Minimalism is a big win

Well, it’s no surprise that the Frugal Prof is into minimalism, and the reason being is that it has had such as huge positive impact on my life in many levels. As such, I’m very keen to spread the message, in case I can help someone else. Key benefits to adopting minimalism for me are that it is has proven wonderful in lowering stress levels, and providing much simplicity to my life. I think there are also a bunch of other really important reasons why minimalism is great for you and I, and they are:

Minimalism and Frugality go hand in hand
Minimalism really makes you focus on your needs rather than your wants, bringing on a natural state of frugality and so providing a huge benefit in saving you money. Making the effort to really think about if you need something can stop those wasted purchases. When tempted by a purchase, questions you can ask yourself are: Just how much do I really need this new thing? Will it cost me money to maintain and store it? Will I be getting rid of this thing in the next year or two? (This is a big red flag for not buying it), and probably the key question is, is this thing going to help and add value to my life? Staying away from buying the various attractive trinkets and gadgets that may have only a temporary utility, will really help you get the freedom you should have in the (near) future. Avoiding storage, maintenance and depreciation costs on items can also provide a huge benefit, saving money and resources that can go into investing instead.

Take back your time!
Time is money and money is time, and commonly people trade their time in going to work for money. Are you trading all this time to allow you to escape the rat race, or are you trading this time to buy more stuff? Is your time going to keeping up with the Joneses? Who wouldn’t want more time in today’s hectic and busy life style? Well, take back your time! Stop trading things for time, and instead do the things you really, really want to. Who do you really want to hang out with? What are you passionate about? Doing these things seem more important use of your time than to me than just accumulating stuff. What it comes down to for me is, do I really want to go surfing, or should I instead figure out how to pack more stuff in the garage? Yep, you guessed it, surfing wins!! There is also a very healthy mental aspect to all of this, as you can start to uncouple your identity from objects you own, making it much easier to stop acquiring them and falsely tying happiness levels to such acquisitions.

Downsize to Create More Room in your life
As you start to get rid of excess stuff, you’ll likely find that you need much less space to store it all. Do you really need that giant McMansion? How much is it costing you for the upkeep? A smaller house means a smaller mortgage, providing more money to pay off debt and invest. We live in just a 1,500 square foot townhome, but luckily we have a nice sized garden, due to the way the lots are laid out in the complex (and are trying our hand at growing fruits and vegtables). We feel we have plenty of space, and what we really appreciate is that because we have a smaller house my wife can afford to take time off work to look after our new baby. Having our time and money goes into the baby rather than paying the bank through a larger mortgage is what we have prioritized. Have a look at your home, is it too big, and do you really need all those extra rooms? Use minimalism to downsize your home and instead create the space for the things that are truly important in your life, such as your friends and family.

Much Less Cleaning!!
OK, so I left my favorite to last. Having a smaller home, and much less stuff means that you can do much, much less cleaning, which in my book is just fantastic! Do you enjoy cleaning, not me! Sure it can be therapeutic at times, but having to constantly do it, when you are tired, when you are too busy with work, when you are sick, is that really so great and therapeutic? Not for me! Yes, you can pay a cleaner, but that money that can be invested elsewhere, or you persuade your wife, girlfriend, etc, but I’m not sure that a path to long term happiness! Less stuff to clean means less stuff to accumulate, and therefore potentially less allergies (I will go into a sneezing fit around too much dust). Also, many the commercial cleaners may have potentially toxic chemicals in them, and so spraying these around the house less is probably better for your health. Less things to clean also tends to mean less items to maintain and repair around the house, going back to point 2 of taking back your time.

OK, so those are my thoughts, what about you? Can you be a minimalist? What would you get rid of? What would you now do with all this extra cash and time if you took up minimalism?