3 Things I Do to Avoid Extra Things
Guest post written by Kevin Jezek
With the constant barrage of ads and commercials completely infesting every facet of most people’s lives, it can be rather difficult to avoid collecting a never-ending stream of crap day after day. I fight a battle with myself every time I leave the house and head into a store. I know that if I don’t take certain steps before I leave, I’m bound to come home with at least one item I neither needed nor will ever get much use out of after the “new car” smell wears off.
I have found myself doing certain things now to counteract this incessant need to consume. Below is a couple of those things and my attempt at rationalizing the decisions to myself. Maybe some of you will find something helpful. Or perhaps I am the lone ranger and this problem is truly my curse to bear alone.
At first glance, this might not seem like a minimalist topic. But I said it before and will again: it is so much easier to avoid acquiring things from the start than it is to release your hold on them in the future. Can’t miss what you never had!
- Never buy if I can borrow.
In the world today it seems like everyone has to have everything. Chances are that your house is full of the exact same things as most of your friends and relatives. Not to mention neighbors and coworkers.
Dollars to donuts if you have a need for something and you don’t own it, someone you know does. With this in mind, I like to take this one step further and apply it to things I’m thinking about buying. For instance, kitchen gadgets, tools, toys, or anything else you can think of. This is a great way for me to not only try out whatever it was I was thinking about getting, but it also allows me the opportunity to see how much use it actually gets. Do I use it once a day or a week? Perhaps I used it one day and forgot about it after that. I’ve saved countless dollars from this method because I find out I would have no long term use for the item and avoided the purchase all together.
2. Make a list and take just enough cash.
This is the best way I avoid extra purchases whenever I go shopping. I make a dedicated list. Sometimes I write it down, sometimes I just repeat it over in my head until I got it. Whatever way you choose to do it, the results should be a list of everything you need and nothing else. This list should be adhered to no matter what, no deviation and no changing of the list once you get out the front door (and don’t use the back door thinking it’s a loophole you’re only cheating yourself!).
This strategy is far easier with the second part of the equation being the amount of money you bring with you. I make sure to bring just enough cash to buy everything on my list. Sometimes this requires some checking of prices online, but it’s well worth it in the end. This is hard to do when you don’t deal in cash, but I imagine you have a way of setting a limit on your card. If you have great self control, you’re good to go! I do not, so I take steps to ensure that I don’t end up surrounded by a sea of useless things.
3. If you see something you just have to have, don’t buy it. Wait!
This is a very good way to avoid purchases outright. I’ve found that three days is the perfect amount of time for me to wait. If I’m out and I see something in the store that I think I might like, I never buy it right away (mostly because I never have money on me, see step #2 working like a charm). Instead, I get home and research it. I read reviews and see what people are saying. Sometimes I watch videos, depending on what the item is. Then I wait and think about it. Do I see myself using this? Is it worth it? Are the reviews good or bad? If by the third day, I am still thinking about it and I think it is a good idea, then I go ahead and purchase the item.
More often than not, though, I end up never thinking about the thing after the first night if I remember to look it up in the first place. You can figure out your own method and time frame that fits best for you. But the biggest point is to take time away from the initial excitement of seeing something you just have to have and instead to begin thinking about it in a more rational and logical context.
Minimalist living is not something achieved from the outside. You cannot just give everything you own away and call yourself a minimalist. In my opinion, minimalism is a retraining of the way we see, feel, consume, and interact with the world around us. Minimalism starts in your head and radiates out from there. You have to reverse years of advertisements and cultural norms notions. The ideas that say that in order to be a prosperous and productive member of society, you have to be a constant consumer and you must gather up the newest latest version of everything our parents owned and more. This takes a very active role on your part to actually achieve.
You have to make the changes in your mind before you can begin to change anything in your life. The best part about this step is it’s free and you have everything you need right in front of you in order to get the job done. Happiness is not a format everyone can follow to achieve. The road is different for all who travel it. Find your path. Embrace it and live it. In this journey, you can find a deeper happiness than all the stuff in the world could provide you with.
Kevin Jezek was born on September 13th 1988, in Tacoma Washington. He grew up in Federal Way, Washington where he attended Federal Way High School. He started commercial salmon fishing in the summer on my uncle’s boat in Alaska when he was 14. High school dropout (with GED). Has had held a variety of jobs, such as working with crab, salmon, cod, fishing, construction, heavy equipment operator, landfill, aircraft maintenance, plumbing, electrical, gardening and more. Kevin is an open-minded, deep thinking, loner who likes people.
“ I’m going through life looking to collect experiences not things. Your mind is either your strongest asset or your Achilles heel depending on how you use it!”
