Realistic Minimalism – When You Enjoy Shopping

Recently I was with a group of people and we were talking about simplifying and minimalism. One of the ladies made a comment that she could never be a minimalist because she loves to shop. Her comment had me asking myself whether I love shopping? My first thought was not really I generally avoid going to the mall or even Target unless necessary.

However, the truth is I do thoroughly enjoy shopping online. Target has nothing on Amazon in my opinion. And then, of course, I’m always happy to find an excuse to go to World Market or Ikea

I think this is one of the reasons I don’t generally think of myself as a minimalist. But on the other hand, I fully advocate for minimalism and simplifying your life. I’ve reduced so much over the years and have seen the benefits of minimizing and simplifying first hand.

I guess this is where the great divide comes with people who call themselves minimalists. So many of them have their identity tied to a strict number of possessions, which consists of things that are true needs.

My question is, does minimalism really mean you can only have 33 items in your closet or 4 coffee mug in your cupboard? Does it mean that you shouldn’t have throw pillows on your couch or nonfunctional decor in your home?

If so I’m certainly not a minimalist and if that’s what you’re looking for you can stop reading now.

However, I do think there is room for realistic minimalism. That is minimalism for people who have normal sized homes and families. Even people who enjoy shopping, not because they want to fill a void but because they enjoy the occasional purchase that adds value to their lives.

If there’s no room for realistic minimalism, if minimalism is tied to the number of items you own, aren’t you just as obsessed with stuff as someone who shops incessantly?

Minimalism should never be about feeling guilty or denying yourself. That’s the opposite of simplifying.

Instead, try out these  7 ways to practice realistic minimalism where you can still enjoy your stuff and enjoy the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle!

1. Be Realistic, Not Legalistic

There are many articles expounding on how minimalism is not about following a set of rules, rather, it’s a lifestyle.  At the same time, there is an almost equal number of articles that discuss the amount of clothing or other items you should own as a minimalist.

So how do you balance the two?

Well, this is where Realistic Minimalism comes in.  It’s not about being legalistic in following a set of arbitrary preordained rules. Rather it’s about letting go of excess and understanding the value of less. It’s about looking for simplicity!

I consider myself a realistic minimalist, which means I strive to reduce and eliminate things I don’t need or love in my home. But I also prioritize making my home comfortable, cozy, and inviting.

When you like to shop it’s also about exercising self-discipline so that you’re not filling your home with needless stuff.

What minimalism isn’t about is depriving yourself and feeling guilty for making purchases for items that are not absolute needs. Yes, if you’re buying things for the sake of filling a void or getting a shopping high that’s just as bad as denying yourself. This is because your focus is all wrong, it’s on your stuff.

Realistic minimalism is about letting go of excess and understanding the value of less and the irony of gaining so much more; more time, more energy, more freedom, more financial security, more space, both physically and for the things that matter most to YOU!

You don’t have to be legalistic to be a minimalist.

2. Be Intentional With Your Purchases

As I said, realistic minimalism isn’t about never buying anything, rather it’s about being intentional with the purchases you do make.

Minimalism and simple living are all about helping you enjoy your life to the fullest by clearing space in your home and life for the things that matter most.

At this point, we know that the material items we purchase take some amount of our time. As a result, when making a purchase we want to ask whether it’s worth the investment of both our money and time.

Most of us are pretty good about carefully thinking through our bigger purchases before making them. At the same time, we generally don’t put a lot of thought into smaller purchases. However, those little purchases add up over time and create a significant amount of clutter in our homes.

This is why it’s important to be intentional with all of our purchases. Learning to shop like a minimalist allows us to carefully consider and think through all our purchases.

Our time and space are too valuable to waste on things that only clutter our homes without adding value to our lives.

Realistic minimalism comes down to making purchases with intention rather than on a whim.  Making intentional purchases lets you avoid ending up with a cluttered home full of things you neither use nor love.

It also means being intentional about buying less and bringing less into your home. With realistic minimalism, you’ll simplify your life with the intention of freeing up your time and space for what’s important to you.

3. Purchase Quality Items

The need to frequently replace low-quality items is a leading cause of the increasing clutter in our homes.

I remember when my son was young, he would go through shoes so quickly. Because he was still growing I didn’t want to spend a lot of money so I’d buy his shoes from Target or Payless. However,  this was partially the reason he was going through shoes so fast. When I broke down and purchased good quality tennis shoes for him they did last longer!

