Discover actionable minimalist lifestyle tips to simplify your life, maximize joy, and find meaning in a people-planet-profit model for sustainable living.
Often framed in terms of austerity and sacrifice, minimalism, as a concept, isn’t actually about minimizing anything of authentic value in our lives. Instead, it’s about embracing and cherishing the things we currently have. Sure, many who enjoy a minimalist lifestyle strive to declutter and scorn excessive materialism, but this lifestyle can be about so much more. For me, minimalism embodies a philosophy aimed at finding my life’s truest meaning by cutting through the “noise” of the material world. It affords me a sense of having more time and the ability to pay better attention, thereby helping me accumulate more of what matters to me.
This way of existing stands in stark contrast to classical economics, which teaches us that more is always better. For instance, the march toward unending growth is what leads companies to promote “planned obsolescence,” intentionally building products that break after a specified amount of time to force consumers to discard and buy anew. Operating within this throwaway cycle deteriorates the contents of our wallets alongside the planet’s natural resources.
Minimalism, on the other hand, is a planned simplicity. For those who have a goal to live their most sustainable life, I like to think of minimalism as one of many pathways for getting there. Because sustainability is often defined as the balancing of a “triple bottom line” – between people, planet, and profit – we can consider minimalism as a framework within each of the three spheres.
People
When you aren’t focused on gathering things and keeping up with the Joneses, you’ll have more time to make connections with people in your life. You might even befriend the Joneses!
For example, I circulate a list of things I could use among my neighbors and friends. Items I’ve been gifted or borrowed from my “universal wish list” include a stepladder, a quart of paint, nails and screws, lumber, grow lights, Manila envelopes, packing peanuts, a lifetime supply of packing tape, picnic tables and benches, and a 12-by-12-inch metal board to display magnets on during a plant show. In return, I’ve provided my patrons with heirloom seeds, seedlings of rare fruit trees and vegetables, binder clips, an exercise ball, side tables, and an array of other odd but useful items.
“Minimalism discourages competition,” says Jennison Kipp, an environmental economist who works with the Program for Resource Efficient Communities at the University of Florida. “It encourages cooperation and collaboration in ways that even go well beyond economics, into mental health and feeling like we’re part of a community.”
Before Kipp started her graduate studies, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya for two years, where she came to reject the notion that residents of countries with developing economies are poor and unhappy. “I saw how [my host country counterparts] valued community and people,” she says. “You don’t just walk by somebody and say hi. You stop and ask, ‘How’s the farm? How’s the family?’ The mindset is that if your neighbors aren’t healthy, then you’re not healthy and your community isn’t healthy. That’s what experiencing the real value of minimalism can feel like.” In the years after returning to the United States, Kipp ensured she could fit all her earthly possessions, including her bicycle, into her 1998 Honda Accord.
Planet
Every nondurable consumable we buy is associated with a higher opportunity cost. Say you purchase a new phone or pair of shoes. Energy, water, and environmental degradation are embedded in the production of these goods. They carry a carbon footprint with them throughout their useful lives, and when you ultimately dispose of them, they can continue to produce greenhouse gas emissions or even leach harmful chemicals into a landfill.
Resource economists study how we can maximize and be more efficient with our use of natural resources to generate the most profit. This model is a product of linear thinking, focused primarily on inputs. Environmental economists like Kipp, on the other hand, look at inputs and outputs through a life-cycle approach that accounts for resource extraction, transport, use, and waste.
“Sustainability is all about balance and recognizing that we can live with nature,” Kipp says. She views public goods, such as access to clean water and parks, as vital. Any person’s individual use of these natural resources shouldn’t diminish the ability for someone else to also experience their benefits. However, planned obsolescence and material culture have trained many of us to experience a very different sensation. “The [idea] is that if you get something, I’m going to lose out on my piece of the pie,” Kipp says. “I think that’s a very dangerous idea.”
Profit
For those questioning minimalism, one misconception is that humans are hard-wired to find solace in procuring resources; that by having less stuff, we’ll be less happy. Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard Business School professor, has dug into the social psychology behind this belief to uncover a formula for satisfaction. Brooks found that material satisfaction equals all the things you have, divided by all the things you want. “You can raise the value of a fraction by increasing the numerator or, more efficiently, by decreasing the denominator,” Brooks explains. “You want lasting satisfaction? You don’t need to have more; you need to want less. That’s the formula.”
For Kipp, the impression that simple living means sacrifice is a myth. She admits to having more stuff in her house these days, much of it antique. But the material items she keeps, such as a beautiful mahogany piano that’s been in her family for 125 years, all have sentimental value. In simple terms, if you buy less or you’re not as eager to accumulate, you’ll retain more wealth over time. But a minimalist lifestyle will affect your wallet in another way too: You’ll start thinking about the true value of material possessions. “There’s a significant gap between the cost of something and the price tag of something,” Kipp says. “Diamonds are a sparkly gem that you can wear, but in terms of our survivability, they’re worthless.”
On the other end of the spectrum, consider water. Essential for human life, agriculture, functioning ecosystems, and manufacturing, water costs almost nothing in many parts of the world. Yet, water is inherently more valuable than gemstones. This dichotomy reveals an economic irony at play in our society. By living simply, we can reallocate our funds to the resources that matter most, such as our farms and homes or supporting youth in our communities.
Minimalist Lifestyle Tips
There’s no single way to practice minimalism; rather, endless methods allow anyone to participate. If your goal is to declutter, start by creating an inventory of your belongings, even writing each down, and including an indication for whether the item brings you joy and has a purpose. Group items by necessity. In doing so, you might find that having too many socks makes it difficult to find a matching pair or that having so many forks clutters your silverware drawer.
When decluttering, you might find yourself repeating the phrase: What if I need it in the future? Plan now to also repeat this reality check: If I haven’t enjoyed or used the item in a year, it’s time to rid myself of it.
Keeping a wedding dress or a childhood trumpet locked away in a basement or a public storage unit probably isn’t adding value to your life. You could sell them, which will help your finances, or you could donate them, which could build relationships. Tchotchkes that simply sit on shelves still need to be cleaned and looked after, so even though they might’ve been inexpensive initially, they’re now costing you time and energy to maintain.
By sharing resources and offering what you no longer use to your neighbors, they, too, can avoid buying new, sparing costs for themselves and the planet.
Finally, for those worried about the economy if everyone started living a minimalist lifestyle, Kipp advises to continually “plant something. Support a local nursery or business. Buy and grow seeds. Invest your dollars in people and experiences.”
Kenny Coogan has published over 400 articles on pets, livestock, and gardening. He lives on a 1-acre permaculture-style landscape. Coogan runs a successful carnivorous plant nursery in Tampa, Florida. Listen to Coogan co-host the “Mother Earth News and Friends.”
