I am trying to live a minimalist life. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t own stuff.
My family of four still owns three beds, three dressers, two couches, one table with chairs, one desk, eight plates, eight bowls, eight glasses… My kids own toys and books. My wife sews. I read, play sports, and care for the house. We may be seeking to live a minimalist life, but we are still consumers. After all, to live is to consume.
But we have worked hard to escape excessive consumerism. Consumerism becomes excessive when it extends beyond what is needed. When we begin consuming more than is needed, boundaries are removed. Personal credit allows us to make purchases beyond our income-level. Advertisements subtly reshape our desires around material possessions. And the consumption culture that surrounds us begins to make excessive consumption appear natural and normal.
Excessive consumption leads to bigger houses, faster cars, trendier clothes, fancier technology, and overfilled drawers. It promises happiness, but never delivers. Instead, it results in a desire for more… a desire which is promoted by the world around us. And it slowly begins robbing us of life. It redirects our God-given passions to things that can never fulfill. It consumes our limited resources.
And it is time that we escape the vicious cycle.
It is time to take a step back and realize that excessive consumption is not delivering on its promise to provide happiness and fulfillment. Consumption is necessary, but excessive consumption is not. And life can be better lived (and more enjoyed) by intentionally rejecting it.
Consider this list of ten practical benefits of escaping excessive consumerism in your life:
1) Less debt. The average American owns 3.5 credit cards and $15,799 in credit card debt… totaling consumer debt of $2.43 trillion in the USA alone. This debt causes stress in our lives and forces us to work jobs that we don’t enjoy. We have sought life in department stores and gambled our future on the empty promises of their advertisements. We have lost. Make getting out of debt a priority.
2) Less life caring for possessions. The never-ending need to care for the things we own is draining our time and energy. Whether we are maintaining property, fixing vehicles, replacing goods, or cleaning things made of plastic, metal, or glass, our life is being emotionally and physically drained by the care of things that we don’t need—and in most cases, don’t enjoy either. We are far better off owning less.
3) Less desire to upscale lifestyle norms. The television and the Internet has brought lifestyle envy into our lives at a level never before experienced in human history. Prior to the advent of the digital age, we were left envying the Jones’ family living next to us—but at least we had a few things in common (such as living in the same neighborhood). But today’s media age has caused us to envy (and expect) lifestyle norms well beyond our incomes by promoting the lifestyles of the rich and famous as superior and enviable. Only an intentional rejection of excessive consumerism can quietly silence the desire to constantly upscale lifestyle norms.
4) Less environmental impact. Our earth produces enough resources to meet all of our needs, but it does not produce enough resources to meet all of our wants. And whether you consider yourself an environmentalist or not, it is tough to argue with the fact that consuming more resources than the earth can replenish is not a healthy trend—especially when it is completely unnecessary.
5) Less need to keep up with evolving trends. Henry David Thoreau once said, “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but religiously follows the new.” Recently, I have been struck by the wisdom and practical applicability of that thought whether relating to fashion, decoration, or design. A culture built on consumption must produce an ever-changing target to keep its participants spending money. And our culture has nearly perfected that practice. As a result, nearly every year, a new line of fashion is released as the newest trend. And the only way to keep up is to purchase the latest fashions and trends when they are released… or remove yourself from the pursuit altogether.
6) Less pressure to impress with material possessions. Social scientist Thorstein Veblen coined the phrase “conspicuous consumption” to describe the lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth. In his 1899 book, The Theory of the Leisure Class, this term was used to describe the behavior of a limited social class. And although the behavior has been around since the beginning of time, today’s credit has allowed it to permeate nearly every social class in today’s society. As a result, no human being (in consumption cultures) is exempt from its temptation.
7) More generosity. Rejecting excessive consumerism always frees up energy, time, and finances. Those resources can then be brought back into alignment with our deepest heart values. When we begin rejecting the temptation to spend all of our limited resources on ourselves, our hearts are opened to the joy and fulfillment found in giving our personal resources to others. Generosity finds space in our life (and in our checkbooks) to emerge.
8) More contentment. Many people believe if they find (or achieve) contentment in their lives, their desire for excessive consumption will wane. But we have found the opposite to be true. We have found that the intentional rejection of excessive consumption opens the door for contentment to take root in our lives. We began pursuing minimalism as a means to realign our life around our greatest passions, not as a means to find contentment. But somehow, minimalism resulted in a far-greater contentment with life than we ever enjoyed prior.
9) Greater ability to see through empty claims. Fulfillment is not on sale at your local department store—neither is happiness. It never has been. And never will be. We all know this to be true. We all know that more things won’t make us happier. It’s just that we’ve bought into the subtle message of millions upon millions of advertisements that have told us otherwise. Intentionally stepping back for an extended period of time helps us get a broader view of their empty claims.
10) Greater realization that this world is not just material. True life is found in the invisible things of life: love, hope, and faith. Again, we all know there are things in this world that are far more important than what we own. But if one were to research our actions, intentions, and receipts, would they reach the same conclusion? Or have we been too busy seeking happiness in all the wrong places?
Escaping excessive consumption is not an easy battle. If it were, it would be done more often… myself included. But it is a battle worth fighting because it robs us of life far more than we realize.
