There was a time when I’d walk into a store and black out. I’d come to 40 minutes later, holding a novelty mug, a seasonal candle, and a vague sense of regret. Did I need any of it? No. Did I even like any of it? Also no. But I bought it anyway, because that’s what humans do when they’re bored and emotionally vulnerable in a consumerist death spiral.
Minimalism changed that.
Here’s how I escaped the siren call of random crap and became the kind of person who walks into a store, looks around, and buys nothing. On purpose.
Step 1: Realizing I Was Shopping for Feelings, Not Things
Turns out I wasn’t buying stuff—I was buying a vibe. A tiny dopamine rush. A fantasy of who I thought I might be if I just had the right mug or journal or artisanal rosemary-infused body mist.
Minimalism ripped that illusion away like a cruel but honest friend. And honestly? Thank God.
Step 2: Decluttering Changed My Relationship With Stuff
Once I started decluttering, I saw my possessions for what they really were: a museum of bad decisions. I held things I once thought I loved, only to realize they meant nothing to me. They were dust-collecting placeholders for a self I never became.
After that, I didn’t want to bring anything else into my life that I’d later have to apologize for to my future self.
Step 3: The Power of the “Do I Actually Like This?” Question
Now, whenever I pick something up, I don’t ask, “Can I afford this?” or “Would this look good in my imaginary Pinterest life?”
I ask:
“Do I actually like this?”
Like, in real life? The one where I spill coffee on things and don’t live in a beige loft with perfect lighting?
Nine times out of ten: the answer is no.
Step 4: Embracing Boredom and Emotional Discomfort Like a Grown-Up
Turns out, when you stop shopping as a coping mechanism, you’re left alone with your feelings. Ew.
But over time, I stopped filling emotional holes with $18 throw pillows. I learned to:
- Take a walk
- Meditate (badly)
- Journal (like a moody Victorian)
- Sit in stillness and just be (horrifying at first, 10/10 recommend)
Things I No Longer Buy: A Non-Comprehensive List of My Former Mistakes
- Impulse skincare (I have one face, not a science lab)
- Journals I’ll never fill
- T-shirts with “quirky” slogans
- Decorative bowls for holding… nothing
- That one brand of water bottle everyone’s “obsessed” with
What I Do Buy Now (Rarely, Intentionally)
- Stuff I need
- Stuff I love
- Stuff I’ll actually use
- Things that will last (aka not made from sadness and plastic)
Basically: fewer things, but better things. Things that deserve to be in my life—not just crash on the couch of my identity for a few months.
Final Thought
Minimalism didn’t just declutter my space—it decluttered my habits. I don’t shop to escape anymore. I don’t buy things I don’t like just because they’re 30% off and whispering sweet lies into my wallet.
Now, I choose. I pause. I walk away. And guess what? I don’t miss the crap.
(Except that mug with the tiny cat holding a sword. I miss that one. But it had to go.)
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