This may sound like a contradiction, how to shop like a minimalist? A big part of what minimalism does is reduce its consumption.
Shopping would be counter-intuitive, right?
Minimalism is about distilling the essential.
It’s not about getting right down to Zero. It’s not cut by cut by. Minimalist or not, we all need to consume to some degree.
Practicing minimalism helps us cut out what is not needed so we can focus on what matters most. Give you a hint, it has no wardrobe this season.
Minimalists look within, identify what is actually important to them and will buy & shop according to their core values.
The rest of society tends to look outside and shop according to what’s currently trending.
So the first step to shopping like a minimalist is to look inside.
Know your values
Every being on this planet has a set of core values.
Our values are the choices we have made about how we want to live our lives. With so many distractions going on, it is often very difficult to live by those values.
Many of us have not really sat down and written down those values, or spent time working on them.
We may have a vague idea of what we really care about, but do we allow our values to be the driving force of our lives?
Before you even consider shopping like a minimalist, you must write down your core values.
Next, we’ll take you through exercises that will help you tap into your instinct & bring out your core values
This is not a task to rush into, so save this post and look back on it later.
Found you Markice Exercise
Make sure you have pen & paper, take yourself someplace where you can spend some time relaxing. Whether it is at the beach, at your local park or lake, go someplace you feel calm & peaceful.
When you are ready, come to your center and get started.
At the top of a piece of paper write: What’s really important to me as a man / woman / person?
Close your eyes and read these statements aloud, taking a deep breath and seeing what comes to mind. You may see pictures or moments from your life flashing through your mind’s eye, you may remember a conversation or a moment where you felt truly happy and at peace.
Write down these moments, capturing as many of them as possible.
Once you have a list, undergo each of those moments and ask questions.
Why is this moment so important to me?
How am I feeling right now?
Write down the words that appear next to these moments.
EXAMPLE:
Moment:
Touring Australia with the windows down, the sun on my face, listening to Sweet Disposition explode with my partner at the drive and with me feeling like I do not care in the world, perfection.
Why is this moment so important to me?
This moment is the perfect combination of freedom, security and joy where I feel like nothing else matters but to be in that happy free moment.
How am I feeling right now?
Free, Content, Safe, Peaceful, Joy?
Possible values taken from this example:
Freedom
Security
Peace
joy
Once you have a list of values, the goal is to start prioritizing those that you think are most significant to you. There is no wrong or right answer here, aim to get your top 3 grades in order of precedence.
Now that you have your core values, let’s see how we can apply them to your spending habits.
Align your spending habits with your values
Minimalists’ goal is to align their outside world as closely as possible to their core values. There is nobody size fits all of this, it’s up to you to interpret how you might do this with your own values.
Once you have a core list and keep away from practice for some time. Return to your list and again find a quiet, peaceful place to do the next exercise.
Ask yourself:
- What changes do I need to make to my spending habits to be more aligned with my values?
- How am I able to better align my external environment with my values?
- Is there anything I need to take so I can live more closely in line with these values?
- Is there anything I need to add so that I can live more closely in line with these values?
As you ask yourself these questions, once more be still, breathe and wait for answers to come from within rather than forcing an answer. This is how we tap into our inner instinct and get answers that are more in line with who we really are.
Write down anything that comes up and use these answers to list actions for changes you can make to your spending habits & the things you currently have.
Additional tips for shopping like a minimalist
Always Pay Upfront
The first piece of advice is to all the time stay within your own limits. Avoid going into debt by paying for whatever you want to buy in full. If you make large purchases, this means that you need to spend more time saving.
In this saving process you’ll have more time to consider whether the item is actually what you need or want.
It’s more enlightening for us to expend the energy needed to create savings into buying those items, rather than simply buying them on a credit card and worrying about the cost later. By paying upfront, you will invest more in making the right buying decision and guaranteeing it aligns with your values.
Don’t shop – just Atlist
Atlist is a free conscious shopping platform which will help you reduce your consumption and create a more minimalist lifestyle.
download active free chrome addonthe next time you are shopping online late at night and find yourself at the checkout, save your item to Atlist rather than to wishlist with one click.
Your stuff will not disappear and you can come back and check it out a few weeks later and check for yourself, are this stuff I actually need or want in my life?
This is the online version of window shopping and really helps reduce the urge to buy now, think later.
Ask yourself these questions before buying an item
- Would I purchase this service or product if it wasn’t offered or on sale?
- Can I pay for this item in advance?
- Am I buying this item for a hypothetical situation (i.e. buying a smaller size to encourage myself to lose weight)
- If I purchase this item, what cannot I purchase – and am I okay with that?
