Hi, I'm Erin from Broke Millennial for the Financial Diet. Welcome to the Three
Minute Guide brought to you by Skillshare. In almost fifty episodes of this
show you've never really seen me do a rant, so when somebody asked recently in
the comments for my thoughts on minimalism I decided it's time that you
got to see one. Here are my unfiltered thoughts on minimalism. For those of you
unfamiliar, minimalism has been a growing concept over the last seven years or so.
Of course, it predates that as a general concept especially considering many of
the major world religions do encourage its leaders and most devoted to give up
earthly possessions in the pursuit of a better connection with their higher
power. But I digress. The mainstream popularity of this current version of
minimalism did really start to gain traction in our post recession world
with it hitting a fever pitch in about 2015.
That was around the same time that everyone kept talking about tiny houses.
By fever pitch, I mean that every blogger or influencer for money to fashion seem
to be making note of this trend of minimalism. It was discussed in
mainstream media and there was even a documentary made about it called, you
guessed it, Minimalism. The de-facto founders appropriately called the
minimalist describe the movement on their website as "a tool to rid yourself
of life's excess in favor of focusing on what's important so you can find
happiness fulfillment and freedom." Listen, I'm totally on board with not being
owned by your stuff and not consuming to the point of incurring debt or not being
competitive about consumption with your friends or neighbors or being mindful of
your environmental impact. Being mindful is important but like any movement, some
people just go too far and of course those are the people that tend to get
most of the media attention. Like many trendy money concepts, this one had
strong intentions but something about the underlying premise just really
struck me as problematic. But it's not just feeling annoyed at people that will
attack those of us who want to own more than the bare minimum that provides
necessary utility, it's also about eye rolling at what feels like truly
privileged nonsense. I recognize that I personally come from a place of immense
privilege. I am a white, straight, able-bodied American who never grew up
being worried about whether or not my base needs were going to be met. In fact,
I'm probably the target audience for minimalism. But there's just something
about preaching that all you need to do is simply shoe life's stuff and it will
lead you to a place of purpose and peace. Maybe that does work for some people, but I
also can't help but think about the literally billions of people on this
planet who are financially forced into minimalism. It's not a choice. They don't
get to look around their apartment and think "ah, does this bring me joy?" They may
be more focused on actually finding a place to sleep.
Okay sure, I'm taking this critique to the exact opposite end of the spectrum.
People will say "well, that's not minimalism intention and you're using an
extreme example to prove your point." Fair enough.
I guess my bigger issue is this feeling of moral superiority that often tends to
seep out of people who are entrenched in this movement.
It's as if they believed they took the red pill and the rest of us are just
mindless conception suckers. We're getting these coded messages from
advertising agencies combined with societal pressure that just makes us act
like lemmings. If you want to own more than 33 items in your wardrobe or more
than a single set of dishware or live in a space larger than 200 square feet, it
does not mean that you are being mindless or excessive. Sometimes stuff is
great. My husband and I recently upgraded all of our kitchenware
and it has been amazing. We own far more tools than we did before but we actually
are encouraged to cook at home more. We can make certain dishes that we couldn't
before and it has reduced the amount that we go
out to eat. Having the appropriate tools even makes cooking more enjoyable for
the both of us. Minimalism is often positioned as a cure-all to live a more
meaningful life and whether the movement intended it or not, it is far too focused
on material possessions. Even when describing the movement on the
minimalist website it says "that doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong
with owning material possessions." Today's problem seems to be the meaning we
assigned to our stuff. "We tend to give too much meaning to our things often
forsaking our health, our relationships, our passions, our personal growth, and our
desire to contribute beyond ourselves." But is it really the stuff that's
getting in our way or is it the fact that we can constantly be distracted
without allowing ourselves a single moment of introspection? That we don't
give our minds enough quiet to bring up what may be truly bothering us?
I could pare down all of my possessions to a few pieces of clothing, a cell phone,
and a laptop and I'd still be able to constantly distract myself by reading or
watching TV or watching YouTube or listening to podcasts. I could ignore
much of what is gnawing at the back of my mind because I don't allow myself to
just sit in the quiet and reflect. I can consume just as much
without possessions, it's just a different type of consumption. Is it
really our possessions that's standing in the way of our happiness and
contentment or is it our unwillingness to confront what actually may be at the
root of our discontent? Perhaps ultimately both lifestyles minimalism
and consumerism are ultimately just different forms of compulsion and
addiction. After all, any far end of the spectrum is still an extreme. Whether you
like minimalism or maximalism in your space, you can learn how to customize it
to your heart's desire by learning the basics of interior design. One place you
can learn that skill without hiring a pro with a huge price tag is with Skillshare
which provides an easy and affordable way to expand your talents.
Every week, we're featuring a different Skillshare class we think you guys will
love. This week's class is Interior Styling: Style Your Space like a Pro,
hosted by designer Justina Blakeney. This class offers key tips and tricks for
upgrading your home without investing a ton of money. As always though, Skillshare
offers a huge range of high-quality classes on must know topics from writing
to fitness to business and it's all about what you want to learn at an
affordable annual subscription of less than ten dollars a month.
And since Skillshare is sponsoring this video, the first 500 people to use a
promo link in the description will get their first two months free to try it
out risk-free. Click the link in the description to check out this week's
featured class or any of the other classes Skillshare has to offer. Have a
money question you want to learn more about? Leave your topic idea in the
comments section below. I'm Erin from Broke Millennial for the
Financial Diet and don't forget to be here next Thursday for a new Three Minute Guide.
Bye.