It always blows my mind that people feel the need to tear down a total stranger to make themselves feel better. So disgusting. It has taken me a long time to truly not care what other people think. You two are amazing and inspirational. Thanks for all the content you provide.
I agree!! Marissa you are an amazing person. Ignore the haters. When you put your life out there for all to see, there will be haters. Focus on the positives!! You are an inspiration.
Yes, your husband is right. You are so incredibly brave, to show yourself so vulnerable on social media. I would not have the guts to do so. But exactly this makes your channel so valuable for me and many others. Let those people just talk and try not to let it through to your heart.
Sorry Marissa, I’m on the no rug team. When we renovated our house and changed from rugs to hardwood we realized how nasty they were. Hardwood is so easy to keep clean. I don’t mind the echoes at all, and love your spacious home. Love your videos too.
This needs more likes! Rugs are so terrible and Marissa does such a good job that I don't hear that much echo either (only a bit in the bathroom but that's not the place where she usually makes films).
Marissa I am astonished that people are mean to you. They must be unhappy. You are a lovely couple and so well suited to each other. Thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable for us all!
Marissa I think the appeal is hearing from a husband who is on board with minimalism and you do really complement each other. Do you think he helped you overcome holding on to all that stuff?
My thoughts on meanies: it’s a THEM problem, not a ME problem! You’re amazing marissa - grouchy people love the comments section. Keep spreading all the good minimalist vibes!! 💫
A clean house with few furniture where we can hear an echo is my dream home. It is so easy to fill a house with all kinds of unnecessary stuff, but it requires very strong self-discipline to maintain a minimalist house. The less emotional attachment to materials, the more emotional freedom I have. Interestingly, when I was in my 20s I was a poor student, but I wanted to have a lot of stuff. Now I have no interest in buying anything that is not necessary. So, for me, minimalism is not just a way of life, it is also a philosophy of a way of life to pursue happiness.
I hope you enjoyed the video! Make sure to join next week for the no spend challenge - grab here if you haven't yet: shop.atozenlife.com/products/no-spend-challenge-bundle
In this time of digitalization, bullying moved on these kind of platforms and it is not acceptable. As everyone has the freedom to say what they want, you also have the right/freedom to delete and ignore these malice comments as it is your channel/your platform, you should not accept any bullying from anyone!
Your house is not boring, you're not annoying. Screw the mean people. We LOVE you and your family🥰🥰🥰🥰You are a kind soul and a super star in our eyes🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Count me in for the no spend! You and Mr. Zen are such a cute couple. My heart melted when he said that your happiness is important to him...:) Please remember, only people who are damaged and unhappy in their own lives are hateful so please try to ignore the negative comments. You have a beautiful family.
“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”. You are such an inspiration for all of us. You present yourself raw and that's amazing, because we can see a REAL person, who struggles and suffers and feels, we are here because we are trying to make a better version of ourselves and you are helping us with that, and for that I am really grateful with you. You are so generous and sweet, don't let the ugly comments stain your beautiful soul. Keep being you because you rock girl!
Fantastic video! I’m team rug. My neighbors have ruggables and toss them in the wash. Some of my childhood memories with my mom was spending a warm day hand washing our oriental area rugs outside with dish soap- pretty easy- good workout 😄 I find that they don’t get that dirty because we don’t wear shoes in the house and don’t eat outside of the kitchen/dining area.
Yay! You answered my question! Thanks! You are brave to have your own RUclips channel! It would be hard navigating negative comments. You handle it so well. Your worth is not determined on other people’s opinions of you. Thank you for sharing your heart and your life with the world! 💕
“You have limited time” such a golden nugget to keep in mind. Definitely helps with staying motivated. Keeps me on task when decluttering. Helps when eating that elephant 🐘 one bite at a time. If not now? When? I, however will always have time for your videos. I find a lot of value in them, they are a treat. It’s my reward after tackling a job.
I have found that my brothers children enjoy experiences over things as well. When I asked my niece what she wanted for her 5th birthday she said a dolls tea party. It didn't cost me anything & she loved it!!
This was a wonderful video. It's great to get to know you better, Marissa, and knowing your family better is a big part of that. Thank you and Mr. Zen for being so willing to share.
There will always be “Haters” wherever you go….you are doing great!! They are not worth your time or energy just walk on by lovely lady. I love your vulnerability, emotionality and courage, You are so Real 🙏💖
Thank you so much for sharing your story! It has been so encouraging for me. My mom passed when I was 11, and I was the only person (and am) that will take responsibility for her things. For years I had boxes and boxes that I would store and drag all over the place. I have never heard anyone else talk about their emotions dealing with these items - particularly the burden they can become for the bereaved. Your story gave me the courage to let go of some of that. Her trophies, and plaques from high school, and things like that. I know these items were important to her at one point, but I also know she wouldn’t want me to take the time and effort and emotional space to hang onto these things. My fiancé and I are now working on getting our home to work for us rather than working for it! Thank you so much for your advice and sharing 💕
You are very inspiring. We are down sizing in a year to a house that is 2/3 smaller. We have 3 levels currently so to prepare I cleared out the top floor. Anything we kept had to fit in the 2 lower floors. We hardly kept any of it. Our adult kids had to collect any stuff they stored or get rid of it. Not wanting to fill their own spaces with stuff ...things lost their emotional value fast and they decided to part with most of it. Seeing your home and hearing your stories guided me a lot.
Seeing you getting tears in your eyes at the youtube part brought me tears in my eyes 😭 Marisa we just express our feelings! I needed to learn to accept that (can't watch any movie or series without tears lol - horror movies doesn't count) I totally love your bravery with the emotional parts in your videos
Haters going to hate, grudgers going too grudge, judgers going to judge, players going to play, luvers going to luv... you tubers going to keep calm and tube on...
