As I was reading a guest post on his blog today...I realized that what I call minimalism, is really a desire for a simple life.

http://www.becomingminimalist......inimalism/

Not always the same thing.

I was on a minimalizing kick about a year ago, mostly with household stuff. I got rid of almost all of the rugs in my house because I prefer a more sleek, uncluttered look. I got rid of excess pots and pans, dishes, gadgets, utensils etc from my kitchen. I pared down to 2 sets of sheets for each bed. I've never been much of a saver of stuff, but I was fairly ruthless in cleaning out, asking 'do I need this (functional items) or do I love this (decorative items)'

I somewhat did the same thing with clothing. I culled underwear/bras, lounge wear, bathing suits, pajamas etc and tried to determine a limit for each group of items.

I have always said that I would rather have less, higher quality clothes that I really love rather than a greater quantity. However I don't practice this very well. I've been guilty of adding stuff just because...because I am at Marshall's and this shirt is inexpensive and I could wear it with ______. Then I end up wearing it once or twice and move on to something else. Then on my next closet purge, out it goes. Rinse and repeat.

It's not a goal to only own 30 items of clothing or some other set number. But I do want to continue working toward having a cohesive wardrobe consisting of pieces I love in a limited number of silhouettes.

I think minimalism in regards to one's wardrobe *would* reduce stress... but only if clothes shopping and choosing outfits causes you stress in the first place. For many of us, having some, or even a lot of choice in our clothing selection is a stress reliever.

Personally, I cause myself stress by having too much clothing for the space that I have. So even though having choice relieves my stress, not being able to see what I have does cause some stress. But relieving that stress would be a matter of finding a happy medium, rather than going to the extreme of minimizing my wardrobe.

I do think that minimalism has it's place. But it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of solution. The areas of our lives that need to be minimized are going to vary from person to person. And it won't always be about "stuff" either. It could be our social commitments that need to be streamlined, or our social media, or our finances, etc.

I don't want too many clothes but I want enough to cover whatever real occasion I need them for, not my fantasy life. I don't want to have to do laundry more than once a fortnight, even though I do, due to different colours & wash cycles needed.

I would like to have only clothes I love. I am finding it stressful finding the perfect items. That would happen no matter how few items I had. I guess once I had them if they were the only things I replaced when worn then I would go through the search stress less often.

So... I actually read this article shortly before finding YLF. I felt like I needed to do something with my dressing and I thought minimal was what I wanted. I still might... but if I ever decide I want to get there my minimal wardrobe will be abotu 10,000x fabber after finding YLF than before. As it were, I felt like I had too many clothes at 100 items preYLF and now I am probably closer to twice that (if we count EVERYTHING)... Although I have purged much and have a much more cohesive closet now I also realize I like to try trends and change my look up so a uniform I wear for the next 20 years is not likely to work for me, nor do I want it to I have discovered here. Have the number of clothes I have makes it so I can get dressed in 5 minutes and 99.9% of the time be thrilled with how I look in my clothes. That is simplifying my life.

I think it COULD reduce stress if I loved every piece in my wardrobe...if every item was high quality and fit perfectly, if each piece was comfortable, and if I had just the right amount of variety. Also, I would need to have all my bases covered in terms of how my wardrobe functions for me. Some people talk about capsules, which does not resonate with me, but that's what I mean by a functional wardrobe. I'm not there yet. But my wardrobe, like so many aspects of life, is a work in progress.

I am packing up to move atm a situation calculated to make minimalism attractive! l keep thinking about getting rid of my kids' clothes!

I tend towards wardrobe minimalism and don't like shopping much, but I can see it from IK's Point of view. I already follow most of the points in his article but agree you need to allow for laundry. Also, it can be difficult. eg I want just one new sweater this winter . I want it to embody about 4 current trends as it'll be the only one.

I aspire to minimalism and think I'm getting there. I found mtgirl's statement insightful - that it's just a desire for a simple life. I want things to work without too, too much effort.

Mary's food strategy is brilliant. It seems like so much work to plan meals, etc but if you can set up a routine. Bingo! Healthy food on autopilot.

Fashion isn't a hobby for me - it's more of a necessary chore - but I'd still get bored wearing the same types of outfits over and over again. I'd like to hope my wardrobe gets to the well curated stage but not overly minimal. It's in pretty good shape right now, except that I'm foolishly holding onto a few things "just in case" and "because I paid for them".

I spend very little time on my clothing (another reason why I'm RATE), so I don't see how this could be so. I think I would spend a lot more time on it all if I had to make fewer pieces work across the board.

...Which makes me wonder: Is he talking minimalism, or is he talking wearing the same thing everywhere, no matter the occasion? There is minimalism and then there is Sheldon Cooper.

It is like diet books--always looking for the Holy Grail that will solve the problem with one simple approach.

