Believe it or not, we used minimalist as a tool to retire our 9-5 and you can do the same!
What can minimalism give you?
Beyond the space and peace of mind, it can bring some people many years closer to not working for a paycheck. Call it financial independence or early retirement, but the end result is the same: work becomes a choice and your living expense are covered by income from investments. Are you curious about minimalism and early retirement/financial independence, and became a minimalist then keep reading?
How to Become a Minimalist
So you want to become a minimalist? First, let me congratulate you on taking this major step in your life. The biggest step in becoming a minimalist is deciding to do it. Minimalism is a free lifestyle that makes you feel happier and makes your life feel more worthwhile. We made the commitment to become minimalists four years ago, and we’ve never looked back. But before I talk more about our life, let’s dive into the basics.
What is Minimalism
Minimalism is the act of understanding what most valuable to you and removing what doesn’t from your life. Some look at minimalism in a more specific term, which is getting rid of all items and things that you don’t really need. There are minimalists who actually confine their lives to what can fit in a single backpack. This may be the extreme of minimalism, but there are people who do it.
Essentially, minimalism is owning as few things as possible; this includes all possessions. Minimalists look to reduce the amount of clothes they have, make the most of the time they have, and focus more attention on what makes them happy, and what they need to survive.
Why We Became Minimalists
Initially, we were not enticed by the minimalist lifestyle; however, we always had a passion for traveling and wanted to do it full time. With that, came minimalism because we knew it will help us achieve our goal. Instead of staring out our windows, dreaming about “one day,” we get rid of our stuff and never look back. In 2017, we made our dreams a reality. We started by renting out our house and living in a small apartment while paying off our debt. We downsized and took the necessary steps to pursue our dream: to travel full time for as long as we could.
During this time we found other ways to cut our expenses, too. One major project we accomplished was converting a school bus into an RV. Once the RV was completed, we moved into it full time and traveled on a part-time basis until we were prepared to depart for our new adventure.
Minimalism has truly conformed our lives and has given us a broader purpose in life. Traveling has never been easier.
How to Get Started
We started our minimalist lifestyle by going through everything—and I mean everything — we owned. The best way to achieve this is by making a list of every room in the house and clearing out what you do and don’t need from those rooms.
I, personally, began my decluttering in my kitchen. This was when I truly realized just how many unnecessary things I owned. Removing all the pots, pans, plates, cups, etc. from my kitchen felt relieving. I looked in my cupboards and thought, “I have way too many things.”
At first, it will feel difficult getting yourself to get rid of the things you spent money on. There is a special bond with your things. I promise once you’ve finished, it will lift an enormous weight off of your shoulders.
After the kitchen, I made my way to the closet. This is a hard task because all clothes feel important, even when they really aren’t. Start by keeping the clothes you regularly wear. If you have a favorite sweater, keep it. Minimalism isn’t about getting rid of everything. Don’t make yourself unhappy by ridding yourself of your favorite things. However, if there is a blazer that’s been sitting in there for three years, donate it to Goodwill. Someone else will find a better use of it.
If you’ve truly committed to this decision, it will get easier as you do it. Once you’ve reached the last room, it will almost feel easy. Living with fewer things is freeing. You will soon have the same freeing feeling, too.
Minimalism and Spending
Our minimalism path leads us to spend less, too. We were trying to save money, and we didn’t want to spend as much. I will say, if you’re trying to get rid of things, it’s redundant to buy new things. Because of this, we could cut back on a lot of our miscellaneous spending.
We would only buy what we needed. This included eating out (or our lack of eating out). We stopped visiting restaurants regularly. We would still go out for a bite to eat and drink for special events, but mostly, we did all our cooking and eating at home. For work, I’d pack a lunch and snack so I wouldn’t feel tempted to get a sandwich from the deli down the block, or a pastry from a nearby bakery.
It can be fun heading into Target and loading your cart up with things that stand out to you, but a few weeks later, you’re left wondering why you spend the money on those items, anyway. Minimalism removes that middle step. Instead of wasting your space and well-earned money, you’ll be able to save it for what you need (or like us, for amazing travels).
Leasing Cars
Take the plunge and stop leasing a car. Buy a used car and own it. That’s what I did. I paid off my car lease and purchased a used car. Not having a car bill makes a world of a difference. I wanted to get around, but I didn’t really need a new car.
Cars are meant to transport people. Sure, that Mercedes Benz may look fancy, but at the end of the day, it’s not worth paying $500 a month for.
Minimalism is a great way to saving money and using it toward your new goals. With the money we saved, we purchased a school bus at a cheap cost, renovated it, and use it to travel. We accomplished that by committing to minimalism and sticking to it.
Think of the many ways you could downsize. If you have too much space at home, sell your house. If you don’t enjoy using a smartphone (or don’t see a need for it) revert to a flip phone. It’s okay to love luxury, and it’s okay to want lavish things, but if they don’t bring you pleasure, take them out of your life for good.
Less is More
The phrase, “less is more,” could not be truer. When you have fewer things, you learn to appreciate them more. I love the mug I use in the morning. It keeps my tea warm, it’s easy to hold, and I love the way it looks. When I had 20+ mugs, I didn’t notice what made them special.
Sure, this may seem silly, but when you become a minimalist, you learn more about the things, and the people, around you. You pay more attention to detail and learn to understand why you kept them around in the first place.
Best of all, having fewer things makes traveling the world so much easier. Seriously, if you are a traveler, minimalism will do wonders for you. For one, it means you don’t have to stay in one area for too long. Second, you won’t have to waste money on storage units or stash your things in your parents’ basement when you’re going away. You’re free to travel with no literal or metaphorical baggage.
Now It’s Your Turn
The significant thing about minimalism is that it doesn’t require many steps. Honestly, it really only requires one: get rid of your things. Perhaps that is a dumbed down version of what minimalism is, but it’s the truth. Other ways to become a true minimalist is to cut down spending habits, pay off any bills or debt you have, and get used to the idea that less really is more.
These are just a few examples of using a minimalist lifestyle–owning less and living smaller–to achieve financial independence.
Our journey with minimalism has been challenging, but fun. We’ve had some amazing experiences that could not have been achieved without minimalism. Now that you’ve learned about our journey and the steps we took, it’s your turn. Pick up a bag, load it with essentials, and leave the rest behind. A world of minimalism and travel awaits you.