I love your channel so much, you have helped me lots, by being yourself and being honest about how hard it was it has enabled me to let go of stuff too, I find the criticism really sad, I get it’s not for everyone but then if if it doesn’t resonate don’t watch and move on, please keep being yourself, yourself is great xx edit- it’s your space so if you want a rug it’s up to you and if not that’s also your choice xx
Your husband is so sweet, though. He really loves you so much even if he does not talk about it so often. You can see it, watching his body language. ❤ You are a great couple.
The people who say your home is boring, ummm.... Rude! Like seriously do they go to there friends and family and say, "too boring" "too messy" "too warm tone" "too cool tone" I sure hope not! Everyone has different tastes lol people probably think my living room and babies room is boring or too minimal but, like, who cares? They ain't living debtfree
You and Joshua Becker have echos in your videos, but that's a sign of legit minimalism! You could change it up and do a video outside. That would be nice to see your surroundings, too. Great Q & A
Thank you Marissa! This is a great video. You really inspire a people. We live very similiar to you, and we are in Austria. Recetly we bought a rug, but a 100% wool rug and it's soo cool and cozy, we are even more on the floor now. 😂 And we ordered a floor sofa too. And last 2 years we haven't almost anything in living room. But more fun to our sons. All the best from heart! ⚘⚘⚘⚘
I'm team No Rug!! It just seems like a lint compartment in a dryer to me. It traps everything in it and if you have allergies it's a nightmare. I think your house looks amazing and your hubby is a sweetie.
I'm team NO RUG... except our sun room has a brick floor we don't enjoy walking on, but we love being in there. So that room has a rug. But otherwise I'm extremely anti rug/carpet.
Gracias Marissa , en realidad yo no sabía que era minimalista, me molestaba mucho, las cosas , ahorramos durante años, a pesar de las críticas de qué no teníamos los muebles y electrodomésticos de moda eran de 25 años , sin adornos yo pasaba depurando lo innecesario, era un hábito se compraba lo necesario únicamente , aún con el hijo , sus juguetes etc , hoy jubilados , tenemos una casa increíble y con sólo lo necesario , es limpia y tiene eco también, luz , y espacio, eres muy valiente , vivir diferente al resto es un reto hoy en día , sigue adelante ! Me gusta tu sinceridad y la de tú esposo e hijos , bendiciones !
I am firmly on team no rug/carpet. It gets so goofy and cannot get clean enough for me. Our house has carpeted stairs, which I've kept on because I'm worried the kids will slip. But it got too gross! I just pulled up the carpet on two stairs this evening and the dirt underneath was horrifying.
I'm on the "no rugs" team! I think your house is just about perfect. Not too sparse, lots of space, and no clutter! I could definitely live in a space like this 😁👍👍
I think you have a lovely warm home. It's always feels peaceful and spacious on your videos and your home life seems calm, happy and loving. I really enjoy your content and think it's nice seeing someone who is real.
The older I get the more strength I am getting at feeling more able to be myself and not allowing other people's judgement to dictate who I am. I am a highly sensitive person. Lots of people don't understand it. Thank you for being brave and being sensitive on screen :-). Your husband is so lovely with you :-). My other half is a rock and calmness in contrast to my sensitivity:-).
Love this video. Absolutely the never ending story. As a 10 year old I was traumatized for life over the horse dying. Your probably way healthier living in Germany rather than America!!
Thank you for all your videos Marissa! Boo to those mean people, bullies are never happy with anything in their lives sonthem want to spread the misery. You're amazing!
I feel that being "told" to buy a rug because you have echo in your audio - is a personal problem of the person complaining. We did buy one rug for our living room because of echo, but that was OUR decision. Love your channel. Blessings to you and yours.
Thank you Bonita! In general I don’t worry, but I know my hard-of-hearing followers have trouble with the extra noise - as a former SLP, that’s sad for me to hear. I try to turn captions on but sometimes they don’t work. Thanks watching. ❤️
By the way, I’m a new subscriber and I love your channel. You are not squeaky at all… well, you’re squeaky clean, but I call that a plus. When you show footage of your home I relax immediately. So peaceful. Thank you for putting yourself out there.
Not "more" - but "together"! I love your videos, your hacks, you talking about your background and your beautiful home. And I love the two of you together!
Marissa, I am new to your channel & I love your realness & rawness. You are so likeable & I very much appreciate your sense of humour! Mr Zen is such a gentle & calm presence & your boys are just adorable! It's unfortunate that some people feel the need to try & lift themselves up by tearing you down. It's pretty evident though that people who leave mean comments, deep down really aren't happy. 😊
This is also EXTREME CUTENESS!!!! You two are absolutely ADORABLE together!! The production value on this video with the sound effects and the rapport between you...this is one of my favorite videos you've ever given us! 💕💕
Re: too much thrift shopping, I take a lot of my donations to our local animal support resale store.. Lately I just tap on the sliding glass door in back and the attendant comes out and carries my stuff in for me. That way I don't go in and am not tempted to buy things I don't need. 👍
Team no rug! But I have a bit of background as to why. I'm a former CNA and I know that rugs make people trip, especially the elderly and disabled people I took care of. As an inhome aid I had to clean around SO MANY rugs and being not the best housekeeper, my elderly clients didn't like how I cleaned them or laid them out. My distaist for rugs grew over my 6 1/2 years as a CNA PLUS I don't like loud noises and don't own a vacuum cleaner. Rugs. 👎
You and your family are amazing! I love your home including the echos and all the empty space you have! Definitely not a boring home and who cares about what you wear as long as you feel good in them! Don’t change anything!
