For some millennials, minimalism is the path to happiness

[smart142 605]

Brenda Bouw

Special to The Globe and Mail

Thursday, Jul. 06, 2017

 

For Jana Zaibak, having less stuff and not buying into the latest trend is a way of life: saving money is just a side benefit of being a minimalist.

 

“Less is more. I really do live by those words,” says Ms. Zaibak, 28.

 

Take the Toronto apartment she rents, which has a couch and coffee table, a desk and stools under the kitchen counter, which also doubles as the dining table. Ms. Zaibak tried sleeping on the floor for a month, but ended up getting a bed for better sleep. She doesn’t have a TV and the windowsills double as bookshelves.

 

“My friends think I’m crazy. When they see my apartment they say, ‘there’s nothing in it.’ And I keep thinking I want to get rid of some of the stuff,” Ms. Zaibak says. “When I go home and there’s less, I have more of a clear mind. I can focus on what’s important. It’s also easier to clean.”

 

Her closets are also sparse. “My wardrobe is inspired by Steve Jobs. A black T-shirt and jeans is the way to go,” she says. Ms. Zaibak also drives a fully electric Smart car, which by auto standards, is as minimal as you can get.

 

Even her business, the healthy-snack-food company Nomz, is based on the less-is-more principle. She makes and sells bite-sized energy snacks with minimal ingredients.

 

Ms. Zaibak’s minimalist values were inspired by her mother, who kept the family home as clutter-free as possible. “The more things you have, it holds you back emotionally and physically,” she says.

 

With the money she saves not buying the latest clothing or more stuff for her home, Ms. Zaibak can splurge on what she enjoys most, which is food and eating out. “I can justify that because I’m not spending my money on anything else,” she says.

 

Minimalism is striking a chord among millennials, many of who have grown up watching their parents work hard to buy stuff that isn’t making them happy, says Ryan Nicodemus, 35, the author, speaker, podcaster and filmmaker – along with childhood friend Joshua Fields Millburn – behind The Minimalists.

 

While millennials are sometimes stereotyped as being lazy and self-absorbed, many are simply rejecting societal norms around work and consumerism. Mr. Nicodemus says consumers have been sold “the American dream,” through advertising – that they’ll be happier with the right car, clothes and gadgets.

 

“Advertisers have found a way to create this need,” Mr. Nicodemus says. “People are starting to wake up and look at what those advertisements are feeding them and saying ‘I’m not going to buy into that any more. I’m not going to assume that me working my butt off to buy this certain car or vacation … will make me happy.’ That’s why this whole idea of minimalism is really resonating with people. They’re starting to realize there are other things in life you can’t buy.”

 

Mr. Nicodemus came to this realization himself after earning six figures working 60-to-80 hours a week in his 20s, racking up credit-card debt – and still feeling unsatisfied. He also owned a home, and even rented it out for a time, but found the upkeep and dealing with tenants was sucking up time and energy. He eventually sold it, for a loss.

 

Today, he rents an apartment with his partner in Missoula, Mont., works as a personal mentor, and promotes his work with The Minimalists. (You can see what his apartment looks like here and how his friend and colleague lives here.)

 

Mr. Nicodemus says minimalism isn’t about frugality or buying cheaper things. It’s about buying less to “slow down the tornado of life” that comes with consumerism. For instance, he’ll pay $90 for a pair of jeans, but wears them for a couple of years before getting another pair.

 

He also says minimalism isn’t solely focused on having less, but “making room for more,” including time and experiences. “It’s about is living your life deliberately. It’s not living on impulse, but with a deliberate plan that revolves around peoples’ values and beliefs.”

 

 

Of course, saving money and getting out of debt helps, too. “For someone who is living in financial hell and they’re still continuing to put things on their credit card and buying things that aren’t making them happy, minimalism might be something they may want to bring into their lives to help regain control,” he says.

 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/personal-finance/genymoney/minimalism-is-striking-a-chord-with-some-millennials-who-are-choosing-to-live-with-less/article35573604/

 

[starcrossed 1]

I apparently don't fit into the GenX crowd or the Millenial crowd (Xennials, anyone?), but I can see this being true. If we could live in a Tiny House actually, I'd love it, but apparently, there are no real regulations that allow for them in Greater Vancouver (and plenty of regulations that will have them telling you to get rid of it).

 

My husband and I and our three dogs live in <650 square feet (1-bedroom). It is quite honestly plenty of space (at least when you include the storage locker downstairs; I couldn't survive the hockey-gear smell in our apartment that's for sure). When we were in a two-bedroom place (and at one point a 3-bedroom townhouse) a couple of years ago, I found us with entire sections of the apartment that were never, ever touched, and it just felt like a waste. Since we had the space, I kept buying more stuff to fill it! (the stuff I threw out or gave away when we went to the 650 sq-ft range was outrageous).  I also tend not to be nostalgic and I'm not much of a collector, throwing out anything that hasn't been touched in 6 months unless it actually will have a long-term use I can hang my hat on. On top of it, we're child-free (the choice to never have children), so we're pretty minimal on the human population

 

That being said, I like my share of 'stuff'. Electronics are my thing, photos for the wall are nice, rugs, figurines (some, not many), and the closet may be small but I will stuff it full of clothes. So I guess there are different levels of minimalism, or maybe different styles of minimalism. These people seem to have decent space when I 'toured' their homes online, just not much in that space. Me, well I have a small space with plenty in it using the space efficiently. And hey, we still have two cars. But I have a not-so-secret addiction to housing shows on HGTV, and when I see people complaining about a bedroom being 'too small' which may actually be the size of my entire apartment, I just can't wrap my head around it. 

 

To each their own though.

 

 

[MikeT 744]

"Tiny houses" are 100% permitted, if and only if they meet the provisions of the Building Code.  The vast majority don't - being built without consideration of the Code - and therefore are not permitted by municipalities.  Also, if they're on wheels or skids, that is an occupant safety/liability issue too, so unless the CSA certifies them as part of their CSA MH series and they're permanently anchored to the ground, there is no way to approve them.

[starcrossed 1]

I think that's been the issue I've seen, tiny houses on wheels. I think the whole 'mobility' part is a big part of the attraction of tiny living, the idea of not necessarily being tied to one place in addition to not being anchored by a ton of extra house you don't even need.

 

It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the years.