Minimalism experiences: With less ballast to personal and financial freedom

Why do we throw our money away on unnecessary things and fill our homes with things we don’t even need? If you consciously focus on the essentials in life, you can save a lot of time and money and find even more serenity in life. Our guest author with 18 years of experience in minimalism is convinced of this.  

We are constantly comparing: better, bigger, further. Who is more successful at work and who brings home more money? The great car, the cool clothes, the trendy bar, the next trip around the world are status symbols in everyday life. It’s bad when our friends, family or work colleagues can afford more than we can. And so we buy what we can afford. Today, consumption is what holds our society together. We unconsciously define ourselves through purchased identities. Marketing and advertising people have brought us this far. Many even claim shopping as a leisure activity. And we feel like failures if we can’t keep up with the others. Advertising suggests an ideal, sporty, meaningful world that we can easily have – through consumption.

But does that make us happier and more satisfied? If you buy to be happy, you will never find that happiness, or as the social scientist and economist Juliet B. Schor from Boston College says: “No matter how much you have, it’s never enough. This leads to the expectation that the next purchase will bring happiness, and then the next. Like drug addicts, consumers constantly need extra kicks to maintain a certain level of satisfaction.”

Changing values: What makes us happy

How can we become happier with less consumption and without status symbols? Values play a decisive role here. Values are not basic needs such as food, sleep or a roof over our heads. But values are important for our lives. If we don’t know where our journey is going, we will never be satisfied. Everyone has values. We often don’t know them or suppress them.

But if we don’t know what is important to us, this causes stress and dissatisfaction. And at the end of our lives, we ask ourselves what we actually did. To really be able to look back happily on a fulfilled life, it is important to be clear about your own values. Values help us to align our lives. To know what we need, what gives us pleasure and when we are satisfied. Unfortunately, we often only live to please others or to unconsciously fulfill the values and goals of other people – partners, children, parents, friends or the boss.

Have you ever thought about what is important to YOU, apart from consumption, job, career and stock markets?

Knowing your own values also helps you to live a life with less baggage. We then know where we want to go and how we want to live in the future. For example, if your values are “freedom”, “ease” and “order”, you will measure the decision to leave or stay against these values.

Take some time to ask yourself whether you want to live according to your own values or continue to please others above all else? How about going through life with less baggage, comparing less, living more frugally, buying and consuming less and enjoying more space, time and freedom instead? You may find it difficult to weigh up these questions. A coach can help you find your values and guide you on the path to an easier life.

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My minimalism experiences

My minimalist journey began 18 years ago. I have always been tidy. However, reading various books on the subject of a reduced lifestyle at the time really challenged my attitude to consumption. And so I decided to go through life with fewer things and fewer demands and to enjoy more freedom instead. Over the years, I have continuously reduced my personal possessions and got rid of unnecessary ballast.

Of course, this is not always easy to do with a family. You have to take everyone’s needs into consideration and not put your own views and wishes above those of the family. But it was worth it. Today I work part-time and only own what I really need and enjoy. Even when I travel, I only take the essentials with me. I travel very light, carrying two to three kilos in a small rucksack.

Is less more?

For a few years now, minimalism has been a hot topic on every channel. People have been reporting on how they are clearing out their houses and apartments and starting a new life free and clear of clutter. And we sit comfortably at home on the sofa and watch Marie Kondo decluttering on Netflix. After watching a TV program, we wonder whether we should apply 5 or 10 “laws of minimalism” or whether we should jet around the world as digital nomads. Have we failed if there are still more than 100 or 200 items lying around the home after tidying up and we don’t always put the coffee cup in the dishwasher straight away?

Let’s relax! Firstly, the minimalism hype has probably reached its zenith, secondly, extreme minimalists are rarely real role models and thirdly, in reality it’s not always what it seems on screen. We don’t have to completely empty our homes to live a better and easier life!

Every thing needs time and space

A hundred years ago, the average family owned around 200 things, today it’s 10,000. It starts with the car and bicycle and continues with all the kitchen equipment from spoons to frying pans. Then there are the many items of clothing that we may never wear again, but which take up space in wardrobes and drawers. Then there are the books that, hand on heart, we never read a second time. They fill walls. Just like the CDs and DVDs that are gathering dust because we’ve been streaming music and movies for a long time. The many cables, electrical appliances and all the unused junk in the basement and garage are also among the things that have piled up over the years.

And there are more and more. Because only a few things find their way out of the house.
Too many things and too many possessions are a burden, as we will see later. A reduced lifestyle can help you here. With a clear view of your own values and goals, you will be able to reduce the amount of objects and mental baggage. The number of things doesn’t matter.

Focus on useful things, activities and contacts

Rather, it is about making a conscious decision and keeping what is needed and loved – and letting go of the rest. Not renunciation, but conscious choice. Focus on the things that bring value to your life or things that are used regularly. This includes items with a high aesthetic or emotional value.

And so you reduce your possessions, activities and social relationships until what remains is what is important for your life. What you don’t use, what doesn’t really help you to achieve a goal or no longer brings you joy, goes. These can be objects or activities, but also social contacts that are a burden.

If you have read this far, you may be asking yourself how you can best achieve the goal of going through life with less baggage. Of course, you can go this route on your own and get rid of things, activities and contacts step by step. That’s what I did. But believe me, in a community and with professional help if necessary, it goes much faster and is much more fun!

Minimalism as a precursor to your financial freedom

We often only realize how much easier life becomes when we give something away. There’s that craft or sewing project we’ve been meaning to finish for a long time. The racing bike has been sitting unused in the cellar for years and the ski equipment is rusting away. It’s time to get rid of these things. And with giving them away comes relief and the guilty conscience disappears.

And remember, every thing needs your attention. We are often not even aware of this. Things just lie there. But they need space. Less stuff means less living space, less furniture and less storage space. A positive side effect: you also have less to keep in order. Things also require time and energy for care, maintenance and cleaning. And it costs money. You’ll realize how much money you could actually save when you have to buy additional things to store them.

And don’t forget, you also have to dispose of the stuff at the end. This again costs time, energy and money. Money that you can use or invest more sensibly – for more financial freedom.

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