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 Extreme minimalism

Extreme minimalism, or living with much less than what is the norm in our materially wealthy society (I live in Denmark) is one way to relate with objects more sustainably. It's by no means the only way to practise more sustainable living, though. I practise extreme minimalism in combination with zero-waste and voluntary simplicity. I do it for ecological, spiritual, and aesthetic reasons, and I've been on this path for more than 10 years. In this entry I will say exactly what I live with. 

There are objects that are not mine but that we have in our household. Before I moved here, I lived in Finland without furniture. It was wonderful. But moving in with a fellow human meant that I couldn't continue my practice the same way as it was when I lived on my own. We live with a bed, a clothes rack, a table, 4 chairs, a bed for the fellow human's child, a bench. There are also two lamps, cotton storage bags, two cotton baskets with the child's toys. There are shared home textiles (bedding, towels and kitchen towels, two throws). None of the kitchen items are mine, all of them are shared. My fellow human brought them to this apartment from his previous one. There are not many kitchen items, but if I lived on my own, I would have lived with much less. The kitchen items I lived with before were borrowed from my university department in Sweden and from friends. In this apartment, there are some items that belong to the fellow human I live with. 

These are my objects:

A cotton bag with socks. Most of them are made from organic cotton. Two pairs are made from bamboo. In my experience, bamboo clothing ages much faster than organic cotton clothing. There are two pairs of woollen socks. They allow me to wear running shoes in winter in northern Sweden, and sandals here in Denmark in winter, too. 

A cotton bag with underwear (no bras!)

2 hats that are shared, but probably I would give one of them away

Many cotton tote bags, produce bags, and net bags. These are shared. I use them for shopping, laundry, travelling, storage. 

A spare kitchen towel. It's shared.

2 reusable water bottles. One is mine, the other one is shared.

My passport

A small cotton bag for the passport. At times I use this bag to transport my mobile internet. Previously, I used this bag for my bank card. The bag came with some natural zero-waste soaps. Now I use another cotton pouch for my bank card.

The Swedish stone is a stone I brought from northern Sweden where I used to live. It's just a piece of granite. It's the only sentimental item I have. I have given the other stones back to nature.

For my personal care, I use:

Solid shampoo (shared)

Multi-purpose balm (shared)

Toothpaste tabs (shared). At times, I use certified natural toothpaste that comes in aluminium or recycled plastic packaging.

Soap bar (shared)

Crystal deodorant

Comb that I took from a hotel where I once stayed

Toothbrush. The one I am currently using is made from recycled food plastic. At times, I use bamboo toothbrushes, but they don't last as long.

I don't wear makeup.

I use organic cotton period products. I always wanted to use a menstrual cup but I don't do it for psychological reasons.

I used to have a safety razor and liked using it, but now I use a plastic one with replaceable heads due to self-harm.

There is a handkerchief and shared scissors, too.

Something that is missing is a conditioner. I have curly hair that I am allowing to grow naturally, so a conditioner is very helpful. I will invite one into my life when I find a zero-waste one.

I have only one jacket that I acquired when I moved to northern Sweden.

There is a cotton tote bag with some documents and letters.

Arm warmers. I don't have gloves or mittens.

A large woollen scarf. It's the only scarf I live with. It lived with me in Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.

Shoes. I have two pairs of sandals and running shoes. 

There are also some plastic bags. I avoid plastic as much as possible, but when a plastic bag comes into my life, I keep it and use it to protect my laptop from the rain and to transport soap and shampoo bar. 

I wear the same outfit every day and don't have separate wardrobes for summer and winter. Sweatpants (or shorts in summer), a basic top, a linen shirt. 

I have 3 pairs of sweatpants, 1 pair of shorts, a few (less than 10) basic tops, and 2 linen shirts. At times, I borrow basic white t-shirts from a fellow human.

I wear the same outfit for teaching, meetings, walking, travelling and so on. 

I used to have a night dress, but I gave it away because I realised that it was not necessary.

While sweatpants and linen shirts last a very long time, basic tops don't. In the past few years, I turned very old ones into cloths. 

I don't have any special occasion clothing, accessories, or jewellery.

I don't own swimwear. Here in Denmark, it is legal to swim without clothing. 

There are a few objects that I am contemplating giving away. For example, I have a backpack that I'm not sure I need. I use it to transport my laptop. The laptop is not in the pictures above. It's an old laptop, another object that I live with. Yet another one is my phone. There are chargers for both the laptop and the phone. 

Overall, everything that is mine fits in the two cotton tote bags (the picture above, the two white bags to the right). I have lived with even less before. For example, I have perhaps 8 or so basic tops. It's not essential for me to have so many. Having said this, it is good to postpone the laundry and wash clothes more rarely. I used to wash everything by hand when I lived in Finland, but here in Denmark the washing machines in our block of flats are shared, and we are not allowed to dry our clothes in the apartment. 

Objects that I will invite into my life:

A food box

Zero-waste conditioner

There are objects that I have several of, and don't feel bad about it as I use them very often and in many ways:

Cotton tote bags

Produce bags

Net bags

Socks and underwear. I think it's better to have several pairs to do the laundry less often.

Plastic bags. I don't use them regularly, but I keep a few of them just in case.

Objects I have only one of and that usually fellow humans have several of:

One sentimental item

One scarf

One jacket

In academia, some of my fellow humans have multiple phones and laptops (personal and for work). I have only one laptop and one phone.

One soap for many purposes 

One balm for many purposes

Common objects I live without:

Mode of transportation (no car, no bike)

I don't use makeup

I don't use anything for my nails

I don't use perfume or any kind of scent for my home

No candles, despite living in Denmark! 

I don't dye or cut or style my hair. I have hair ties made from synthetic resin. There are much better alternatives these days, though. 

I oppose the normalisation of bras, so I don't have any. I want to wear none and I believe fellow humans should not feel the pressure to wear one.

Occasion wear/smart clothing. I wear only casual clothes that I mentioned above, for all occasions. For work, conferences, meetings and so on.

Conventional skincare (creams, face washes, serums and so on)

Handbags. I use cotton tote bags and net bags instead.

Sentimental items and decorations

I don't have any physical books despite being in academia. All the books I have are digital. At times, I borrow books from the library or from my fellow humans. There are many books in my/my co-author's office that belong to him. I will not even have a physical copy of my own book.

I don't use glasses, cups and mugs. I use a glass jar that came with pasta sauce.

I don't have a wallet. I use a cotton pouch instead.

I understand that every human's circumstances are very different. What I've shared above is by no means a benchmark. But I do believe that if fellow humans want to step on a similar path, they should not feel bad about it. They can experiment with various elements of this lifestyle, if they so wish. Naturally, there are challenges and obstacles. For example, it's challenging if one must wear a uniform at work. Some fellow humans who don't understand my practice assume that this is a lifestyle of deprivation, sacrifice and even poverty. I disagree. In my view and experience, this lifestyle is one of freedom and harmonious co-existence with the self, others, and nature.