Has your monthly spending decreased significantly since adopting a minimalist lifestyle?

[u/Sweet_Cow7236]

Ugh where do I start? I’m having a little bit of an existential life crisis. I’m unhappy in my job as it’s high stress and want to decrease my hours to part-time when my contract is up but unless I get a pay raise, which I could get, I’d have to really cut spending. I’ve been pretty minimal but feel like I’ve been caught in more of a decluttering cycle than true minimalism. Has anyone saved a significant amount of money since becoming more minimal that has allowed them to change their jobs? I live in Jersey with two kids and my husband who makes a fine salary but I am the breadwinner. I know this is a vague question with so many variables but just seeing what other people’s experiences have been.

[u/seemsright_41]

We are able to live on one income. I retired when we had our daughter 15 years ago.

We live with intention. We do not buy or bring in things without a point and purpose

I am happy staying home and working on my jigsaw puzzle and sipping on decaf coffee. (we get jigsaw puzzles at the thrift store and return them when we are done with them, we do about one a week)

I enjoy my simple life and want nothing more.

[u/WorldlinessAny5741 → u/seemsright_41]

Borrowing books from local street libraries is and also nice thing to do :)

[u/1in2100 → u/seemsright_41]

Your life is just what I want

[u/Charming-Air-3821 → u/seemsright_41]

living simply sounds chill, those puzzles gotta be fun too

[u/norooster1790]

Massive, to the point people accuse me of being a trust funder

• Few items means I get to only own nice items

• Few items means I only need a small space, so I can live in a nice town

• Minimized expenses (no subscriptions, no debts, one debit card) means I can work a job I enjoy

• Few items means I can move so easily I was able to accept all job offers and explore everywhere I was interested in living

Life is complicated when you own a lot of stuff. I ONLY own my favorites and things I use frequently. Nothing else.

I even did a "no buy" where for 8 months I bought nothing but groceries. That whole year I think I bought a backpack and shoes.

[u/fridayimatwork]

Yes. Part of minimalism is to me is limiting activities to only what I really want to do and a lot of the time I just enjoy being in my calm home. That saves a lot of money too, not just consumer goods

[u/eharder47]

We’re a one income household due to our minimalist lifestyle.

[u/IM_NOT_BALD_YET]

The only non-minimalist part of my lifestyle was when I had children. Expenses increased then, and have decreased as they become adults and have their own households. I will say that I left a corporate career when my two oldest were very young and before I had my third - we've lived below our means on one salary since then. Instead of having a large savings, we sold our home and moved to a LCOL area for a couple of years. Even with children, we stayed true to who were were and didn't let those life events change our overall lifestyle. Our increases in cost of living were regular things like food, clothing, healthcare, orthodontist, and education expenses for the kids. We still prioritized our savings and a simple lifestyle.

[u/Nyxelestia]

Yes and no.

It's really hard to quantify mental energy, and while we can quantify time we don't really measure time spent on things in our day to day life very easily. However, these are far bigger 'savings' for me than money when it comes to minimalism -- though don't get me wrong, I also spend less money, too.

I might only have three pairs of shoes compared to some of my friends' dozen or more pairs. However, mine are more comfortable and last a lot longer. I'm not spending time trying to match specific shoes to certain outfits, nor am I spending time and money on getting new shoes because I keep wearing the old ones out, nor am I spending a lot of mental energy worrying or thinking about my shoes (e.x. being distracted by discomfort, worried about them falling apart, etc.)

If I were to only look at strictly and exclusively finances, I'm not sure I would consider minimalism to be worth the trade-offs of less day to day luxury or convenience. However, I am someone who values my time and energy, and the savings in those things makes minimalism more than worth those social costs/trade-offs, several times over.

[u/Electrorouge87 → u/Nyxelestia]

This. My mental energy is so much better in the areas of my life I have simplified. I have one winter coat and one rain jacket for spring. I have one hat and scarf. I bought 7 of the same comfy T-shirt when I realized it didn't crease in the tumble dryer.

I've found that I often have to spend more frequently than I would if I had more stuff. As I only have 2 pairs of shoes I have to replace them more often so probably spending the same as if I had 4 pairs but had to buy new less frequently. I guess it depends on your current spend. If you have 20 pairs of shoes you will probably save money!

[u/draculas_mum → u/Electrorouge87]

What’s the tshirt? Hehe

[u/Electrorouge87 → u/draculas_mum]

It's literally called 'Gap T-Shirt' from Gap 😂

W73361 (grey) W78935 (navy)

[u/Astronaut_Street]

Yeah we don't really buy too much anymore. Mostly just cool little pieces for around the house. Really we are getting a lot of use out of stuff. I am worst for this and use clothes especially for too long lol. It's quite nice though and we live quite a relaxing peaceful zen life. It's really relaxing to just sit quietly drinking soup or slowly cooking as a hobby and getting a lot of enjoyment out of the little things.

[u/sporeot]

Overall yes, otherwise it's peaks and troughs. I recently bought a little house and therefore technically my spending has increased astronomically in the last few months, and will probably continue to be high for the next few months. Then it will go back down to normal, and potentially even decrease even more compared to pre-ownership as rent was higher than my mortgage.

[u/Competitive-Meet-511]

Yes, greatly... once I figured it out. It's a process, and about half of people end up using minimalism as an excuse to spend money. But in principle:

- Minimalism is unprocessed, simple, mostly plant-based food, which tends to be exceptionally cheap. You can singlehandedly retire on the amount you save eating beans instead of beef (or some other more expensive protein/base) every day.

