Owning as Little as Possible

[boohoo]

For big furniture I own a table and a set of shelves -except the shelves are at my mums.

 

[Rainingstairs]

I went through about 4 years (2004-2007) where I could fit everything I owned into 2 ruk sacs and a bookbag. (and one of the ruk sacs was filled with books) It was a result of my unwillingness to settle anywhere as on my first move, I saw how painstakingly dull and expensive the whole process was and purged myself of anything to heavy to carry on my own. Since, then I met someone who was surprisingly domesticated and thought my spartan ways were kind of cute (like my cardboard box table) I've slowly began picking up things like a nice bed, curtains, artwork, and now I even have a pet fish

 

[Geri]

Do you think it makes a difference if you own your own home? If I lived in a shared house things would be considerably different, I imagine. In fact, they were. If I rented a flat I imagine I'd have less stuff too, because I'd need to know I could pack and leave pretty quickly if needs be. As it is, I'm static in my own house, and the 'things' I own have just become part of the furniture.

I think so. I didn't have half as many things as I have now when I was living in rented accomodation and having to move every couple of years.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

I don't know whether it's a symptom of insecurity but it's certainly a symptom of impermanence, as well as living in rented accommodation (at least, part-furnished rented accommodation). Less stuff means much less pain when it comes to moving as Rainingstairs says, as well as less expense, and you never know whether the next place you move into might not actually be able to fit all your crap in it. This particularly counts when changing continents.

It's still a reflex for me not to buy anything that isn't consumable or tiny, but it is a bit irrational really - it's taken me ages to even buy a proper damn chair, even though I work from home and was fucking my back all the time, and not having shelves for ages meant that all the shite that I do have was just sitting in piles and boxes. Even if you have to leave it all behind at some point, it's not worth putting yourself through that for the sake of a hundred quid or so (and you can scrounge it if you've not got the cash, people are always freecycling furniture or just leaving it outside).

I can't imagine ever feeling stable enough to buy something like a painting. I can't even imagine staying in one place for more than a couple of years actually, or ever feeling like I own a place, and at this rate it will probably never happen.

 

[Rainingstairs]

One of my good mates who's came and lived with me on and off throughout the years has fit all worldly possessions into his car for as long as I can remember. he is a rolling stone, here today, up and gone the next, to resurface at some later time always. I remember we had 1 fork for the longest time...didn't seem to bother us much...as long as we both washed it right when we were done, or had some takeaway plastic ones around.

 

[ChrisC]

I went through about 4 years (2004-2007) where I could fit everything I owned into 2 ruk sacs and a bookbag. (and one of the ruk sacs was filled with books) It was a result of my unwillingness to settle anywhere as on my first move, I saw how painstakingly dull and expensive the whole process was and purged myself of anything to heavy to carry on my own. Since, then I met someone who was surprisingly domesticated and thought my spartan ways were kind of cute (like my cardboard box table) I've slowly began picking up things like a nice bed, curtains, artwork, and now I even have a pet fish

A bookbag? What the hell is that? Some kind of special bag that protects your books?

If it is I'd like to know where to get one.

 

[Rainingstairs]

A bookbag? What the hell is that? Some kind of special bag that protects your books?

If it is I'd like to know where to get one.

american lingo...dunno what you call it over there. carry on maybe? the thing with the two straps that you throw over your shoulders but is small and you take it to school when your a kid or, the plane. fits a laptop/small electronics

 

[ChrisC]

I see. Thanks.

 

[treefrog]

I own very little that isn't related to something that I do (paintball, diving, biking etc.). I own more clothes than I really need, it'll be time for a cull soon methinks. I tend to see the thinkgs I own as just passing through, and regularly lend stuff out and don't really expect them back. I've never been a hoarder and tend not to get sentimental about things.

I'll be looking to get rid of nearly everything soon, as I can't take much to NZ with me.

 

[Gromit]

Having a secure job means I've been able to slowly horde. Only slowly as its not a well paid job.

I have a house.
Reasonably nice but inexpensive car.
37" flat screen telly.
Laptop.
Xbox 260
Loads of DvDs
Loads of Books
Nice bookcase to keep em on.
Washer / Dryer
Dishwasher
Dining table
2 large high quality leather sofas
An Expensive kingsized bed
Freestanding Bedroom set I love - Wardrobes, chest n bedside table.
4 Prints I love
A load of photos and mementos from holidays and from karate competitions (including pieces of boards broken in qualifying rounds)

These are the things I've felt compelled to keep the two occsions I've decluttered to move house.

