioned off the majority of our stuff to move overseas. When it came time to set up house again, I was uncomfortable with minimal spaces. It didn’t feel like a warm and inviting environment. So, I filled it. But because nothing has sentimental value, it feels soulless. Finding a happy medium between cluttered and empty is harder than it looks on Pinterest.
I was having a horrible day. I saw your video. I've been watching your videos for more than 10 years I think. Then I saw Matt in your video. And I smiled for the first time today, at 10 pm. Thank u sir.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on minimalism and the like in this video. :) Methinks I'm a rare one here who's not a minimalist, and I admit it freely, but I've stopped accumulating more stuff. I know that I don't need any more, and I'd love to live with a lot less, but every time I've tried to go minimalist, I just haven't been able to get there. However, I do have big purges once or twice a year, usually. I didn't during the first two years of the pandemic because there was nowhere in the town I was living in then where I could take stuff, both thrift stores in that small town being closed for the duration. But they opened up just in time for me to move in the middle of this past April. I did a massive purge then. The biggest of my life. I got rid of 8 massive black garbage bags of clothes, two of bed linens and towels, about 20 boxes of books and DVDs and BluRays, and bags and bags of yarn, as well as some other stuff. I still have a lot more than I'd like, but with having stopped buying what I don't need, especially since I no longer care about being trendy with my clothes, as long as I'm not horribly dated or too far off the mark in that way, that's a start. I know I'll never be a minimalist - I just don't think it's in my nature - but I can at least keep on not buying any more things unless it's something that I truly need an want. What I decided to do is that when that happens, I'll donate or sell one or two items I already have that I just don't want and/or need anymore, and that'll help as well.
The (as far as I know) running theme had me dying with laughter way harder than I have in weeks, and it's been a heavy few weeks, and I needed that. Thank you
The principles of minimalism motivated/inspired/empowered me to get rid of A LOT of stuff we did not want, use, or need anymore. Now, what I used to call "the junky corner of the basement" is referred to as "the not-so-junky corner of the basement". Also, it has encouraged us to invest in experiences (memories do not take up any space!) instead of stuff.
As a travel nurse, I work in a new city every 3-6 months. I rent a space back "home" and have things there that I don't even miss at all. Everything my husband and I truly own and love fits in our one shared car. We reset, pack it up and move out every few months. You could call it minimalist. I dont feel minimalist, however. I still often feel cramped and weighed down by what we do have to carry.
Thanks for being the only UA-camr to ask why people are doing this. From the outside looking in, I see parts of it that are nice but like wtf some are going too far by living in an empty house with nothing.. like is it to make you feel like you're in prison so you can go outside and be with people? Because most people are keeping their tech (they have to in order to make videos) and are more likely going to just live on the internet. I'm just wanting some actual honesty..this would give me anxiety
I have spent a fair amount of time in rural areas of developing countries. These people have nothing, and I mean NOTHING. Like... no shoes and no bathrooms level of nothing. Yet, they will dance, and sing, and laugh, and celebrate life better than we do. No, you don't need that new new sofa. Trust me. A log by the fire pit works just as well.
I lived in a tiny tiny studio apartment for 3 years and felt I really downsized my life to it's essentials, but I really can't say I'm in love with minimalism aesthetically. It just seems so lacking in life. Put some art on your walls, inject fun into your environment. I hate excess and all, but I need a lively space.
I’m a minimalist married to a cluteralist. She’s the type that goes “antiquing” just to find something to sit on the table, in the corner, up in the guest room.
omg that would honestly be a deal breaker for me, no way I would live this way. My boyfriend is a tech guy and he has a lot of computer stuff and gaming consoles and that's already testing my patience haha
Sonja Persch , my wife says that if it were up to me we would live in a house with bare walls and two chairs (she’s right). I, on the other hand, don’t believe that every flat surface needs to be adorned with a...whatever. I see a smooth, clean, and empty granite countertop as a thing of beauty. She sees it as a parking spot for an antique mortar and pestle, a collection of old crockery and a scented candle or two. And oh my God, her closet...
Why do people like minimalism?
Because loving it would be too excessive
Holy shit. This is good lol.
That is deep
Well said 👏
"cos 2 luv it, wd b exesiv"
I like it because it only takes like 10 mins to clean my house.
This
The real reason for many of us here
Yes exactly Im just too tired to keep organizing stuff never ends. I just want to get rid of all my things If I can.
This is why I’m going to do it.
I'm trying to get rid of tons of stuff.....trying to get the rest of my family involved. On times it's like fighting the sea. 🙄
I do wish living standards were relaxed more so people aren't forced to choose between $1000 a month apartments and homelessness. We need more lower-tier living options that are clean and healthy, but simple and low-cost.
Perhaps there is a market for it. Maybe some developer with a lot of money could start something like that up :o
If there's money on the table, someone should grab it.
You can always move to another country
Get a roommate.
In my last town, I was trying to help a friend find an apartment. It was a college town so there were some lower rent options - but the market wasn’t big enough to serve the community by any stretch. It seemed 60-75% of apartments on the market were deemed luxury and offered tennis courts, basketball courts, pools, coffee, and other perks to justify the price. It was frustrating bc all of that stuff is available for free or cheap in public spaces and not necessary for an apartment (also not a proper justification in raising a price by 70-150% 🙃). No new complex going up (my partner worked most of the construction in town) was serving just the basic purpose of a normal apartment. It was pricing out families and increasing the rate of homelessness locally. The rent prices are a crisis in many places, we gotta figure something out.
The problem with the lower income housing is it is almost always taken over by druggies. Around here even nice, simple and cheap housing is taken over and turned into ghettos. I think the only real way to change that is to have like campus police or something residing in the block.
We are enoughists.