Striving for the "perfect" wardrobe, whether large or small, also seems stressful to me--as if you reach nirvana and then you can relax forever (ha--dead!) so I think it's good to focus on good choices, why things work, balance cost and time (which may mean fewer items, too) and Angie's all-important happiness factor in a general sense--if every item would have to be 10, all the time (meaning no state of flux, ever) to be happy, it'll be hard for people to be happy!

But in general, less is more in so many things.

I like rachylou's post (as usual) because she nails a key aspect of the situation. the minimalist approach requires not only less things, but a conscious effort to view things as glass half full and not half empty. Intentional satsifaction with whatever, however much, one has. The outfit is good for the wedding even without the "perfect" shoes, or that new clutch, or whatever. That can be applied to less-minimal approaches as well.

When I lived in San Diego, I had a massive walk-in and I kept everything and rarely purged. I had a TON of clothes and yet I was never more unhappy with my personal style. When we moved here to the Seattle area, we bought a house with a closet that is basically 1/4 the size I had previously. I made the mental decision to "simplify" and have a minimalist wardrobe out of necessity. I really couldn't store my offseason clothes anywhere because there just isn't anywhere to put them! I the end, I decided I really didn't want a minimalist wardrobe because dressing is actually a creative process for me and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. So now I have a medium sized wardrobe with EVERYTHING in sight. I feel doing this forced me to hone my style. I do like everything in my closet and I enjoy the process of getting dressed since the overwhelm of so much volume is no longer an issue. So while I am not a true minimalist, I do have a much smaller, better curated wardrobe and its a lot of fun for me.

That was a great guest post mtgirl. I really like this take on it:

http://into-mind.com/2012/12/0.....nal-style/

for me, it's not about croutons or no croutons, it's about whether I want tomatoes bad enough to add some "iffy" looking ones. I had a lot of questionable things in my wardrobe that were somehow diluting what I was trying to accomplish with my personal style.

Anuschka Rees on IntoMind is really into her wardrobe, like most of us are. She is not using minimalism to reduce the amount of time or energy she spends on hunting, shopping and curating because she has a passion for style. Joshua Becker strikes me as someone for whom minimalism is an end in itself. Anuschka is using it more as a means to an end IMO.

My problem is that a lot of minimalists get really holier than thou about it rather than zen.

Anna... yesss, my relatives got me a book on the "psychosis" of art collectors. I'm still bewildered because they're art historians, etc.

Anna, right? IKWYM!

Rachy, that's hilarious. They can see you're pshychotic because they are too?

"There is minimalism and then there is Sheldon Cooper." lol

I saw a WNTW rerun recently where the victim was stressing over picking just the right thing during the shopping portion. Stacey and Clinton came to her and said, "you don't have to get the perfect thing; you can just get the best possible thing given the info that you have at the moment, and move on." I can imagine trying to pick the perfect thing that will work in all situations in a small wardrobe being really stressful.

I think it's interesting that the original author is a man - there are less subtle shades of meaning in a lot of men's wardrobes as opposed to women's. For good or ill, I think that ends up meaning that a lot of men dismiss the subtle distinctions between two similar but not identical pieces or outfits. There are some jeans I'd wear to work and some I never would, and some dresses I'd wear to a wedding and some never, etc. For me, having enough items to reflect all those small distinctions and feel 'right' in various scenarios is stress-relieving, and not being able to do that would be stressful.

Claire! No! They're full of art, but they don't 'collect.' They go to museums, where I guess is the proper place for art...

I love that blog Claire and I forgot about it. Thank you!

Anna - I agree that people do that...I think I may be one of them too (cringing). When I find something that works well for me, I shout it from the roof tops. Whether it is the flylady cleaning system, simple living for a peaceful life or living a primal/paleo lifestyle.

The older I get the more I try to keep quiet because I know that while these ideas work for me, they won't work for everyone. More importantly, these ideas wouldn't have worked for me at some points in my life.

@rachylou, too funny.

@mtgirl, another Flybaby? Me too! It's hard to keep good things to yourself, I know.

Rachylou, you made me chuckle. But I must point out that Sheldon does seem to have a neverending supply of geek t-shirts. In fact, I envy his collection. If it were the same geek t-shirt over and over again...then yes.

And now I must look up this "psychosis of art collectors" because...what????

As for shopping being an illness...

When I feel the urge to shop, and keep shopping, no matter what else is going on in my life, then I am truly out of whack in the brain chemical area. That is an illness and it definitely gets in the way of enjoying my life.

On the other end of the spectrum, when I have no interest in shopping whatsoever, even when friends invite me out, there is a good sale, and I have a little extra cash to spend, then I know that my brain chemistry is out of whack on the other end. Usually when I'm like this, I don't feel like doing anything else, either, and I know my depression has gotten worse.

So, the desire to shop, or lack of desire, is actually a pretty good indicator of my mental health in general. I just realized this, btw. So I'm glad I found this thread.

Raisin, I am having a hard time imagining having only one set of sheets per bed. I didn't even contemplate doing it for a few weeks while packing. What do you do if you have a child vomiting at night? I have run through my entire much bigger linen supply on such an occasion!

