Spending Money Where It Matters Most

I think frugality is great for some people. But I’m not one of those minimalists that believes you need to pinch every penny. In fact, I practice spending money in the areas of my life that will have the greatest impact on my happiness. So let’s have a discussion on spending money where it matters most.

What matters most to you?

Obviously, you have to figure that out before you know where to spend, right? And this isn’t about what’s most urgent, or the things that currently take up most of your time but you don’t care for. So what makes you happiest?

For me, I enjoy tasty food. I love to travel and the experiences that go along with it. So my money goes toward quality food at home (and sometimes eating out), and travel-related activities.

Here’s how to figure out what’s most important in your life:

• What makes you happy? And I’m not talking about something that makes you happy at the moment but then you feel bad about it later. Like buying shoes that you can’t afford and having a stomach ache when you get the credit card bill. I mean things that bring you pure joy, like a hobby, or day trips to your favorite beachside town. If you get happiness from something without negative consequences, it belongs on your important list.
• What are activities that give you a sense of accomplishment or fulfillment? A good example would be work (paid or unpaid, such as volunteer work) that brings purpose into your life and boosts your confidence. Maybe it isn’t enjoyable for you in the typical sense, where you’re thinking about how much fun it is while you’re doing it. It could even take a lot of effort on your part. But when you see the results, you feel amazing. 
• What are the ideas and activities that you just can’t get enough of? Maybe every time you see an article about scuba diving, you can’t wait to read it. You take a yearly scuba diving trip and you spend the rest of the year thinking about your next trip. Could spending more money in this area make you happier?
• Here’s a simple way to get an answer: if you didn’t have to worry about money and could do anything you wanted, how would you spend your time?
• Does it make you feel better physically? If your physical health is in poor shape, it’s that much harder to feel better emotionally. So if you’ve found something that helps with physical well-being, add it to your list of what matters most.

How to spend less money on stuff you don’t need

This thought process may cause you to realize you are spending tons of money and energy on stuff that doesn’t matter to you. But, you feel stuck. How do you cut out that stuff that doesn’t matter?

For some ideas, see my post: 13 Things To Stop Buying To Save Money. The goal is to get rid of only the things you don’t care about, or are non-essential and less important to you. I don’t miss any of the things I cut from my expenses, and I’m very thankful to have that money freed up to use for what matters most to me.

If you’re having a hard time, think about it this way. If you were happy with how things are in your life, then you probably wouldn’t be reading this article. You know that saying, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results?” If you’re not happy, then something has to change.

So give it a try, and see how it feels. If you start to feel lighter and happier, then you know you’re on the right track.

Spending money where it matters most

Now for the fun part—using your money in a way that matters to you and affects your life in positive ways. Here’s how to do it effectively:

Can spending money in one area support your ability to do it more often? Perhaps you can invest in an education that improves your skills even more. It could be the difference between a hobby or side gig and a career that you love.

Or if you have kids, how about paying for a babysitter so you can go do something for yourself? I don’t have kids, but I have a dog with high anxiety who can’t be left alone for more than a few minutes. Before we had my mom with us, we would hire a pet sitter to watch Tahoe when we had an activity that we wanted to do together. I think no matter how much you love your children (furry or otherwise), everyone needs some time away to focus on themselves. While this may not be spending money directly on what matters, it still contributes to the end result.

Don’t get into spending habits that take the fun out of your experience.

I wrote first about cutting back on other spending because if your money is already stretched thin, then spending more is unlikely to make you happier. Refer back to the bullet point about things that make you happy without negative consequences.

Spend strategically. Instead of blowing all your funds on a single experience, can you break it up into smaller activities? That way you can stretch them out over a longer period, and have a constant influx of happiness.

One final thought. Make sure that you are spending money on things that actually matter to you, and not just what you think matters, or what other people tell you should be important, or what you feel obligated to spend money on. The things that matter most should be your decision alone, independent of the wants and needs of everyone else around you.

