This is a discussion to spur thinking into how you can incorporate minimalism in your life. A good way of thinking about this is every object we consume, every service we receive has a financial impact. That pair of pants or new blouse you purchased for $20? If you wear them 20 times before moving on, you incur $1 per wear to actually use them. This philosophy can be extended to a lot of things around the house. Let's be honest, do you really need another container to hold food? Perhaps you might use it 80 times before it breaks down and you chuck it. Or maybe buying a new TV. Every time you turn it on that's going to be a $ amount per hour that's coming from your wealth. I had the chance to get into the thick of it when I moved into a new place for my job. Do I really need to furnish this place? I only have one butt to sit on. A couch would upset the budget and take up space.
For purchases driven by uncertainty or impulse, I advise you to take a moment. What emotion are we chasing here precisely? Is buying a kitkat really the solution to this situation? What problem are we solving by forking over cash for that big purchase. A lot of time it eventually boils down to the need for validation or just the contentment of being seen the "right way" in other peoples' eyes. Over the time I have spent contemplating my needs I've come to realize we need very little. Once you assign a number to the emotion, or the fleeting dopamine hit, all if your spending becomes incredibly to visualize. Here are some ways I have reduced costs while maintaining a solid quality of life.
- How much clothing do you really need? Apply the philosophy to your wardrobe and it's very easy to arrive at an estimate. Over the year, I have reduced my work attire clothing to less than 30 cents per wear.
- I have no more than 3 plates in my kitchen. Much cheaper than buying a set, and most of what I do in the kitchen hardly exceeds that need of plates. One of them I've been using for 16 years so the cost is nil by now.
- I rescue torn garbage bags from work that are tossed into the trash and use them as trash bags for my own place. I don't generate a lot of garbage anyway.
- I moved to using powdered soap for the dishwasher and washing machine as it was cheaper. 2 boxes of detergent last me a year and 1 box of dish soap lasts me 2 years. I've found no difference using the bath soap bar for washing hands. So now I just move it between the shower and the sink.
Sure everyone has different circumstances. Some of you may have kids or have inherited money. Nonetheless it's a good way of saving to get ahead in life.
My apartment for reference- It ain't much, but it solves every need for shelter
Minimalism as a means to turn frugality into a way of life
byu/Thisisbhusha inFrugal
Posted by Thisisbhusha
6 Comments
Having more plates means our dishwasher is more full when we run it. Therefore the plates cost less per use.
you can get a very comfortable office chair with wheels etc for $0-5. no chance you would catch me on that chair!!! i personally prefer 2 monitors also.
props for your minimilism.
i sold everything and lived/traveled solo for 2 years 2023-4 in a 40′ coach. everything i owned was inside. my living space was almost certainly smaller than your apt! i considered it much more than i actually needed. of course, the outside was my second bedroom, and i followed the sun always, so i wore shorts and flip flops for 2 straight years!
You seem to live a life devoid of pleasure and while this seems to be a flex to you, I like having more than three plates as it means I can feed people in my life and I like having a home with furniture and meaningful decor and not a lawn chair as I deserve to relax and feel at ease in my home
One should also consider how much you are saving and whether that savings are worth the negative impact, rather than just focusing on reduce spending on all items as much as possible — getting a good value.
For example, you mentioned going through trash at work to get torn trash bags for your personal use. That’s definitely not for me. For a variety of reasons, I’m happy to pay for quality un-torn trash bags. I favor the Costco 33 gallon ones — stronger than normal supermarket brand, larger size, and good value — $20 for 90 count. I use ~1 bag per week, so that works out to slightly under $1 per month. Is using torn trash bags from work instead of untorn extra-strong bags from Costco really worth saving $1 per month?
The big expenses and big savings opportunities often have far more impact. Some decisions that may seem minor can save thousand per year. These decisions might involve the big purchases such as car or home/rent, whether you are getting employer 401k match, debt or refinancing mortgage, maximizing deductions when filing taxes this week, etc.
… Investing in an expensive robot vacuum and dehumidifier but not a proper chair is a choice. Bro, please go invest in your own comfort and ergonomics, being able to have friends over with enough plates for them, or garbage bags that aren’t going to be dripping all over your hallway.
OP if you have debt and you’re aggressively saving and paying off then heads off to you. Go full boar. But there’s a balance in everything. Agree that we shouldn’t be chasing that dopamine hit or that internet likes, that’s no reason to do anything. But if you simple do something because you enjoy it and it gives you pleasure then isn’t that the whole point of us busting our ass everyday? Like fo you need a new phone every year it comes out? No! But fo you need a proper chair with lumbar support for you long term health? Please yes for the love of all things holy get a proper chair for your health.
Some things I don’t see often discussed in this sub is the health trade off or small pleasures in life. Because we want to live this short period we have in this life and not just existing or surviving right? There’s a fine line between consuming with intentions vs being a slave to money and we all have to figure that out for ourselves.
And I hate to regurgitate this but it’s easier to make a few hundreds a month than to save a couple bucks on garbage bags. If you’re willing to find discarded trash bag, then why not go to a couple neighborhoods offer lawn care or snow clearing. You just need to do 3 houses and that’s your entire year of garbage bags and then some