Today as I think of realistic minimalism, I know that I can still buy stuff, I just make sure to purchases higher quality items that last longer.

I’ve also learned that when things do need to be replaced, it’s important to get rid of the old item right away. Don’t save it as a backup or  “just in case” item. If you do this, it will only increase your clutter.

When you buy better quality items, your things last longer. And if your stuff lasts longer you won’t have to replace it as often. This means less shopping.

Less shopping also means less temptation to make impulse purchases. By choosing to buy less, but higher quality, you are automatically going to save space in your home. No more cupboards and closets filled with useless junk but clear spaces with essential and useful items. This is what realistic minimalism is all about!

4. Make Do or Find an Alternative

While realistic minimalism comes with an understanding that it’s okay to buy stuff, it doesn’t always mean you should.

Anytime you’re trying to live a more simplistic or minimalist lifestyle and reduce the clutter in your home there are purchases you need to limit.

Certain things like DVD’s, CD’s and even books are all available on the cloud. This makes it simple to enjoy your favorite music, movie, or book without taking up valuable space in your home.

If you really love the feel of a physical book consider the library rather than a book store or Amazon.

Also, think about things you already own that will do the same job. Oftentimes with a little creativity and thought, you realize you already own something you could use in place of the item you are considering purchasing.

Whether it’s a kitchen gadget or an item of clothing. If you already own something similar or something that will serve the same function, there’s no reason to buy something new.

5. Only Purchase Items You Have a Place or Purpose For

Another important area of practicing realistic minimalism is that you don’t buy every single thing just because it caught your eye. When you do make purchases make sure you know how you’ll use it, where it will go and whether it will fit in your home!

When you enjoy shopping, the best way to avoid clutter is to have a place for everything. This makes it easy to ensure things are always put away and keeps your stuff from becoming clutter.

If you don’t have a place to keep the item you’re considering purchasing, hold off buying it until you can find a space for it. You can always make space by getting rid of something else!

6. Borrow One Time or Limited Use Items

We hear stories of how neighbors use to holler over the fence to borrow a cup of sugar. We don’t do that anymore. But maybe we should, not necessarily with sugar, but things you know you only have a one time use for.

Next time you need something that you’ll only use once or rarely, instead of running out to the store, call a friend and borrow it. Just recently I saved quite a bit of money by borrowing a stud finder. It was something I needed for just that one time.

There are other things I use once a year. Every year I host my extended family for Christmas Eve dinner. There are a lot of us so I use a lot of extra cooking and serving items. Rather than store them in my cupboard throughout the year, I store them in a separate place so they don’t clutter up my kitchen. Other items, like an extra crockpot I borrow.

These little things go along way towards keeping the clutter to a  minimum!

7. Avoid Single-Use Item

Finally, when you are shopping, look for multipurpose items. Looking for items that are multi-functional, will help you cut down on clutter.

For example, don’t buy a toaster if you have a toaster oven? This really applies to everything. Purchase a base capsule wardrobe that will allow you to mix and match your favorite pieces.  Purchase furnishing that doubles as storage.

Follow this rule even with your cleaning supplies. All you really need is one good all-purpose cleaning product.

With realistic minimalism, you can shop and live a minimalist lifestyle, just do your best to look for multi-purpose items. This will help you limit the amount of unnecessary stuff coming into your home.

Realistic minimalism is about valuing your home your people and your time.

I have experienced the immeasurable value of living with less and eliminating the excess. Simplifying my life and living with minimalist principles will always be something I strive for and am passionate about sharing.

However, I want my house to be lived in. I want people that visit to feel comfortable and I want it to be a peaceful sanctuary for me and my family.

This means I buy things that aren’t necessarily needed. We have throw pillows, cozy couch throws to cuddle with,  candles, lighting, plants, and other things that are unique and special to us. You wouldn’t walk in and immediately think oh she’s a minimalist

But I’ve also learned it doesn’t have to be one or the other. With realistic minimalism, you’ll be able to create a home you love and value your time so that you can spend it with your people. This means not spending hours upon hours cleaning and caring for stuff.

So when you do shop, do so with intention. Purchase quality items, make do when you can; make sure to have a place or purpose for an item, and avoid single-use items.

Get started decluttering your home today and have a home filled with the things you love! Realistic minimalism will make it possible.