That really sucks that ppl are so openly nasty and negative to you. You have a great voice, love your style, inspired by your unchaotic space, and appreciated your positivity/ openness/ advice.
Who cares what others think, it's your life not theirs. "Don't give over permission to those to be in your head who don't belong there in first place".
Thank you for this video! Again, it was a pleasure and also informative. Thank you. - I belong to team "no rug" due to having cats and rug cleaning would be a 24/7 task. But the echos in my living room are the same as in your place. Yet, I never found the echos in your videos disturbing. Also, I love the "empty" = clear structured and nice view of your home whenever you show it.
I have accumulated/inherited several deceased family members’ things (added to my own), that I continue to downsize. Most of it WILL go, but it takes time to go through box after box of all the small things that were packed up and moved out of a person’s home Somehow, even though I buy very little but consumables, I have so much stuff here that even when I take bags and boxes out, it still seems to look like nothing has been removed. I don’t mind getting rid of things I’ll never use, but there are many things that I have kept because I see the “project” potential in them. I have a child’s rocker that I have had (just taking up space) so long, that I don’t even remember where it came from. It’s been in my garage workshop, occupying floor space and avoiding being tripped over for years…. in great shape for its age, except the joints need to be re-glued for stability and then I can donate it. . It’s about number 9000 on the “projects to do” list! Yesterday, I had decided that I was never going to get to it and that if somebody else wanted it, THEY could rehab it. We have a ”giving table” in the neighborhood (in a woman’s front yard), where people can donate things they no longer need OR pick up something that they want from the tables. I donate a lot there, but never stop to see what’s on the tables… I need nothing else to be brought into my house. I went out to my shop and picked up that little rocker to wipe the wood dust and a couple spiderwebs from it, before putting it in my car to take to “the tables” and immediately put it back down, telling myself “it won’t take long to re-glue the joints; why I donated in that condition?” At my advanced age, I think my first organizational tip is to choose a certain number of projects that I think I will reasonably get to and remove the rest. So maybe today, that rocking chair WILL get donated in unfinished condition. One thing I wholeheartedly agree with you guys on and I’ve always said, that rugs (in my case carpet), are disgusting! God only knows what all we have stepped down during the day that we pull into our house on our shoes, yet think that vacuuming and occasional steam cleaning are sufficient; we’d never wear the same clothes day after day for six months without washing them and THEY haven’t been drug across streets, lawns and (the worst) parking lots. As soon as I can get enough off the floor, the carpet comes out and the hardwood floors under it, get refinished.
I hate rugs!!!! The only one I have is one small in the bathroom. It's more like a floor towel really. I hate rugs, because they accumulate hair and dirt so quickly and it is so hard to clean them... it is almost impossible to clean a rug without a special vacuum washer. Ugh just thinking about having one makes me feel sick! ..but I get the hype, people in America are raised on rugs (I know it sounds weird :D), and most of the people watching this channel, I guess, are from the US.... so they don't understand the freedom that comes from not having rugs! I actually think some people are jealous you have no rugs! I also have automatic vacuum, that is another freedom, no vacumming for me at all (only small hand vacum for beds, sofa, chairs etc.). My automatic vacumm runs the house like 2 or 3 times a day and I don't need to vacumm (but I have to pick up my bathroom rug because he would eat it so having more rugs would be a tornment). :D
Yes, I actually grew up with tons of rooms with full carpet in the USA and I remember walking around in shoes after being outside. Now that I think about it, I cringe remembering how we walked through the house in dirty shoes! 😂 Thanks for watching.
This "no memory-pieces" is the biggest bullshit I've ever heard. I had EVERYTHING as a child but what I really would have needed is time with my parents. Especially with my mother who died at 47.
I’m seeing this a little late, but wanted to share my Ruggable experience. We bought a large Ruggable. At first I loved it, but the first time I had to clean it my love waned. Every time we had to clean it my love waned until it turned in to complete dislike. I think smaller sizes, say no more than a 5x7’ would be fine, though after repeated laundering the edges do curl. We tried all the tricks to keep that from happening and none of them worked. Ultimately it was just time for the rug to go, and we are back in the no rug club.
My friend loves her Ruggable! They have a re-jute one that looks great. Her rugs fit in her machine and always look fresh, even with four kids and two huge dogs(both puppies).
Definitely team no rug! With 2 cats and a toddler the maintenance was way too much work so after 1.5 years we removed the 2 we had. And it’s so much better for cleaning! And don’t really miss it for decor.
About other people’s judgement, there is one quote I wanna share with you: If you have a problem with me, call me. If you don’t have my number, then you don’t know me enough to judge me. ❤
I love your channel so much. Thank you for being so vulnerable with us and for answering so many questions. My favorite thing this: Most of the time, when I watch videos on youtube, I get this pressure to compare myself to the videos, to the life shown there and I feel like I need to live exactly this life or I will not be as happy/successful/relaxed as the person in the video. I get this overwhelming feeling of needing to own exactly what's shown in the videos and to change my life to mimic what I see. But when I watch your wonderful videos, I never feel like that at all. I don't compare my life to yours, I don't get the urge tu buy things to make my home look more like your beautiful beautiful home. Instead, I get inspired to think about my life, to be more honest with myself and to be brave enough to be vulnerable with others. I change things a little bit at a time to change my life in a way that feels meaningful and peaceful and happy for me. And I cannot thank you enough for that. You truly are an inspiration and I will never be able to express how much it means ❤. THANK YOU!