If you use this advice to change your spending habits, let me know how it goes!

Holiday Gifts and Debt

When I was in my 20s and didn’t know any better, I bought people presents with my credit card and then took a couple of months to pay the money back. It was incredibly stupid. Not only did I buy more than I could afford, but then I racked up interest charges while paying off the balance.

You can celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other holiday without going into debt. This is gonna be a tough-love post, and it may make you angry. But it’s for your own good.

That’s because on average, Americans added over $1230 to their total debt from the holiday season in 2018. That's up from $1054 in 2017. That is just crazy. So I want to offer some real alternatives to breaking the bank with your spending this season.

Also, know that I’m not affiliated with any of the links mentioned here; I have nothing to gain.

Excuse #1: But I have to give presents to kids!

So, you think that a kid won’t understand if you don’t give them lots of presents. Where did they learn that behavior from? If an adult taught them that presents are a requirement at certain holidays, then that same adult can teach them there’s a better way.

If it’s your child, then ask yourself whether you’d rather have them upset about not receiving presents, or upset when you have to sell off what they already have or even move them out of their home because you have so much debt you can’t pay the bills. Telling yourself that you’ll take on more debt and worry about it later, especially when you have children to support, is extremely irresponsible in my opinion.

Not only that, but it’s teaching your children the wrong ideas about money. That instant gratification is more important than financial responsibility, and material things in the present hold more weight than saving to buy a house, or go to college, or retire someday.

Also, giving gifts at Christmas to children (or anyone else) has no established link to the Christian faith. The first Christmas in recorded history is in 336, but giving presents didn’t become popular until the early 1800s, thanks to Moore’s “A Night Before Christmas” poem.

I’m not saying this will be an easy conversation—and definitely, don’t spring it all on them on the day they are expecting presents. If you feel like you HAVE to get them something, make it no-cost or low-cost. Here are a few ideas.

• Participate in a “swap.” The website TOYCYCLE is a non-profit that allows members to swap toys for free. You can try it at no cost for 30 days and cancel at any time. If you decide to join, it’s just $1.99 per month. You could also organize a swap in your community. The Spruce has an instructional article about how to do it.
• Look for free or cheap items on sites like Craigslist or Freecycle. You can also post ads on there asking for certain things - just don’t get too crazy with your expectations.
• Thrift stores: you can find used kids’ books and clothes for as little as a quarter apiece. Sometimes, you can find toys and other items brand new, still in the box.
• The gift of an experience and your presence. Near my hometown, there was a neighborhood that’s famous for holiday decorations. During the holidays there’s a long line of cars driving through at night, and the sidewalks are full of people walking through to admire the lights and music. All it cost was the gas to drive through, and everyone from my grandmother to my younger brother enjoyed it. If it snows where you are, you could spend the day with them building snowmen and having a snowball fight. You could stay inside and watch holiday movies and bake together. Or, you could go as a family to volunteer at a shelter, to help them understand the value of everything they have.

Excuse #2: But my friend/family/co-worker always gets me something. I have to give something back.

No, you don’t. First of all, make an announcement that you don’t want to exchange presents this year. You don’t have to give any reason, but if you want to give one, be honest. “I can’t afford it.” Anyone who gives you a hard time over that statement isn’t worth your worry.

People who care about you should want what’s best for you, and that means supporting you in making smart financial decisions. If they complain they already got you a gift, tell them to please give it to someone else or return it.

Not only that, but people may secretly be relieved when you tell them you don’t want to exchange gifts. They, too, may struggle with their finances and be too embarrassed to say anything. Your admission can lead to honesty on their part.

Excuse # 3: It makes me feel good to give to other people.

Then how about giving things to people who really need it? Volunteer, or donate things you don’t need anymore to charity. If you don’t have anything to donate or don’t have time to volunteer, then use your social media accounts or contacts in the community to ask others to donate.

