Why do Mormons have no stuff in their houses?

[Anonymous]

I am home sick and I’ve been watching the secret lives of Mormon wives (it’s very dumb, don’t watch it) and they all live in giant houses with no stuff in them. I would think this was just a reality show thing, and that they’re sets not homes, but I went through a period of following ballerina farm and she has almost nothing in her house either. Her sister lives in a giant mansion, not a farmhouse like ballerina farm, and she also has nothing in her house. No rugs, very few pictures on the wall, no decorative accents. I realize these are all social media people so it’s not representative of the entire religion but I grew up in a place that isn’t Utah that had a ton of Mormons and when I went over to the Mormon houses I noticed a dramatic lack of stuff. I do know some Mormons that have what I would call a normal amount of “stuff” in their houses by North American standards, which, of course, is way too much. But of where I grew up I have a bit of a Mormon radar, and having not very much stuff in your house sets it off for me.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is it just because it’s not emphasized in Mormon culture to decorate your home? Is it because they have so many kids they don’t have money for extra? (Unlikely, because ballerina farm and her sister are quite well off, and so were the Mormons who I knew growing up.) Is it because cleaning and life need to be made easier when you have so many kids so you limit the amount of stuff in your home?

[Anonymous]

It's a social media person thing: they tend to get the newest house, newest stuff, anything that is on trend and looks good online. And they have maids to clean and not have clutter. Regular people do not live like this at all.

[Anonymous]

House poor

[Anonymous]

I don't think that's true of all mormons. Naomi Davis (ex mormon blogger) lived in DC and NYC and her domcile was CRAMMED with crap and bright colors. It was awful. And her house they were majorly renovating in AZ seemed destined for the same fate.

[Anonymous]

It’s a social media thing. It makes you look affluent to have a large new-build home with 0 clutter. Lots of decorative stuff can look kitschy and cheap. Look at any reality show about poor people - there is stuff everywhere.

[Anonymous]

It's a set house. It's just for filming. They have their personal, private, messy house too

[Anonymous]

Nesting with Grace is a mormon design blog and she definitely had a lot of stuff in her house.

[Anonymous]

So it just that there are lots of Mormon influencers and influencers have bare homes with a few TJ Maxx tchotchkes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a set house. It's just for filming. They have their personal, private, messy house too

Everyone doesn’t live in a pig pen. Some of us have neat and tidy houses all the time and we’re neither Mormons nor filming anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a social media thing. It makes you look affluent to have a large new-build home with 0 clutter. Lots of decorative stuff can look kitschy and cheap. Look at any reality show about poor people - there is stuff everywhere.

I don't agree at all. It makes it seem like you have no personality. I was always aghast at how bland and boring the Kardashian houses were-beige on beige on beige. Literally anyone could have lived there.

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting observation! I too had some affluent LDS friends growing up and their houses were indeed incredibly clean (like, sparkling clean, in spite of having a ton of kids) and remarkably clutter-free.

My friend told me they had a cleaning schedule and they had to clean before someone came to inspect their house from the church--maybe on a biweekly basis? They had a ton of cleaning chores down to things like cleaning blinds every week and wiping down the entire kitchen and cleaning the stove fan grease trap each and every time you cook.

I agree a lot of it for social media is probably studio set homes that they don't actually live in. But for regular folks I think it would be impossible to keep to those incredibly high house cleanliness standards without living in basically an empty space.

[Anonymous]

The worst hoarder house I've ever personally been in was a Mormon household.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a social media thing. It makes you look affluent to have a large new-build home with 0 clutter. Lots of decorative stuff can look kitschy and cheap. Look at any reality show about poor people - there is stuff everywhere.

I don't agree at all. It makes it seem like you have no personality. I was always aghast at how bland and boring the Kardashian houses were-beige on beige on beige. Literally anyone could have lived there.

I agree. When I go into homes like that I am taken aback. My house is also very clean and organized, but I have items from my travels, family heirlooms, paintings, and rugs. Same with the house I grew up in, where we had a full time live in maid. I think it’s so weird when people have nothing in their house besides new stuff but I think it’s a cultural difference.

[Anonymous]

But LDS members are also low key preppers. Imperative to store up enough of all basics particularly food stuffs so that your family may be self sufficient and never reliant upon government assistance or any type of emergency hand outs.

The women gather to can and sort and store kitchen staples. Sometimes this is a church event.

I’d love to know where these influencers’ stockpile is - onsite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's a set house. It's just for filming. They have their personal, private, messy house too

Everyone doesn’t live in a pig pen. Some of us have neat and tidy houses all the time and we’re neither Mormons nor filming anything.

You aren't the subject of the thread. Agree with PP they are set houses. Likely rentals they moved into just before filming.