As long as we don't become intentional livers.
Definitely, DEFINITELY *DO NOT* *be an intentional liver.*
"If I were informed tomorrow that I was in direct communication with my liver, and could now take over, I would become deeply depressed. I'd sooner be told, forty thousand feet over Denver, that the 747 jet in which I had a coach seat was now mine to operate as I please; at least I would have the hope of bailing out, if I could find a parachute and discover quickly how to open a door. Nothing would save me and my liver, if I were in charge. For I am, to face the facts squarely, considerably less intelligent than my liver. I am, moreover, constitutionally unable to make hepatic decisions, and I prefer not to be obliged to, ever. I would not be able to think of the first thing to do."
Lewis Thomas, The Lives of a Cell
Enough!
Sounds insufferable
Enoughists, I like it. Personally, I'm a NoMoremon.
😂
Gonna use this..not gonna lie! 🤣
You just won
Oh my god, these two terms are awesome. I love puns
Double meaning for me, because I am an ex-Mormon. PERFECT.
I like it cause:
- It saves me money
- I don't waste my time, energy, thoughts and space
- It's a part of my personal effort to reduce waste etc.
- Because of previous three it makes me feel better, more free etc.
Right there with ya'
8:00 "Happiness is not the only good emotion. You can't feel that all the time or else there's no value in earning it."
I disagree. To me, happiness isn't constant joy (which is unrealistic). Instead, happiness is overall fulfillment about your life. That fulfillment CAN be experienced most of the time.
Because there’s nowhere for the spiders to hide.
Goat Coast **THIS***
Literally. Live in the country and fighting all the animals. I just want to throw everything out😬
Yesssssssssssss! Spiders 🕷 are the worst! I hates them so much!!!
That's what they would like you to think. We are never truly safe.
Legit though haha
I'll call myself a minimalist, sounds better than broke af.
Tim Foronda When you can’t afford food - intermittent fasting.
please stop describing my life, thanks
Right
Honestly, you can be broke AF and still be a hoarder and you can be rich and still be a minimalist.
@@MeeshT Most hoarders are broke. Cheap stuff is easy to come by
I just love decluttering. Every time I get rid of something I feel like I got rid of something that is inside me taking extra space, like bad thoughts or smth.
Totally spot on. Couldn't have said it better! :-)
I owned a condo for three years. I had so much stuff when I moved in that a lot of it stayed in boxes. It looked like a dumpster. When I put it on the market, my realtor advised me to clean the place up. I hauled a bunch to storage but threw out a lot of junk. I felt very foolish for not having done that three years earlier, because for the first time since I moved in I actually enjoyed coming home and seeing the place spotless, ready to show to buyers at any minute. It was beautiful and I only really got to enjoy that sense of lightness and tidiness for a month before I sold it. When I moved to a different city later, I went through all my stuff in storage and realized I didn't need any of it. About half was given away, a quarter went to thrift shops and the rest was garbage. It felt so good to unload the stuff I no longer used or cared about. In 2010 I was on a road trip for six weeks and it was a wonderful experience to realize that all I really needed could fit in my trunk. Granted, I did stay in a hotel every night, but I realized that what was most important to me was very portable. Ever since then I've tried to limit what I buy, donate old clothes when I bring in new pieces, and every few months do another review of things I don't need. It feels AWESOME to pare things down to the most important.
Ugh, same. I threw out and gave away when I moved last time and it felt really liberating. But it's like oil on water, somehow there's still too much or already new stuff. I need to get to decluttering again.
The same thing occurred to me when I sold my last property.
I tend to buy homes that need modernisation and so I was living in it and working on it over time.
One day I decided life was getting a bit stale so decided to sell up and I finished the remaining 30% of the work in a few weeks. I gave away/sold virtually everything and had the place immaculate and dressed for sale. It felt so good to have everything complete.
But it sold straight away so I never got to enjoy it for long.
The same thing is happening with my current place. I get things to a stage when it's comfortable then really slow down.
But I want to move on again!
Same issue I had some crap I ended up giving away tons of filled up boxes when I left my house and a whole nother pack of boxes when I unpacked for my new house. It's so much fulfilling to have only the necessary stuff and much organized
I totally get the feeling, my mother is a terrible hoarder and when I moved out all my things (including clothes) actually fit inside my backpack. Moving in an empty house was the best feeling in the world
Dont have a family then lol #stuff
This was a well-thought-out video, but it had one major flaw: a distinct lack of Wheezy Parents.
Yesssssss
Maybe he can make a video about how that generation has so much stuff and the next generation don't want to go through all their stuff when they pass away? That's another reason to downsize so people don't have to go through all your junk when you pass away.
Came looking for this comment, leaving satisfied.
@@cordialgreetingsart they have so much stuff because it's a lifetime of acquirement. The sad thing is though the boomers knew how to make stuff which lasted and now we are so driven to buy cheap that we end up buying stuff which must constantly be replaced. My parents freezer finally died earlier this year after working great for 40 yrs. We had the same stove washer and dryer my entire childhood but once they finally had to be replaced the stove washer and dryer have had to be replaced 3 or 4 times in 20 yrs. Same kitchen table since the 70s same with the dressers and other stuff. It can be tempting to buy stuff which seems as though you're getting a deal but if it wears out quick you're creating more waste and losing more money in the long term. So I think buying high quality is a good way to help being a minimalist and not wasteful.
Maybe Craig applied minimalism to his relationships and this is the way we find out. Man, minimalism is harsh!
Imagine being so rich, you have someone who does your errands for you that you then instruct to throw out/get rid of all of your belonging FOR you and then treat that as a relatable anecdote.
Since I practice hoarderism I'm afraid everthing I learned in this video will be igNORD.