You are beautiful, sweet, and have helped at least me and my life. Don't let other people's negative comments bother you. You are amazing! Thank you! (Also I am sure you don't stink, most people don't wash everytime.) ❤❤
Haha! Can I just say, the same exact movie scenes that tramatized you as a kid were exactly the same as mine! I could name a few more, but those two scenes, The Neverending Story- the horse and ET dying- immediate recall truama!
My dad was in the US Army in the late 80s, so my parents lived in Germany (I believe at Bad Hersfeld). They loved their time there and have some cool souvenirs. Sadly, my mom’s German monopoly was destroyed when our house was hit with a tornado though. Everything else from there seemed to survive.
Geez Louise Marissa! @17:00 - you cry / I cry! Maybe it's because I was in food service for nearly 20 years (as well as the occasional other job that required a uniform)....not only am I used to wearing the same outfit every day, but now that I'm retired, I wear the same outfit at least 3 times before putting it in the wash. Especially since we are ZERO or below zero temps, I'm not sweating! So unless I spill mustard down the front of myself, there's no need to wear clothing once and then off to the laundry it goes. And since I shower daily - no my clothes don't smell lol! This is why I can have THREE TOPS and THREE BOTTOMS and still have 'enough' clothes to wear in a week!
To the viewer's comment about how to get over thrifting/buying...my advice, open a retail store like I did - you will get it out of your system really quick. It fulfills the need to shop and you can then make money on your shopping without the guilt!
Just love you both, I can relate to everything you say about memories being best from experiences, and how you value space. I've had some very emotional moments alongside you, Marissa! ❤
A No Rug Vote here. I agree that they are not worth the effort to keep them clean and know that they trap dirt and funk like carpet. I only appreciate them at the entry way or just outside the shower. The ideal rug is small enough to fit in the washing machine, made out of organic cotton, linen or hemp, is a neutral color and is reversible. I actually appreciate the echo:)
I'm team NO rug. For a short while my living room was cleared out enough to have an echo. It made me think I was getting somewhere with my decluttering! It's part of the goal of the minimalism for me. In fact I've been thinking about getting rid of my bedroom rug (it needs to be cleaned big time) and bathroom rug except for the shower mat. I agree about the maintenance, but I actually like living room rugs. I've been moving furniture around so much that a rug is in the way.
Rugs in natural fibers- wool is soft, stain resistant and lovely to sit or yoga on( think of the durability of a good winter coat!). Many Berber & design forward Contemporary styles out there- check a low tight weave in a good neutral.
I love your channel. I'm learning a lot, and you seems to be a very nice, funny and honest person. Bravo for the courage to make videos, knowing that some people will talk and judge you. You are a very charismatic and sweet person.
My heart go out to you. Thank you for being you. I have a youtu.be channel to and I fear the same. I haven't posted in a month. Watching you open up about your channel help me not to fear about the what if or how people can be rude.
You two are so cute! A wonderful couple! Unfortunately, it is easier for people to say something mean, than it is to say nothing at all, and sadly, there are so many people out there who feel good only when they bring others down. But we can't control what others do or say， so let them say whatever they want, just don't dignify negative comments with your attention (because they are not worth it) and delete them :)
You are my inspiration - never a failure. You have a beautiful family in beautiful home. I enjoy watching your channel and am a minimalist in progress.
i bought a thick and fluffy small rug to put in my kitchen sink area because my heels would get so sore. I also have a kid who jumps from the top of the sofa so a rug is making his landing less hard ...and it s good for my neighbor as well lol
It always blows my mind that people feel the need to tear down a total stranger to make themselves feel better. So disgusting. It has taken me a long time to truly not care what other people think. You two are amazing and inspirational. Thanks for all the content you provide.
Thanks so much Raven! 🙌 I think yours is the healthier habit.
I agree!! Marissa you are an amazing person. Ignore the haters. When you put your life out there for all to see, there will be haters. Focus on the positives!! You are an inspiration.
You’re an inspiration!!!
So well said❤ I know it's about a year late!! Totally agree!
Yes, your husband is right. You are so incredibly brave, to show yourself so vulnerable on social media. I would not have the guts to do so. But exactly this makes your channel so valuable for me and many others. Let those people just talk and try not to let it through to your heart.
Sorry Marissa, I’m on the no rug team. When we renovated our house and changed from rugs to hardwood we realized how nasty they were. Hardwood is so easy to keep clean. I don’t mind the echoes at all, and love your spacious home. Love your videos too.
This needs more likes! Rugs are so terrible and Marissa does such a good job that I don't hear that much echo either (only a bit in the bathroom but that's not the place where she usually makes films).
yes they r super nasty ...only 1% of people are able to keep it spikc n span ,,,that too mostly are single people or kidfree couples
Marissa I am astonished that people are mean to you. They must be unhappy. You are a lovely couple and so well suited to each other. Thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable for us all!
Marissa I think the appeal is hearing from a husband who is on board with minimalism and you do really complement each other. Do you think he helped you overcome holding on to all that stuff?
Yes, I think he did, although I had to get past that mental barrier first myself! We help and compliment each other for sure. 🤗
My thoughts on meanies: it’s a THEM problem, not a ME problem! You’re amazing marissa - grouchy people love the comments section. Keep spreading all the good minimalist vibes!! 💫
That’s what I try to remind myself! ☺️ Thanks so much for watching and for the support.
Agree with that
It's really true. Anyone who says hateful things like that has a lot of pain and anger in them somewhere. It's not about you.
I agree! Like Deepak Chopra said, “ What other people think of you is not your business.“
A clean house with few furniture where we can hear an echo is my dream home. It is so easy to fill a house with all kinds of unnecessary stuff, but it requires very strong self-discipline to maintain a minimalist house. The less emotional attachment to materials, the more emotional freedom I have. Interestingly, when I was in my 20s I was a poor student, but I wanted to have a lot of stuff. Now I have no interest in buying anything that is not necessary. So, for me, minimalism is not just a way of life, it is also a philosophy of a way of life to pursue happiness.
