Minimalism – My most worth it purchases

Contrary to common beliefs that minimalism is only about buying and owning less, a key element of a minimalist lifestyle is also making smart decisions in buying things that add incredible value to our lives. While minimalism can help save a lot of money, it is imperative to remember that saving money for a faraway future is not the end goal. Instead, a minimalist life should serve as a guide to more intentional and mindful purchases that enhance our lives.

Since I began my pursuit of a minimalist lifestyle, I have been guided to stop mindlessly spending money and instead redirect the money towards things that improve my quality of life. Purchases that are useful, educative, ones that help me reach a certain goal, or some that make life easy.

I want to talk about a few such purchases hoping this can provide some guidance to distinguish between a valuable purchase versus something purchased as an impulse. Of course, the term ‘valuable’ is subjective and will be different for everyone because of our different budgets, needs, priorities and lifestyles. But what I want you to take away from this is the intentional mindset behind a purchase that can truly enhance the quality of your lives.

Kindle – Until a few years ago I was opposed to the idea of reading books electronically. Having loved reading books since I was a kid, I knew the experience of reading a book came from all the elements – the touch, the smell, and the print. I was not ready to lose that experience to another device.

However, a few years ago I decided to give it a go since I wanted something to accompany me during my long commute to work and this has stayed as my companion ever since.

Owning a kindle has provided me easy access to thousands of books and because I know I can download a book within seconds, it has made it that much easier to finish one book and immediately jump onto another one.

I still love my paper books, but my kindle is for all other days where carrying around a book can be a challenge.

Bicycle – Some of my best memories of our stay in the UK are the long bike rides my husband and I took along the Thames river. This is something we started during our quarantine days and continue to do even today in Australia. The joy of feeling the wind in my hair, listening to my favourite music whilst admiring the beauty of nature surrounding me is my state of bliss.

We have grown so fond of this activity that we now bike around pretty much everywhere. All our grocery shopping trips, nearby restaurant visits, or picnic trips happen on our bikes. We even bike to work saving us the cost and woes of public transport.

Home office desk and chair – Like all of us who started working from home during the pandemic we had to adapt to a new lifestyle gradually. We were initially more concerned about getting work done effectively and never focused on other logistics such as a desk or a chair. For 2 years I worked on the dining table sitting on a hard wooden chair and my husband sat on the couch. We tortured our bodies with bad posture, stress and discomfort for hours on end.

Finally when we moved to Australia, the first few pieces of furniture that we ordered were good quality office desk and chairs that fit our body frames well. My neck and back couldn’t be more thankful and have definitely not complained ever since.

Yoga mat – The yoga mat I own at present is my third one in 5 years. I use it almost every single day until it starts to wear out. Now this is certainly not an expensive purchase nor is my yoga mat from a luxurious or popular brand, but the value I have got from it is priceless.

Practicing yoga has not just helped me build physical and mental strength but also helped me save so much money by not paying for yoga classes, gym memberships or other equipment. With this simple yoga mat I can exercise in the comfort of my own home, whenever I feel like. I can also take it with me wherever I go and exercise anywhere I want.

Apartment view – This cannot be categorised as a purchase but more of a regular expense that I am willing to pay in return for the value I get. The rent of the apartment we reside in is slightly higher than others in the same building because it has a better view compared to the rest.

With the pandemic wreaking havoc in our lives I was sure of one thing – I wanted a personal space in my home. (You can read more about how I created this space here). This is my tiny spiritual retreat where I spend most mornings meditating, journaling or sometimes just staring at the ripples formed in the river. It is hard to explain the calm and quiet I feel in my entire body and mind when I sit there.

There is nothing more powerful than creating a space where your energies can resonate with the surroundings and all you feel is powerful and positive. That for me is worth a million dollars.

Travel – This is an investment for life. Being in the UK we were blessed with the greatest opportunity of traveling to nearby European countries and once we opened ourselves to travel our lives have not been the same. Needless to say, the pandemic did pour water on a lot of our plans but whatever traveling we did and will do in future will be money worth every penny.

There is nothing that comes close to random travel tales such as camping at a Goan beach under a starry night or accidently finding the best pasta in Rome or sipping mulled wine in the best Christmas market in Belfast.

It is extremely satisfying to save on materialistic pleasures where possible knowing the experiences are always worth living for. In my minimalist journey over the last few years I have come to realise how much I prefer to invest in experiences that last a lifetime over material things.

Through this journey I believe in investing in quality items and things that give me more quality time are truly rewarding. It is definitely all about the value and improving my overall lifestyle aside from just financially.

Let me know in the comments what are some of your purchases that have been the most valuable to you.