😂😂😂👌💚
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Literally Lol!! This comment was gold!
I would call it “favoritisms”. Look: you have 10 different drinking glasses, which ONE is your favorite? Good. Get rid of the rest.
Since I’ve become a minimalist I can afford more expensive items, most importantly BETTER items. Which helps me in happiness and focus on my few hobbies and interests.
Your version I like very much.
Yes!
TheRealNaxos So you break that glass and just drink out of the initial container until you buy a new one? Better yet - friends come over and you all share the same glass?
Lol obviously you have 4 glasses. Enough for the amount of people you think is normal.
Liusila Of course I mean the same type of glass. Then you might have X number of them.
I love love love how James said we have demonized fine feelings like melancholiness. It is such a refreshing and in my mind a very correct opinion. I love overcast/foggy days.
Yes. There’s no such thing as emo.
Yes. There’s no such thing as emo.
Yes. There’s no such thing as emo.
Yes. There’s no such thing as emo.
Yes. There’s no such thing as emo.
I apologize for being a 60 year old dropping in on the video of 30-somethings, but back in the day we called it being Spartan (self-restrained, disciplined). I suppose every generation has it's own way of discovering and dealing with what has been around forever, and giving it a new name. I mean, do I really need Marie Kondo to tell me to clean my room?! Anyway, I applaud the intention. Starkism is certainly preferable to excessivism. And don't forget to declutter your digital life as well. If you own 6 devices, pay for data plans, have 3 TV's and spend all day on your phone...
This is the heart of why minimalism is attractive. They just all stare at their screens anyway. Why not get rid of everything lol No hobbies or interests, no ongoing learning, no socializing. Just work and sit in front of a screen, generally their phone.
chadzwife1 you can have hobbies and interests as a minimalist. I paint and a drawer dedicated to paint tools and what have you not.
@@Rudenbehr I think you read that wrong cause so did I, I had to reread it.
They're saying most people just spend all their time on their phones so they might as well get rid of everything else and Become "minimalist" since they spend all their time on their phone doing nothing else.
I love this insight Damian! I'm sorry you feel like you need to apologize, kinda sucks. I do feel like trends repeat and just get rebranded so the next generation looks like they invented it themselves hehe.
@@Lunatheia I agree with you.. it's sad that someone have to apologize for stating the similarities of the old days and the now. History does repeat, people just refuse to look back, contemplate, and take lessons from that. The urge for being inventive and innovative are crazy, while sometimes those new things are actually a regression of the good that has actually been in place. Even though we all know the theory that smart people are the ones who learn from history and previous mistakes.
Definition: Minimalist; One who dosent like shifting stuff to dust down a shelf. Aussie Jeff
Actually i so agree. Cleaning is a struggle if you have to lift and clean everything individually. I mostly notice it in the one thing that is really important to me: my book collection. Everytime i reorganize it, i clean all the books and the shelves.
Best definition lol
Ugh I'm a struggling minimalist. . .hubby is a hoarder, spent years sneaking stuff into the bin, he's never noticed. But after losing his parents (😢 both of whom I adored) our house is now full again. .of stuff he'll never use, won't sell, and I trip over on a daily basis. It's hell.
I love you guys you make me laugh so much 💚
Sounds exactly like my situation but my husband's parents are still alive (and unloading their junk onto him 😂). No matter how much I can sneak out of the house, I still feel buried alive, because let's face it, he's bigger than I am and stronger and faster and able to pack stuff in faster than I can sneak stuff out.
I'm more of a minimalist and my husband is more of a hoarder. He recently help a real hoarder move to a new state. By real hoarder, I mean that the was trash everywhere, stuff piled high in every room, in every corner, in multiple sheds, all over the yard..... My husband now wants to purge!
@@marjieyoung9570 My husband's late grandmother has so much stuff his brother could only partially move into her home and he just lives around her antiques. They won't have an estate sale. We have no room for his grandmother's items. Plus my in laws are in their 70's and they have so much stuff. My husband has lots of old things that belonged to his grandmother he won't give up. He's an OCD kind of guy but he hoards memories and lots of things we never use. I survived a house fire from the 90's and a divorce in the mid 2000's and I moved around alot in small apartments. So I had to get rid of lots of stuff to fit into a space. I have lots of art/craft stuff cause of my side hustle but that's my materialism issue. I would have room if he would get rid of all the stuff in the closet spaces. So I beg for a shed out back but he won't let it happen. So I have things in containers out in the open in our bedroom. But I think since the depression era many generations hoard things and it becomes a burden on their children.
I feel for you guys. My mom has been a home wife with pocket money for as long as my parents have been together. My mom is not very good with doing research. She shares articles with catchy titles without reading it and most of the time they're super inacurate and bs. She also buys all kinds of low quality stuff. Like shitty clothes she insist is accidentally small for her, to put it in perspective she recently bought me and my sister a pair of rubber mat of owls with wrinkles on it that are supposed to help wash make up brushes. * facepalm * ma if i wanted to wash something thoroughly i have my hand and fingers for that. And the thing is this is how she has always expressed her love to others by smothering everyone with gifts noone asked for. Before she met my dad, her family wasn't extremely poor but they really had to think about buying stuff, they were a working class family in eastern europe from the 60s to 90s. In 1993 she met my dad who came from a pretty well of family and was a pretty good business man himself. And since he was married and my mom just left her husbandat first my dad just gave her pocket money to care for her kid from her previous marriage. That was real nice of him. And back than she used it on what was considered stylish clothing for my sis and herself and to feed themselves. But because next to my dad she never had to really work. She rarely went to work at the family business since i was born. Which was almost 20 years ago now. And she has evolved a lot and did a few declutters herself which i was really proud of. But she can't stop herself and buys stuff that just keeps piling on. Im not sure if it wasn't for her buys that i can't seem to scrape the level of minimalism id like to practice. Id surely also have some stupid impulsive buys. She also snoops around too much. Refills all my liquid soap dispensers(yes multiple). And i just recently learned that, eventhough i told her about my desire to let go of some habbits and use up what i have, i told her that like 5 months or more sgo and she keeps refilling it. Im sorry. Cause it might sound like i hate her for all of this. And i dont. I know im lucky to be in a family with more than enough money. I love her for trying to connect with me in her way and take care of me. My problem is if we have all this money, why not use it on experiences. Going to the movies, theathers and the opera more. Or travelling.