I hope you enjoyed the video! Make sure to join next week for the no spend challenge - grab here if you haven't yet: shop.atozenlife.com/products/no-spend-challenge-bundle
In this time of digitalization, bullying moved on these kind of platforms and it is not acceptable. As everyone has the freedom to say what they want, you also have the right/freedom to delete and ignore these malice comments as it is your channel/your platform, you should not accept any bullying from anyone!
Your house is not boring, you're not annoying. Screw the mean people. We LOVE you and your family🥰🥰🥰🥰You are a kind soul and a super star in our eyes🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
☺️🙏✨
Awww, your husband is so sweet and supportive! Love love love!!
Your house is Beautiful
Count me in for the no spend! You and Mr. Zen are such a cute couple. My heart melted when he said that your happiness is important to him...:)
Please remember, only people who are damaged and unhappy in their own lives are hateful so please try to ignore the negative comments. You have a beautiful family.
I truly appreciate you and like you, Marissa. Mr. Zen is adorable in his own way. That's why we like to see a glimpse of him, too.
He is handsome......and seems like a nice guy.
@@1_viewer i second that
“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”. You are such an inspiration for all of us. You present yourself raw and that's amazing, because we can see a REAL person, who struggles and suffers and feels, we are here because we are trying to make a better version of ourselves and you are helping us with that, and for that I am really grateful with you. You are so generous and sweet, don't let the ugly comments stain your beautiful soul. Keep being you because you rock girl!
Fantastic video! I’m team rug. My neighbors have ruggables and toss them in the wash. Some of my childhood memories with my mom was spending a warm day hand washing our oriental area rugs outside with dish soap- pretty easy- good workout 😄 I find that they don’t get that dirty because we don’t wear shoes in the house and don’t eat outside of the kitchen/dining area.
What a special story, thank you for sharing with me! When you say it like that it sounds FUN. 😆
Yay! You answered my question! Thanks! You are brave to have your own RUclips channel! It would be hard navigating negative comments. You handle it so well. Your worth is not determined on other people’s opinions of you. Thank you for sharing your heart and your life with the world! 💕
Thanks so much for your question, and all the kind words and support Stephanie! Cheers. ❤️
You’re not crazy! Minimalism is the best
Glad you are one of the commentators who agree 😆
“You have limited time” such a golden nugget to keep in mind. Definitely helps with staying motivated. Keeps me on task when decluttering. Helps when eating that elephant 🐘 one bite at a time. If not now? When? I, however will always have time for your videos. I find a lot of value in them, they are a treat. It’s my reward after tackling a job.
Thanks so much Yolanda, glad you enjoyed. ✨
“The trouble is, you think you have time.”
Buddha
I have found that my brothers children enjoy experiences over things as well. When I asked my niece what she wanted for her 5th birthday she said a dolls tea party. It didn't cost me anything & she loved it!!
That is wonderful!
Lovely couple, beautiful home, thoughtful and generous content on a great channel. Thank you! 😊
I'm enjoying you being back! You both are a lovely couple and family!
Thanks so much for your kind words. 🤗
This was a wonderful video. It's great to get to know you better, Marissa, and knowing your family better is a big part of that. Thank you and Mr. Zen for being so willing to share.
There will always be “Haters” wherever you go….you are doing great!! They are not worth your time or energy just walk on by lovely lady. I love your vulnerability, emotionality and courage, You are so Real 🙏💖
Thank you so much for sharing your story! It has been so encouraging for me. My mom passed when I was 11, and I was the only person (and am) that will take responsibility for her things. For years I had boxes and boxes that I would store and drag all over the place. I have never heard anyone else talk about their emotions dealing with these items - particularly the burden they can become for the bereaved. Your story gave me the courage to let go of some of that. Her trophies, and plaques from high school, and things like that. I know these items were important to her at one point, but I also know she wouldn’t want me to take the time and effort and emotional space to hang onto these things. My fiancé and I are now working on getting our home to work for us rather than working for it! Thank you so much for your advice and sharing 💕
Yes, I totally agree. You don’t have to be responsible for those memories of HERS for the rest of YOUR life. Hugs and healing to you my friend. ❤️🩹
That must be such a large and difficult task! All the best
coming here a month later to give you more encouragement! it’s a process and can take time. 😊
You are very inspiring. We are down sizing in a year to a house that is 2/3 smaller. We have 3 levels currently so to prepare I cleared out the top floor. Anything we kept had to fit in the 2 lower floors. We hardly kept any of it. Our adult kids had to collect any stuff they stored or get rid of it. Not wanting to fill their own spaces with stuff ...things lost their emotional value fast and they decided to part with most of it. Seeing your home and hearing your stories guided me a lot.
Seeing you getting tears in your eyes at the youtube part brought me tears in my eyes 😭
Marisa we just express our feelings! I needed to learn to accept that (can't watch any movie or series without tears lol - horror movies doesn't count)
I totally love your bravery with the emotional parts in your videos
People being to Marissa?! I'll beat them up lol j/k They can drink some haterade.
I absolutely LOVE your home! It isn’t boring at all. It calms me just looking at it so I’m sure it’s an incredibly calming environment to live in!
I adore you Marissa and really appreciate the emotional side of you. It makes me feel like it's ok for me to let it out too!! 😘
Love you guys! Thanks for making videos that are like a warm hug of comfort and about what really matters in life. Time with our loved ones 🙂
Haters going to hate, grudgers going too grudge, judgers going to judge, players going to play, luvers going to luv... you tubers going to keep calm and tube on...
