Frugal and Energy Efficient Living

Flaxbee

(13,661 posts) Sat Sep 15, 2012, 12:49 AM Sep 2012

George Carlin says that a house is "a pile of stuff with a cover on it" [View all]

That cracked me up - and for so many people, it's true.

For me, it's true. I'd love to eliminate a huge amount of the clutter we have in our home, however, my husband is a collector of electronic stuff ... he's trying to get better (has a bad thrift store habit of buying old, 'neat' electronics he can take apart).

I also don't want to eliminate our books. Fiction, fine - I can pretty easily find reproductions if I need or want to. But non-fiction? I don't want to get rid of many of those books, simply because I don't trust digital representations to always be accurate.

Could you be a minimalist? And to what extent could you reduce your current possessions? What would be easy for you to walk away from / donate, and what would be very hard for you to let go of?

36 replies

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George Carlin says that a house is "a pile of stuff with a cover on it" [View all] Flaxbee Sep 2012 OP

I moved from a 2400 square foot home onto a 43 foot sailboat. cbayer Sep 2012 #1

I'd like to do the same thing, though perhaps not move onto a sailboat Flaxbee Sep 2012 #2

In my experience, your possessions will grow to fit the amount of space you have. cbayer Sep 2012 #3

true, about the tendency of stuff to expand to fill any given space Flaxbee Sep 2012 #5

Sounds like your husband is the one in need of a studio, lol. cbayer Sep 2012 #9

too funny. I know the scenario too well: "Mad hunts with much disruption of the space" Flaxbee Sep 2012 #15

I FINALLY got him to keep most of his tools in one place. If I find them around, cbayer Sep 2012 #17

Don't believe her. It's all lies. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #19

And I call it chaotic disorganization! cbayer Sep 2012 #21

I am trying to figure this out now. Curmudgeoness Sep 2012 #4

We have streamlined a bit over the last few years, having moved a few times. Flaxbee Sep 2012 #6

Why do you have to have another round Curmudgeoness Sep 2012 #7

I still have clothes I haven't worn in years tucked into drawers, books I'm never going to Flaxbee Sep 2012 #8

Oh, you are not at ruthless reduction yet. Curmudgeoness Sep 2012 #12

We have a trade rack in the laundromat. People, including tourists, bring their books, cbayer Sep 2012 #14

I agree that it would be an excellent idea Curmudgeoness Sep 2012 #18

Reminds me of a guy I met in NYC in the 1980s. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #22

FREECYCLE! TexasBushwhacker Apr 2013 #33

I think that I am going to regret that. Curmudgeoness Apr 2013 #34

It worked out well for me in Austin TexasBushwhacker Apr 2013 #35

At least there was a group where I live, Curmudgeoness Apr 2013 #36

I know a lot of places like that, attached to dumps in the northeast. MADem Mar 2013 #31

I know - there is still some easy tossing-out to do. Flaxbee Sep 2012 #16

It's the things that have been soaked in memories and acquired meaning that are the hardest cbayer Sep 2012 #10

I absolutely dumped a lot of clothes. Curmudgeoness Sep 2012 #11

Lol. He's quite kind about it, but he does let me know. cbayer Sep 2012 #13

Might be time to take the teacups to the "Antiques Road Show" Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #20

I should be so lucky! Curmudgeoness Sep 2012 #23

Not always. Rarity adds value for collectors. You never know. Starboard Tack Sep 2012 #24

after the Kerry loss in 2004, i was SO depressed NMDemDist2 Sep 2012 #25

thanks! This will be fun to explore Flaxbee Sep 2012 #26

I don't know about "minimalist" Le Taz Hot Sep 2012 #27

I've always done this as well and want to thank you for the reminder that it is probably time to cbayer Sep 2012 #28

I will be going minimalist soon Shankapotomus Sep 2012 #29

One of the first things I did was scan all of my photos and toss the originals. cbayer Sep 2012 #30

i was so depressed after Kerry's loss in 2004 I cleaned house NMDemDist2 Apr 2013 #32