People usually fall into 2 different categories, (of course, there are some exceptions) but mainly people either tend to collect and accumulate stuff, or others like things simple, organized, and de-cluttered. Growing up I always loved collecting various things, and actually it became quite addictive. I was mostly unorganized as well, due to all the stuff and junk I collected. More recently, I have become more of a minimalist. I question every item I have, asking myself "do I really need this?". "When was the last time that I used this?" Ultimately, I have become a lot more organized by having less "stuff". I am curious of where everyone's story on this matter.
I'm a 'collector' who is trying to become a minimalist- it's hard. Right now I'm very focused on 'using things up' before buying anything new, from food to makeup to notebooks. So far this is actually a pretty useful system. I'm discovering things I didn't even remember I had. I'm also trying to throw more things out, with mixed results. I think there ideally would probably be a happy medium, but I do agree with you most people fall into one camp or the other.
I buy and keep only what I need. Strange thing is there was a time I thought I needed a lot of stuff but when [working as a volunteer somewhere] I had to stay in a small room furnished with one chair, one bed and a small table and I had only as few clothes as I could bring in . . . . . . from that place, I learned that one could get by with as little as IS NEEDED. De-clutter, sell the stuff you don't need and you'll find that being a 'minimalist' isn't all that bad after all. It would be good for your wallet too since you won't need to spend a lot of money on things you don't need.
I like collecting things, but without money one's possibilities of collecting are greatly diminished. I'm obligated to be minimalist due to money, and I'm not happy with that. Of course I need to improve my organizing skills or else my home will be horribly cluttered once I really go into my collecting hobbies.
I have always been a minimalist. I am a restless spirit who needs to travel a lot, so I don't have much room or time with accumulating too many things. My philosophy in life is to never possess more than I can carry on my back. Of course, that's a little over-optimistic on my part. In my case it would be: never have more than fits into your van. The things that I value most in life are my crystals, art work and books. They are safely stored in two big steel trunks.
I consider myself to be a bit of both but I'm probably more of a minimalist since I rarely feel the need to collect anything. I'm not too interested in having too many physical copies of media such as movies or music or books, but I do like them as decoration in the background although that's about the extent of it, which is why I don't find it too necessary to have one as a collection if I only want it as decoration. I may collect smaller objects that usually has sentimental value but that's rare and for the most part I just like to keep things simple.
I am part collector and part minimalist. Most of my current clutter have nothing to do with my collections and all. It was because I used to be a graduate student and after I completed the course and got my diploma, it's become so difficult to dispose of my notes. It's not that I'm collecting those notes but since I plan to enter a postgraduate course in the near future, I find it wasteful to throw away notes that might be of use to me during such an endeavor. The only things I collect are books and keychains. They don't take up much space if you know how to organize.
I'm a collector, but my life would be easier if I was a minimalist. I lost my apartment almost 2 months ago, and it was chaotic to move my stuff and my daughter's stuff. It would be so much easier to move and store my stuff if I was one of those people who can fit their life in a suitcase.
It really depends. I only collect the things that I like, say books and cds. I don't collect everything else, so I'd say that I'm minimalist in those that I don't collect. Even those that stayed a long time to me, I could easily let go. It's probably because, I'm really more on the functions of things, rather than on their physical presence or existence.
I'm a collector all the way. I don't care if I actually get to use the stuff that I have, the important thing is that I have them as part of my collection. I tend to buy the same item with a different design or color or model just because I am amused by it or to differentiate one from the other, like in the case of earphones, which brand has the better sound. When I get bored with my items, then I'd just sell them.
I think that I would consider myself both subtypes wrapped into one! I'm a collector in the fact that I like to stock up on things that I know I will use in order to save money. For instance, I always stock up on diapers and wipes so that the next month I will have a lot left over so that I can save money. I also like to stock up on things that are shelf-stable and last awhile. On the other hand, I'm also a minimalist because I do not like clutter. If there is something I do not use a lot, I just donate it or throw it out. I don't have that mentality of, "I might need this one day," because I feel like when most people say that, they never end up using it anyways! I figure I might as well save room.
I think I am both!! LOL I am fond of collecting coins and other small but antique/unique items. Also, I do not want to clutter my own space so I tend to me minimalist and wanted things to be organized.. both at home and at the office. Even my mobile/ipad apps are organized LOL.