Take pictures to save the memories. Toss the stuff
"I Don't Like The Word Minimalism, Because It's An Ism."
So much logic! 😁👍
Some people don’t like suffixes because they like their words to be minimal. 🙃
@@SourEggz That's so true lol! 😂😁👍
His GF left him so he sold all his stuff. I would ve sold all her stuff. And he had 7 days worth of stuff so he probably had financial capacity to get them all back if necessary
@@truepotential206 Yeah.
True Potential Well, you are assuming that their divorce wasn’t amicable or mutual AND if he had done so, or you had, it could end up in a huge lawsuit. People don’t usually smile upon those so vindictive no matter how _justified_ they make it sound. Or at least, that is my opinion.
Happiness is not the only good emotion.
You can't feel that all the time, or else there's no value in earning it.
What a quote...
Essentialism is a good term for it.
After all whats essential to someone in outback australia isnt essential to someone in siberia.
Also i'd consider my cat essential my books essential all to my welbeing even if i could exist without both for me personally i wouldnt be living without the things that are essential to making me happy and greatly improving my quality of life.
I like this.
That's already an established term that means something else though.
The Netflix movie from those guys explains just that. Your needs are different that other ones needs so your minimalism is different than mine. You have just the minimum things that make you happy. Whatever else that doesn't satisfied a need they get out 👍
I disagree, I have a lot of things that aren’t essential but in my opinion completely enhance the way I live. It’s not essential to have a fan when I sleep but I sleep better with it. It’s not essential to have multiple size pans in my kitchen when I could get by one just one, but I enjoy cooking and i find the value of having 2 sizes instead of 1. It’s not essential to have a dog, but I like him. 🖤
@@shanaesmith112 youre agreeing with me. The point you just made was my point. Including the pet and non essential to life but essential to my life. Dude. Please read and comprehend the og comment before replying because you just repeated what i said.
Reason #9: When you move every 3 years or so, being a minimalist makes it easier. xD
I moved three times in about 8 months. I learned to only bring with me things I absolutely love and need. The rest is just additional useless boxes !
Nah, moving with more than 100 boxes is more fun. As long as you hire some people to move these boxes.
I lived in Seattle for 2 years as a visiting professor at University of Washington. Every lease was month-to-month. I moved every 3 months. Every place came furnished. I could fit everything into my SUV. Most of my stuff was my academic research files. My wife and I each had one check-in bag full of personal items. We did acquire small things along the way--tupperware, etcetera--that we left behind. It was okay for the two years. You do get a little tired of all that.
Spunkymunky why move every 3 mos?
Any idea of apt costs there? Like a 2 bedrm, not studios. I am going to Bastyr in a couple yrs and need to rent off campus with my teens girls.
So many ppl throw away, give away, or sell so much stuff while moving.
I hate shopping and moving so buying less stuff is pretty natural.
I heard a phrase a while back that summed up my subconscious feelings towards stuff.....
Visual Noise.
It describes exactly how clutter affects me. Its a journey and I'm on it ❤
Mark Velo this is an exceptionally underrated comment 👏🏼👏🏼
Oh my, YES clutter is visual noise to me too. Yet I have been surrounded by it for my whole life. KIDS 🤷🏼♀️
(Had kids very early and very late - not yet 19 with my first, early 40s with my 4th and 5th)
This is so spot on! 🤩. I hate having a lot of stuff.
James looks like a mad scientist with a gaming obsession
Rayyan Mistry what makes you say he isn’t?
He reminded me of that one guy who is a public speaker and a writer that wrote something about David and Goliath.
The other guy kinda looks like Jake Gyllenaal….
So, I find myself in a unique position. Perhaps is not unique. However, I am an over-the-road truck driver. I sold my house. All of my belongings are in a storage unit that cost about $100 per month and I realized over the two years that I didn't have access to any of it... That I don't really need any of it. I'm on the road for three to four months at a time and everytime I pack up my car, everything fits into 5 40 liter nylon backpacks.
Truck driving isn't for everybody, but it does grant me the kind of freedom that I know is required for me to feel the kind of purposeful detachment that people wish they could have from their small hometowns.
It's merely convenient to have less things- and the things that I do have take up limited space. I spent 20 years playing guitar... But I just don't anymore. Not needed. Storage it is. Same thing with violin.... And piano. These days I carry around a DSLR camera w/10-15 lenses, a laptop, a 4tb hard drive, 2 microphones, an audio interface and a Nintendo switch. 🤷🏻♂️
My hobbies have been the most important things to me for as long as things have been important to me. It's never been the "things" themselves. And I found that particularly Pleasant to learn.
Something became pretty apparent to me within the first 2 years that I was driving. I didn't realize that while I was away my core group of five to six friends naturally drifted away from each other. Everytime I would visit every 3 to 4 months all of us would get together for a UFC pay-per-view, a bunch of steaks, beers & catch up. It took me two years to realize that the only time we all got together is when I visited. I brought nothing with me except the spirit of fellowship everyone knew would arrive when I arrived. The people who don't want what you have. I don't even want what I have, probably. All I know is that my absence has created a rare opportunity three to four times per year where 20+ year friends reconvene their brotherhood when I show up... With nothing to offer but a night of fights, steaks, beers and laughter so intense our faces hurt.
