The Art of Simple Living – Decluttering My Life (Only The Necessary)

With the inflation rate reaching new heights every day, almost everyone plans to cut down on their expenses. Although simple living is not everyone’s idea of a good lifestyle, upon experiencing one myself, I can truly vouch for it.

It is hassle-free, way more organizational, and (…most importantly) within the expenditure budget of an adulting individual in their roaring entries. 

Simple living often has a few negative connotations to it. Often, these stereotypes can put us off from the idea.

This is why my article is curated to help you understand the meaning of simple people and make you feel better about it! 

After all, saving money for bigger dreams – like opening your very first business, traveling to your bucket list, and buying your first property! 

So, let’s start learning the art of simple living. The first step is decluttering your life from unnecessary items. 

What Is Simple Living?

In literal terms, simple living means adding simplicity to your life, whether through daily habits or the items you use daily! 

Believe it or not, being gratuitous towards your life is also a part of this lifestyle. The uber-cools would call it “mentally wealthy.” Because you do not harbor negative thoughts from your past or are anxious about the future, which can affect your mental health. 

Staying mindful & present is also a part of simple living. 

However, in today’s excerpt, we will focus more on tangible, simple living (…keeping the holistic side for a separate discussion!). 

This includes stopping the over-consumption of unnecessary items. Living beyond your budget (monthly check-to-check) and understanding where you need to spend your money mindfully. 

This practice involves reviewing our monthly expenditure, what we use daily, selecting items we can live without, and pressing a ‘ctrl-alt-delete’ for them from our budget. 

How To Live A Simple Life – The Art Of Decluttering

Although simple life is appropriate at any stage, we cannot deny that the adulting years of our 20s are when we need it the most! 

I also call it the age of attraction & massive FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Through the overconsumption of the internet, we believe we need everything that modern influencers sell. 

However, when I mindfully assessed my own expenditure, I was shocked by the amount of overconsumption! 

It is not just that I was buying items I absolutely did not need; I was buying them in doubles! 

Undoubtedly, letting go of “items” that I believed to be important for “luxury living” was difficult. But as Marie Kondo would say – 

“Letting go is even more important than adding.” 

…and isn’t that truly the essence of simple living 

So, here are some of the items I decided to let go of my life. Vis a vis, my monthly budget! 

1. Luxury Items

The allure of luxury is real! 

And pop culture is to blame! 

It is always about how we see people having their best lives, carrying luxury items, especially where the logo is right on our faces. 

However, a study from the Journal of Business Research did make us wonder  

“Is it luxury for ourselves, or luxury for others to see? Are we driving towards quality of life, or is our motivation envy? Against the ones looking at us from a third person’s perspective?” 

The cross-cultural survey posted by Forbes showed that high prices were the driving force behind considering something luxurious. No, quality or even sustainability did not make the mark! ¹  

So, the question is – 

Would you instead choose quality products supporting the environment or dwell in the superficial necessity of “showing off?” 

As JayZ would say, “If you can’t buy in twice, you cannot afford it.” 

However, this doesn’t mean you cannot treat yourself to luxury items. 

Rules for Buying Luxury 

• The 1% rule – If your income is $100,000 a year, you can spend $1000 a year on luxury items. This comes down to $83 a month. 
• Invest in a quality item that can last you for years. 
• When talking about investing, you can always opt to invest in luxury items with a resell value. These include high-end designer bags, watches, and jewelry (especially gold). 

Luxury Items you (Definitely) do not Need! 

• Skincare – It is not the price but the ingredients which make the difference. 
• Shoes & Clothes – They have no resell value, and sometimes they do not deliver quality. 
• Luxury for the sake of Luxury – belts, keychains, mini-purses, etc. 
• Luxury Home Decor: Make Ikea your best friend. Yes, assembling is a challenge, but you get to admire your work without having to drill a hole through your pockets. There are plenty of simple living room ideas which you can incorporate into designing your home. 

2. Skin & Body Care

TikTok is currently sprinting with the “Korean 9-step skin-care regime” and “everything showers.” Totally derailing from the idea of how to live a simple life!

Personally, I am an absolute fan of these activities. In fact, if you are, you do not have to stop. 

The idea of simple living is to declutter, not stop altogether! 

Here is how you can make your skincare budget-friendly 

Go to a Dermatologist – Consumer culture is teaching us that we need thirty serums and twenty essences. However, sometimes overusing can worsen your existing skin condition.

