Minimalist living has been proven as one of the best ways to achieve financial success. If you’ve embarked upon a minimalist lifestyle, perhaps you’re ready to finally achieve financial minimalism.
Did you even know there was such thing as financial minimalism? And that you can become a financial minimalist? Neither did I before I began my journey…
We’re always looking for ways to save money and cut expenses, but it’s hard when you have bills coming in every month.
Most people don’t realise how much they’re spending on things that aren’t important until they see the numbers side by side. That was me too, and then I managed to put some of these steps into action to save $10,000 in a year.
If you want financial freedom then you need a plan that works for your life. Minimalism is one way to create the lifestyle you desire, while also saving money each year.
Read also: How to find joy in frugal minimalism (with 10 frugal living tips)
What is financial minimalism?
This is an idea that has gained popularity in recent years. Financial minimalism means living “simply but not cheaply”, and getting your spending under control so you can reduce your debt and reach a place where you are living within your means.
It is about living with less to focus on what’s truly important in life. You may choose this path because you want to spend more time with the people you love, or make a difference to those around you.
There are many ways that financial minimalism can help your life (and your bank account.). Today we’re going to look at some ways you can achieve financial minimalism and save money in the process.
Why practice financial minimalism?
It’s important to practice financial minimalism so that you have peace of mind for your future. We all know that the stresses of financial burden can have a detriment affect on our health.
By getting your spending under control and reducing your debt – whether it be credit cards, loans – you may be on the right track to reducing your expenses and reaching a place where you are living within your means.
Practicing financial minimalism is about more than just getting your spending under control. It’s also about reducing the number of things you feel you need to live “the good life” so that you can focus more on what makes your life meaningful and less on material goods. Your health, relationships, passions, and contributions are all more important than anything money can buy.
You might also like: How To Be Happy With What You Have: 7 Secret Steps
But there’s more than one path to getting to financial minimalism! Here are some strategies that could work for you:
How to practice financial minimalism
1. Track Your Spending
When I first started practicing financial minimalism, the best thing I did was start tracking my spending. It took me about six months of deliberately recording everything I spent until it became second nature.
The reason why tracking my spending was so powerful is because it really opened up my eyes to where all of my money was going. And although sometimes it felt like too much information, ultimately knowing exactly where my money was going gave me the awareness and power to make better spending decisions.
The most interesting thing I discovered from tracking my spending for a year is that about 80% of my expenses were habitual. By focusing on my biggest money leaks , I was able to cut out a lot of unnecessary expenses and save more money each month.
2. Cut Out Unnecessary Expenses
Another practice I adopted when learning how to be a financial minimalist was cutting out all of the unnecessary expenses in my life. This is something we can do at any time, not just when we’re actively practicing financial minimalism.
It’s really easy to lose track of what actually brings value into our lives. We start getting caught up in the idea that we need all these material goods to be happy, when really it’s only ever temporary happiness.
There are so many habits and expenses that bring no value into our lives whatsoever. I cut out a lot of my subscriptions and started bringing packed lunches to the office instead of eating out.
I even got rid of cable TV! And it turns out I don’t miss it at all because I realised how little I was using it. It also reminded me that there is plenty of free content on YouTube or elsewhere online if you know where to look, and after a while you’ll find yourself not missing what you never thought you’d live without.
Other examples of unnecessary expenses may be your gym membership, or reducing your phone plan to a more minimal version. Don’t forget to include the subscriptions and memberships you pay for but rarely use too!
3. Make Money Without Spending It
Do you know what one of my biggest money leaks has always been? Shopping. I used to love shopping for new clothes, even though I didn’t really need anything and would rarely wear the clothes I bought.
Over the years I’ve learned how to make money online through various different streams – blogging and Etsy to name a few. By earning money online, I discovered that working from home is something I’m completely comfortable with, and something that can bring incredible financial benefits as well as opportunities for self-expression.
This is another way to work towards financial minimalism, and one that’s much more sustainable than spending all your money every month on retail therapy.
4. Pay Yourself First
One thing I learned from tracking my spending is that sometimes we pay ourselves last. We might spend a whole week’s worth of wages on going out to dinner, buying a few new clothes, and other unnecessary expenses before we remember to transfer anything into our savings accounts.
