The notion of living simply is something that, until recently, has always escaped me. I’d hear reports on the news about a person who sold all their possessions on e-bay, or hear of friends and family members doing terribly frugal things, and all the while feel slightly bewildered.
If you’re the type of person who categorizes others, you could easily file me under the “yes, please!” approach to consumerism and consumption. New clothes? Yes, please. Dining out? Yes! Please! Vacations, gadgets, accessories, gifts for others, wasteful spending? Yes, please! Yes, please! Yes, please!
Somehow, I’ve managed to skate by with shockingly little debt. Looking back, I honestly don’t see how. Finances (and numbers, for that matter) have always intimidated me, ever since math class in elementary school. My solution, instead of learning and understanding money, was to ignore it and hold my breath, hoping everything worked out in the end. Spend, spend, spend – indulge, indulge, indulge – look at bank statements with one eye closed. Sigh with relief that my balance was “in the black” before heading to the airport to catch a flight to visit friends for a long weekend.
Everything from my bank account to my overflowing closet to my actual waistline screams “indulgence!”
It wasn’t until December 2009 that I created an excel spreadsheet called “bills record” on my desktop and began tracking how much I owe a month in bills. December 2009. Until then, I had virtually no idea where my money was going. The thought makes me cringe now.
Why the sudden change in heart? Enter July 2010 and the prospect of a new job - a prospect that brought with it excitement, hope, and if I wanted it badly enough, the necessity for a new lifestyle. I spent the better part of a month calculating, figuring, considering, computing, theorizing, and guessing what it would take for this opportunity to work. Without realizing it, I had been forced to face my fear head on. I had been forced to take a cold, hard, critical look at my lifestyle and the ways I wasted spent my money. The age old question of need vs. want kept coming to mind. And way more often than I care to admit, “want” was the resounding answer.
In response to all that analyzing in July, I’ve canceled my cable (gasp!), reduced my cell phone minutes, canceled my Netflix subscription, begun purchasing store brand groceries (double gasp!), and have stopped spending money on eating out. I declined the invitation to a lovely vacation in Florida. It pained me to do that – almost more than canceling cable – but I had no choice.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had more pity parties in the past month than I care to admit (in the grocery store, at the gas pump, after paying bills). But in other ways, I feel more liberated than ever. I’m finally in control.
The more frugal among you are probably reading this with a giant eye roll, and I deserve that 100%. The truth is, I’ve still got a long way to go. Jeremy still treats me to meals out. I can go to his house and watch TV. I’m still spoiled.
As these notions of “life, simplified” have started to crystallize for me over the past few weeks, I began doing some investigation about the trend. Last night, I happened upon mnmlist.com, a blog written by Leo Babauta who seems to be a hard core minimalist. I love the following excerpt:
“…there isn’t a requirement for minimalism. You can invent your own version, and if you’re more worried about how to survive until the next paycheck (I’ve been there), then cutting back on the unnecessary will help you get there. Look for unnecessary expenses (like eating out, going to the movies, buying junk food snacks, or renting DVDs) and eliminate them, finding ways to have fun that are free.
Eliminating unnecessary possessions also means you’ll need a smaller home, which will save on rent and heating/cooling. Buying fewer things means less debt. Spending time with loved ones or doing things you love means you spend less. All of these things are good whether you’re wealthy or not.
It’s true that the poor are often thought of as not having the luxury of even thinking about simplifying, or minimalism. They’re too worried about putting food on the table, or where the rent is coming from, or how to avoid creditors until the next paycheck. And there’s a lot of truth in that. But it doesn’t have to be true: anyone can pause, breathe, and decide to live differently.
Anyone can make the decision to do without the unnecessary, to cut off cable TV, to consider doing without a car, to only buy what’s absolutely necessary and to rethink what’s necessary.
Intentional omission is the foundation of minimalism: we leave things out because they are unnecessary, and retain only what we need or use or love…Omitting the unnecessary is a thing of pure beauty.”