I'm accidentally minimalist and in a weird way... The people I care about most benefit from it... accidentally.
Thanks, dude. 🙂 Great video.
Wow you have just verified what I commented to whatmeanflip above!
"intentional liver" sounds like a health conscious alcohol brand, ie: When you drink with our alcohol, you drink with an intentional liver.
My dad's birthday is also October 5th, and since he's the kind of guy who already has everything he wants (/otherwise just goes ahead and buys it for himself), I think a donation to Save the Children on his behalf will be a great gift! Happy birthday Wheezy!
sounds just like my dad
It makes life simple, the house easy to clean, less stress and more happiness. And i think minimalism is universal, but it can look very different. I became a minimalist because I was sick of the mindless consumption of stuff and because of the environment.
I'm a minimalist because I end up moving every 3-4 months. A lot easier to move when you can take everything you own on the train 😐👍
Yeah I kinda like that. Having everything you own fit in a couple of bags
Mark Sneddon Hubby and I have moved 5 times in the last 12 years, once across country. We realized it’s much easier with less stuff.
I would be more easier if you owned nothing ,kind of like Jack Reacher
The closest i got to that is packing a laptop bag and travelling to the netherlands for 4 days. But when i come home im still greeted with al my cluttered mess. Lol. But it was awesome living out of my bag for a short while. And the host i was in was very co-living based. The shared common room was awesome. Comfy couch lots of tables, a soccer table. A shared kitchen. Every dorm had 48 beds. So it was very much a camp experience. And that feeling of community when random people find a common ground or language and just talk and have a godo time.
One thing I don't like about "minimalist" rooms is the excessive reverb.
They need to make drywall or paint that cuts down on reverb.
agree! as someone who also likes wood floors, i feel like this will be a struggle (currently in carpeted rental, yuk)
Large plants help with that, its probably the real reason minimalists love plants 😜
So you like MINIMIAL reverb. Got it.
@@markm0000 lead paint or foil or lead-lined cloth looks good now 😆
The Safe the Children part at the end was the best part of this video imo. Its always nice to give attention to people and children less fortunate than yourself and have a way to help those people.
Buddha taught that the root of all suffering is to be found in our constant wanting and craving for more
And unfortunately the people ignored him : (
So how did these wannabepriests that wandered the land get by? Handouts.
When I see less clutter around me, my brain can relax... I could also pack my belongings in a couple of hours if I ever wanted to move. I also had things I was sooo emotionally attached to even though I hadn’t looked at it or touched it in years.
In 2009/2010 we decided to RV for awhile. I wouldn’t call us hoarders but we had stuff. 😆 Going through it all was eye-opening (and some of it gut wrenching). We had to decide what really mattered to us, what we really needed etc. This was before Kondo but there’s a quote that guided me: “Have nothing in your home you don’t know to be useful or find to be beautiful.” If we didn’t LOVE it or NEED it we couldn’t justify space for it in a 22ft RV. After 4 years on the road we finally moved back into a home and to this day, that quotes guides us. We aren’t extreme but we are pretty minimalistic compared to most. It’s freeing to realize how little you need. Plus, there’s less sh*t to dust. 😂
The dramatic zoom on the clutter is how I feel before I begin decluttering....just staring at everything I’ve pulled out of shelfs wondering if I regret this whole thing ...but it’s on my bed so I have to deal with it
I have learned to love minimalism. I grew up an army brat. Moved every two years and that was when my family did their spring cleaning. We threw away things we no longer needed while packing for the move. I graduated high school, joined the army, served four years, then got out. I have lived in my apartment for 15 years, which is the longest I've ever lived anywhere. Things hit hoarder status at about year 10. I had a guilt complex about throwing away perfectly useful things. Couldn't have a garage sale because of my apartment complex layout. And the time it would've taken to sort everything for donation was hours of labor and energy that I didn't have. But these things were ruining my life. So I threw them away, and I'm ok with it. I wasn't emotionally attached, I just didn't know how to organize my home.
Hey! That video of yours titled "The value of getting rid of stuff" helped me shape a portion of my life too!
I believe you talked about cards (birthday, anniversary ect.) and enjoying them for the day and then getting rid of them, rather than keeping them, you keep the memory of them.
I've continued to live with that mentality and it's helped me a lot!
I always felt bad about getting rid of cards, I felt it was sorta mean/disrespectful. I ended up keeping cards from 10+ years ago lol.
I saw that video, and now yeah, thanks for that!
The only things I’m interested in constantly taking care of and organizing are my clothes... and I’m sick and tired of buying the slave-labour made literal garbage that kills the environment. So intentional shopping is important to me even if I’m a broke student, I can get better quality clothing used than I can New most of the time :(
yup im also only buying second hand since spring and just things that i like
Same
I just had the urge to declutter a few days ago when I had to make up my mind because my relationship is going through a rough time atm. Decluttering my stuff helped me a lot to get a clear focus on what's important to me and what's not - in all aspects of life.
That’s what I wanted to know. Cause I’m going through the same since last week haha
@Steve Slade I'm not sure wether I understand you correctly because English isn't my first language, but I am emotionally ready to leave him after more than 5 years. When holding some stuff in my hands, a lot of old memories were evoked which I repressed before (I have the tendency to repress everything bad in my life) and I finally understood why I have the feelings I feel and that they did not just "appear" like a mood swing.
The thought hurts so much, but the decluttering really helped me to understand that I grew a lot as a person during the last years and I'm ready to let go and start a new chapter.
