How minimalism adds value to my life

Last year I watched Minimalism on Netflix. Woah. Things I gathered: We spend a lot of money on a lot of things we don’t need, and we place a lot of value on things that ultimately don’t really make us a better person. As soon as I was finished, I went through all the stuff I owned, thinking, “I have to get rid of it!” (Yes, I know, a little overzealous of me). I started with clothes because that was something I felt like I irrationally held on to. That night I had two piles: clothes to sell and clothes to donate. It was at least 15 items that I had hardly worn in the past year.

Since then, I have downsized. I don’t own a dresser (I use a 4-cube shelf from IKEA), but I do have a closet. I still fall prey to “browsing” in Target (suddenly I have 12 items I don’t need in my cart and I have to circle back to put them back on their shelves).

But overall — in the past few months, I have felt I’m better able to focus on what’s important to me: my relationships, creating things, spending time outside. But that doesn’t mean I don’t buy anything and I definitely don’t only dress myself with 33 items (though I seriously want to try!). Here’s what I’ve learned from Minimalism and hopefully you can use these insights to downsize or reevaluate your priorities (if needed).

1] Everything you think you need you (probably) don’t.

We are constantly being advertised to — ALL. THE. TIME. And the ads always say “need” instead of “want.” I remember having a conversation with my Pap before I started my full-time job. I had asked him how to save money (“when rent, food, and everything is so expensive!”). He told me straight up: everything you think you need — you don’t. I countered. “You don’t.” Again, I tried to come up with an excuse for why I might need a new pair of pants or the latest whatever. “Alyssa, I’m going to tell you one more time: everything you think you need, you don’t.” I think about that when I’m at a store and feel compelled to buy an overpriced scarf or even a top on sale. Do I really need it? Is it going to add value? At the very least, when I see something I want (or think I need) — I give it a week (or more). Because impulses fade, and there’s nothing worse than seeing something in your closet or room that you just bought, haven’t used, and don’t actually need.

2] Investing in activities and experiences has become more valuable to me than buying a new sweater.

If there’s one thing I want to do in this great big life, it’s travel. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to a few places, but the travel bug is far from gone for me. When I think about buying a “thing” I often think about what I’m giving up by buying this. (Because if you’re saying yes to one thing, you’re inevitably saying no to something else.) I also try to invest in experiences (i.e. a new restaurant or a paint night) with people because that (for me) has been more rewarding. When I do invest in a new clothing item, my rule is typically “get one, give one” to prevent overconsumption.

3] When it comes to clothes, I evaluate my wardrobe weekly.

I am naturally an extremely organized person, so evaluating my wardrobe comes rather easy to me. I typically spend a few minutes each week to review my clothes. I’ve heard of the “30 day rule” and the 6-month rule” which essentially asks, “Have you worn this in the last 30 days? 6 months?” I live in a seasonal location, so it’s not totally rational to wear all of my clothes in the last 30 days, but I do think 6-months is reasonable. If you haven’t, are you ever going to? Sure, we have a few “special” items that we save for weddings or special occasions, but (in my opinion) for the most part, if we haven’t worn it in 6-months, it’s probably never going to happen. 

4] I have decided which “things” are particularly important to me (and worth keeping).

Everyone choose what they spend their money on, and I’m not trying to persuade you to do things exactly as I do. For me, I like to invest in things that I find will have a return on investment for me. (Modest) art that reminds me of my favorite scripture or quote or place I want to visit, books that give me new ideas or challenge my way of thinking, and crafting (i.e. creating) items that spur my creativity and help me relax are my choices. Yours could be new workout clothes that inspire you to be active, a new tech gear that requires logical thinking or building to use, or honestly anything! My point is that not everything gives your life value, so decide what does it for you and stick to that.

5] Unsubscribe, unsubscribe, unsubscribe.

You’ve probably heard this before, but unsubscribing from unwanted emails constantly inviting you spend money on something you didn’t realize you needed is a really great way to remove those temptations. I’m not trying to say that all emails from clothing stores are bad, but they can make you think you want something out of the blue. I find that I don’t regret a purchase when I’ve thought of it organically instead of thinking I wanted it after I saw an ad for it.

Everyone has a right to spend their money the way they want to. I’ve found that Minimalism has helped me remove the pressure to buy things to stay within the status quo and has instead allowed me to focus on what adds value to my life. No, I’m not a “full on minimalist” and I don’t pretend to be, but I am making a constant effort to need less, give more, and appreciate my life right now (instead of thinking it’ll get better once I have more stuff). It might work for you too, if you give it a try.