I love your channel so much, you have helped me lots, by being yourself and being honest about how hard it was it has enabled me to let go of stuff too, I find the criticism really sad, I get it’s not for everyone but then if if it doesn’t resonate don’t watch and move on, please keep being yourself, yourself is great xx edit- it’s your space so if you want a rug it’s up to you and if not that’s also your choice xx
You are amazing. I appreciate you and your videos. Thank you.
Ignore the haters… you just have to laugh at the stupid thoughts people have!
Your house looks simple, beautiful, and peaceful. You guys are an inspiration to me!👍😎💖
You guys are great! So glad you are back...love watching your videos!
Your husband is so sweet, though. He really loves you so much even if he does not talk about it so often. You can see it, watching his body language. ❤ You are a great couple.
The people who say your home is boring, ummm.... Rude! Like seriously do they go to there friends and family and say, "too boring" "too messy" "too warm tone" "too cool tone" I sure hope not! Everyone has different tastes lol people probably think my living room and babies room is boring or too minimal but, like, who cares? They ain't living debtfree
I love 💕 your channel. I’m shocked people say mean things. You have inspired me in many ways. Blessings to you & your family ☺️
You and Joshua Becker have echos in your videos, but that's a sign of legit minimalism! You could change it up and do a video outside. That would be nice to see your surroundings, too. Great Q & A
Thank you Marissa! This is a great video. You really inspire a people. We live very similiar to you, and we are in Austria. Recetly we bought a rug, but a 100% wool rug and it's soo cool and cozy, we are even more on the floor now. 😂 And we ordered a floor sofa too. And last 2 years we haven't almost anything in living room. But more fun to our sons. All the best from heart! ⚘⚘⚘⚘
Floor sofas are so fun! Thanks for watching. ❤️
I'm team No Rug!! It just seems like a lint compartment in a dryer to me. It traps everything in it and if you have allergies it's a nightmare. I think your house looks amazing and your hubby is a sweetie.
I’m team EVERYTHING! Your children are so beautiful.
Thank you so much! ☺️
Well I, for one, love ❤️ your home. It’s so peaceful and love how much space there is to dance. Hehe! 💖
I'm team NO RUG... except our sun room has a brick floor we don't enjoy walking on, but we love being in there. So that room has a rug. But otherwise I'm extremely anti rug/carpet.
Gracias Marissa , en realidad yo no sabía que era minimalista, me molestaba mucho, las cosas , ahorramos durante años, a pesar de las críticas de qué no teníamos los muebles y electrodomésticos de moda eran de 25 años , sin adornos yo pasaba depurando lo innecesario, era un hábito se compraba lo necesario únicamente , aún con el hijo , sus juguetes etc , hoy jubilados , tenemos una casa increíble y con sólo lo necesario , es limpia y tiene eco también, luz , y espacio, eres muy valiente , vivir diferente al resto es un reto hoy en día , sigue adelante ! Me gusta tu sinceridad y la de tú esposo e hijos , bendiciones !
I am firmly on team no rug/carpet. It gets so goofy and cannot get clean enough for me. Our house has carpeted stairs, which I've kept on because I'm worried the kids will slip. But it got too gross! I just pulled up the carpet on two stairs this evening and the dirt underneath was horrifying.
I'm on the "no rugs" team! I think your house is just about perfect. Not too sparse, lots of space, and no clutter! I could definitely live in a space like this 😁👍👍
I think you have a lovely warm home. It's always feels peaceful and spacious on your videos and your home life seems calm, happy and loving. I really enjoy your content and think it's nice seeing someone who is real.
I LOVE a peaceful echoey room, your home is wonderful… change nothing, it’s great as it is 👍🙏 Caroline 🇬🇧
Thank you for sharing. I love your bravery, creativity, and heart of your videos
The older I get the more strength I am getting at feeling more able to be myself and not allowing other people's judgement to dictate who I am. I am a highly sensitive person. Lots of people don't understand it. Thank you for being brave and being sensitive on screen :-). Your husband is so lovely with you :-). My other half is a rock and calmness in contrast to my sensitivity:-).
Liebe Marisa,
Thank you for being so brave and generous.
Love and Bliss to you and your family
Love this video. Absolutely the never ending story. As a 10 year old I was traumatized for life over the horse dying. Your probably way healthier living in Germany rather than America!!
Thank you for all your videos Marissa! Boo to those mean people, bullies are never happy with anything in their lives sonthem want to spread the misery. You're amazing!
I particularly enjoy your voice! When I am cleaning/de-cluttering my own house, I put your videos on because your voice is soothing to listen to.
People have their own messed up stories. They're just not telling you. My story is messed up. We have to live for now and enjoy our lives.
I feel that being "told" to buy a rug because you have echo in your audio - is a personal problem of the person complaining. We did buy one rug for our living room because of echo, but that was OUR decision. Love your channel. Blessings to you and yours.
Thank you Bonita! In general I don’t worry, but I know my hard-of-hearing followers have trouble with the extra noise - as a former SLP, that’s sad for me to hear. I try to turn captions on but sometimes they don’t work. Thanks watching. ❤️
By the way, I’m a new subscriber and I love your channel. You are not squeaky at all… well, you’re squeaky clean, but I call that a plus. When you show footage of your home I relax immediately. So peaceful. Thank you for putting yourself out there.
Not "more" - but "together"! I love your videos, your hacks, you talking about your background and your beautiful home. And I love the two of you together!
