We live in a world filled with empty consumeristic promises.
- To get the girl, buy this cologne.
- To be the life of the party, get this television.
- To impress your friends, buy this watch.
- To turn heads, drive this car.
- To raise a better family, buy this bigger house.
These promises bombard our senses incessantly—even within the comforts of our home. And more than we realize, these messages begin to shape our conscious and subconscious thoughts.
As a result, too often, we buy stuff we don’t need. Our closets become crowded, our drawers overfill, our garages can’t fit our cars, and our homes fill with countless products we thought were a good idea at the time; but in reality, rarely get used.
Our lives soon become buried under everything we own.
To counter these empty promises, I want to offer a simple, life-transforming question—five simple words to ask before making any purchase.
The question is this: But what if I don’t?
Whenever you feel the pull of consumerism, simply ask yourself the shortened version of this thought, “What might I be able to do if I didn’t make this purchase?”
Every purchase contains an opportunity cost. The question, “But what if I don’t?”, forces us to recognize and articulate it.
For example:
If you don’t buy that large screen television, how much debt could you pay off?
If you don’t buy the bigger house, how much more money would you have to travel?
If you don’t go clothes-shopping today, how could you build up an emergency fund?
If you don’t make this purchase on Amazon, what good could you accomplish in the world with the money instead?
You know what you’ve been promised if you buy… but what if you don’t? How would your life improve if you said ‘no?’
With every purchase we make, we sacrifice a small amount of freedom. This one, simple question helps us recognize exactly what it is.
David says
I am a physician and was told by a friend (who owns a mortgage company) that there is a new home loan for doctors that allow 97% of the cost of a house to be financed without having to abide by certain regulations. It allows them to buy a larger house earlier. He was saying it was a “good” deal. I have been in practice for over a decade and now give this advice to the Med students that rotate with me: 1. Always think of the patient first, 2. Buy a small house. Number 2 was added in the last few years after seeing way too many colleagues succumb to stress; becoming miserable as a result.
While I am new to minimalism, I have been heading in this direction for a while now. I just didn’t know what to call it! Cheers!
Alice says
About once every two-three months, I go through my small home to see what I can get rid of. I’ve done a pretty good job of paring down with one exception – my kitchen. I LOVE beautiful dishes and cooking utensils. In fact, I love them so much that my small kitchen is loaded with stuff. I’ve gone through my kitchen numerous times and have gotten rid of lots and more. But, I still have too much and don’t seem to be able to get into the mindset that if I get rid of most of it, I will be happier with my cooking experiences. I need help. Any ideas for me?
Meg says
Do you catch yourself thinking, “I’ll use that beautiful serving bowl for the side dish,” and then you open the cabinet to get it out and it’s under or behind so many other things that you change your mind and use the less beautiful bowl that’s at the front of the cabinet? Does putting away the dishes take forever because everything has to be stacked in just such a way to actually fit, and you have to lift up stacks of things, to put large items under small ones? Are you constantly shuffling things around the counters while you cook, trying to make room to actually do the cooking? Do you have more than your fair share of beautiful dishes and some would make lovely, meaningful presents to friends and family? Does your kitchen feel greedy and overly-precious to other people, with the stuff taking over the space, and leaving no room for visiting human beings to sit, move through the space, or be comfortable?
Darshan says
I am a Medical professional. Have been in practice for 6 years now after post graduation. Working hours are already stressful for people in my profession.
Recently shifted to a new house. Got the house revamped with huge sum of money. Not that i was under financial stress / debtHowever was missing some thing always. And one fine day came across Joshua’s website.
Have been a fan since than.
Embracing minimalism – has been my greatest self help guide till date.
Gratefull to Joshua and the minimalist community
Also grateful to the voluminous sum of money i spent on my house – made me stressful – without which i would never have learnt a lesson and realized the significance of MINIMALISM.
Thank you once again.
Mr Home Maker says
Wow – profound. Such a simple yet powerful question. I’m locking that one in.
DSK says
Find and read Wendell Berry’s essay “Why I am not going to buy a computer” (available to read online)
Helen says
I agree as well – I have to say it is hard to change a habit and ignore something you have a desire for.
I’ve found that I if I ask myself a simple question of “do I need it?”, it usually puts things in perspective for me.
Great post, thanks again!
Duchesse says
I use a variant: first, identify the value proposition: “If I buy x, I will receive y.” (E.g., people will be impressed, etc.)
Then, I ask myself, “Is that really true?” 90% of the time, no.
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
This is a post I’m going to reread and share with others over and over again. I love coming up with common-sense ways of making this point. I just emptied a cupboard of 5 items this morning, none of which have been used in many years (though I have loaned out the punch bowl a few times since I last used it myself). I will donate them to a charity shop and not even fill the space they were occupying.
When I see something I want to buy, I ask myself what item I’m willing to give up to make space for the new item. That keeps me from ever saying the frequently heard lament, “I need more storage” (to which I always say, “Nobody needs more storage, they just need less stuff!”) I strictly follow the One In/One Out (at *least* one out) Rule.
That said, I won’t insult minimalists by claiming to be one! :-) Not nearly there.
Jacob Zoller says
This is very helpful! Thanks, Joshua. I need simple and easy-to-implement steps to get less stuff.
rosie says
Habits are hard to form.
But this is certainly a worthwhile one to work on.
http://www.rosieleizrowice.com
John P. Weiss says
Funny how the pull of instant gratification just as instantly loses its satisfaction!