You might have read the title of this Blog and said, "What is a Minimalist Clothing Company?". Honestly this is something I've been pondering for a while now. Last last year I stumbled across The Minimalist and after watching their documentaries on Netflix and listening to their podcast I really started evaluating my own buying habits. Why do I buy things? What value do they bring to me? Why do I have so much stuff?
These were 3 questions that really pushed me to look at my life and if I was buying stuff to fill a void or just looking for that quick dopamine hit.
Why do I buy things?
This question is one that I ask myself to really think about before I purchase any item now. With how easy it is to order something on Amazon these days you can easily order it in less than a minute and have it at your front door tomorrow. While this is amazing if you truly need something, I would bet that 90% of your purchases on Amazon are wants and not needs. This is where I started using the 48 hour rule.
The 48 Hour Rule
I'll put something in my cart on Amazon or even another website for at least 48 hours and I'll close the app or website tab and move on with life. If I find myself needing that item after the 48 hours and haven't forgotten about it, then I'll buy it... but with one caveat. Will it be used daily, weekly, monthly, or is this a yearly or one-time use item. If I'm not going to put it to use daily or weekly, I won't buy it. If it's not going to improve my day to day life, why do I even need it? I challenge you to give the 48 hour rule a try and see how many items you don't truly need.
What value do these things bring to me?
This is the question I asked myself as I started to de-clutter my home. I picked a spot in my house I spend the most time at, my desk; and went through every drawer and looked at what was sitting on my desk to evaluate what value these things are bringing to me. I was able to get rid of everything other than my MacBook, Monitor, Keyboard & Mouse, and some paperwork that I needed.
By clearing up my main workspace it really helped jump start the move throughout the rest of my home. The key to this is picking one room or spot to clean at a time, otherwise you get distracted and things won't get fully de-cluttered.
Try cleaning up, your closet, desk, or dresser and see how much you can truly get rid of. You can either donate or re-sell items on eBay, but don't be that person that donates something that belongs in the trash to Goodwill. Take only the good items to them and help save them some time going through all their donations.
Why do I have so much stuff?
The answer to this is different for everyone. You could have so much stuff because you love to buy things, whether you truly need them or not. Or you have been gifted things and they have a sentimental value and you don't want to get rid of them. Another reason, you just don't get rid of things in general. You might use it again or you could need it so you hang onto it a lot longer than you should. Do any of these sound right?
What to do if you love to buy things.
The first thing to do is to take a look at the void you're trying to fill when you buy all of these things. There has to be something better you can do to fill it and something much healthier for you and your wallet. That dopamine hit you feel isn't going to last long, so try finding a hobby you can do that gives you the same high and isn't so rough on your wallet.
What to do if they are sentimental.
There's something about holding that item that you have a sentimental tie to but for a lot of us we may not actually touch that item very often. Or you have photos printed out and in a box, they aren't doing much good in there. One of the best solutions I've found is to digitize these items so you always have a photo to remember them by. Take a photo with that item one last time and you can put some notes as to why it's so important in your phone. If you do this you can look at it anytime and it'll always be there, that same goes for any photos. You can just scan them or take a photo of them and have them in the cloud. By doing this you can even share them with other family or friends that might find joy in them and at the same time you clear up some extra space in your home.
What to do if you just hang on to things, just in case.
As a guy I can tell you I've hung onto electronic cables and tools way more than anyone should. I mean let's be real, how many Allen wrenches do I need? Every piece of furniture these days comes with one. Just do yourself a favor and throw all the what-if stuff away. If you find that you really need it after that you can always buy a new one or you can even borrow some of those tools from Lowes or Home Depot.
If you've made it this far I'm sure you're asking how I wrap this into a sales pitch. Well here it is, the purpose of this was to try and get to the point of buying the things you need and when you do, buy quality products! Buy things that last, and buy things that are comfortable. You need clothing, well good news, we make it. You need clothing that is comfortable, I promise ours is. You need clothing that can be worn in different settings, yep we've got you covered.
Don't, I repeat, DO NOT buy our clothing because you want it. Buy it because you need it and you'll actually wear it. It doesn't do you any good to keep it in the back of a full closet or crammed in a drawer. We want you to buy it and wear it, and if you don't it's a lose-lose for both of us.
