Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us.
The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration.
For that reason, I hope you will make an effort this weekend to find a quiet moment with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy some of these hand-picked articles to encourage more simplicity in your life.
This is What Happens When You Get Rid of 75% of Your Stuff | Market Watch by Alessandra Malito. “I was spending a lot of money on my idealized version of myself.”
Are You Taking The False First Step? | Break the Twitch by Anthony Ongaro. Ads tell us that buying something is a step towards achieving our dreams. They’re lying.
The Science of Why We Buy Clothes We Never Wear | TIME by Kit Yarrow. Why would we waste money on clothing we don’t wear? Here are the top reasons.
An Essential Budget Query: Is This Spending Aligned With My Values? | New York Times by Carl Richards. When you find places that your spending could be better invested in other values, make the change.
Becoming Minimalist on Facebook. This week, we passed half a million followers on Facebook! Thank you to everyone who has ever helped to spread the message. And if you’re not part of the community over there, join us now.
What a great article about aligning spending with values.
I find myself at a new and unwelcome stretch of this journey. As my neuromuscular condition progresses I’m getting rid of a lot of stuff. I can no longer turn pages so books and magazines are out; ditto craft supplies, lots of tools, etc. We’ve also had necessary expenses, like the electronic deadbolt since keys are hard to use.
I’ll say this – I’m very glad we have the savings that allow for this.
Thank you for sharing these articles. Happy to say I’m not guilty of the clothes sin anymore, but I have become a digital hoarder which can get chaotic!
Thank you for some more great reads to pin to my “Purposeful Spending” Pinterest Board. I definitely have a love-hate relationship with amazon.ca’s “buy now button”:)
I enjoy your Weekend Reads tremendously, I honestly hop out of bed after I receive them every weekend excited to make a coffee and read them. Thanks!
I always enjoy your weekend reads. This bunch was particularly interesting to me. The Break the Twitch article rang true for me. I will have more things to thing through when I am making purchases. What am I really trying to accomplish? Am I taking a logical first step, or just an easy one? Thank you for taking the time to find these!
Regarding clothes we buy but don’t wear, another reason this sometimes happens is to placate a loved one. My wife once convinced me that a sport coat I tried on was perfect. Except it wasn’t. It sat in my closet for a year before I gave it away! Lesson: If you don’t need or like it, don’t buy it!
Thank you so much for these posts. I find they really help me stay inspired and reinforce mindfulness. Its so hard sometimes to stay on track with my minimalism journey (just started this year) with so much other advertising and messaging about buying more stuff constantly coming at me. Your posts are like a boost of will power that refocus me on my path. I’m going to go gather more stuff for donations now. :) Thank you!
I agree Jackie! It does the same for me. Reading these posts with a cup of coffee over the weekend is one of my favorite things!
Thank you for sharing these articles. I read each one and, as always, I take away a little nugget of wisdom from each. Thank you.
These were all good ones and I really appreciate them especially on the first day of a new month of a new quarter. I’m inspired! Your Weekend Reads is one of my favorite parts of Saturday mornings. It helps shape the rest of my week. Thank you so much!