#028 | Minimalism + Money

April 15, 2020

Episode Summary

In this episode, Mike and Maggie talk about the relationship between minimalism and money. We discuss what minimalism is, the idea of intentionality and bringing more of it into your life. We also dive into the differences between being frugal and minimalism, how more stuff does not create happiness, and much more. We wrap up the discussion with some thoughts on taking some time to evaluate what really matters to you, and consider redefining your new normal.

Episode Notes

As we talk through the relationship between minimalism and money, we highlight a few key topics:

We start with a few definitions of what minimalism is.
Stuff costs money. Less stuff helps your finances.
The difference between being frugal and minimalism.
Minimalism combats the pressure of lifestyle inflation.
Most Stuff does not create happiness, beyond a certain point of some basic life needs.
For many people, more stuff actually creates stress and unhappiness, but you don’t realize it in the moment. Less stuff = more happiness.
There are many benefits to having fewer physical objects in your life, and we share those benefits.
Use this time to re-think what really matters in your life and try to be more intentional about what you bring into your life.
We share a few recent articles that are connecting what’s happening in the world right now with the corona pandemic to leveraging it as a time to define a new normal and bring more intentionality into our lives.

Our top 3 takeaways for this episode:

Frugality and minimalism are not the same, but being a minimalist will save you money.
Realize that stuff doesn’t create happiness. And whether you realize it or not, the more things you have, the more time and money it takes to maintain them.
Take this time in the world to re-evaluate what really matters to you, and decide the value you place on stuff and why. Be more intentional.