This is exactly what you don’t want to do if you’re trying to learn how to become financially minimalist. Treat yourself gently by paying yourself first. Make it part of your routine, especially if you have a tendency to forget about the funds that could be growing in your savings account.
Financial minimalism isn’t just about giving up all your money or refusing to buy anything – it’s also about deciding what brings value into your life every day. Even if you start small, learning how to be a financial minimalist can change your life for the better.
5. Be Mindful About Your Purchases
Another big part of financial minimalism is being mindful about your purchases . This took me a long time to accept, because it led to the conclusion that I spent way too much money on some pretty dumb things.
But once I accepted this fact for myself, it made the process of finding substitutes for these unnecessary expenses so much easier. For example, instead of spending money on lunch every day at work, I would bring my own food from home or pack some snacks so I wouldn’t be tempted by expensive take-away close to my office.
6. Reduce Your Debt
If reducing your debt is one of your goals, then having no debt or living within your means are practices that go hand in hand with financial minimalism. Without spending more money than you make, it’s much easier to pay off your debts because money isn’t constantly being wasted on unnecessary expenses every month.
I have shared before that before I started my minimalism journey, I was in a lot of debt, both credit card debt and I had loans. You can read more about it here. It wasn’t until facing the facts that I could see clearly what steps needed to be taken in order to reduce it. And now that all of my debts have been paid off, I finally have some breathing with my finances.
7. Don’t be Afraid of Investing
Don’t think investing is something you can only do once you have a lot of money. Just like with anything, the more you invest when you’re young, the less you’ll need to hit your retirement goals
Investing in yourself by learning new skills or working on improving the ones that are already there is one of the best investments anyone can ever make. And it’s never too early or too late to start! You just never know what opportunities could come your way if you’re willing to put some time and effort into developing yourself through some self-education.
Besides investing in yourself, another way to get started with minimalistic investing might be making contributions to a retirement account every month, or investing in low-cost funds that will be able to help you reach your goals sooner. It all adds up eventually!
There are three rules before you start investing money, however:
- You must be debt free
- You must have at least 6 months living expenses saved (just in case)
- You must not need the money you invest for the next 5-10 years (i.e. it’s not an immediate future savings scheme)
8. Work Towards a Balanced Lifestyle
Spending your money on overpriced drinks and going out with friends can be one of the easiest ways to blow through your paycheck fast. But it’s not a good investment. It might feel like fun spending at first, but once the glow wears off and you’re still broke, how do you feel then?
In order to achieve financial minimalism, try working towards a better work-life balance . You don’t have to give anything up if it doesn’t make you happy anymore. Maybe find things to do other than partying which won’t cost you a fortune and can help you unwind at the end of a long day.
Read also: Don’t Take Life For Granted: 15 Ways To Enjoy The Simple Things In Life
Read also: How to set your priorities in life and what should be at the top of the list
9. Embrace Your Free Time
With so many people working overtime every week, I think we’ve all come to realise that time is precious . If we spend our time earning money for things that don’t add value into our lives, what’s the point?
Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life
-john wooden
Looking back over my life, I can see why financial minimalism has such a great appeal to me now. I know how much more happier and peaceful my life is without worrying about all the excess spending.
Time, money and energy are all finite things.
It’s up to each of us to decide what we want out of this life and start making choices that will lead us towards where we really want to be. Financial minimalism is only one path on the journey, but it’s an important one if you can learn how to embrace your free time instead of spending it trying desperately to make more money.
10. Set Your Own Standards for Living
If you are in debt, living paycheck to paycheck or just getting started with your minimalistic journey, it can be helpful to understand that everyone’s journey is different. It might seem like people have achieved financial success overnight after seeing all the paid ads online, but what they don’t show the true stories.
Everyone has their own story and lessons learned along the way. The key is learning from them so you can build upon them yourself. Sometimes having a role model isn’t the answer. Everyone has to find their own path because no two paths are exactly alike. The sooner you realise this, the faster you’ll start reaching your goals!
Conclusion
There are many paths to financial minimalism. Which one or ones do you think will work for you? Better yet, which ones can you start with today?
Take a look at the strategies we’ve discussed and think about what’s realistic for your current situation. The sooner you start making changes that move in this direction, the better off you’ll be!
Financial minimalism isn’t an easy process but I hope these strategies have been helpful to start you on your journey.
