Creating a Minimal Mindset – “Do I REALLY need it?”

06/12/2020
minimal-spaces

“Do I really need it?” The question you have to learn to ask yourself every single time you are about to buy something, acquire something, or when you are decluttering your home or space.
This is the biggest key to creating a minimal mindset, and once you have mastered this, then you’re on your way to having more space, saving money, and having a healthier mind with more room to do the things you want…

It’s also a good idea to create this mindset in order to save the planet by only buying useful and reusable things!

Why would you want to create a minimal mindset?

  • If you are feeling overwhelmed in your space or don’t have enough space.
  • If you have found that you own tons of things you never use.
  • You need to learn how to save more money.
  • You want to boost your productivity.
  • Your wardrobe has so many clothes yet you NEVER have anything to wear?
  • You can never have a tidy space because you have so much stuff in every single corner, shelf, or cupboard.

The list could continue, so to put it simply. If you need a mental, physical and financial change, keep reading.

creating-a-minimal-mindset

Minimal Mindset – MONEY

The biggest difference I have noticed since adopting the “do I really need it?” phrase is that I have managed to save so much money. who doesn’t want to save money? Asking yourself this question not only minimises the stuff you have and don’t really need, but it also saves your bank.

The best way to minimise your spending is to only buy something if you need it;

Things you NEED to spend money on:

  • Food
  • Your home/rent etc
  • Bills
  • Personal health products
  • EMERGENCIES (You never know when you will have an emergency that requires you to splash some cash.)

Things you WANT to spend money on, but you don’t really need too:

  • Clothes
  • Takeaway food
  • New phones/gadgets etc (if you need one, then, of course, this is different, but if your current one is fine, why replace it!)
  • Impulsive buys eg; Random bits and bobs to decorate your space
  • Storage boxes when you don’t really need to store anything you just like the pretty box
  • Pampering yourself (I am not against this, self-care is a must, but if you need to save, cut out something you spend a lot on each month, for example getting nails or eyelashes done…)
  • Eating out when you can eat at home.

Again, the list will probably be different for everyone depending on the lifestyle.

The best way to start minimising your spending is to take a look at what you have first. I find this the best way to save money too.

Once you get paid at the start or end of the month, take a look at how much you have. Now do the following.

  1. Write down the whole number, for example, £1,400.
  2. Take off your monthly direct debits.
  3. Move money you spend on NEEDS into a different account, for example, Food account/House Fund etc
  4. Now have a look at what you have left…
  5. If you have enough put money into your savings. This could be from £50 to £200 if you can afford it.
  6. NOW what you have left, you can either save for the rest of the month, treat yourself, or just leave it!

Once you are aware of where your money is going, you will want to save and you will want to be in control of it.

I have some other posts about saving money here:

Minimal Mindset – SPACE

Probably the most obvious thing when you begin to adapt to having a minimal mindset, is space. The amount you have now and the amount you will have once you have really started to change your ways.

Lots of people view being minimalist by having and owning nothing. For me, my take on it is different. You don’t need to just have a bed in your bedroom, or a tv, or only enough plates and mugs for the people living there. If it makes you happy, then have the things you need to make you happy, of course!

However, its when your space begins to get clogged up with stuff you really don’t need, or use, or have any value for. If you don’t LOVE it, then you don’t need it.

Ways you can save your space and declutter your life:

  1. Choose a room, to begin with. Bedroom/bathroom and so on. I would suggest tackling the hardest one first and working your way down.
  2. Get some bags or baskets to collect the things you no longer want/or are throwing away.
  3. Sort through every cupboard, wardrobe, shelving unit and throw away the rubbish, save the good enough things for donation, and keep the things you are using or need. (If this is clothes, then try to donate as much as possible as long as it is still in wearable condition!)
  4. Now, take a step back when it is all done and appreciate how much space you have left.
  5. If you do not need those storage units anymore get rid of them!
  6. Finally, promise yourself to not fill the space OR get rid of more things to create space.

You may think its not a huge deal to save space, own less, and have less clutter. From my own experience, having less and having a clean empty space makes me feel so much better. Theres nothing like a tidy space for your mind to feel more productive.

Try it out, give your office space a declutter and only have in there what you use. You will see the benefits right away!

To Conclude

It is super easy to change your mindset to save money and to create a better living space. Once you have figured out your spending and what you need to save, you will buy less. Therefore you will have fewer things to clutter up your space that you don’t really need. So remember, ask your self “Do I really need it?” If your answer is no, don’t buy it!

If you want to do more research into being a minimalist, these guys are the real deal – The Minimalists They also have a series on Netflix that really makes you want to rethink the way you live your entire life.

Another good post is this one here – 2O Simple things you can do to Declutter and Live Minimally

You can also find tons of useful posts on Pinterest and Youtube! Remember, you don’t need to commit to being completely minimalist if you want to just declutter and live with less within your own lifestyle. Once you have created your minimal mindset, you never know where it will take you!

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Thank you for reading! Please comment what you think below, and if you have any other tips of beginning a minimal mindset.

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