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Shaun’s Musings: Becoming a Minimalist
My parents were middle class and they worked hard all their lives. They were graced with my presence in their mid-to-late 40s. Before this they had been minimalists, working two jobs and, instead of taking vacations or buying new cars, focused on paying the mortgages on their rental properties. By the late 1970s, when I appeared on the world’s stage, they owed nothing and were continually investing in the stock market.
The allure of stuff, the collective term for things that we buy which we really could live without, has taken hold of our generation and our culture. Shortly after my father died, but before I got married, I began to remodel the house a little, installing a small room in which I could play guitar unmolested. The room started as a small idea, but as I went to yard sales, flea markets, and Guitar Center, I amassed more musical instruments (some broken) than I could possibly have room for.
Over the past few weeks, several free Kindle books have found their way into my hands on minimalism. Minimalism is often considered to be one of those extreme left-wing modes of thought, on par with tree-hugging and Occupy Wall Street. But when one considers prior generations and how they were able to get by with very little and, even after retirement, often don’t feel the need to display their wealth.
According to Vincent Miles, author of The Joy of Minimalism, a simpler lifestyle can lead to a more happier person in the sense that getting rid of all the clutter one does not need, and this includes canceling subscriptions to magazines one does not read anymore, and having more time to oneself. I once went to a workshop on procrastination, hosted by Hillary Rettig. While a liberal, she made a statement that has resounded within me ever since: We spend money on things, and then we pretty much spend the rest of our lives working hard to maintain those things. While this may be an overstatement – the only maintenance a guitar or amp needs is a little TLC, I have friends who have bought sports cars and began to “trick” them out, turning them into Fast and Furious race cars, spending thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands on them.
If one thinks I am acting superior, that is not all the case. As I sit in my kitchen, I can see the latest installment in National Geographic, a magazine I don’t even read anymore. From my position I can see the tail end of my 1979 F250 monster truck in the driveway. I can think of six or seven amplifiers I have either pulled out of the trash or bought at yard sales that work, but have no practical use. This weekend, my wife and I will be working side by side to clean out the clutter that has accumulated from both myself and my father over the years.
What scares many economists is not that one person will stop buying stuff and start putting money away, but that many people will start doing the same, realizing that buying stuff does not make one happy, and in fact can be detrimental. However, this generation never considers the long-term impact of things. A CNN Poll revealed that over 76% of Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck, with 50% having three months worth of cash if something happened, and 27% revealing they have no savings at all.
How can this be happening in the most prosperous nation in the world? A lot of this is because people use credit to buy things, and instead of making sure their savings is well-stocked, they are out making sure they have the latest Apple gadget or a newer model car. Saving for retirement is something that their parents did, they think, and doesn’t accomplish much today. The economy can only continue to grow if people spend, and people continue to spend, believing Social Security will be enough for them when they retire. Smarter people know better, but when you consider that youth are flocking to socialist Bernie Sanders in full belief that he is America’s savior, things make sense.
It is easy to blame the 1% for all the nation’s problems. While high concentrations of wealth are indeed bad for the economy going back to the Eisenhower administration in which the rich were taxed at 90% seems excessive. As health care costs rise, as food bills rise, and as housing bills rise, America’s youth are going to be unable to do more than pay for the basic necessities of life, much less put money away for retirement.
But back to minimalism. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that people will be forced into a minimalist lifestyle due to the rising cost of healthcare, food, and housing. It will be a cycle we have seen before, only this time it will be much, much worse. There is a possibility that youth today, after facing hardship, will decide they never wish to go through it again, and begin saving.
That does not mean it will happen in every case, though. A friend of mine lost his father and inherited $27,000. He was homeless and wasn’t working. I told him he needed to get a job, invest that money so that it can grow, and buy a small car that can help him get back and forth to work. Instead, he went out and bought a $24K sports car. He does not own that car now and is back on the street. Some people, as they say, never learn.
In The Joy of Minimalism, the author discusses the mentality that one must possess in order to get rid of our accumulations. We must not be looking at cleaning house as something that we are losing, but rather, gaining because we are gaining time, gaining space, and gaining peace of mind. While it may seem a loss to be throwing out an old radio that could potentially be fixed, the fact is that it would probably stay in its currently assigned place until one of your kids, or mine, tosses it, probably a few weeks after we pass away.
