r/minimalist • u/DraftsNCrafts • Jan 29 '26
Minimalists... What're your exceptions?
I try to live a somewhat minimalist lifestyle and I'm not a fan of masses of random clutter that sit around doing nothing but gathering dust, BUT I know we all have our exceptions and wondered what yours are :) Mine is physical videogames. I love the hobby and do enough research towards whatever game I'll be purchasing (whether it's generally well-received or not and if it's my kinda thing!) so more often than not, I enjoy and fully finish what I play. Even if I don't pick that game up ever again, I like having the physical reminder, sometimes just looking at a particular box art will remind me not just of moments playing tha game, but where I was in that particular part of my life, as well as the fond (or bad) memories associated with it.
Physical media is slowly but surely dying out, but gaming is the one medium I try to stick with physical as best as I can!
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u/Historical_Crab3402 Jan 29 '26
Mine is hobby related too, I love postcards. I send them out on a website called postcrossing where there's tons of different people, so I like to have a large variety to match people's interests. I must have thousands. Thankfully they're paper and dont take up a ton of space!
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u/DraftsNCrafts Jan 29 '26
I've never heard of that, but it honestly sounds like such a lovely idea! Are you essentially sending and receiving different postcards from strangers, who can then essentially become penpals and lifelong friends? :)
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u/Historical_Crab3402 Jan 29 '26
Yes! Mostly it's a one time correspondence, but some people do exchange back and forth. You get assigned a random address from anyone in the world, and you read their profile and send a postcard. Once they confirm you sent it, you get a postcard back from a different random member. It actually started as a great minimalist hobby, all you need is a few postcards amd a book of stamps!
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u/DraftsNCrafts Jan 29 '26
That honestly sounds like such a wholesome idea :) It's a nice idea that someone you've never met has taken some time to write and send you something, even if your paths may never cross again, whether in real life or otherwise!
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u/TeriTheDino Jan 29 '26
Physical books for sure, and only knick knacks with significant memory attached!
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u/DraftsNCrafts Jan 29 '26
I've been wanting to get back into reading! Though I've decided to go the iPad mini route for this. I think amassing games AND books might get a little too busy!
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u/TeriTheDino Jan 29 '26
I just love the feel of a physical book, I'll usually leave my phone in another room, digital reading always ends up with me getting distracted, hows the ipad mini workin out for ya?
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u/DraftsNCrafts Jan 29 '26
Yeah, I can totally appreciate that! Whilst videogame boxes feel completely identical to one another, (certainly in comparison to books!), I guess it's mainly just the visual reminder that I enjoy :) Regarding the iPad... I literally made a purchase this morning haha! So it's too soon to tell, but it'll be arriving tomorrow so very excited to get things up and running!
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u/Working_Park4342 Jan 31 '26
I have two extra large, analog, wall clocks. They are about 45" wide. I also have a rather large grandfather clock. Form and function.
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u/lotuseye369 Jan 31 '26
body care items.
Large wedge body pillow for sleep. Neck massager. yoga mat. acupressure mat. acupressure rollers and balls. joint braces and muscle/posture wraps. heating pad. ear/nose/throat cleaner/camera device. neti pot. that kinda stuff.
It feels cumbersome, but in the past, there always comes a moment when I realized I could have relieved some of my own anxiety/pain/tension by regular maintenance at home, and I always ended up buying it back. Now I have a dedicated large, soft woven basket that it all (mostly) fits and lives in when not in use. These are personal items I don't really feel comfortable or assured buying used or borrowing, so I find I have good peace of mind having my own.
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u/seeemilydostuf Jan 29 '26
Definitely physical books. I also have a Libby account and get a lot of green ebooks from BookBub which is kinda neat. I also regularly purge to one of the 2 little free libraries near me of the books I didn't finish, didn't particularly enjoy or know I just will never read again... but the existence of the 2 bookcases bursting with books makes me happy, and makes me feel like myself, I have all my Asian History and Political Science books which was my major in college but has nothing to donwoth my job now, and all my books I've bought on my trips. I love them. The reading makes me happy but the collection also makes me happy to look at.
I also think the video game collection is super cool, the way people curate that medium I always think looks soooo cool and so fun!!
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Jan 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/umdunum Jan 29 '26
this is me but i am trying to prioritize the switches that i use more often / with heat such as utensils and food related stuff
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u/Rusty_924 Jan 29 '26
Mine is huge espresso machine and huge grinder. They bring me immense joy when used with specialty fresh roasted coffee. I like really light roasts and getting lightly roasted beans to extract as espresso can be tricky, so adjustable and repeatable adjustable brew pressure and big flat burrs in a geinder help me accomplish that.
i am looking forward to my morning every single day.
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u/unclenaturegoth Jan 30 '26
I have kept almost all of my music gear. I'm a lifelong composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. I play bass, keys, guitar, handpan, saxophone... I've only gotten rid of a few things over the years like some guitars, a 5-string bass, and my violin which was sadly destroyed by some grandkids of my father's ex-gf while in storage. I also used to have a massive collection of plushies and purged over 600 of them. I probably have maybe 200 left but they're extremely organized and the largest ones are gone. I sent 6 giant bags home with my mother-in-law and her friend to give to friends and grandkids. I donated the bulk of them to Toys 4 Tots because they all had tags and were display-only. My room and common areas are minimal. My husband has his own bedroom and it's one giant dusty doom pile with hoards of clothing and shoes. I avoid going up there. I have a small wardrobe that fits inside a tiny closet and don't own a ton of things beyond the instruments and plushies. I donated almost all of my books and recently got rid of some records, CD's and all cassettes. There are places for everything in the kitchen, dining room, and living room, it's just difficult to get my husband to participate. He's an ADHD tornado
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u/DraftsNCrafts Jan 30 '26
I was going to say, your mention of your husband's bedroom being a giant dusty doom pile reminded me of my ADHD partner who tends to leave clutter everywhere (though she too has a thing for ALL the plushies and arranging them perfectly), it's difficult for sure since everything's rightful place often seems to be "everywhere and anywhere."
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u/unclenaturegoth Jan 31 '26
He and I are both audhd, but WOW are we different. I like things to go back to their homes where they belong. For example, I have hooks for keys so I know where they are. He throws his on the dining room table when he gets home but then sometimes doesn't hahahaha
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u/leticiazimm Feb 07 '26
Books. Reading is my hobby and I also love borrow books (we have church gatherings at our home 2x per week) to friends or random people. Also, the idea to pass good books to my children warms my heart. (We dont have public library in my city and most of the people that came to our home are poor and cant afford books)
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Jan 31 '26
I collect glam music on cassette tapes and have a lil over 900. Everything else I do digitally on my Xbox Series S.
Oh and I want to get a scooter because i got rid of my car years ago and I live a few minutes walk from a bus interchange so I don’t really have need for a car.
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u/AdrienneisaThey Feb 05 '26
I have small container/bin of crystals. All of my crystals must either be used around the house or fit in the container.
I have a small bulletin board with a collection of pins. I may allow myself to get another pin board if this one fills up. I'm usually pretty strict about "the container concept" where everything must fit or get decluttered down to fit, otherwise.
My yarn is slightly overflowing right now, but that's because I have a particular crochet project I'm working on. I can't buy more yarn right now because of it.
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u/coral_bells Jan 29 '26
Books. I did get rid of about 700 of them, but I still have about 300 left.