Sometimes, employers will match donations for fundraisers. You could get permission to start a collection for your charity at work, then send an email to everyone in the office. Tell them why you believe in the charity and ask people to give $5. Give them a link to the charity’s website so they can give the money directly.

If you have 30 people in your office, that’s $150 this charity didn’t have before. I remember when I worked in an office, every year I’d get emails from co-workers about their kids’ girl scout cookies, or a school fundraiser where you’d buy chocolate for way above retail to raise money for the school. Just think how much better it is to just donate money without getting anything material in return. It’s more money for the cause, healthier for your waistline and just good karma.

Start some new, better traditions this year.

The retail industry has been profiting from holiday gift-giving for about a century now. I think 100 years is long enough. It’s time for us to take the holidays back to what they should be: a time for love and family.

How to Find Rewarding Work

We all have to earn money. But does it have to be so frustrating, stressful and unfulfilling? I say NO. Here are my personal requirements to find more meaning in your life through rewarding work.

My work has to make a positive difference in the world

I worked in healthcare since I was a teenager. I have my grandmother to thank for that. She lived with us as I grew up, and she was always so nurturing and helpful. Then as she got older, she started to lose her eyesight and have mobility problems. When I was old enough to drive, I started helping to bring her to doctor’s appointments and errands. I started my first paying job in healthcare at age 17 and was in the field for over 25 years.

My work has to challenge me in a way that helps me grow

I’m not someone who is content to learn how to do a job and then keep doing the same thing for decades. I want to continually learn new things.

Each time I found myself getting bored with a job, it was usually because there was nothing new for them to teach me. I don’t like to sit idle, so I would usually go to my supervisor and ask if there was anything else I could do to help.

I quickly learned that a lot of supervisors are control freaks. Instead of delegating and taking some of the stress off themselves, they would see offers for help as a threat. If I knew how to do the things they did, then I could take their job someday.

I never had any interest in being a manager or supervisor. I was always happy to mentor people, but I never wanted to be in charge. I just wanted something to do with my time so I wasn’t sitting around.

Having a manager that put me into a box and didn’t let me expand my knowledge was a manager I didn’t have for long. I usually started looking for another job soon after that.

The jobs I stayed at for longer were ones where I was allowed more freedom and encouraged to take on more diverse tasks and expand my skillset.

I have to be fairly compensated for the work I do

I didn’t always believe this. Like many people, I used to be of the mindset that people who made a lot of money did it by stepping on the backs of other people. I wanted to make enough money to live, but not so much that I turned into “one of those greedy rich people.”

So I always took what I was offered when starting a new position. When I was given more responsibility, I accepted it even if it didn’t include an increase in pay. I thought I was being altruistic by giving away my time and knowledge for free.

Then a few years ago I trained with a really good budget negotiator while working for a non-profit. He helped me understand how important it is to receive the proper compensation for work performed. In non-profit healthcare, if something isn’t funded then it doesn’t happen. Thousands of people were depending upon me to make sure there was enough money to so they could help as many people as possible, so I needed to be really good at my job.

When I left that position to go to work for another hospital, I felt confident in my skills and education. I knew I was doing important work and what I wanted to be paid for it. So I told my prospective boss how much I wanted to make AND that I would only accept the position if I could work remotely full-time. I also supplied her detailed data about why I was asking for more than they offered me.

Speaking up for myself effectively doubled my salary from my last job, plus I didn’t have any commuting expenses! I got to sit in my pajamas all day while working.

And I never once felt guilty for it. I knew I earned that income level and I did the work to keep it.

My work can’t be my whole life

I don’t mind working hard. But I don’t want my whole life to be about my job. I think it’s so strange that when people ask “What do you do for a living?” they only ever mean “How do you make money?” Yes, everyone needs to make money. But if you can’t find work that’s meaningful, you need to at least have time away from work to find meaning in the rest of your life.

