In regards to the prompt for this week,
Do you think there is such a thing as being too minimalist?
my answer is “Yes, I think there is a thing as being too minimalist” I can say that there is a thin line between Being stingy and being a minimalist. Being an extreme minimalist is the main reason why most people see minimalists as being stingy. That is why it is quite difficult to explain to someone who is not a minimalist that your lifestyle is simply based on minimalism and not being stingy.
When I was a non-minimalist, I had this mentality too that minimalist people are just tight-fisted, but then I got to realize some differences. I have met minimalist people and those who are extreme minimalists, For instance, growing up with a minimalist mom as a child, I thought my mom just didn’t want to spend or get us new things whenever we wanted. But I got to realize that she was on a budget, and most times our insensitive little selves would ask for new shoes when we had shoes that were still in good shape. We would follow her to the market and ask for different things we see but she came up with a list that she ought to stick to.
My mom would always declutter our wardrobe and give out clothes we weren’t wearing again to the less privileged and we would always claim that we still wear them but all they did was just occupy space. My mom is a Minimalist. I grew up and I understood her lifestyle. She influenced me to be a Minimalist.
In regards to being an extreme minimalist, these are the tight-fisted people. They would think they are minimalist but they are just being stingy under the shadows of minimalism. I once had a roommate during my days as an Undergraduate. She was an extreme minimalist. To her, she was managing her money and trying not to spend unwisely but her actions proved otherwise.
For instance, there was a certain time, her toothpaste finished. For weeks she kept using salt to brush her teeth instead of just buying toothpaste. She had the money to buy the toothpaste but decided to be tight-fisted. I confronted her one day when I couldn’t keep up with the act. She said, “Why buy toothpaste when salt does the same thing a toothpaste would do”. I had to tell her that this wasn’t minimalism at this point because it was extreme.
I couldn’t stay with her because she did things that showed she was tight-fisted. So I had to move out and get a new place. These are the kind of situations that make most people think that all minimalists are just stingy. Based on these two scenarios, you could tell how one is a Minimalist while the other is just being extreme with the practice.
People need to understand the concept of Minimalism. Living in simplicity but not depriving yourself of the necessities. You could be a minimalist and still look good, smell nice, stay healthy, eat properly and have fun. People just need to understand how minimalism works and not abuse the title minimalist.
All images used are mine except otherwise stated
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