It is always better to examine your skin by a professional and then buy the right products. Believe me, no dermatologist will recommend ten items for your nightly skin routine! 

Body Care: An everything shower is not only good for your body, but it is also therapeutic. However, you do not need a singular item for each activity.

Here is what I bought down my everyday shower routine to –  

• Hair oil 
• Shampoo 
• Conditioner 
• Body soap 
• Scrub 
• Body Lotion 

Items that perpetuate over-consumption when it comes to skin and body care (you will often see them in TikTok): 

• Hair moose or leave-in conditioner – A hair serum will do the same job. 
• Electric hair comb for scalp blood circulation – A normal comb does the same thing. 
• Body shaving butter – Your soap will get the job done. 
• Body Butter – One body moisturizer is enough. 
• A new face serum every night – You just need one (maximum two if you have a skin condition and your dermatologist recommends it). In fact, too many can deteriorate your skin condition! 

3. Updating Your Tech Gadgets

We know that the iPhone comes up with a new model every year.  

In fact, they are planning to change their charger port to coerce customers to buy the new model since they would eventually stop selling the older charging cables. 

So, I switched to Android! 

• First, you only need to spend some of your earnings rather than having the whole set from the series. Is it simple living if you have an iPad, an Apple smartwatch, an Apple television, a MacBook, and a computer? So, I only invested in the product that was functional for my job, an Apple computer. Just imagine the digital clutter alone made me make this lifestyle switch. 
• Second, not spending half of my monthly salary on updating a phone every six months. With the right usage, you can use the same handset for at least more than one and a half years. 
• Third, when it comes to other electronics, I only spend on items that are functional in my house and serve their purpose frequently, not at a home theatre, which I will never use, or maybe once a month.  
• Fourth, start selling or donating tech waste. Vis a vis, items you are never likely to use again. 

4. Digital Subscription

According to a consumer report, people spent over $640 a year in 2019 on different subscription platforms. ² 

These include music platforms, random cloud storage platforms, and even dating apps.  

Are you also subscribed to random platforms you have stopped being aware of? To subscribe to Simple Living, you must first unsubscribe from these unnecessary platforms! 

Here is how to check: 

For iOS Phone: 

• Go to your Settings app 
• Tap on your name 
• Then tap on subscriptions 

For Android Phone: 

• Go to your Google Play store. 
• Tap on your profile in the upper right corner. 
• Choose payments & subscriptions. 

You will come across all the subscriptions you are still paying for through automated payment processing. Begin canceling subscriptions for platforms you do not need. 

Also Read: Mastering Prepaid Expenses: A Finance Professional’s Guide 

5. Credit Card

Now, this might be a controversial opinion. Yes, this is not everyone’s idea of “simple living”. But everyone’s financial situation is different, so it deserves a spot here.

Credit cards are a double-edged sword! 

Yes, they can offer convenience and rewards but can also lead to unnecessary debt and financial stress. 

Here’s why you might want to minimize using credit cards: 

Avoiding Debt Accumulation: When you have a credit card, it is easy to spend beyond your means. This can lead to high-interest debt that can become difficult to pay off.

Mindful Spending: By using cash or a debit card, you are more in tune with the reality of how much you are spending. You physically see the money leaving your account, and this can help deter impulse purchases. You automatically become more financially mature! 

Simplifying Finances: The fewer credit cards you have, the fewer bills you must keep up with and track each month. 

Action Steps 

Consider using a cash or a debit card for everyday expenses! 

Keep one credit card for emergencies or specific planned expenses where using a credit card is beneficial! 

Most importantly, check your credit card statements regularly for any unnecessary subscriptions or recurring bills to cancel. 

Start Your Simple Living Today!

Simple living is not about being miserly. It’s about decluttering your life – becoming aware of your habits and choices – focusing on what is truly important to you.  

When you stop spending money on things without value or purpose, you start becoming mindful about finances. Start enjoying more long-term benefits rather than superficial, temporary delights! 

So, take the first step today: declutter your life from unnecessary items and embrace a more intentional, mindful way of living.  

Remember that it’s not about deprivation! It’s about making conscious choices to have a richer, fuller life. 

Do you think it’s a road to Miser-ville? Or do you agree with what we have to say? Do let us know in the comment section below!

References: 

1. Forbes is a global media company that focuses on business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership, and lifestyle. ↩︎
2. Consumer Reports, formerly Consumers Union, is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, and consumer-oriented research. ↩︎