What's the most common misconception others have about your minimalist lifestyle?
We’ve all heard the labels – vegan, city dwelling, young affluent, anti-capitalist hippies… the list goes on. But beyond the rage-baiting media’s depictions, what’s the funniest, most surprising, or common misconception someone has had about your minimalist lifestyle?
A few have thought it was a political or even religious stance e.g. environmental-based, anti-corporation/capitalist. No I just don’t like lugging around and burdening myself with unnecessary stuff. although I suppose it does influence certain views e.g. sustainability.
People think I am a cheapskate when nothing could be further from the truth. I buy 2nd hand whenever possible to keep stuff from going into a landfill. I also don’t feel like helping to make corporations richer so whenever possible, I buy from individuals and small businesses; especially if it’s a 2nd hand shop.
I also buy second-hand whenever possible, and try to fix things instead of replace them, and for the stuff I’m buying it’s usually more expensive, not less. Especially when big stores offer free delivery on just about everything while your average ebay user obviously doesn’t.
Recent example: I got a shoulder strap for a clutch bag and the clasp on the strap broke. It was only missing a tiny spring, so I found a tiny spring online and repaired it. The strap cost £5. The spring to fix it cost £6 including postage. But it worked!
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