If you can’t find meaning in your job…

I’m guessing you’re reading this post because you’re struggling with how you feel about your current job. If that’s the case, you have a few choices:

• Stay in the job, and stop expecting your job to bring purpose in your life. Consider it just a paycheck and find meaning elsewhere, through volunteer work or a hobby. If you remove (not lower) your expectations for your employer to provide you anything more than a means to pay the bills, it may take the stress off you and make you feel happier.
• Try to change how you feel about your job. Decide that for a limited amount of time, you will give 110% every day without any expectations. Don’t do it with the aim for praise, or expect anyone to treat you differently, either. Do it just because YOU want to do better. Instead of going in angry to be there and watching the clock until it’s time to leave, start fully engaging. Be nice to your co-workers and customers. Ask your boss what more you can do to help. Perform every aspect of your job duties carefully and thoughtfully, and with your full attention. Not while sneaking peeks at social media or texting your friends. After you’ve done this for a while, see if you feel any differently about working there. Is this a place you can stay? Can you keep up the positive attitude and the strong work ethic? Does it make you feel good enough that even if you never make more money or get any recognition for your work that you would still be willing to put in the effort?
• If you’ve tried both of these, or you just know in your heart that you can’t go on, then you have to make a change. You can do this either by finding a different job that’s more meaningful, or you can start your own business. Or, both! You can start a business on the side and then as you start making more money, you can move to part-time work.

In the end, I chose to leave my job and work for myself, so that I could have more freedom to decide how to spend my time and energy every day. This may not work for everyone, but I know in my heart that it’s right for me.

No matter which path you choose, there are 2 things you need to know. First, there are always other choices. They may not be easy choices, but it may be better to make things harder in the short-term so you can be happier later. Only you can decide that.

Second, your success in making any of your choices work will depend on both your attitude and your commitment to change. You have to want something enough to make it happen, and you have to be of the mind that you will keep at your plan until it comes to fruition.

If you want more minimalist tips about income, view my other posts here.

3 Lifesaving Ways Minimalism Can Change You

The basic tenet of minimalism is to focus on what’s most important by letting go of the unimportant. The more you have, the less you are able to prioritize the important things. Here are 3 ways that too much stuff is ruining your life, and minimalism can save it. I will also give you quick tips in each category to make small changes for the better.

Minimalist Health

Minimalism is not just about physical possessions. You can practice minimalist eating, exercise, and emotional choices as well. Healthy choices in all three areas are key to achieving and maintaining good health.

My minimalist eating practice is to eat as few processed foods as possible, which means my diet consists primarily of whole, nutritious foods. Eating only what I need for good health (90% of the time) means I am able to maintain my weight without “dieting” or counting calories. I also have a very low risk for things like heart disease, diabetes, etc. that often come from eating a poor diet.

I keep my exercise routine simple. I use the principles of a minimum effective dose. My routine does not require any equipment. I get the whole thing done in just a few minutes, and then also get up and move throughout the day.

For mental wellness, I practice a simple meditation technique you can learn about in my post on my morning routine.

Compared to the average American, I lead a very healthy lifestyle. The Office of Health and Human Services shows that only 1/3 of adults in the U.S. perform the recommended amount of physical activity each week. Typical Americans also eat too much fat, refined sugar, sodium, and processed grains. If we keep going this way, the data suggests that by the year 2030, half of all adults in the United States will be obese.

I know changes to diet can be hard. Rather than trying to take away, my quick fix tip for this area is to add healthier items.

If you drink every kind of liquid except water, add water to your fluid intake. Start with just one glass per day, and have it before you drink any other liquids to make sure you do it. Work your way up to 1 ounce per kilogram of body weight (1 kilo = 2.2 pounds), so a 150-pound person would drink about 75 ounces per day, as a general guideline.

