These days it seems as if our houses and lives keep getting more and more cluttered. In the rat race of “who can own the most toys,” we’ve lost something in our hearts and homes.
That’s where living minimally comes into play. Living minimally, aside from the obvious less clutter and fewer possessions, can actually help you in more ways than one, such as saving money. Check out these 4 ways living minimally can save you money.
Save money on your home
When we live a life that is based around things instead of people, we usually have to have what? A larger home. After all, isn’t the American Dream to own a nice, big home with a 2 car garage, kids, dogs and all of the toys to go with it? Why have we convinced ourselves that we need that?
In truth, living minimally will help you save because you will no longer need that house that is larger than your family. You won’t have rooms (or attics or basements) that are full of boxes of things that you family *must* have. This gives you the ability to downsize which means less rent or mortgage, lower utility costs, lower taxes and more. By the end of your first year of living minimally, you could easily save thousands of dollars.
Save money on your health
Whether you want to admit it or not, all of that clutter is actually bad for your health. Aside from the “if it’s too cluttered I could fall on my bottom” aspect, there’s also that fact that clutter and too much stuff can increase your stress levels and cause you to be less productive and less healthy. Scaling back, downsizing and just letting go only serves to improve those areas of your life.
Aside from that, most people that live minimally also eliminate chemicals from their lives. This means that your health will improve because of this too. Less chemicals and a more natural life are both good things when it comes to how you’re feeling.
Save money on your kids (and teach them well)
Kids these days are driven by marketing targeted directly to them. They tend to want every single toy they see, to take part in every new fad, and more. Living simply teaches them that they don’t have to have everything under the sun to be happy. Since they learn that lesson, they generally ask for less - meaning you spend less. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t spend money on your kids. Only that you when you live a minimal lifestyle, they learn what a true need is versus a want.
Save Money on Everything Else
I know. That’s a pretty wide berth I just gave myself with that statement, but hold tight and it will make sense. Everything in our life is tied to how we live and think. From our grocery bill to how much you spend on transportation to what your kids’ educational costs are and more. Living minimally causes you to scale back on literally everything in your life. You spend less on food (because you’re cooking more real meals), you spend less on “things,” you spend less on housing, you spend less on your car and it just trickles down from there.
If you really want to start saving money in your life and start building a calmer, healthier lifestyle for your family, take a look at living a minimalist lifestyle. It can’t hurt to try and I’m sure that once you do that you’ll never go back.
Linda Louise Weeks
you are right there. wait till you get to be 'old' like me, he he, I'm only 62 and a half now, you have to be super fruge to get along. I made that word up. But you're right in the sense that the lady who just wrote the book about getting rid of almost everything, you know who I mean? Zen of tidying up or some such. Well, she's right too. We are ahead by being ahead of whatever is coming. Gotta prepare!
Ah. Enjoyed the post!