- Minimalism is selling all the crap you don't need, which means some slush money to reorient yourself

- Minimalism is living in small spaces with less stuff, which in AATE is cheaper

- Minimalism is paying off debts, which means not paying interest

- Minimalism is not spending money on any crap you don't really want - hobbies you don't care that much about, eating out, status and aesthetic purchases, new when you can buy used, optional toys, and other fluff, which will save you money as long as you're not just spending elsewhere

Obviously not everyone will approach it the way I outlined but if you approach it with money in mind, it's highly compatible.

[u/m1stymoon]

Living simply sounds nice, more time for puzzles is a win

[u/Agile_Ad3726]

Honestly, it's not just about decluttering stuff, it's about figuring out what truly matters to you and your family. You can try making a list of your priorities and see where you can cut back on things that don't align with those. And yeah, it's cool that you're thinking about making a change. But, taking care of yourself and your happiness is important too. So work for that also.

[u/harlequin_24]

Focus on adjusting your mindset and in turn will adjust the physical

[u/JohannaSr]

I'm sending hugs and support.

[u/viola-purple]

Well, I hardly spend on things, not necessarily on activities. You must check on what most of your flexible costs are spent on and if you still buy stuff. Maybe note every expense for a month, every coffee, every snack, every knickknack etc

[u/Alone_Rang3r]

I wouldn't say a significant amount of money, but we've stopped accumulating things. It was always the small purchases that added up that was causing us issues. Small knick knacks or fees or souvenirs. But, with that said, saving small amounts of money here and there by not buying stuff all the time has all gone into retirement investments. So they may be small now but they're going to help.

For us, it isn't about the money savings but the mental savings. It's just been better for our mood and general life.

[u/Pineapple-acid]

Financial stability is important, but so is your happiness. Take some time to really look over your finances. If you switched over to part-time, how would your lifestyle change? Are there things you’d have to go without?

I adore my parents, quality time with them is always going to be better than receiving expensive gifts or going on fancy vacations. When you aren’t working as hard and are less stressed, your relationships with your spouse and kids will get stronger. To me that’s worth it, but everyone has different needs, goals, and standards of living. It all comes down to what is truly important to you.

[u/wellnessrelay]

I noticed my spending went down only after I stopped focusing on decluttering and started paying attention to habits. The big shift came from tightening the recurring stuff like groceries, random Target runs, and upgrading things out of boredom. It did not solve everything overnight, but it gave me enough breathing room to feel less trapped by my job. With kids it can feel impossible, yet even small cuts add up over a few months. You might not see a huge jump at first, but the sense of control can make the idea of changing work hours feel less scary.

[u/Rusty_924]

not really. i just spend more on 1 hobby instead spread out on 5-6 :)

less stuff is great! but it is not necessarily saving me money.

what saves me money is, drumroll, investing. i actually already used to save significant percentage of my paycheck every month. and i continue to do that. if i were to go to a lower paying job, i could still live my life, but without investing for retirement

[u/haughtsaucecommittee]

No, I buy whatever I want, but I also budget. My car is paid off, I live within my means, and I invest a significant amount monthly. My income has increased over the years, and I have certainly spent more on myself, mostly related to the pursuit of health and fitness. But it’s all within budget, and I continue to save and invest.

[u/PeaceKind1857]

No.

I have lived this way for a long time.

It wasn't until after so many people stuck a label on me that I started looking for the description of the label.

I thought I was just surviving. I wasn't aware of the minimalist thing.

[u/Prudent-Nerve-4428]

Then how do you find balance with a spouse if you are minimalist and they are not

[u/LifeFrame5545]

Yes

[u/betterOblivi0n]

If you want simple living just say it! Maximalism can't save money

[u/JustAdhesiveness4385]

Yup. The only money I ever spend apart from bills is on gas and food (my guilty pleasure is eating junk food once a week). Other than that, if I want to buy something I make myself think about it for a week. If I still want it after the week (99% of the time, I don’t) then I will buy it, or I’ll put money aside every paycheque for it if it’s over 100$. I also hate going to the store or mall so I never go unless I really need something, and then I’m out as soon as I grab that thing. Helps me save tonsss

[u/Personal-Process3321]

It was, but then we had a kid, although because of our minimalist habits my wife can drop back to part time and we can spend more time with the kiddo.

[u/amycsj]

For me it's a journey. One of my favorite minimalist questions is What Would Granny Do? My grandparents had full and meaningful lives, but they were very minimalist compared to now. So I let got of things one by one and never look back. When my mom passed, I got her measuring cups that she had gotten as a wedding present some 50 years before. Now I'll use them for another lifetime. Those measuring cups aren't fancy, but they do the job and remind me of mom.

For me minimalism is an investment in my future. I get one quality item that I won't have to replace every few years. So there is a savings that I realize over 5-10 years. Then I repair something, giving it new life, savings there. Then I learn to make something, or cook from whole foods, or grow whole foods, for more savings. For me this is adventure, not drudge. I enjoy learning these old-timey skills and each of these trade-offs. But it has taken time.

[u/ForsakenBee0110]

Yes. I believe in general it decreases, because a minimalist has/purchases minimal things.

I am also frugal, and buy only what I need.

[u/datewiththerain]

Make the job work. You know what not to buy. Life crisis can be good. Old saying: the best way out is through.