Or if you drink plenty of water but want to eat healthier, start off with a serving of vegetables each day and work your way up to 5-9 servings per day. Try to get them fresh or frozen, not canned. You can eat them raw or cooked, just try to avoid fried or doused in butter or salad dressing. Between these two tips, you will soon have less room in your stomach for unhealthy things without feeling hungry. The increased nutrition your body receives will reduce cravings, making it easier to avoid bad foods.

For mental health, try some simple deep breathing exercises when you feel stressed. Inhale while counting to 4, hold your breath for the count of 3, then exhale over 4 seconds. Do this a few times until you feel better.

Minimalist Money

Carrying those figures over from the health section, HHS estimates that in 2018 obesity-related healthcare costs will be 21% of overall expenditure, or nearly $3.5 billion. Overweight people already spend 42% more on healthcare than those who are not overweight or an average of $1429 per year.

But healthcare is just one of the many places you can overspend. Statistics show 80% of people who join a gym quit within 5 months. A survey showed that residents of the UK have an estimated £10 billion (~$12.85 billion U.S.) in clothes they don’t wear sitting in their closets.

Most statistics say American citizens spend 33-37% of their income on housing. Millennials are spending even more—an insane 45% of their income goes to housing before they even hit age 30!

Not surprisingly people are spending way more than they make. In 2017 NASDAQ.com published an article showing consumer debt at $1.3 trillion, or an average of $139,500 per household. Americans are spending faster than their incomes are increasing.

These numbers are a serious problem. Spending money in this way can lead to bankruptcy or even homelessness. Globally, at least 1.6 billion people have inadequate housing, and an estimated 100 million people are homeless. Here’s a scary statistic for you: according to greendoors.org a “recent study shows that nowhere in the United States can someone who works 40 hours a week at minimum wage afford a one-bedroom apartment at fair market rent.”

Bottom line: every penny counts. The less you spend money on things you don’t need, the more likely you’ll be able to pay for the necessities.

My quick fix is to commit to spending $1 per day less for the next month. You can do it all at once (maybe by switching to a lower data plan or cutting back on your cable channels) or just by pulling a dollar out of your wallet each day and setting it aside. Take that money and put it into a savings account, or use it to make an extra payment toward debt. Next month, try $2 per day, and so on.

Minimalist Relationships

I’ve made an observation about two types of overly-busy people over the years. The first type is the workaholic. They are so busy with their work-life that they rarely spend time with the people they care about, and their personal life suffers. So many fights between couples happen because one is never around due to their job.

The other type of busy person is a social butterfly. They socialize a lot, often with many different people. It's harder for them to form deep relationships because they spread their attention so thinly. They may be having a lot of fun, but their lives lack those close, important bonds that are necessary for humans. It’s extremely difficult to be very close to a lot of people at the same time. The less you spend time with someone in a focused manner, the less you can bond with them.

Research has shown a direct correlation between longevity and just a single, close relationship. But that person must be someone you feel you can count on no matter what when it’s most needed.

Whether the workaholic or the social butterfly, both types of people are not getting what they need in their personal lives. A more minimalist approach is to make time to connect strongly with just a few people. Make the most important people your top priority.

My quick fix may be hard for many people. But if you feel isolated or lonely, then you need to decide whether you want to continue feeling that way or do something about it. So here’s what to do: at least once per week, commit to spending 5 minutes talking to the most important person in your life with no distractions. Meet someplace quiet or call them after asking the people around you not to disturb you for the next few minutes. Put all electronic devices out of reach and just catch up.

Being more minimalist doesn’t have to be hard

It’s something that everyone can do. You can start small and go from there. And the more minimalist you become, the more it helps you.

What areas of your life do you struggle with that you would like to simplify?

How to Start an Online Business as a Minimalist

If you've always dreamed of starting an online business--I've got news for you. It's easy for an online business to be minimalist! In this post, I'm going to discuss several topics related to how to start an online business and why it's one of the most minimalist ways to earn money.

1. How is an online business minimalist?
2. What do you need to start an online business?
3. How I started my online business
4. Ideas for starting an online business that's also minimalist

How is an online business minimalist?