@@HomemakerDaze I wish you the very best. Decisions like this take some time and that's okay. We have to figure out our own feelings first and where they originate from before involving another person in our thought process.
Muffinpurpergurk good luck, I wish you the best xxx
Me and my girlfriend have been living in a tiny house for 4 years now have having less stuff gives us more life, more experiences and more time to do the things we love.
@J G you should go for a walk.
J G we do not feel superior, but do feel incredibly grateful to be living a more fulfilling life. Sharing about our experience is to encourage others to explore other lifestyle opportunities, not to show off. For us, tiny house living (as kind of minimalist living) is about prioritizing your life around what’s meaningful to you, by downsizing what’s cluttering your space and mind. It’s about doing what’s right for you-not anyone else. But we have seen that sharing our experience makes others somehow feel guilty about their choices, or like we’re out of line somehow for doing what makes us happy. Not our intention. Do you.
@J G Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? How in the hell did you get your dander up from that comment? Calm down.
J G wow, your perception is quite unfortunate. What we do comes from a place of sincere passion. We live tiny in a home we built, share our experience and others’ stories to hopefully inspire people to reconsider the meaning of home and success. The little money we make from YT helps us produce more content that we truly enjoy making. Just like dear Wheezy Waiter enjoys making his videos. Many appreciate our work, but we understand that it’s not for everyone. Clearly not for you. That’s ok.
Hannah Reynolds ....what building regs are you referring to? I have exactly the opposite opinion, the uk makes it extremely easy. What’s your experience?
Came for the parents scene, stayed for the social commentary. I actually really like the idea of tiny homes and would try living in one because it gives you a lot of freedom that owning a bigger home does not
Except there was no parents scene :(
I’ve been doing a lot of research into tiny homes that are so small that they can fit on trailers you hitch up to your vehicle and take with you wherever you want. There are ways to get around with tiny homes.
As for getting around inside them... yeah, I got nothing.
When I first got a house, there was a huge urge to fill up EVERY ROOM. The thing is, if we move or have kids in a few years, we'll have to go through the process of emptying those rooms again. It's been weird to keep them mostly empty, and I haven't been doing a great job of it, even though I only need my bedroom and I'm literally just saving the others for kids. The urge to fill rooms up is real.
Some people like myself only have a few things because we can only afford to have a few things.
but also I think it's about desire. Some people don't want more things, even if they could have them - or at least they aspire to that mindset.
Sounds like your making into an enlightenment process. Keep your religion to yourself.
mr. zombie look up the definition of religion.
Some people have a lot of crap.
Always know the dif btwn need and want and you'll never feel cheated. Save what money you have to spend.
these videos are so GOOD, I'm really happy with the way the channel is going and has went
I think minimalism was a trend sparked by the 2008 financial crash, coinciding with emerging tech and cloud storage. Notice how minimalists almost always own a MacBook and a smartphone.
DVD’s, CD’s, photo albums, Books, letters, maps, cameras, household documents, notebooks, diaries, televisions, radios, clocks... The stuff that filled our shelves until the 2000’s can now all be stored and/or streamed & taken with you wherever you go.
This... is a very good observation.
In the past 12 years I have moved 11 times. After the 7th time I got tired of carrying boxes of stuff I never use and started getting rid of things later I learned it’s called minimalism 😬
Literally started watching Matt last night. I think he's tapped both our phones
I will probably never live in a tiny house, but I sure could do with less junk lying around. Although I do want to keep boxes of memory-evoking items from my past.
That's what I have. ONE box of crap that are either memories or trinkets that I want to keep "just in case"
Enoughist. That’s my favorite one!
I was doing this before it was cool. I had boxes of stuff that I had left in those boxes through multiple moves over a several year period. Once I realized I was never, ever using this stuff I decided to thin down a lot.
"An individual's actions can help. A little bit of help is a little bit of help... and it could lead to a bigger bit of help, as long as we remember that it's not the only answer" I really like that
"I land back in New York..."
7:34 Cue airplane flying backwards 🤣lol I love it!
Listening to this while decluttering my bathroom cabinet and closet was so motivating!
Idk if I'll ever be a minimalist in the sense that people who have dedicated UA-cam channels to it are, but I have definitely found ease and financial benefits in becoming less materialistic over the years. One weakness I used to have was buying geeky merch. Instead of stopping buying merch completely, I instead do it only when I know a specific place in my home where I will display it. I also don't impulse buy. If I get a cool thing, it's often only because I've been thinking about it for several weeks or months. If it's something to wear, like a t-shirt, then I ask myself which t-shirt I will donate to make room for it because I refuse to have more than one drawer full of t-shirts. I still like to buy things that express my interests and personal aesthetic, but keeping those things to a minimum makes them stand out more and keeps me from having overwhelming piles of stuff that seem much less cool once they are collecting dust in the corner.
My next purchase will be a Gudetama mug from ThinkGeek I saw 2 months ago, and it will become a succulent planter in my windowsill!
I sold my home at age 45 and bought a condo....im sliming down my crap and its freedom from stuff!! I can clean in like 20 minutes!
My mom and I have sponsor one child each through Save the Children for nearly two years. We got involved after P4A 2017. Glad you and Isah have the same birthday and that he's 7!
I’m working on clearing out my house bc I can’t keep up with the cleaning of everything as I get older
A completely empty 18ft by 23ft room with 2 huge tables and like 8 chairs is a very satisfying clean large amount of room. Not to say that's all I own I just have everything organized in such a way most of it is in my dresser drawers in shoe boxes cell phone boxes or wireless charging drawer boxes like cameras electronic accessories clothes or trinket memorabilia.
When I first moved into my current apartment I was able to, for the first time, buy things new for myself. And I considered that a milestone in my adultness.