Anne, I do actually have 2 sets of sheets for DS, and the baby has 2 fitted crib sheets. So you're right, that's sort of a must, and they do get peed on or vomit in the middle of the night and need a quick change. Just one set for my bed and the spare bed though. I wash them up during the day and then make the bed again before night. My kids are (almost) never in our bed, so we don't have to worry about middle of the night accidents from DH and I, lol.

Raisin, I could never do that. I just don't have the time to keep up on the washing and folding of laundry on the same day! I have three sets of sheets and alternate, and blankets of various weights to switch up. Also, not to be a jinx, but I can point to a small handful of times when adult people have puked, peed, bled, sweated (profusely!), spilled, and so on while in the bed and boy was I happy to have a backup clean and ready to go.

I am in awe of your serenity in this matter!

Well that's the thing about minimalism and less stress, IK. I can't have laundry sitting around unfolded or not put away. Or sheets that are not on the bed. I'm not saying it's the right way for everyone, but it's the way that reduces stress for me. The sheets come off, get cleaned and go back on. On the rare occasion that we do get a mess in our bed, we just strip it and sleep on the mattress with the blanket. I can think of maybe 2-3 times that has happened.

I have an overwhelming urge to just make all area of my life as simple as possible. Like someone said earlier, I find visual clutter very disturbing. And not just nick-nacks and cluttered tables, but patterns and layers of blankets, and colors upon colors, and jam packed shelves. So I think that's why I have pared down so much stuff. I can see the wisdom in having 2 sets of sheets though, but so far it's worked for me.

Sometimes though, I WISH I wasn't as bothered by clutter. Like DH, he doesn't care if a pair of the babies socks are on the floor for 6 days. Me, it drives me bonkers! He doesn't care that the cupboard is so jam packed with his papers he can barely close it. I, on the other hand am constantly getting rid of paper, toys, useless items, etc, just so I don't have to look at them anymore. Minimalism does help lower my stress, but needing to be minimalist is stressful in and of itself. Simple processes keep me sane I guess.

Years ago when I toured a senior residence with my mom, I realized how few possessions I'm attached to, need, and use and that I could easily live in a one bedroom place. I'm fine with two sets of sheets and one comforter. OTOH, if I had to wear only the clothing that would fit in a suitcase, I would want to burn everything at the end of a couple of months because I would be so sick of everything. My wardrobe minimalism is currently limited to my sweltering hot weather clothing: Four shirts and three pairs of shorts. These usually last long enough for temperatures to break below 80F when I can wear my normal warm weather wear.

As a member of the sandwich generation, minimalism really appeals to me. Like many old people, my mom is a hoarder. Maybe it's because she lived through the Depression. She says it is because she's lived in such a large house with so much storage so that she never had to get rid of a thing. And she didn't. Even if she hasn't used it in two, three, or four decades. And she won't let me get rid of anything for her. Nothing like sneaking out tortillas from her fridge that expired three or four years ago or produce that has gone slimey.

I want to go minimal before DD has to go through what I'm going through. And I want DD to go minimal because as a young adult, she's not likely truly to live in this house again so I want the cr@p out!

The idea of minimalism has its appeal (especially right now as the house is cluttered and I feel overwhelmed by it, haha). On the other hand I love shopping. I love to get something new to me, and fun, to try on new shapes and I really love to snag a bargain. I would feel sad cutting down my shoes to just a few pair (I probably have too many pairs but fun colorful shoes make me unreasonably happy!). I am itching to clean out my closet now that I've lost weight but I wouldn't want a basic uniform. I think it is different for most men in this society and it's rather telling that a man wrote this. I think of what I wear as an expression of myself, it's part of my creativity. I get enough pleasure out of finding something I love, on sale, and wearing something no one else has that I wouldn't want to constrain myself like that if I didn't have to (that it was some limit I felt I had to impose on myself). I mean, I can get the same feeling from shopping at Value Village so it's not a matter of overconsumption.

I'd like to get down to two sets of sheets, because of my minimal storage space. More realistic would be four - two for spring/summer, two for fall/winter. As with the clothes, so go the linens. I like to change it up.

Absolute reality, I have a whole bunch of sheets that I've spilled snacky-time on and yet can't give away... I know, I know. No crackers in bed!

Raisin, how many towels do you have?

As much as we all love fashion, I don't think its any secret that simplifying your life does reduce stress, and therefore, probably makes you happier. We know that what we wear is only part of who we are, and if we spend so much time worrying about being trendy and looking good, then we are just focusing on our physical appearance, i.e. ego, which certainly isn't the key to happiness. So yeah, I think having a minimalist, yet functional wardrobe would be amazing... But when you live in a place with 4 distinct seasons, and today's clothing of low quality that fall apart after one wash... it makes things more difficult. A zen master I am not, but I do agree that pairing down on all material items does reduce stress.