6 Things I Stopped Buying to Simplify My Life | Minimalism

Over the nearly 10 years I've been navigating minimalism and simple living, there have been things that I decluttered and pretty much completely stopped buying to ultimately simplify my life. So today in this video, I'm going to talk about the things I stopped buying, some of which are tangible physical items, and others are more situational, as well as the reasons why. But first, if you're new to my channel, thank you for stopping by. Here we talk about minimalism, frugal living, tech, and things of that nature. So if that sounds good to you, and you end up liking the video, be sure to like and please put the subscribe button in a tactical headlock. Let's get started. The first thing here is hobbies I'm not truly invested in. In the past, I've mentioned how it usually costs something to start a new hobby, or there's at least some sort of financial barrier to entry. And something I've learned about myself is that there's a thousand hobbies I've either tried or want to try. There were times in my life where I was actively doing three to four very time-consuming hobbies, and I wasn't really able to focus or hone in on any of them. Years ago, I trained in mixed martial arts, worked on short films, and was even trying to learn an instrument all at the same time. And it's funny because when I was engaged in all of those things, there was only one I felt truly passionate about, and the others I felt like I could quit and never look back. And don't get me wrong, there's still a bunch of things I want to try because trying is how hobbies turn into passions. But the easiest way to overcomplicate my schedule, attention, and eventually my life, was to have my energy spread across these multiple hobbies. So giving my focus, attention, and energy only to those things I felt a deep passion for has been one of the most effective things I've ever done to simplify my life. The next thing here is things that rarely ever get used. And believe it or not, this tip is as effective for frugal living as it is for living simply. I just wanted to point out I don't have a strict it-needs-to-be-used-at-least-once-a-month-or-I-get-rid-of-it rule, but it generally has to be something that isn't collecting dust and taking up space. I want everything that I own to serve me some sort of purpose, and I just don't want to be sitting on a pile of things that are all for just-in-case scenarios. Although I do own a couple of things that are for emergency scenarios, I look at those items a little bit differently rather than things for activities I never do, for example. Like having a very niche kitchen utensil because I might want to make something specific one day, or owning an extra bedroom set because I might have a guest once a year. These are obviously just examples, but they play into that idea of owning less, accumulating less, and just simplifying down to my essentials. If you're decluttering and going one by one with every item, deciding whether to keep it or not, one of the first questions I think to be asked is how often is this actually getting used? I wanted to thank my friends at Paperlike for sponsoring this video. Part of only buying things that simplify my life are just being more intentional and buying things that cater to things that I love, like creating on my iPad. Paperlike 3 is the screen protector I've been using on my iPad mini for years and have been an avid fan of way before this partnership. It gives you ideal friction with consistent tactile resistance and sensory feedback, making it feel exactly like I'm writing on paper when using my iPad. Paperlike 3 uses NanoDots Surface technology, which is a microtexture perfected over years to deliver the exact friction my hand naturally expects. They include this butterfly application system, which eliminates the three biggest causes of failed application, which is misalignment, unclear instructions, and dust caused bubbles. It also comes with this tool where you put like the edge of the iPad's corner in here and it lines it up perfectly. I've never been good at applying screen protectors to anything ever in my life and this thing just makes it super easy. If you're an artist or a student who takes notes on the iPad, I highly, highly recommend it. I doubt you can hear it, but it's just such a satisfying sound. It's engineered in Germany and manufactured in Switzerland, so you know it's top tier quality. To get your Paperlike 3, use the link in the description box or scan the QR code on screen. Thanks again to Paperlike for sponsoring this video and supporting creatives. The next thing is poorly made items. I used to be the biggest offender of buying poorly made items, whether I realized it or not, usually because it was cheaper. And for me, the most glaring example of this is with clothes. And I'll be the first to admit, my favorite pair of pants is this $30 pair of jeans from Target. But aside from that, getting cheaply made shirts, underwear, or whatever it might be, usually ends up costing me more in the long run to replace. After a handful of washes, these cheaply made clothes would be stretched out, shrunken, or just generally feel terrible to wear. And these expensive, higher quality shirts have literally lasted me five years of wearing them multiple times a week. And I explain all this because ever since adopting the buy once, cry once mindset with certain things and emphasis on certain things, and it's simplified my life because I'm less concerned about replacing or repairing these higher quality things, not to mention saving money over time. I think it's just up to us to decide where investing more makes sense based on our interests and routines. The next thing is things that increase decision fatigue. Decision fatigue comes from having to make too many, usually minor, tedious decisions. And eventually, the quality of those decisions become poorer and poorer. And even when I wasn't realizing it, small, tedious decisions throughout the day was doing this to me. I learned that if I'm able to eliminate or at the very least, streamline these decisions, it would make my day to day and as a result, my life simpler. It's a huge part of the reason why minimalism preaches wearing the same outfits, but I'd argue it's just as effective when it comes to the food that you cook or the schedules that you stick to, especially if you're a creature of habit. I would just prefer to use my mental energy on important or creative decisions or just decisions that really actually matter. And part of being able to do that is by being more mindful of anything I bring into my life that would require some sort of choice to be made when I'm using it. The next thing is specific event clothing. Now, I suppose this can technically be the same thing as things that don't get used often, but I feel like it's still important to mention. One of the first steps to minimizing my wardrobe and ultimately making everything in my life regarding clothing much simpler was creating a wardrobe that can be mixed and matched easily and can cover almost every occasion in my life. I legitimately have worn a suit maybe once in the past 10 years that I can remember, and even in that scenario, a lot of it was borrowed. And just the thought of having a suit sitting in my wardrobe for that long and bringing it with me wherever I moved is not something I wanted to think about or deal with. Avoiding single event clothing when possible has simplified my wardrobe in a way that's so satisfying because clothes are something we're dealing with all day every day, whether we're thinking about it or not. Next time you're in the market for new clothes, just consider the frequency of which you will actually be using these clothes. The next thing is purchases that add another responsibility. And this is something most of us probably don't even consider when making a new purchase, because even the smallest thing can add a new task that needs to be implemented somewhere in your schedule. And part of minimalism and simple living for me naturally means having a simpler routine. Adding even one more electronic is something else to charge, one new piece of clothing is something to wash, and regardless of what it is, it needs somewhere to be stored. Now if I strictly apply this philosophy to everything, I wouldn't own anything. So the benefits need to far outweigh the responsibility, obviously. But these are the things I'll take into consideration when I'm trying to size down and simplify. I recommend considering how much work actually comes with the ownership of a new item to see if it actually helps you simplify. These are just a few things I stopped buying to ultimately simplify my life a little bit more. Let me know down in the comments if there's anything specific or just a general category that you stopped buying to help you simplify. Anyways, as always, I appreciate the time you spent here and I appreciate you watching. If you did like this video and you like this type of content, be sure to like and consider subscribing to my channel, and I'll see you next time.