Benefits of a simpler lifestyle

“Oh, I didn’t realise I had another one of those!”

Do you experience those moments when everything gets too much and you long for a simpler life? Maybe your lifestyle is busy to start with, but what about your living environment? Your home is the one place that is completely under your control, where you can make changes that affect you every day, so why not start simplifying here, before you move to areas that may be more difficult to change?

Here’s the thing: if your home is cluttered, you may be creating issues you are not aware of, ranging from unnecessary purchases to spending way too much time tidying up and cleaning. And all of those activities can add to overwhelm and the nagging feeling that your chores are never quite finished. Besides, reducing clutter can have a significant impact on your spending habits and overall financial health.

There are many advantages to having less, but the most obvious one is that you can easily determine what you need and what you already have. If you can quickly find what you are looking for, you’ll never end up buying something to replace an item that is actually just hidden from sight and access.

Speaking from professional experience, you wouldn’t believe how many times I have heard the words “Oh, I didn’t realise I had another one of those!” during a decluttering session – and often more than once for the same kind of item.

The sheer number of items you own may lead to an accidental accumulation of more of the same: you may spend money on items that you already own. Not only will you spend money, but you’ll feel silly once you realise you didn’t need to spend that money after all. Being more organised and sticking with items that you actually need (rather than hoarding stuff that “may come in handy someday”) will reduce your belongings to a more manageable level. On top of that, you’ll be able to assess what you own before you start replacing things.

While the whole point of a more minimalist lifestyle is one of visual clarity, it not only helps to keep the overwhelm at bay, but it has a huge effect on your finances: having less means buying less, making more conscious decisions about which items you bring in and which ones need to go (and could potentially be sold, of course).

Besides not spending on things you don’t need, having a mindset of “less” can change your consumer behaviour. When you find yourself in a shop with nice things, it’s useful to ask yourself where exactly this thing will go when you get back home: is there a particular spot where it can live without impeding access to something else? And most importantly: Will it clutter up the space rather than adding to your peace of mind?

And that doesn’t even take into account that everything you own may at some point have to be repaired, maintained, cleaned, or otherwise be dealt with, adding yet again to mental clutter and monetary cost.

As mentioned at the start: clutter in your environment has an effect on you: more stuff means more to take care of, more to tidy up after use, more to shift around when you are cleaning… the real question is this: “is having that item worth the mental clutter it creates?”

Once you start making the link between cost and the benefits of owning something, it becomes a lot easier to make clear decision about what is indeed beneficial to bring in or keep, and what you are better off leaving on that shelf in the shop and walk away.

Look around you: what do you see that you have not interacted with in a while? Was it worth the purchase?