Living as a Minimalist

       Perhaps one of the newest trends is minimalism, which emphasizes a simple lifestyle, and basically living a lifestyle with fewer things. In this article, I want to identify some of the reasons to become a minimalist, and some basic steps to start you on your way to being a minimalist.
        I believe the number one reason to become a minimalist is to fight against consumerism. Consumerism is an economic motivator that encourages the masses to buy everything that they want, and then some more. Consumerism is a movement packed with advertisements that encourage use to buy a bigger car, buy a bigger television, buy a boat, but a house, and spend whatever we want every payday when we go to Wal-mart. Minimalism is a chance for us to live a happy life, and appreciate the people and moments in life, rather than the things in our life. I would even argue that minimalism has already become the new lifestyle for the average person in this waning economy, which includes many people who have had to move into smaller apartments or homes to accommodate shrinking incomes and loss of jobs.
      Another good reason to become a minimalist is to help the environment. Consuming less products means less trash, and less trash means less garbage in the landfills. I don’t see the minimalist movement as being rooted in environmental concerns, but a better environment would be a pleasant aftermath of minimalist actions.

How do you become a minimalist? There are several steps that you can take to start being a minimalist:

1. Cut down on clutter: Go through all of your personal belongings. If you don’t need it, then it has to go. Another area to consider is if you have a storage unit full of junk. Do you need it in a storage unit that you pay $60 a month to keep? When cutting down on your clutter, be sure to donate, give away, or sell items that you don’t need. Throwing away all of you unneeded stuff would lead to clutter in landfills, and would defeat why you are downsizing.
2. Shop with Care: Start shopping on an as needed basis. Go into a store with a list of what you need, and stick to the list. This will help you to shop on a need basis. Also, it is a great idea to shop after you eat, because your grocery shopping can go bonkers if you shop based on your hungry stomach. When buying products, try to make purchases that have less packaging. Buy in bulk when you can, but make purchases that have less packaging.
3. Electronics are OK and sometimes very efficient. Don’t dump your electronics. An electronic book can help to cut down on the books that clutter your home. An iphone or android phone can be helpful because it is one electronic device that can be used to listen to music, read an electronic book, or cruise the internet.
4. Enjoy your new lifestyle! After clearing out and reducing the clutter in your house, enjoy your new environment. Clutter leads to anxiety, and lack of clutter will make you feel that much better. There is something to this, and I have noticed the when I clean my home and put things back into their place, the living spaces seem much bigger.