 

[zenie]

I do cull things from time to time and take boxes of books (very hard to get rid of) and other stuff to the charity shop but I always just replace them with more .

that's why I use libraries, cba to have loads of fiction books. Non fiction I keep though.

I am considering learning to drive so that i can keep my small hoard of items and have the possibility of moving easily.

I am wandering about some of the stuff i keep on the principal that I might use it one day - like my SLR... haven't use it for a couple of years... but don't quite want to give it up because it would cost money to replace it...

Driving?!

Don't ditch the camera, use it

I'd love to own very little but if it comes to it I'd lose everything except PC, cameras and my super comfy massive bed!

 

[boohoo]

Driving?!

yes, it's quite a frightening thought of me behind a wheel!

 

[gentlegreen]

12 years ago I was very seriously in a life of grime situation - with two rooms literally filled floor to ceiling. I have a way to go yet and it's still a struggle.

A de-cluttered life that will all fit into one largeish van is my dream - at which point I will probably be ready to retire abroad.

I'm getting dangerously close to achieving it at work.

In the meantime I have to go camping to experience a taste of it ....

 

[Firky]

Everything I own I can fit in one bag. Few years ago you could fit everything I own into a tightly packed transit. I prefer having little

 

[Firky]

At the moment I own in a nutshell:

DSLR Nikon D80
Laptop
Clothes
A cat
Watch

I have other stuff but I could part with it if I wanted - it has been in the loft of my parents since I moved out nearly ten years ago.

Not so long ago I had:

A really nice house
Big TV
PS2
Xbox
Kitchen whites
Large 4 seater sofa and two seater sofa
Double bed
Computers
Loads of books, DVDs, CDs, speakers, amps, decks etc.
Kitchen shit like woks, knives, chopping boards, cutlery, kettles
Desk
Table
Huge wall rug
Gas BBQ
Massive antique mirror that I loved
Tools
Lawnmower and strimmer

Sometimes I miss it if I am honest, well rather I miss being able to say that's mine rather than bum something all the time but until I feel settled and content again I am not going to begin collecting. There's going to be great changes in the next 12 months outside of my control, I don't know what they are but they're going to involve me. I can feel it... dunno what it is but somethings going to happen.

 

[untethered]

I would love to be able to do this. I try to keep a healthy turnover of things, but the amount of "overhead", ie. static, semi-permanent possessions, tends to grow year by year. I tend not to think of myself as a hoarder and often have quite a few things set aside, at least mentally, for disposal. It's just the effort of actually getting rid of things that does for me much of the time.

Right now I'm concentrating on books. I'm down to around 400 and I'd like to halve that, at least.

I'm also trying to weed out duplicates. I'm sure we don't need three vacuum cleaners, at least a dozen bags, five radios, four computers, etc.

 

[dessiato]

For a while I, and Mrs D, lived with everything we owned reduced to that which would fit into our Transit. We managed quite well, and are thinking of reducing further. We think that, since we have a lot of stuff, now in storage, that we haven't needed or used for two and half years, we really don't need ro keep it. There are, of course, some things that have great personal importance that we shall keep anyway, but the rest can go for 'recycling'.

 

[toblerone3]

cds and dvd's i have a handful of each. Loads of films music in an external hardrive though. Can't remember the last time I actually paid for a film or CD.

I think I've more or less stopped buying CDs and am not interested in accumulating music on my harddrive either. Have about 10 DVDs and have no intention of trying to start a collection.

Not sure whether this non-acquisitiveness about film and music software is just a phase or not.

I do have a list of about 40 12 inches I want to get on vinyl though.

 

[Treehugger76]

i'm actually in the process of trying to get rid of a lot of my stuff, like giving away shoes and clothes on Freecycle or selling it on ebay

I have bought a bed that I absolutely adore tho so not sure what's going to happen with that when I have to move out of my flat, probably just go into storage for a while.

I get the feeling I'm slowly but surely getting rid of all my stuff so that one day, when i finally get the balls and the money together, i can just up and leave and go somewhere, just like I said i always would

my main 'possessions' which stop me from doing that just now are my 2 cats, i suppose I could take them with me but I dont really fancy carrying a cat carrier all across europe with 2 really pissed off cats inside

 

[idioteque]

I am a hoarder, I own far too much. I'm one of those people whe never throws out clothes that they grew out of years ago, and I have boxes of crap in my cupboard full of bits of paper and half-used pens from when i was about 11. I'd really love to live a minimalist kind of lifestyle, but I'm too sentimental to throw out the slightest thing. Sorting through stuff when attempting to cut down all the crap I own is so difficult, I can rationalise keeping just about anything. My poor dad despairs at the amount of stuff I insist taking to and from university between term times and the holidays, he's got a 4x4 kind of car and I literally fill it up with stuff I have to have with me, and I still have yet more stuff that 'lives' at home and at university. *is ashamed at self*

 

[Badgers]

One of my favourite subjects this....