Excessive consumption promises happiness, but never delivers. True life must be found somewhere else. (tweet that)
Image: schizoform
Sharri says
Goodness gracious! When I grow up I want to be like you. I have this open in one tab and a clothing store site open in another and I am trying so hard to fight this temptation. Buying clothes is an obsession of mines and it’s hypocritical of me because I abhor materialism. While I am far from a label junkie, I am a sales/ frugal junkie. Part of me wants to sell my whole wardrobe, half of which I do not wear. A part of me dies every time I think about it. I feel awful because I know money that I am using to buy these clothes could be used to save someone’s life. Its hard. Now that I finished this spiel, I have managed to close those 3 tabs lol. This helped/
Gail says
Thanks for great thought provoking inspiration. My first step is de-cluttering and reducing what we do have and being more mindful of what I bring home.
Desiree says
great post!
I tend to think I’m immune to excessive consumerism. I’m *so* over that keeping up with the Joneses and credit card debt phase. Yet, I’m struggling with the little things – spending every dollar out of each paycheck on little random things, when it could (and should!) be put in our emergency fund. I’m really good at finding excuses to shop, and I do it as a hobby! Lame-o, right?
Since I’ve started my minimalist journey I’ve been working reaaaaally (times a billion) hard at NOT adding to my collection of crap. I’m practicing questioning every single purchase, and utilizing that whole, “one in, one out” idea – as well as encouraging my family to do the same!
While far from perfect, I’m already enjoying the feeling of having more control over my money and myself! Excessive consumerism blows. I used to be able (before my mega declutter) to look around me and see a bunch of garbage that we spent our hard earned money on, that isnt being used. It’s nice to not add to that collection of unused stuffs now :)
Miri C says
Good points here. You mention lifestyle envy. As I have come around to minimalism I have enjoyed less stress and many of the other benefits you talked about. I never dreamed that my friends and coworkers would envy my lifestyle. When they talk about the chaos I just smile and say call me if you want to change that.
Liane says
I really love this post. Many of these ideas are things I have been thinking about but not in such a pointed succinct way. I am working on getting rid of stuff to become more simplified and free of things I don’t need. As I do this I am disgusted as I think about how much time and energy went into acquiring it.
My biggest realization recently has been something that is related to reason #2. I have always loved gardens. I have always had a garden that I design, tend and work to maintain. I have had aspirations of a magnificent garden someday. But lately I have been thinking about how all of the things I was imagining putting into the garden and all of the time I would spend caring for it would actually remove me from living my life fully. It would likely consume so much time, money, energy…just to keep it up as well as the rest of the yard, and the house etc. That is not what I want.
Another thought I have had about this is about how i get rid of stuff. I have been gathering up things to sell on Craig’s List. Why? I think because I feel I need the money. Do I? Not really. I have enough. There is not more that I need to be content. S now i am planning on donating, giving it away etc. Freeing…
Amanda says
I can connect with #8 Contentment. The basic principles of getting rid of ‘stuff’ we don’t need and re-thinking every purchase we make is practical in theory, but somehow creates a deeper sense of joy and fulfillment for me. I feel like I’m living with more purpose now than I ever did when I was on the consumption race track.
I’m still a moderate/high consumer but have made some big changes in how I think and feel about all of the things in my personal space. I’m pickier than ever!
I love your story, Joshua! Very inspiring.
Julie says
Thank you for your thoughts and encouragement.
Shane says
I have becoming minimalist set as my home page. I haven’t posted before, though I love the message. I also appreciate that you share links to other good folks, as I have learned much from them through my portal to the minimalist style (becoming minimalist)
This has been my favorite writing of yours so far. In fact I am going to print it and leave it on my desk because this is something I want to really sink in.
Sarah Ruth says
I love your blog and I do love this post, but don’t you think you’re selling the fashion industry short a little bit? Yes, it has a heavy hand in excessive consumer culture, but it is also a form of art, and that should not be forgotten. Fashion and trends are not just a marketing ploy to get us to spend more money. Fashion designers are exploring new and exciting concepts all the time!
Dana says
Have you ever looked at how native tribal people dress? They don’t have a fashion industry, but their clothing and jewelry are still artistic and gorgeous. And while there is some variation from individual to individual, and their style might evolve somewhat over time, it doesn’t change constantly year after year the way our fashion industry does.
And to be frank, I hate most industrial clothing. Fits poorly, is put together shabbily and doesn’t even protect against the elements. For instance, after I became a knitter it struck me funny that most of the mittens available to people today, at least the mittens made in factories, end at the wrist. Doesn’t sound like a big deal til you have to walk out in the cold and realize that there is cold air rushing up your sleeves. You can’t stay warm if your limbs are taking heat away from your core because your mittens don’t work right. Not a big deal to people who drive everywhere, I suppose, but sooner or later the car breaks down or you have a wreck and there you are, on the side of the road, freezing your tushie off.
And this is not even getting into the haute couture I catch glimpses of in news reports from time to time. I don’t know when modern artists decided art didn’t have to make sense to the viewer, but there you go.
Minimalist Mommi says
I completely agree. 100%. As an aspiring minimalist, I struggle constantly with want v. need. Of course there are things that will make life easier (for me, I love cleaning supplies and desire a good camera). I think it makes more sense to spend on leisure items that have been poured over and will be used for a long time. Sometimes happiness does sprout from items-the key is to not focus on the item itself, but the experience if provides. For example, I love photography. Looking at beautiful photos and seeing the world through a different key makes me happy. However, in order to do that, one needs a camera. I really think consumerism can be okay, but in moderation–something this society has a major issue with.
lisa says
Vinegar, baking soda, rubbing alcohol and rags can clean most everything in the home. Inexpensive and non-toxic! I used to like all my fancy stuff for cleaning. Now I use a spray bottle of vinegar water mix for most everything. I feel safer knowing that my little one won’t get sick from the cleaners.