How much stuff do you need to go to a job? Do you have clothes and shoes you wear just for work? There are commuting expenses, meals, and drinks while you’re away from home. Probably a bunch of other little things you end up buying, like an extra phone charger and cup for your drinks, because it’s easier to leave them at work than drag what you have at home to and from your job.

Then there’s owning a business that isn’t online. You’ll need a building, furniture, decorations, and probably physical products. Maybe employees. Maintenance and cleaning costs. Office supplies, utility bills for your building, property insurance, and possibly a vehicle just for business transportation. Plus you probably need a lot of the same things an employee needs: coffee mugs, phone chargers, work clothes, etc.

Then there’s an online business. Typically, the product is you and what you create, including digital content and products. I run my entire business with a laptop (that I already owned) and my cell phone (already had that, too). Anywhere I have access to the internet, I can run my business.

What do you need to start an online business?

There are a few basic things you need to figure out to start your own online business:

• Concept/brand (what your business is all about)
• Web presence (website, social media accounts, etc.)
• Audience (people find your brand, you establish a rapport and they trust you enough to give you their money)

Easy, right? Here’s the problem. It seems like everybody and their mom is trying to start a business these days. And about 50% of small businesses fail in the first 4 years, with about 46% of failures from incompetence. So how do you get it right?

Honestly, no matter what there is a huge learning curve for a new business owner. I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. And anybody who tells you that you can start a business for no money, work 5 hours per week and make tons of money within a month?? If you seriously believe that, I have a bridge in the desert I’d love to sell you! Not to say it can’t happen that way, but it’s very, very rare.

So no matter what you do, do your homework. Be realistic, and expect it to take time and effort. Mistakes will be made along the way. But with good knowledge and patience, you CAN start your own online business. See how I did it below…

How I started my online business

I had a few requirements for starting my own business:

1. Being disabled, it was hard enough for me to do my full-time job, let alone add a time-intensive business. I needed to be able to keep my job while I got my brand off the ground. That meant I couldn’t do any business that needed me to work on it for tons of hours per week.
2. I’m very selective about what I spend my money on. I didn’t want to sell any products or services I wouldn’t use myself. I don’t want to feel like I’m tricking people to buy things just so I can make money.
3. No reinventing the wheel. I’ve tried to start my own business in the past, and I recognize I was unsuccessful because I was clueless about marketing and social media. So I knew I needed to learn more about skills I was lacking in those areas.
4. As much automation as possible. I want a business so I have more freedom and spend less time working, while still having plenty of money to live.

I've done several training courses, both paid and free, and read several books, on how to start a small business. Blogging is a great, relatively low-cost way to start a small business. How quickly you make money, and how much, will vary greatly. But since there is so much competition out there in the blogging world, I think it's really important to get some training. Otherwise, you will probably get frustrated and give up before you make any progress.

Even though I’m still growing, a lot of the stuff I do with my business is “set it and forget it.” That’s the automation I wanted. I get to create content that I’m interested in myself, so it doesn’t feel like a chore. Using techniques I learned from others, I send my thoughts out into the world and people come to me. I don’t have to go hunting them down and begging them to listen to me. No bugging my friends and family and trying to convince them to buy things from me. And NO selling things I don’t actually use myself.

Don't get me wrong, it's not easy to be self-employed. You may end up working more than you did at a regular job, especially in the beginning when you're getting up and running. And there's a steep learning curve if you've never done anything with websites, self-employment taxes, or any of the other accounting things you will need to know about. Even if you outsource those tasks, you still need working knowledge so you don't get swindled by someone.

It's also important to be yourself. Pretending to be something you're not won't get you very far in the long-term, and I can imagine it's exhausting. There are enough people in this world with varied interests that you can find your people--the ones who want you just as you are, and find benefit from the knowledge and skills you have to offer. Not only that but if you're going to behave the way others want you to and follow their rules, why not just stick to being an employee?

