All right let’s cut to the chase. You’re probably waiting for me to
tell you that consumerism is bad, but you’re wrong. Consumerism is
actually terrible and this is why I personally own and purchase nothing!
Do you think they bought it?
Ok, well here’s what I really think.
On average Americans are spending up to $18,000 a year on non-essentials. Between eating out
at restaurants, memberships and subscriptions, impulse purchases, online shopping, and so on.
This amount averages out to be about $1497 spent per month on things we don’t necessarily need.
But…. Does that make you a bad person in the eyes of a minimalist?
Not necessarily.
I’d be lying to you if I said that I don’t pay for subscriptions, or buy myself nice
things—on occasion, or eat out when a new recipe we’re trying doesn’t quite work out as planned.
See, I am not against consumerism. I am against consuming things impulsively,
irresponsibly, and without a purpose.
This is how we end up with stuff we don’t need or use. This is how we end up with an excessive
amount of items we place the “just-in-case” label on. This is how we blindly sabotage our finances.
So I’m not going to try and convince you to stop spending money, because,
in the spirit of minimalism and mindful living, it doesn’t matter what you buy,
it matters why you buy. And to me, that’s a more important conversation to have.
Here are six minimalist habits to help you consume more mindfully.
Number one is defining your wishes and necessities.
Peer pressure and social media manipulation as I call it can make us want things we
neither need nor care about. But that doesn’t make consumerism inherently bad.
We each have our own unique set of desires and interests. As well as
social pressures and spending triggers—which is a deeper conversation for another time.
But take me for example. I value living an active
and healthy lifestyle. That is a genuine interest and desire of mine.
And because of that, I purchase products and consumables that align with that value.
And to me, that’s where the key lies in helping you define your wishes and necessities.
Separating wants from needs in the context of consumerism.
So before you spend money, spend some time defining the characteristic
differences between wishes and necessities—wants
and needs for you and your life. Because it’s going to look very different for each of us.
Generally speaking: Wants are things you’re unsure about.
Maybe your friends told you about it but you don’t know whether it adds value to your life.
Needs on the other hand are essential to your lifestyle or job.
They can be seen as an investment in yourself that of course aligns with your values.
Alright, number two on my list is understanding your reasons for buying something.
A very common idea within the minimalism movement is reduction. And rightfully so
reducing how much you consume has its place, but in many ways, I believe intentionality is better.
And intentional consumption is all about establishing purchasing patterns.
Trying to understand why you bought something. And then once you have that understanding,
you can then gradually adopt your own set of consumption rules and guidelines.
And a major benefit of this is that over time, your decision to buy something
will be the result of a thought process rather than a mere impulse.
And this small tweak will also have an impact on your financial confidence.
Because now all of sudden you’re beginning to feel in control of your money and spending.
Whereas before you may not have had the financial confidence you wanted
because of your spending habits or purchasing patterns.
Speaking of spending money, number three is keeping track of your purchases.
Most of us are not fully aware of what we buy regularly. We might have an idea—a
vague memory of only the purchases we want to remember—if we’re being honest.
But this lack of purchase awareness is how we get ourselves in trouble momentarily—or
in some cases completely and blindly sabotage our finances.
And despite the consequences of not doing this,
there are still many people who don’t make the time the time to do this.
So my encouragement to you is to download an app
or familiarize yourself with spreadsheets and databases
and start keeping track of your finances. Every dollar you spend and every purchase you make.
You’ll soon feel more organized, more aware, and more in control of where your money is going.
Number four is don’t copy other people.
Keeping up with the Joneses is a major consumption trap. I know this because I lived it. Well,
I attempted to because keeping up with the Joneses is an impossible task if you’re unaware.
See, buying things in an effort to impress, keep up or copy other people is never a good idea.
Some reasons why are one: most people don’t care like you think they do.
And trying to impress them is like asking your wall to smile. It’s never going to work.
Two: keeping up with the Joneses is impossible like I mentioned.
And three: the people you cross paths with in life be it face to face or online have priorities that
differ from yours. So attempting to copy what they do and what they buy would be a waste of time.
So don’t do that.
Instead redirect that energy towards staying true to you—finding
your own style, pursuing your own habits, and embracing your values.
This will definitely help prevent you from buying things you don’t
need and wasting money you don’t have to waste.
Number five is delaying major purchases.
Comment below if you remember that JG Wentworth commercial that came on tv
years ago. It was really catchy. It said: “It’s my money and I want it now!”
Well, the “I want it now” portion of that statement is how many people approach major
purchases they want to make, and ultimately end up making. And not all the time, but often
enough these purchases turn into regret that then become expensive life lessons we have to accept.
So my proposal is that we delay our decision to buy,
so we can improve the mechanics of our decisions, so then we can make more informed purchases.
See this delay argument refers to more expensive,
non-everyday purchases. But you can feel free to apply it to any purchase decision you deem worthy.
And as a bonus, if you’re feeling fancy, consider creating a rule of thumb for yourself.
For example, delaying any purchase of $100 or more for at least one week.
Or whatever that set dollar amount is for you.
Alright last but not least,
number six is to re-evaluate products a couple of months after buying them.
In my opinion, this is a drastically missed opportunity to not only learn
more about our purchase behavior but to ensure that our surroundings change at
a similar pace to us evolving and growing in life.
Here’s what I mean by that.
Maybe you’re already doing a good job at consuming intentionally. You ask questions,
you delay major purchases, you’re aware of your wants versus needs,
you’re tracking your spending, and keeping up with the Joneses is not a concern.
And that’s wonderful, but where we tend to fall short, and I get this from personal experience,
is not reevaluating and letting go of past purchases soon enough.
Because as we evolve and grow in life our values may change and with that comes a
new set of interests and purchases. Which again is great—life is meant to progress.
But at the same time, we have to develop the habit of asking ourselves:
“Hey is this product still serving a purpose in my life today as it did when I first bought it? Would
I consider this a great purchase that I’d happily make again? Or have my interest changed to the
point that my surroundings—be that the things I own and purchases I make—need to change as well."
I hope you found this conversation interesting and maybe it challenged
you to take a deeper look at why you buy, and not just what you buy.
And if it did, comment below so we can continue this conversation.
Keep growing, keep learning, and always stay true to you.
I’ll see you in the next one.
Peace!