Marissa, I am new to your channel & I love your realness & rawness. You are so likeable & I very much appreciate your sense of humour! Mr Zen is such a gentle & calm presence & your boys are just adorable! It's unfortunate that some people feel the need to try & lift themselves up by tearing you down. It's pretty evident though that people who leave mean comments, deep down really aren't happy. 😊
This is also EXTREME CUTENESS!!!! You two are absolutely ADORABLE together!! The production value on this video with the sound effects and the rapport between you...this is one of my favorite videos you've ever given us! 💕💕
Re: too much thrift shopping, I take a lot of my donations to our local animal support resale store.. Lately I just tap on the sliding glass door in back and the attendant comes out and carries my stuff in for me. That way I don't go in and am not tempted to buy things I don't need. 👍
Team no rug! But I have a bit of background as to why. I'm a former CNA and I know that rugs make people trip, especially the elderly and disabled people I took care of. As an inhome aid I had to clean around SO MANY rugs and being not the best housekeeper, my elderly clients didn't like how I cleaned them or laid them out. My distaist for rugs grew over my 6 1/2 years as a CNA PLUS I don't like loud noises and don't own a vacuum cleaner. Rugs. 👎
Love your emotional moments. 💞
Team - no rug!!! It collects too much dust.
You and your family are amazing! I love your home including the echos and all the empty space you have! Definitely not a boring home and who cares about what you wear as long as you feel good in them! Don’t change anything!
That really sucks that ppl are so openly nasty and negative to you. You have a great voice, love your style, inspired by your unchaotic space, and appreciated your positivity/ openness/ advice.
It makes me sad that people can be so mean. Treat others as you want to be treated.
Who cares what others think, it's your life not theirs.
"Don't give over permission to those to be in your head who don't belong there in first place".
Oh Nightmare on Elm street is the only horror movie I did like. Not a horror fan. lol. But I do like Freddy 🙃🤣
Thank you for this video! Again, it was a pleasure and also informative. Thank you. - I belong to team "no rug" due to having cats and rug cleaning would be a 24/7 task. But the echos in my living room are the same as in your place. Yet, I never found the echos in your videos disturbing. Also, I love the "empty" = clear structured and nice view of your home whenever you show it.
I have accumulated/inherited several deceased family members’ things (added to my own), that I continue to downsize. Most of it WILL go, but it takes time to go through box after box of all the small things that were packed up and moved out of a person’s home Somehow, even though I buy very little but consumables, I have so much stuff here that even when I take bags and boxes out, it still seems to look like nothing has been removed. I don’t mind getting rid of things I’ll never use, but there are many things that I have kept because I see the “project” potential in them. I have a child’s rocker that I have had (just taking up space) so long, that I don’t even remember where it came from. It’s been in my garage workshop, occupying floor space and avoiding being tripped over for years…. in great shape for its age, except the joints need to be re-glued for stability and then I can donate it. . It’s about number 9000 on the “projects to do” list! Yesterday, I had decided that I was never going to get to it and that if somebody else wanted it, THEY could rehab it.
We have a ”giving table” in the neighborhood (in a woman’s front yard), where people can donate things they no longer need OR pick up something that they want from the tables. I donate a lot there, but never stop to see what’s on the tables… I need nothing else to be brought into my house. I went out to my shop and picked up that little rocker to wipe the wood dust and a couple spiderwebs from it, before putting it in my car to take to “the tables” and immediately put it back down, telling myself “it won’t take long to re-glue the joints; why I donated in that condition?”
At my advanced age, I think my first organizational tip is to choose a certain number of projects that I think I will reasonably get to and remove the rest. So maybe today, that rocking chair WILL get donated in unfinished condition.
One thing I wholeheartedly agree with you guys on and I’ve always said, that rugs (in my case carpet), are disgusting! God only knows what all we have stepped down during the day that we pull into our house on our shoes, yet think that vacuuming and occasional steam cleaning are sufficient; we’d never wear the same clothes day after day for six months without washing them and THEY haven’t been drug across streets, lawns and (the worst) parking lots. As soon as I can get enough off the floor, the carpet comes out and the hardwood floors under it, get refinished.
I hate rugs!!!! The only one I have is one small in the bathroom. It's more like a floor towel really. I hate rugs, because they accumulate hair and dirt so quickly and it is so hard to clean them... it is almost impossible to clean a rug without a special vacuum washer. Ugh just thinking about having one makes me feel sick! ..but I get the hype, people in America are raised on rugs (I know it sounds weird :D), and most of the people watching this channel, I guess, are from the US.... so they don't understand the freedom that comes from not having rugs!
I actually think some people are jealous you have no rugs! I also have automatic vacuum, that is another freedom, no vacumming for me at all (only small hand vacum for beds, sofa, chairs etc.). My automatic vacumm runs the house like 2 or 3 times a day and I don't need to vacumm (but I have to pick up my bathroom rug because he would eat it so having more rugs would be a tornment). :D
Yes, I actually grew up with tons of rooms with full carpet in the USA and I remember walking around in shoes after being outside. Now that I think about it, I cringe remembering how we walked through the house in dirty shoes! 😂 Thanks for watching.
This "no memory-pieces" is the biggest bullshit I've ever heard. I had EVERYTHING as a child but what I really would have needed is time with my parents. Especially with my mother who died at 47.
❤️
I’m seeing this a little late, but wanted to share my Ruggable experience. We bought a large Ruggable. At first I loved it, but the first time I had to clean it my love waned. Every time we had to clean it my love waned until it turned in to complete dislike. I think smaller sizes, say no more than a 5x7’ would be fine, though after repeated laundering the edges do curl. We tried all the tricks to keep that from happening and none of them worked. Ultimately it was just time for the rug to go, and we are back in the no rug club.