My last piece of advice is to be willing to go outside your comfort zone a little. You can't reach the heights of success without going outside of your comfort zone.

Ideas for starting an online business that's also minimalist

There are some not-minimalist ways to have an online business. Anything that requires you to hold large amounts of inventory, or uses a lot of supplies, will be less minimalist. If you want to be as minimalist as possible, ideally you would focus on a very specialized niche, and offer digital products. Blogging is one option, but as I said, it isn't for everybody.

Alternatively, have someone else house and ship your products for you. So instead of running a T-shirt business where you design, print, and ship T-shirts from your home or other business location, a more minimalist approach would be working with a third-party company that allows you to email your designs; the company then prints and ships T-shirts on demand when orders are received.

My husband has a semi-minimalist small business selling books online. He needs very little equipment. It gets a little crowded because he obtains the inventory himself, and sometimes it's several hundred books at a time. Then he has to prepare them for sale, including creating an inventory list, cleaning them, pricing, writing descriptions, and packing them up to be shipped.

The minimalist part is that a large portion of our sales are through Amazon and they house our inventory. Once it's shipped to them, they handle sales, customer service, and shipping. Not to mention, they have way more exposure and marketing than we could ever afford. It cuts into profits but gives him more time to focus on acquiring inventory. That's the part that he enjoys the most.

There are lots of digital products and services out there: virtual assistants, e-books, templates and forms, coaching...the list is endless. You can do something really specialized based on your skills. If you're a whiz at sewing, cooking, or tennis, you could create video instructional courses. If you're an artist, you could sell licensed digital versions of your products for commercial use.

Digital products are relatively inexpensive to create compared to physical products. Priced right, you can re-sell the same product to hundreds or thousands of people. Digital services, like coaching or being a virtual assistant, are less minimalist in my opinion because they require more hands-on work. If you don't work those hours, you don't get paid. But, it can be a great way to start in a niche and build your reputation, then branch out into a product that is accessible to a larger audience.

There are so many options for online businesses that with some creativity, you can come up with an idea that would suit just about any interest or skill set.

How To Make Money and Still Be a Minimalist

If you Google “minimalist” and look at the images that come up, you’ll see a lot of pictures of white walls and rooms with nothing but a table and chair. I even saw one picture of a bunch of empty hangers on a rack.

I think this is probably the most well-recognized type of minimalism out there, and it comes with the idea that these people live this way because they have no other choice. Because this is how poor people live, right? They can’t afford any possessions so they have a bunch of empty rooms and no clothes in their closets.

If you realize that this stereotype is often incorrect, then you’re ahead of the game.

Because the truth is, the people I know who don’t have a lot of money often have a LOT of stuff, much of which they don’t actually need. Meanwhile, people who choose to be minimalist have very little stuff they don’t need, and often have lots of extra money.

Did I just blow your mind?

Now here’s something else I’m going to tell you: as a minimalist, you are going to find me talking a lot about money. Here’s why:

• I believe the average person has very little education or understanding about money, regardless of how much they make. I’ve been taking a course called Lifebook. In today’s video, the instructor said something very interesting and profound and is so true. (I’m paraphrasing here) In the United States, we spend almost 20 years in school learning about everything but money. Then we graduate and spend most of the time for the rest of our lives figuring out how to make money. So I figure the more I can spread knowledge about money, the more people I can help.
• In general, I believe there is a lot of negativity around talking about money. It’s considered impolite, and possibly even greedy to ask questions about money or talk about how much you make or how you make it. I used to feel that way until I discovered the roots of my money issues and resolved them. Now I understand that money is not good or evil; it is simply a resource and its effects are decided by the person who has it. If you want to be a force for good in this capitalist society, money is a NECESSITY. The more you have access to, the easier it is to effect positive change in the world. So the more transparent we all can be, and the more we can learn how to be comfortable with money, the easier it will flow into our lives and help us achieve our goals.

