Minimalism during the Christmas season

This week marks the beginning of my Christmas shopping. 

I know Thanksgiving has yet to occur, but I have plans to avoid the holiday season-filled chaos which on Black Friday. Honestly, I may limit the scope of my Christmas shopping as a whole.

First of all, as a broke college student, I lack the monetary resources to buy presents for all of my friends and family. I also do not want to feed into the narrative that buying gifts is what Christmas is about. 

Last week, I watched the beautifully filmed documentary, Minimalism, on Netflix for the fifth time. Once again, the film changed my life—at least for a few weeks. After watching the movie and immediately taking an inventory of my closet, I have officially decided to cut back on my Christmas shopping and to encourage those who might buy something for me to do so conscientiously. 

I would call myself an “aspiring minimalist.” Though I do not actually practice the philosophy in my daily life, I try to implement some of its practical principles. When most people hear the phrase “minimalism,” they think of a person who owns little to no clothing, or maybe the HGTV shows about tiny homes. While these things are minimalistic, there is so much more to the philosophy than what most people may realize.

As Americans, we have an addiction to stuff. Buying stuff, selling stuff, giving stuff: it is all a part of our culture. But this holiday season, we as a society could choose to cut down, donate more and lead simpler lives.

Living like a minimalist is hard until you get used to it. We are constantly surrounded by people who want more stuff. Whether it is clothing, furniture, cosmetics or technology, the search for material items is endless. So, how does one practically practice minimalism? Here are a few suggestions on to practically implement minimalism into your daily life.

1. My first piece of advice is to always have a purpose when shopping. I always make a list before I go shopping because I know that purchasing unnecessary items while shopping is one of my greatest weaknesses. Additionally, intentional thinking is one of the greatest assets for a minimalist to have.
2. Budgeting is a good tool for anyone to use, but it is especially essential for a minimalist. Minimalism is not only a lifestyle but a financial practice as well. After starting a minimalist lifestyle, you will have a bit of extra money in your bank account. It is difficult to buy unnecessary items when you already have a plan for how to spend your money. 
3. Utilizing multi-purpose products is a great way to practice minimalism. Every item you own should be necessary for your well-being, or it should bring you joy. Having this mindset when selecting products is beneficial to maintaining a minimalistic lifestyle.
4. Value people over items. One legitimate reason materialism has taken off in the 20th and 21st centuries is people want bigger and more possessions. Whether it is a bigger house, car or furniture, the desire to have better things rather than better relationships drives materialism.
5. My last piece of advice is to be smart. You do not need to buy an item just because somebody is trying to convince you to buy something. Do not buy into everything you hear. Think logically about your spending practices.

There are many reasons to be a minimalist, but the very best one is to combat America’s inherently materialistic culture. Materialism has plagued American society in almost every facet. It controls our diet, our free time and even important holidays such as Christmas. For me, the real motive behind becoming a minimalist is to step away from our modernized society and practice a simpler lifestyle.

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