What do you imagine when someone says a minimalist family?

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   peeplesposted 9 years ago

   What do you imagine when someone says a minimalist family?
   
   I am curious what people think of when hearing "minimalist family".

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2. 39

   ChristinSposted 9 years ago

   I haven't heard that term used, but I would think it is a family that lives a very simple lifestyle - not into overly commercial stuff.  The kids probably don't have i-phones and a million gaming systems etc. They may live in a more modest home and be more frugal or into the "simple abundance" mindset, perhaps families that go off the grid, that sort of thing.  A kind of push back against the whole "competing with the Jones" mentality that is pervasive in a lot of our culture.

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent point made, ChristinS.

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   Grey Templesposted 9 years ago

   I would have to concur with what ChristinS says.  It is living a very minimal lifestyle and there is nothing wrong with it.  Just having the basics and not being materialistic.  It is actually a great way to teach the children to appreciate what they have.

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   MizBejabbersposted 9 years ago

   I agree with Christin, but I have a couple of things to add. I certainly don't think of the Duggers, the hillbilly politician family with 19 kids and still growing, according to Michelle Dugger, with the huge house that their A&E lifestyle bought. I think a minimalist family would tend to have fewer children, probably at the most three unless multiple births were involved, as well as live a basic lifestyle. Maybe drive a used Chevy or Honda, don't eat out often, some of them would home school their children, which would require fewer clothes and shoes. They might have a TV, but not cable and they would have a computer only because it is required for their children in school.
   A minimalist family might grow part of its own food and maybe raise a few chickens, but that wouldn't be required to be considered minimalist.
   I also think of a two-parent household because a single parent, especially if it is a woman, in this situation is not thought of as minimalist. It is thought of as deprived or in poverty.

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      ChristinSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent points - especially with the large families vs single mothers.

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Large families are minimalist because they HAVE to be. It ISN'T an option for them. The average large familiy is impoverished as a result they have VERY LITTLE materialism. To more affluent people, minimalism is a FASHION STATEMENT, the NEW chic!

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5. 85

   gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

   
   
   There are some familes esp. socioeconomically poor & large/very large families who by necessity are minimalist families. They have to live at the lowest common denominator. They purchase things that has the most utilitarian value.  Such people view anything as not utilitarian as extravagance and a waste.  The average socioeconomically poor person & large/very large family learned to live on very, very little and being satisfied with that.  To them, minimalism is a normative part of life.  They do not have the means to live beyond a very minimal lifestyle.
   
   However, there are others, who are quite wealthy, but don't want the clutter & headache of having a lot of material things.  They want fewer things as not to be encumbered materially.  They believe that simplicity is chic, beautiful, and best.  A subcategory of people, still somewhat affluent, who believe in having as little as possible but it should be of the highest quality possible.  They believe that it is pointless/unnecessary to have a lot of low quality things which they believe would decrease in value. They would rather have very few things of high value which will retain its value over a long period of time.  They are also of the school that simpliicity is best. They also believe in the essence of being classic and timeless.

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