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Re:A minimalist lifestyle does not make you a better person by notauser on Thursday October 07, 2010 @10:26AM (#1767909)
Why do children need lots of stuff?

My grandfather was one of seven children, and they had one drawer each for toys and another drawer for clothes. They seemed to turn out OK.

Of course this kind of thing requires the co-operation of both parents, but that's true of a lot of things.

Re:A minimalist lifestyle does not make you a better person by adamhowell on Thursday October 07, 2010 @10:54AM (#1768020)
I wasn't implying that kids need lots of stuff.

I was implying that then you have a kid and have more urgent things to worry about than whether or not your life is perfectly organized.

Like how to get the kid to stop wiping their poop on the dog.

Re:A minimalist lifestyle does not make you a better person by runjake on Thursday October 07, 2010 @11:18AM (#1768119)
Try having triplets. A perfectly organized (and frugal) life suddenly becomes a huge priority, whether you like it or not.

In my case, I also took a minimalist approach and work towards getting rid of clutter, selling off spare computers or equipment for hobbies I don't have time for anymore.

I haven't had a "singleton" (single born child), but I can imagine the same organizational/simplifying demands are made of you, but to a lesser extent.

Re:A minimalist lifestyle does not make you a better person by Tyrannosaurs on Thursday October 07, 2010 @11:31AM (#1768178)
Having had one and having seen friends with twins, multiples are definitely harder. Yes there are certain economies of scale but I don't think they even come close to balancing up the additional chaos, effort and exhaustion.

(And +1 for sympathy and respect that you've had triplets and are still here to tell the tale).

Re:A minimalist lifestyle does not make you a better person by runjake on Thursday October 07, 2010 @12:00PM (#1768276)
In fact, my experiences (which contrast the article) are what has enabled me to be here and sane. Before, we were fleeting, disorganized, and didn't plan.

Now everything is regimented and organized and "minimalized". That's how we're sane and fairly happy (it feels like the movie Groundhog Day, often. And you really have to focus on marriage time.).

We're finding our experiences to be much more sane than others, when we talk to other multiples parents. They haven't developed a simple life, and a simple set of regiments.

Re:A minimalist lifestyle does not make you a better person by tome on Thursday October 07, 2010 @01:40PM (#1768666)
Not having the dog would be the minimalist solution.