There is kind of a point: My in-laws have a bigger house that has been in their family for generations. And they have everything. If you need some tool, it is there. If you need to paint your walls, they have everything you need. Friends coming over and you want to go swimming in the lake? There are more bicycles in the shed than I have friends. And there is a canoe. Want to change the tires on your car? Of course they have a jack and a compressor and everything you need. Need to do some woodworking? Guess what they have! Want to go fishing? Yeah. Need a trailer? Yes, they have one.
That stuff has been collecting since the 50ies and it’s kind of a generational wealth. I can ask them for nearly everything and they have it. Which means that I do not have to buy that much stuff anymore. Not sure what somebody who subscribes to minimalism is doing in their daily life if they have to hammer a nail into the wall. Buy a new hammer everytime and throw it away because it doesn’t spark joy afterwards? Hire someone to do it?
Well like, you could have a hammer without the canoe, you know
Minimalism isn’t about “as little as possible”. It’s about only having what you need. Basic tools are part of the “only what you need”, unless you got readily access to a shared supply of tools
The point is something else: Why should you throw away stuff that is usable and that you might need in the future? Yes, you shouldn’t devolve into hoarding, but if you have the space, why should somebody throw away a perfectly good canoe?
To me minimalism is about consciously thinking about what items I keep in my environment. Mostly this means I don’t buy random stuff unless I’m certain I’m going to use it, so I wouldn’t even have a canoe in the first place
I do not like when there’s a lot of stuff, it stresses me out and overwhelms me, and generally, in my experience, just causes more issues than it solves in the long run. That doesn’t mean you should throw away stuff you might need, but more that you actively think about the things you have, instead of mindlessly gathering more
So, what if I were to, say, inherit a canoe and had the space to store it? Would I throw it away? No, but I would donate it to a school yard sale
There is kind of a point: My in-laws have a bigger house that has been in their family for generations. And they have everything. If you need some tool, it is there. If you need to paint your walls, they have everything you need. Friends coming over and you want to go swimming in the lake? There are more bicycles in the shed than I have friends. And there is a canoe. Want to change the tires on your car? Of course they have a jack and a compressor and everything you need. Need to do some woodworking? Guess what they have! Want to go fishing? Yeah. Need a trailer? Yes, they have one.
That stuff has been collecting since the 50ies and it’s kind of a generational wealth. I can ask them for nearly everything and they have it. Which means that I do not have to buy that much stuff anymore. Not sure what somebody who subscribes to minimalism is doing in their daily life if they have to hammer a nail into the wall. Buy a new hammer everytime and throw it away because it doesn’t spark joy afterwards? Hire someone to do it?
Well like, you could have a hammer without the canoe, you know
Minimalism isn’t about “as little as possible”. It’s about only having what you need. Basic tools are part of the “only what you need”, unless you got readily access to a shared supply of tools
The point is something else: Why should you throw away stuff that is usable and that you might need in the future? Yes, you shouldn’t devolve into hoarding, but if you have the space, why should somebody throw away a perfectly good canoe?
To me minimalism is about consciously thinking about what items I keep in my environment. Mostly this means I don’t buy random stuff unless I’m certain I’m going to use it, so I wouldn’t even have a canoe in the first place
I do not like when there’s a lot of stuff, it stresses me out and overwhelms me, and generally, in my experience, just causes more issues than it solves in the long run. That doesn’t mean you should throw away stuff you might need, but more that you actively think about the things you have, instead of mindlessly gathering more
So, what if I were to, say, inherit a canoe and had the space to store it? Would I throw it away? No, but I would donate it to a school yard sale
Sell it so it may be reused if you don’t need/use. That helps keep others from requiring new. It minimizes footprints for you and others.