Minimalize Your Life and Your Finances

The home decorating business is a billion dollar industry, and for good reason. Nothing makes a house feel like a home quite like photos, artwork, and end tables. Before you know it, you’re buying more odds and ends from your Pinterest board so your home can look like it’s from an episode on HGTV.

If this Dave Ramsey quote applies to you, it might be time to reconsider your lifestyle: “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.”

In response to this, the minimalist lifestyle is catching steam. From tiny houses to spare, clean bedrooms, it seems as though these self-proclaimed minimalists have really good design taste. But the truth is they’ve readjusted their mindset to appreciate the things they have and purge the things that don’t bring joy.

Adopting a minimalist lifestyle can help you emotionally and financially. How?

1. Organizing is great! But not having to organize your clutter every week (or month, we don’t judge) is even better. Simply put, when you don’t have as much “stuff” to consume your space, you’ll have more time to enjoy with your friends and family.

2. You stop wasting money on items that don’t serve any purpose. Saving money is not the ultimate goal of minimalism, but it is a nice side effect. How many times do you find yourself shopping and buying something you never wear, eat or use? Think about how much money you’ve wasted on unnecessary junk in your life. Once you rid yourself of those purchases, you have more money to spend on items and experiences that actually bring light into your life.

3. You feel happy and less stressed in your home environment. Is most of your cleaning simply hiding messes in drawers? Are there drawers bursting with potholders, pens and other odds and ends? That can cause anxiety! Once you get rid of items you don’t need, everything seems to feel lighter and less stressful.

4. You realize you’re not defined by what you own, or by what others think of you. In the end, it doesn’t matter if your coworkers or friends are impressed by the car you drive. You can’t pay your bills with someone’s opinion.

5. You stop wasting time and effort in the sale section. Okay, this is only half true. You can still try to find a good bargain, but when you realize you don’t need as much, you can afford items with higher value. By only purchasing what you need, you free yourself of unnecessary card swiping.

6. You begin to realize that contentment doesn’t come from what you own, but from how you feel about yourself. Money can buy you happiness to an extent, but it will never satisfy you completely.

Adopting a minimalist lifestyle doesn’t have to mean making big changes in your life. But it does mean committing to ridding your life—and finances—of clutter. The best way to start is by grabbing your checking account statement and analyzing your monthly purchases. If everything you’ve purchased has somehow enhanced your life, great! If not, you may want to start there. Happy minimizing!