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5 Habits to Kick if You Want to Live a More Minimalist Life

It’s no secret that our economy thrives on consumerism. Buy, buy, buy! And then, once you’ve bought until you’re up to your neck in debt, buy some more! It’s an endless cycle of spend, repeat, spend, repeat; and what do we have to show for it? Is the measure of a person truly in their clothing, their expensive cars and houses, their excess stuff? This is where minimalism comes into play.

Minimalism takes a simpler approach to life. At its core, minimalism simply deals with being more intentional about the things you buy and living life with less stuff. The things we own can quickly become a burden and cause clutter, stress, and plenty of financial distress. Let’s take a closer look at a few habits you can ditch if you want to live a more minimalist life.

1. Smoking

Let’s be honest; smoking is not a good habit for anyone. Not only is it destructive to health and the environment, but it’s also financially burdensome. Think about how much you spend on your cigarettes every month. $70? $100? $170? Most smokers spend at least a few hundred dollars per month on the habit; money that could be put toward traveling, savings accounts, retirement funds, and so much more.

Smoking isn’t exactly a minimalistic habit, either. It requires a lot of upkeep, and it serves to destroy your health in a short period of time, driving up costs and limiting where you can visit and who you can interact with. Smokers can end up with serious health conditions or even be killed by the very habit they’re so attached to.

It’s time to give up smoking for good. Whether it’s by quitting cold turkey, using products like tobaccoless chew (Black Buffalo), or nicotine gum, it’s time to put cigarettes down once and for all…before they put you down once and for all!

2. Buying For The Sake Of Buying

How often do you go into a store and simply buy something because it’s there and you’ve got money available? We all do this from time to time, but for some of us, it becomes excessive. We live in a country of excess, so it’s really no surprise that excess is our prerogative. After all, the more stuff you own, the more important you are, right?

This is something that’s been fed to us by retail giants and other corporate entities. They’ve created a system of excess to drive profits through the roof, bringing in unprecedented amounts of money from the peoples’ need to spend. The worst part about it is that retail giants often put smaller community businesses out of business, creating a disparity in communities and even increasing crime in those areas. All so we can buy a brand new toaster oven at three in the morning.

The best thing you can do for your new minimalistic life is to detach yourself from the need to buy things. You don’t need another one. You don’t need a “just in case” one. You don’t even really need a brand new one. It can wait. It might not even be a necessary item for your life.

3. Avoiding Purging

Some people have a bad habit of letting excess stuff pile up without ever looking through it and donating, tossing, or seeling any of it. This can lead to bigger problems, like serious clutter, fire hazards, etc. The bottom line? Stop avoiding that pile of junk in the garage. Tackle it and get it out of the way. Avoiding the purge of old, useless items only serves to make your home more cluttered and can eventually spiral into mental health declination.

4. Eating Out

Cooking from home is not only better for your health, but it’s also better for your wallet and is a more minimalistic approach to food. Food is another luxury item that we seem to consume in huge quantities, and with a nearly 40% obesity rate in the US alone, it’s high time we addressed our disgusting eating habits.

If you don’t know how to cook, there’s never been a better time to learn. The number of resources available online nowadays can turn you into a home chef in no time. There are thousands of cooking videos on YouTube, thousands of forums and websites specifically for the art of cooking, and even online groups that you can join to learn from second-hand experience. 

5. Lethargy

You may be thinking, “what does lethargy have to do with minimalism?” When you’re bored, you’re much more likely to make impulse purchases in order to entertain yourself. Have you ever been bored working on your computer and suddenly found yourself browsing Amazon instead? I certainly have.

Lethargy isn’t a hard habit to break, you just need to replace excess free time with something constructive (like learning to cook!). 

Ditching these seven habits will help you be more minimalistic in your finances, your personal life, and your home. Remember, excess stuff doesn’t make you a better, more valuable, or more relevant person; it’s what you do for others that offers true value.

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