We are accustomed to believe that more is always better. But with the rise of minimalism we start to realize the quantity of stress endless piles of stuff generate. The time and energy it takes to take care of these stuff is immense and we don’t want to do it anymore.
The solution – buy less stuff!
The first step to buying less stuff is realizing what is it that you have problem with. Is it the clothes, tech, household decoration or something else?
Whatever it is, here’s what you should do:
Stop browsing. People are buying more and more online, because it’s more convenient. But for whom? Surely not for your nerves or wallet. Most of the time you are bored out of your mind, but you are feeling too lazy to do anything, so you just lay in your bed and look for stuff to buy. Stuff that you don’t need! If you really like the dress, find it in a store, get up and go try it on. Bring cash with you (it’s proved that people buy less with cash that with card) and take the actual time to buy the item. If it all seems like too much of a drag, then you answered the biggest question – you don’t need it!
Take a breath. Actually take 24 hours of breathing before you purchase something. I’ve used this method countless of times and most of the time I end up not buying the item that I wanted. After that, it just fades away from my memory, because I have better things to do than wine about those expensive running shoes.
Find a use. The question you should constantly be asking yourself is ‘does this bring any value to my life?’ Be honest with yourself. I’ll give you a simple example. I wanted to buy a fitness tracker, because adults love numbers, right? So I’ve been on a verge of buying one for quite some time. But! I spend 8 hours on a job every day. A job where I can’t wear any kind of rings, watches etc. So, that time doesn’t count. So I would have kind of a 2/3 of the numbers I want. Is it enough? For me – no! That’s why I never bought it.
Hour of live vs. Cost of Item. I used to laugh at my grandma for counting the cost of everything in the number of fresh baked breads you can buy for the money. In the part of the world where I live, bread is no longer scarce, but we start to realize there’s one resource that has value above all others. Time!
If you have to invest 8 hours of work today, and after that go out and buy an item that costs the equivalent of what you have earned in this period of time – it better be worth it!
Here are some guides that you can also find helpful.
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