So in the spirit of transparency, I’m going to give you my own story as an example of someone who ended up with more and more expendable income because I'm minimalist. Then, to prove I’m not just an outlier, I’m going to give you some other examples of minimalists who have plenty of money.

In 2011, my husband and I moved from a 1600 square-foot house to a 40-foot long travel trailer. We did this for a lot of reasons, and one of them was money.

Another reason was my brother, who lived in another state, was in a near-fatal car crash while his wife was pregnant with their first child. We had very little extra money after we paid all our bills, which meant that we couldn’t afford to rush out to be with my family like we wanted to.

So we decided we were going to move to where he was, be around to help, and also be more present for our niece as she grew up. The problem was, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and we lived in Arizona. The housing market was horrible at the time; houses in Arizona were worth very little while houses near San Francisco cost a lot. There was no way we could afford to buy in the bay area or even rent.

But we could afford an RV, and space rent in an RV park in the bay area was roughly 1/4 to 1/2 of the rent for a 1-bedroom apartment. So we moved out to California and into an RV park.

Then a bunch of other things happened, like my husband’s job offer fell through at the last minute, and then for years, I worked full-time for about $40,000 per year while Ryan worked part-time or not at all. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were considered in the “Very Low Income” bracket for our county for most of the years we lived in the bay area.

Yet we still managed to pay all our bills and even put money into savings. Meanwhile, most of my friends and co-workers, already in their 30s and 40s, lived with parents, rented rooms or had to make well over 6 figures just to have their own place. Those who owned homes were the ones who were dual-income families in high-paying jobs, usually both attorneys or something of that nature.

None of them lived in an RV like we did, though. It never even occurred to them; especially in an affluent area like the bay area, “trailer parks” are looked down upon. And a lot of them are not nice. But it didn’t really matter much to us, because we were in the location we wanted at an affordable price.

When our income level jumped up to over twice what it had been, we didn’t change much. We still only owned one car, we wore the same clothes, ate the same food. There was no nice apartment in the future. We didn’t run out and buy the most expensive RV we could afford, either, or even move to a more expensive RV park.

As we downsized RVs, we gradually owned even less than we did, even though our income steadily increased. In 2018, we made around $115,000, but our expenses remained at about $32,000.

Why? Because we have enough without spending a lot. We live rich lives filled with lots of love, and freedom to use our time as we please. No matter how much money we make, we will never want to live in a big house with a hefty mortgage we can barely afford. We plan on living minimally forever, in one form or another.

Now, I promised I would show you I’m not an exception to the rule that minimalists can have plenty of money.

Courtney Carver from Be More with Less downsized her life after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. She got rid of all her debt, sold her big house, and let go of most of her stuff. She also left her high-paying marketing job and is pursuing her passion through her minimalist-based business, which now earns her more than the job she left. Yet she and her husband choose to live very happily in a 2-bedroom apartment with just a few possessions.

Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus are the founders of The Minimalists and are childhood friends that at age 30, had all the things. Big houses, luxury cars, and all the toys. But their 80-hour-per-week jobs to pay for all that stuff gave them little time to enjoy anything, so they flipped their lives around completely and created their minimalist company. They talk, they blog, they write books, and make films about breaking free and becoming minimalist. And they’re happier than ever, all the while having plenty of money left to give to the charities they care about.

Then there’s Leo Babauta from Zen Habits. This guy’s conversion to minimalism helped him get healthier, lose 65 pounds, and get out of debt. It gave him the freedom to move from Guam to San Francisco with his wife and 6 kids. He says he now makes more while working for himself than he ever did before he began the minimalist lifestyle. Despite that, he moved to a less expensive area (Davis, California) and does not own a car.

There are many more examples out there, but I think you get the picture. Done right, minimalism can let you have more money than you need without working more.

Or if you prefer, it can mean needing less money so you can work less. Either way, you will have more freedom to focus on the things you really care about. Your choice.