My friend loves her Ruggable! They have a re-jute one that looks great. Her rugs fit in her machine and always look fresh, even with four kids and two huge dogs(both puppies).
Definitely team no rug! With 2 cats and a toddler the maintenance was way too much work so after 1.5 years we removed the 2 we had. And it’s so much better for cleaning! And don’t really miss it for decor.
About other people’s judgement, there is one quote I wanna share with you: If you have a problem with me, call me. If you don’t have my number, then you don’t know me enough to judge me. ❤
Dang! What a mic drop 👏😆
I love your channel so much. Thank you for being so vulnerable with us and for answering so many questions. My favorite thing this: Most of the time, when I watch videos on youtube, I get this pressure to compare myself to the videos, to the life shown there and I feel like I need to live exactly this life or I will not be as happy/successful/relaxed as the person in the video. I get this overwhelming feeling of needing to own exactly what's shown in the videos and to change my life to mimic what I see. But when I watch your wonderful videos, I never feel like that at all. I don't compare my life to yours, I don't get the urge tu buy things to make my home look more like your beautiful beautiful home. Instead, I get inspired to think about my life, to be more honest with myself and to be brave enough to be vulnerable with others. I change things a little bit at a time to change my life in a way that feels meaningful and peaceful and happy for me. And I cannot thank you enough for that. You truly are an inspiration and I will never be able to express how much it means ❤. THANK YOU!
Thank YOU for your wonderful and insightful comment 🤗
You are beautiful, sweet, and have helped at least me and my life. Don't let other people's negative comments bother you. You are amazing! Thank you! (Also I am sure you don't stink, most people don't wash everytime.) ❤❤
Haha! Can I just say, the same exact movie scenes that tramatized you as a kid were exactly the same as mine! I could name a few more, but those two scenes, The Neverending Story- the horse and ET dying- immediate recall truama!
You Both are Delicious 😋 🥰
Definitely You place is NOT boring LoVe ♥️ You practically ⛲️🙏
My dad was in the US Army in the late 80s, so my parents lived in Germany (I believe at Bad Hersfeld). They loved their time there and have some cool souvenirs. Sadly, my mom’s German monopoly was destroyed when our house was hit with a tornado though. Everything else from there seemed to survive.
Geez Louise Marissa! @17:00 - you cry / I cry!
Maybe it's because I was in food service for nearly 20 years (as well as the occasional other job that required a uniform)....not only am I used to wearing the same outfit every day, but now that I'm retired, I wear the same outfit at least 3 times before putting it in the wash. Especially since we are ZERO or below zero temps, I'm not sweating! So unless I spill mustard down the front of myself, there's no need to wear clothing once and then off to the laundry it goes. And since I shower daily - no my clothes don't smell lol!
This is why I can have THREE TOPS and THREE BOTTOMS and still have 'enough' clothes to wear in a week!
To the viewer's comment about how to get over thrifting/buying...my advice, open a retail store like I did - you will get it out of your system really quick. It fulfills the need to shop and you can then make money on your shopping without the guilt!
Just love you both, I can relate to everything you say about memories being best from experiences, and how you value space. I've had some very emotional moments alongside you, Marissa! ❤
I’m glad to have you along every step of the way, Kathryn. 🤗
A No Rug Vote here. I agree that they are not worth the effort to keep them clean and know that they trap dirt and funk like carpet. I only appreciate them at the entry way or just outside the shower. The ideal rug is small enough to fit in the washing machine, made out of organic cotton, linen or hemp, is a neutral color and is reversible. I actually appreciate the echo:)
I'm team NO rug. For a short while my living room was cleared out enough to have an echo. It made me think I was getting somewhere with my decluttering! It's part of the goal of the minimalism for me. In fact I've been thinking about getting rid of my bedroom rug (it needs to be cleaned big time) and bathroom rug except for the shower mat. I agree about the maintenance, but I actually like living room rugs. I've been moving furniture around so much that a rug is in the way.
I always call Nightmare on Elm Street, "Freddie Krueger," too and it's definitely the most scary movie I have ever seen. :0
Rugs in natural fibers- wool is soft, stain resistant and lovely to sit or yoga on( think of the durability of a good winter coat!). Many Berber & design forward Contemporary styles out there- check a low tight weave in a good neutral.
I love your channel. I'm learning a lot, and you seems to be a very nice, funny and honest person. Bravo for the courage to make videos, knowing that some people will talk and judge you. You are a very charismatic and sweet person.
My heart go out to you. Thank you for being you. I have a youtu.be channel to and I fear the same. I haven't posted in a month. Watching you open up about your channel help me not to fear about the what if or how people can be rude.
You two are so cute! A wonderful couple! Unfortunately, it is easier for people to say something mean, than it is to say nothing at all, and sadly, there are so many people out there who feel good only when they bring others down. But we can't control what others do or say， so let them say whatever they want, just don't dignify negative comments with your attention (because they are not worth it) and delete them :)
You are my inspiration - never a failure. You have a beautiful family in beautiful home. I enjoy watching your channel and am a minimalist in progress.
Team no rug. So much easier to dry mop/sweep the floor. Vs vacuuming and washing rugs
You are great bless it be people are hater u are on point
Love your videos Marissa and equally love the ones with Mr Zen! I’m personally team rug for my own home but LOVE the echoes in your house 😂.
Thanks so much for sharing, do you have problems with keeping it clean, the rug in your house? 🤔
Your husband is handsome thats why. You look good together 💜
i bought a thick and fluffy small rug to put in my kitchen sink area because my heels would get so sore. I also have a kid who jumps from the top of the sofa so a rug is making his landing less hard ...and it s good for my neighbor as well lol
I'm learning from your amazing videos! Thanks to you Angel 🦋🌺