Minimalism refers to minimizing your consumption of things in your life to items that add value. It is a utilitarian perspective that lends itself well to financial goals. I consider myself a minimalist, however, you will not find me living in a tiny home or with only three clothing items in my closet. To me, being a minimalist means purchasing items with intentionality and being able to justify to myself their utility. This means that when I am considering purchasing something, I ask myself what I need the item for and how often I will use it. I will also consider the useful life of the item, how likely it will become obsolete (e.g., electronics often become obsolete quickly), and what maintenance or upkeep it will require (e.g., a lawn mower needs yearly service, wooden patio furniture needs to be re-stained). Sometimes, it will be worthwhile to rent the item instead of purchase. Or I may consider purchasing and reselling the item after I have used it for my project.

Now, like with most things, me and my wife need to compromise on some items, but we are mostly in agreement on purchases. We try to buy things that are good quality, and only items that we plan to use. We agree that we have enough clothing, so we practice a one-in-one-out policy whereby we only replace existing clothing rather than adding additional clothing. For example, if I purchase a new t-shirt, I will remove one that I don’t wear anymore and donate it.

Implementing this minimalistic perspective has reduced my wasteful spending but has also reduced the clutter in my home, and what I will call ‘mental clutter’. Each item that you own, whether you realize it or not, consumes a small piece of your mental space. One of my annoyances is souvenirs, statues, models – you know, the type of things that some people put on shelves in their homes to display. Every week, items like these need to be dusted and all need to be removed from the shelf so that the shelf can be dusted. People will acquire a souvenir seashell from their trip to Florida 30 years ago, and spend a few minutes every week dusting it and the shelf it sits on – and for what? I say, get rid of both the shelf and the souvenirs on it – you don’t need the physical or mental clutter that comes with it!

Souvenirs take up minor mental space, but your choices of larger purchases can contribute to much more mental clutter. For each car you own, you need to regularly remember to wash them, get their oil changed, check their brakes and tire tread, and keep their insurance and registration up to date, etc. The bigger your house, the more you need to vacuum, the more light bulbs you need to change, and the higher the property tax. The bigger your yard, the more lawn equipment you need, and all the lawn equipment requires maintenance and a place to be stored. And that shed that you store your yard equipment in needs to be painted periodically. And the painting equipment also needs to be stored somewhere.

Most people only realize the clutter they have accumulated over time when they move since it forces them to pack up all their belongings. Often, a moving family will throw away many unused items and pack up only the things that they use to bring to the new home. Instead of waiting for the day you move to declutter your life, practice it in real time – periodically, go through your closets, pantries, garages, sheds, and cupboards, and get rid of the useless items! Before acquiring more things, always consider if you plan to actually use the item or if it will be one of the items you end up donating in a few years due to its lack of use.