Published in General
I’ve always been a minimalist because I just don’t like having a lot of stuff to administer, don’t like the noise in my brain from clutter, and don’t like to give spiders hiding places. My husband thrives on stuff and has a stupendous amount. His stuff is mostly tools and equipment for his business, and cars and parts of cars, but he keeps it organized and knows where every dang bit of it is. We illustrate two extremes but they are both workable.
There are a lot of people burdened by their stuff, though. I’m sure it’s a kind of addiction. You see something and think it will make you happy but as soon as you get it home it just adds to your burden. Kind of like how I think pizza will make me happy, but after being eaten it just ….adds to my burden.
Very timely and very well put!
It seems that somewhere in here is a metaphor as to why there are so many Republican candidates. . .
Both of my parents were pack-rats of different kinds, and I teach, so the possibility that some book or piece of paper “might come in handy some time” is very real– though information retrieval is a challenge! however, I don’t think or function well in a cluttered environment, so this is a constant struggle for me: natural tendencies to acquire and keep vs. desire to off-load and simplify… life is full of complex challenges!
The first 13 years of my marriage were spent moving every couple of years (Navy orders.) The act of moving does a lot for helping to clear out clutter. The past 12 years we’ve lived in the same house and I became aware a few years ago that either we needed to move again, or we needed to start getting rid of stuff ‘just because’. (We had 5 children at home when we moved in. We’re down to 2 now.) I have looked into the minimalist philosophy and been influenced, as well. Getting rid of things has become a new hobby of mine. I have not been very successful at getting my husband on board – he’s quite the collector of ‘stuff – but am content with baby steps.
Several years go I stopped catalogs coming to my house. We also got rid of cable. It’s amazing how many fewer things I think I need since I don’t have said things shoved in my face multiple times per day.
I have come to think of minimalism as a conservative principle in some strange way. The idea of personal responsibility and being good stewards of our possessions seems conservative to me, anyway, and if you can’t find something due to excess clutter, or don’t use/enjoy something, you’re not really being a very good steward of that thing. Fiscal responsibility comes into play, as well.
Excellent post. The key to financial security and peace of mind isn’t getting the highest return on your portfolio or flipping houses. It’s living within your means.
Perfect timing for this post. I’ve been struggling with excavating my small home office: teaching materials, wrapping paper, hobbies, books, photos, household accounts (largely organized), once organized stuff now disorganized stuff. Today I do some shredding & toss out ratty wrapping papr. Baby steps.
I recently paid off the mortgage on my somewhat cramped condo for my wife and me. My dad asked me what I’m going to do now that my condo is paid off. I responded “live in it.” He was somewhat shocked but he has the mentality that one must move into something bigger and better even though my current place I live in is adequate for my wife and me. (She may have different opinion btw) The relief and financial freedom of not having a mortgage to pay off is much greater than the comfort and leisure of living in a little larger place. I’ve been much more cognizant of late on the emotional return on investment on all my possessions. A six hundred dollar set of fine china would me zero to me but a six hundred dollar acoustic guitar I recently purchased is invaluable. It’s not necessarily a minimalist mindset but it focuses on what one finds valuable and relieves the unnecessary clutter.
If you buy STUFF, others see it. If you have money in financial instruments, or even under a mattress, very few see it, other than hackers and the NSA. Only you know your worth. That’s not enough for the spiritually and morally bereft.
I think one of the reasons people buy so much cheap useless stuff and fill their homes with it is the crazy economy.
Until people make it into the big bucks and can afford to put away some money for the things they really need–legal advice, medical advice, financial advice, and education–they have a lot of money in their pockets with nowhere to go. It’s not enough money to be able to save some of it meaningfully for those big things people need–college for themselves or their kids, heart surgery, whatever–they’ll simply never make enough to cover the $100,000 expenses.
So they spend the few extra bucks they have in their pockets on stuff.
This book is on the same subject, and a quick, oddly-compelling read. Recommended for anyone who wants to add another book to their clutter.
Jackal, I love love love that book. I know it makes me a follower, but it did actually inspire me. She gives permission to get rid of things that I felt guilty getting rid of. Plus, and this is an embarrassing admission, her methods to fold clothes are really kind of fun. Like origami. And my drawers look pretty now.
