Y'know, that's actually kind of funny. All my life my mom had always been very clean and organized. Even to the point where she cleaned my room. All the time, she would say I live in a pigsty and was doomed to live a messy life forever. Later on in life I realized that she may have been on to something. I keep my room clean and everything has a specific place. It isn't limited to just my room. My whole lifestyle is neat and clean, and especially minimalist. Part of the problem of why I was so messy was because I had so much stuff! Too much stuff! I've downsized a bit. and find my life a little more manageable. I think I may have picked up some of my moms OCD; she cleans when she's bored lol.
I think as a whole, our society places undue emphasis on acquiring 'stuff'. But what do you do with all this stuff? Being a minimalist isn't being strange, it's a rejection of societal pressure to be something that has no logical or moral resolution: an impulsive consumer. You're not the only one. It's difficult to be a minimalist in a society that finds a distinct lack of material lust to be a defect of character. But like the article says, most of society doesn't live up to it's own definition of normal.
Part of the problem is: what does the average person do to pass time? I wish shopping wasn't considered a hobby in North America, but it is...groceries, clothing, electronics, books, music, entertainment - all these things we have to shop to obtain. It feels weird to buy less.
It's not buying less but buying things you need. When I got my job I went out and spent my first paycheck on a new wardrobe. I planned it all out. How many shirts and skirts and dresses and mixing and matching. I didn't go to the mall for 4 straight months and it felt good. I had exactly what I needed and I didn't have to worry. Now I find myself going to the mall occasionally after work and buying things on sale or super cute. Unfortunately I have 5 summer dresses and 2 shirts that don't go with any skirts I own. I'm shopping more now but shopping worse.
Yeah, I guess I should've said shop less. I actually really don't enjoy shopping and try go as little as possible. I do a lot more window shopping, where I'm at the mall because I'm bored but purposely don't have my wallet/credit card with me to spend money. It's fortunate and mistfortunate at the same time that I don't fit into most clothing, so I can't walk into a store with nice clothes and buy stuff on the whim. It takes me hours to find 1 thing that might fit me properly. Now that I've thought about it, most of the clutter in my house is art that needs storage space, my pottery, and some memorabilia.
What do you do with it? Sell it! Re-purpose it! Get rid of it, and never buy unnecessary things again. This is one of the reasons I prefer the modern architecture and design -- it places an emphasis on minimalism, without seeming too 'off' to the rest of the world.