I have a lot of clutter in a very small flat and it gets me down.
The thing is that most of the clutter is camping stuff, viny, books, CDs and stuff that I do really want. The thing is that I do not use any of it enough to justify the space.

If (I don't wanna be) I was single then I would try to live with just a laptop, mobile phone, suitcase of clothes and keep my camping stuff in storage.

 

[boohoo]

I have a lot of books - that's one of the things i don't chuck. Have started going through my box of photos. I have a lot of Liverpool and a lot of Hackney buildings photos which i'm thinking of donating to the archives.

 

[Chz]

We manage to have an average flat with my missus being a hoarder and me not owning much at all.

To be fair, I own a fair bit but it's all stuff that I have no issue with leaving behind when I move or something. Computer, clothes, and a stack of negatives. Tv was an Ebay special - don't care about it. DVD player's 5 years old and was £30 then. I guess my bike is the biggest, bulkiest thing I have.

 

[boohoo]

It is interesting that laptop and the internet are allowing us to own less and less - music/tv/film/photgraphy

 

[Madusa]

I like living out a suitcase... I did a MASSIVE declutter of everything i owned when I sold my own 2-bed flat incl. a sofa, chairs and other crap and moved in to shared accomodation with my ex a few years ago Things do just seem to accumulate with the more space you have to put it. Although even though I love books and film, rather rent stuff from work (library) or have a lovefilm sub. All my music is on my lappy

Currently I have a few bits and bobs like my rocking chair, desk, clothes, cooking stuff, etc stored in my brother's spare rooms and cellar and all I have with me currently is a suitcase of clothes, a couple books and my laptop. The freedom of that is great and wont be buying anymore crap to hoard while Im here.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Technology is great, I've no room for stuff at all, I scan in any recipes that I've torn out of mags, I've now got a database instead of a folder of tear outs. I'm a bit of a broken record - when people try to give me handouts the answer is always 'can you email it?'

I downshifted from four bedroom house to a boat. El Jugs and I had so much stuff between us, it filled a long wheelbased luton van twice over. I used to have four wardrobes and three chests of drawers of clothes. We nearly killed each other in the process of moving, it was so stressful.
But once you get used to having less stuff, then it gets easier and you start thinking 'do I really need this?' about the stuff you've kept. You don't buy junk you don't need (well I can only speak for me, there are some boats here where you can't move once your onboard and they can't even use the shower because it's full of junk, and one boat where all he has is a bed, a cooker and a sleeping bag. I don't tend to keep broken stuff, because it takes up space and has no purpose, or fiction books that I've finished unless they are real favourites of mine.

I've actually got an empty cupboard on the boat now I've culled more stuff, which I cannot believe. When we moved here we had a tv and boxes of Playstation games in the bath! So I'm making progress.

 

[boohoo]

Technology is great, I've no room for stuff at all, I scan in any recipes that I've torn out of mags, I've now got a database instead of a folder of tear outs. I'm a bit of a broken record - when people try to give me handouts the answer is always 'can you email it?'

That's an excellent idea - I have loads of tear outs - would save me some space. i think i'm gonna have to scan photos or scrap book them.

 

[Eva Luna]

Funny enough, I bought my first place last May and have got rid of loads of junk.

Someone very close to me is doing a massive declutter right now and it is really inspiring me. He's very into non-consumerism and I want to be like that too.

Clothes are going.
I am burning music to hard drive now so loads of CDs can go.
Just lots of crap that I dont use.
Books I have issue with though, I like to go back and read bits of them.

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

I go for maximum pwnage

<gets coat>

 

[wtfftw]

Technology is great, I've no room for stuff at all, I scan in any recipes that I've torn out of mags, I've now got a database instead of a folder of tear outs. I'm a bit of a broken record - when people try to give me handouts the answer is always 'can you email it?'

Oooh. My recipe collection is a right state. I'd have to email the recipe to myself and then have my DS in the kitchen or I'd just have to print it out. *considers*