Maybe some of my parents leftover depression era and WWII era frugality has left residue of guilt over not making use of every single item. The key for me was to realize that the item had its use. It’s done. And hanging around just obstructs the usefulness of other items.
Think you are on to something. When you have no feeling of control over your finances- that you will never have security, or that the elements you can’t control are huge compared to what you can- it’s not surprising to fritter away money on small pleasures. That explains dollar stores’ popularity.
Growing up in a fairly poor family made me very conscious of the follies of getting rid of something I might need later. If I throw something away, and then later have a use for it, I may not be able to afford to buy another. It has taken most of my adult life to overcome this mentality, and it is very freeing to do so.
Good point. Living a private lifestyle is more important than ever. People who see a ten-year old clunker in the driveway will assume the owner does not have any money, while the neighbor who has a brand-new BMW must be rich. Appearances can be deceiving. This is why whenever I make a major purchase I put the box containing the item in someone else’s trash =)
As Jojo said, you’re on to something. My parents did well in the early 80’s – putting their money in the banks. Some banks were paying 17% or 18% interest. You could see that each month. Today the banks only pay .01%, hardly anything to get excited about.
Exactly. Both factors lead to silly spending: no meaningful interest on savings and too-expensive items on your must-have list.
I’m a big fan of minimalism, but the missus is not. When we got married I proposed a rule to live by: Every time a new object enters the house, another goes. We get a new vase, we give away an old one; we get a salad spinner, we toss that sandwich maker we never use. My suggestion didn’t go over too well, but I still aspire to it. (She is quite frugal and not materialistic, thankfully.)
One of her frustrations with me is at gift-giving time. I need to spend hours on Amazon just to find something I sort of want. I usually choose a nicer version of what I already have — a handmade leather belt, an English shaving brush – handcrafted items that are enjoyable to use. Then, I chuck the old version I picked up at Target.
My wife and I use basically everything. So yeah… we have a lot of stuff. But when you need a specific tool, it really helps to have it. Ditto the vase or shipping box. That, and with enough kids and the desire to pass clothes on to perhaps (dare we hope!) the next generation…
Let’s just say that we love storage space. And I cannot believe that 10 years ago everything we owned fit in a 20′ container. Well, that, and the 14 bags we checked.
Good post. Thank you.
Hi, Shaun!
My dad told me that you can either be wealthy or act wealthy.
One of the things I really like about our mutual hometown is that people not only felt comfortable living below their means, it was actually sort of expected. Going to other parts of the country where people were less circumspect about their wealth – or rather, did not view living below their means as a badge of honour – was a huge culture shock for me.
In our community, people drive cars until they are good and truly dead. Few people drive flashy cars – it is considered unbecoming.
Utilitarianism is valued for all things that otherwise might be Status Symbols.
On the other hand, we spend to make our Torah Observance beautiful – especially anything that beautifies the Shabbos.
I think part of it is because Boston is liberal. Saving money, getting rid of things we don’t need, and downsizing, go against, in some respects, the core values that many conservatives adhere to. It doesn’t need to be that way, though. Look at Warren Buffet. He owns a very small house. He could live in a mansion. He just chooses not to.
This was an emphasis for Francis Schaeffer when he wrote No Little People. In a section called Ash Heap Lives, he decried practical materialism saying, “We all tend to live ‘ash heap lives’; we spend most of our time and money for things that will end up in the city dump.” He went on to point out the problem for Christians in living this way. “Let me say with tears that as far as material possessions, time, energy, and talents are concerned, all too many Bible-believing Christians live as though their entire existence is limited to this side of the grave.”
I’m also reminded of an old Howlin’ Wolf lyric: “I never said I was a millionaire. I said I spent more money than a millionaire.”
Love Howlin’ Wolf! He opened in 1968 for my favorite band, Creedence Clearwater Revival.
I know people who, if you give them a dollar, they will find a way to spend two. Others, you give them a dollar, they will find a way to make two from it.
Do you all know how to talk a person out of the pillows their mother gave them, 20 years later? It is a problem.
Did the mother make the pillows? I ask b/c I do intend to keep the pillows that my mother needlepointed.
I’m not a minimalist. I don’t really go for luxuries, but I am very clever about saving and reusing things. I’ve always had limited budgets, so I had to do more with less.