Living Simply in a Consumer World
- Isabel S.
- Feb 20, 2018
- 6 min read
To me living simply is a huge factor in my mental wellness. Working to pay for things I don't need feels like a sickness. Why in the world do I need 30 pairs of shoes, the newest iPhone, or a million things from target that will break by next year? To me, I would rather go without the brand new car, so I can enjoy my life, rather than paying into a broken system that's designed to keep me on the hook. Sure, we all like nice things and it's ok to splurge and treat yourself on certain things (I choose to spend a little more money on buying good quality groceries). But, when you're buying yourself into a life of being overworked, stressed, and broke...what's the point?
What is this driving factor that makes us want to go into TJmaxx and buy every pretty china made thing we see? Why not fill our lives and homes with well-made items that serve a purpose or have great sentimental value. The clutter of unneeded items is doing nothing but straining our bank accounts and filling our landfills.
I only recently discovered the joys of a more minimalistic lifestyle. I used to be the girl in Goodwill and TJmaxx filling my cart with crap I didn't need. When I met my husband my apartment was filled from wall to wall with things. He didn't push me to get rid of anything but he himself is very barebones. Being at his house, I felt like I had air to breathe. My house was by no means dirty, but it was cluttered and I realized it was causing me stress. So, when we moved in together, I donated or got rid of tons of crap. It was so incredibly freeing. What I was left with, were only the things that had meaning to me. Now, these special and beautiful things can be really showcased in our home. I'm able to appreciate the things that actually matter and use the good stuff more. I would by no means call us minimalists. I still go to TJmaxx and Goodwill, and one of our favorite weekend activities is yardsaling, but now I buy things with intention. I only go shopping when I really need something instead of out of boredom or for retail therapy. When I do buy something I strive to find something that's good quality.
This doesn't mean buy the most expensive thing. Searching for a deal is a thrill! It can be frustrating to have to wait to find a deal, but it's worth it. I don't remember the last time we paid full retail for anything and most of the larger pieces in our house are vintage. A great thing about buying things that are well made (from estate sales, for example) is that most of the things we have could be sold for more money than we paid for them. This means we have equity in much that we own, so if we ever get in a pinch we can sell something and make money rather than lose money. Most of the things we choose to buy are the kinds of things we can pass down to our children someday. I hope our kids will be able to enjoy the family heirlooms we're accumulating rather than having to throw out a bunch of cheap stuff. I hope that we'll be able to go on trips and have wonderful experiences rather than working our asses into the ground to pay off credit cards.
Another thing my sweet husband taught me is to get out of the payment lifestyle. I bought a newer car when I got my first nursing job. It was, what I thought to be, a good buy. A Honda, used but still only one year old, awesome gas mileage, and a relatively low monthly payment. Win win win. When we got married there wasn't a ton left to pay but I'd been paying the minimum payment for years and the pay off amount just seemed to be sitting there. The first thing he did, when we got married, was pay that sucker off. Life without a car payment is amazing!! Being on a payment plan with interest of any kind is an absolute killer to your bank account. You end up paying thousands of dollars more. So, just the interest you end up paying could be saved to pay for an awesome car in cash.
What this really boils down to is living your best life. To me, the best life we can live doesn't involve a ton of stuff. It's our experiences we have, spending time with the people we love, and eating good food (this is mainly a food blog after all). Wouldn't it be nice to have virtually no bills? The money you make can go into savings, pay for trips, fund nice dates, etc. Things you do have can bring you joy instead of being hidden by cheap clutter. It took some work to get to this point, but our only monthly expenses are so low I can breathe! Before I felt like I was being buried alive with stress. Being in a relationship where you share expenses also really helps, but even if you're doing it alone, cutting your bills in half will allow you to work less and enjoy life more!
Here are a few steps to a more simple lifestyle that have changed my life. It took about 3 years to get to the point I'm at now, so give yourself time and grace. It's really hard to make a life change and it's pretty crazy how letting go of "stuff" can be an emotional challenge, but once you've made the change, you'll feel so free.
Choose a room/closet in your house every month and put your hands on each thing.
Ask yourself...When is the last time I actually used this? Will I honestly use it in the next 6 months? Does this truly bring me joy or have sentimental value? If you ask yourself these questions and feel like you can live without the item, get rid of it.
Pay off whatever you can that's on a payment.
Start small. Pay off your phone first. Next your credit card (and cut that sucker up when you're done with it). Then work up to your car. Most people can't throw down thousands of dollars at once to pay off a car payment, but what you can do is increase your monthly payment by $50 or $100 dollars. Whatever you do, don't just pay the minimum amount because you'll never pay it off.
Get rid of your credit cards.
I have one $2,000 limit credit card for emergencies only. If I ever have a balance on it I pay it off in full within the month. (I'll give myself credit for this one because I did this before my husband came along.)
Get control of your shopping habit.
Do you really need 10 pairs of jeans? Unless you wear jeans every single day, no you don't. You probably only need 2 or 3 pairs. This is just one example but there are so many more. Do you really need that little China made trinket of a dog from Marshalls? Nope. Save your money and spend it on something that is well made and actually has meaning to you. If your current phone works do you need to get on a payment plan for a $1,000 new phone. Good lort no!
When you buy something new try to find something old to get rid of.
One simple example of this is dog toys. When I buy my dog a new toy I throw one of the old ones away. When we have a baby, one thing I want to try to do, is when there's a new toy brought in donate an old one to a shelter (not only to cut down on clutter but also to instill a sense of charity). This causes a constant cleaning out. Out with the old in with the new. You can do this with anything new you buy and it doesn't have to be a one for one swap. The idea is, everytime you bring something new into the house, try to find something unused to take out.
When you do buy something, especially a bigger ticket item, make sure it's well made.
Once you've gotten some of these unnecessary expenses out of the way you'll be able to start buying better quality things. This doesn't mean everything in your life has to be expensive, but when you buy things that are well made they will last longer. One great way to do this is to go to estate sales or antique shops.
The key is mindfulness when buying. Ask yourself these questions. How long will I have to work to pay for this? Do I really need/want this? How long until this breaks or is out of style and has to be replaced?
The live to work mentality doesn't jive with me. Get out there and work to live! Work smarter not harder! Work hard, play harder! I hope the tips I gave above can help at least one person get control of their life. Take it one step at a time and you will succeed!
Here are some links that could also be helpful. Some of these people are to the extreme of minimalism. Like in the rest of life, take what speaks to you, leanr from it, and leave the rest.
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