Granted it was still nearly all from IKEA, but I had an interior that looked balanced. The style was classic/rural with a lot of white/light colored elements.
Over the years my tastes changed and I started to dislike my interior. There were a lot of problems with the insulation in the apartment as well, which had the effect of stains on the walls and problems with the uneven floor.
I did the minimal level of house work to keep things acceptable looking. I did not enjoy living there.
A few years later my boyfriend moves in with me temporarily before his new house would be done. Months before he moves in I start taking an interest in decluttering my apartment to make room for him and I find so many things that I can donate/recycle.
He moves in and brings a lot of his stuff. In the 8 months he lives with me he keeps buying so much stuff that he has 1.5 times the amount of stuff that I own in my apartment.
I break up with him and give him another month and a half to move out. And when he has picked up the last of his stuff I realize how much I actually hate clutter and just too much stuff in a place.
I actually start to enjoy the interior again just a little, as things are now very decluttered and spacious. But I do actually want to move (because of the insulation problems) and start a new with the interior in the future apartment/house.
So I have started to sell my furniture online. I've already sold 3 pieces. And it feels amazing.
Hey happy burthday fellow Libra, mine was October 9th. Thanks for the 'Save Tha Children' pitch. It's refreshing to watch a philanthropic pitch (inspiring actually) when everyone else's on YT is just hustling. That my dear has made me a subscriber.
I read this quick and thought it said “why do people like hummus” and I was totally in for that lol.
Sounds like a pretty extreme case of dyslexica.
Because Hummus is delicious!!!!! Lol
@@AndreasDevig Not dyslexia, just Dumbass Disease
(I, too, suffer from the unfortunate condition, lol)
The rewound footage of the airplane taking off to “I landed back in New York” is legit one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. In fact, it has been years since I last saw this video and when I stumbled back upon this channel I scrolled until I found it. Don’t ask me how long it took, but it was worth it. 👌🏻
I died laughing at "kombucha spout" 🤣
I never minimize, i always alt-tab ☺
Fastest alt tab in the west
I love how Matt's footage is completely ungraded lol
I like it because it makes the things that I really do use or care about stand out. I cleaned out half of my belongings earlier this year, and now when I look around the room all I see are things that I use regularly, and none of the clutter and random stuff that I never touch. When I buy things or fill out my Christmas list now, I'm a lot more mindful. I generally can't find any new things that would be useful to me, so I end up just replacing the things I already have with nicer, higher-quality things... which is kinda cool.
The people who stretch it all the way, and barely have anything in their houses and can fit most of their things in a backpack, intrigue me. I like the idea of not being tied down or attached to anything in any way. Imagine if a friend came and said "Hey, wanna go on a road trip across the country for no reason, and maybe not even come back?" and you could just say "Sure, why not? Let's go right now. I'm already packed." That's a difficult point to reach, though.
Moderation seem like the best route on virtually everything
an empty apartment with barely anything is incredibly easy to clean. a table to eat at that also doubles up as a place to talk to guests. a computer and a bed. toilet, and kitchen, you need nothing else
"Thank you for being a good Ottoman"
*Angry Byzantine Empire sounds*
This has got to be the best video on minimalism out there! Thank you for the entertaining content.
I am exactly 1/2 way between maximalism and minimalism based on moderation and caring about each and every object that you are the caretaker of. Minimalism is a conscious uncoupling on the road to not caring about ANYTHING.
I disagree. It helps me to have money for the things I want to care about. For example donating money to charities and activists that do important work.
I can also help people directly by giving stuff away. A kid might enjoy those books I don't need anymore and get entertainment and education out of them. It helps me to be more motivated to declutter.
I like Chyna's haircut. Oh, and I consider myself a minimalist too
Loved your sense of humour and the fact that you interviewed a bunch of people whose videos I love. Subbed instantly.
I like to think of myself as a minimalist-in-progress. The "trend" hasn't quite changed my life yet but it has helped me open Pandora's box and start to confront the reasons behind me owning useless crap. Even as someone coming from a relatively low-income family where the mindset "deal=good, spending=bad" endured for most of my life, I've found it difficult to find reasons behind why I cannot get rid of my shit.
I'm the same way. I'm a bit sentiment with stuff. I just do what I can handle and come back to the stuff that's too hard later with a clear head . The problem I find is stuff is hiding everywhere.
carochan86 the one thing that has helped me get things into perspective is following Marie Kondo’s method of trying to find every single item from a single category at once. That’s the only way I managed to declutter my pens and pencils into a manageable and useful stash after years of attempted decluttering. It’s not always easy but I find it more difficult to find reasons to keep duplicates and literal trash when I see all of them right in front of me. Best wishes for your journey!
5:12 I miss that tiny living room. Some darn good Wheezy videos were made in and around that living room. Is it weird to feel nostalgic for a room I've never been in?
It's my first time....
not skipping through the sponsorship part!!
A long video about minimalism, but worth every second !!
Less related to this specific video, but all this self-helm is working, you look younger, healthier, and livelier than you did in earlier videos!
ENOUGHISM!! Yes, this is what I want. I have been stressing over cleaning out my house, but I realized I really want/need/or possibly might need all my stuff. I DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF IT!! But also, I think I have ENOUGH! I am not shopping for entertainment like I used to. I am getting my urge to buy fulfilled by donating to causes and candidates and organizations that I think are good. I don't have a big enough income to waste money replacing things that I get rid of, just because of this guilt I have absorbed because of my jam-packed living quarters. It's MY stuff, I bought it fair and square, and if I find I really want to get rid of it, there are LOTS of places to donate or recycle all kinds of things. Thank you, universe. I am an ENOUGHIST, and I have ENOUGH!!
Just found the channel "never too small", they show very small apartments 20-40sqm), I love most of the apartments shown, I wouldn't need more than 25sqm, if they are well designed
I studied interior architecture and that channel gives me life, hope and is the reason why I have chosen my career, I wish one day make something as beautiful as that and sell it to people and make them happy
I really love what James speaks about in not demonising the sad and melancholy feelings that we are gifted in our human experience on the piano keys of human feeling.. its important to be able to meet all of these different feelings and experiences in life, to wrap ourselves in compassion around our human experience... otherwise we spend our whole life running from feeling states because we are afraid of them, which really just prevents us from genuine growth, maturity, wisdom... not to mention, that when you can dissolve the preference against your own feelings... they are simply just feelings that pass through your system. I have found that there can be joy in sadness as much as happiness, when I committed to wearing down my own objection to life based upon some learned arrogance.
I think my generation at this point (im 25) are defined as minimalist. Not only because things cost more to us, but because we tend to move more than we want, so it's easier to have less. I have a twin size bed, a desk with my computer, a dresser, and a shelve for my books.
You and Matt is the collab I've been waiting for
I auctioned off the majority of our stuff to move overseas. When it came time to set up house again, I was uncomfortable with minimal spaces. It didn’t feel like a warm and inviting environment. So, I filled it. But because nothing has sentimental value, it feels soulless. Finding a happy medium between cluttered and empty is harder than it looks on Pinterest.
I was having a horrible day. I saw your video. I've been watching your videos for more than 10 years I think.
Then I saw Matt in your video. And I smiled for the first time today, at 10 pm. Thank u sir.
I like minimalism mostly because I'm poor.
Very, very poor.
Lol
Right?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on minimalism and the like in this video. :)
Methinks I'm a rare one here who's not a minimalist, and I admit it freely, but I've stopped accumulating more stuff. I know that I don't need any more, and I'd love to live with a lot less, but every time I've tried to go minimalist, I just haven't been able to get there.
However, I do have big purges once or twice a year, usually. I didn't during the first two years of the pandemic because there was nowhere in the town I was living in then where I could take stuff, both thrift stores in that small town being closed for the duration.
But they opened up just in time for me to move in the middle of this past April.
I did a massive purge then. The biggest of my life. I got rid of 8 massive black garbage bags of clothes, two of bed linens and towels, about 20 boxes of books and DVDs and BluRays, and bags and bags of yarn, as well as some other stuff.
I still have a lot more than I'd like, but with having stopped buying what I don't need, especially since I no longer care about being trendy with my clothes, as long as I'm not horribly dated or too far off the mark in that way, that's a start.
I know I'll never be a minimalist - I just don't think it's in my nature - but I can at least keep on not buying any more things unless it's something that I truly need an want. What I decided to do is that when that happens, I'll donate or sell one or two items I already have that I just don't want and/or need anymore, and that'll help as well.
Awww, no parents? My heart is heavy.
Yes, mine, too 😔😂
The (as far as I know) running theme had me dying with laughter way harder than I have in weeks, and it's been a heavy few weeks, and I needed that. Thank you
It's so weird to see Matt's footage without being color graded
The principles of minimalism motivated/inspired/empowered me to get rid of A LOT of stuff we did not want, use, or need anymore. Now, what I used to call "the junky corner of the basement" is referred to as "the not-so-junky corner of the basement". Also, it has encouraged us to invest in experiences (memories do not take up any space!) instead of stuff.
Weird to see youtubers I like on each others videos, but it's nice :)
As a travel nurse, I work in a new city every 3-6 months. I rent a space back "home" and have things there that I don't even miss at all. Everything my husband and I truly own and love fits in our one shared car. We reset, pack it up and move out every few months. You could call it minimalist. I dont feel minimalist, however. I still often feel cramped and weighed down by what we do have to carry.
When the plane b-roll played backwards LMAO
I’m good with just purging every qtr. Worst thing is having to re-purchase something you thought you didn’t need.
I'll admit, I watched through that entire sponsored section just for the puns. Well played.
Thanks for being the only UA-camr to ask why people are doing this. From the outside looking in, I see parts of it that are nice but like wtf some are going too far by living in an empty house with nothing.. like is it to make you feel like you're in prison so you can go outside and be with people? Because most people are keeping their tech (they have to in order to make videos) and are more likely going to just live on the internet. I'm just wanting some actual honesty..this would give me anxiety
Minimalist is just an idealist who favored quality over quantity.
I have spent a fair amount of time in rural areas of developing countries. These people have nothing, and I mean NOTHING. Like... no shoes and no bathrooms level of nothing. Yet, they will dance, and sing, and laugh, and celebrate life better than we do. No, you don't need that new new sofa. Trust me. A log by the fire pit works just as well.
Bcz when done right, it’s cheap and environment friendly
I lived in a tiny tiny studio apartment for 3 years and felt I really downsized my life to it's essentials, but I really can't say I'm in love with minimalism aesthetically. It just seems so lacking in life. Put some art on your walls, inject fun into your environment. I hate excess and all, but I need a lively space.
I’m a minimalist married to a cluteralist. She’s the type that goes “antiquing” just to find something to sit on the table, in the corner, up in the guest room.
omg that would honestly be a deal breaker for me, no way I would live this way.
My boyfriend is a tech guy and he has a lot of computer stuff and gaming consoles and that's already testing my patience haha
Sonja Persch , my wife says that if it were up to me we would live in a house with bare walls and two chairs (she’s right). I, on the other hand, don’t believe that every flat surface needs to be adorned with a...whatever. I see a smooth, clean, and empty granite countertop as a thing of beauty. She sees it as a parking spot for an antique mortar and pestle, a collection of old crockery and a scented candle or two. And oh my God, her closet...