Since the start of 2019, I’ve been trying my best to become a minimalist by being mindful of the things I do and buy. After having gotten rid of more than half my wardrobe, pens, hangers, books, etc., I have learned a lot about what being a minimalist means and why I’m struggling with it.
1.Social Media
Social media is one of the biggest reasons as to why I’m struggling with being a minimalist. While I have limited my wardrobe to just 15 tops and 7 bottoms, I still feel insecure about what I wear. Because of the #OOTD culture, the culture of wearing the newest clothes and the biggest brands, I feel as if my clothes don’t make me stylish or cool. Because I don’t have Instagram-able outfits on every day, I feel insecure and struggle with limiting my wardrobe.
2. Friends
My friends ask me to look at something they’re thinking about buying when I go shopping with them and it ends up becoming very hard for me to not buy things with them. I struggle with limiting myself from buying things, especially if I have friends who are shopping with me. Friends can also sometimes help sway your mind. There have been times when my friends have managed to convince me that I deserve to buy myself something nice. But I have figured out a way to combat this. I will carry things I like around with me and if, by the time my friend is at the register, I feel like I don’t like them anymore, I put them back and walk out (mostly) empty-handed.
3. Hobbies
I love to read, and one of my biggest purchases every year are books. I have been trying to cut down on buying books because I realize that I buy more than I read. While I have been trying to buy a Kindle, I currently do not have the finances to do that. And since I haven’t bought a Kindle, I tell myself that it is okay for me to buy books. Since I also don’t like reading e-books, it has been especially hard for me to even convince myself to buy one.
4. Convenience
There have been a lot of things that I end up buying for convenience’s sake. I have been trying to get myself to use a menstrual cup so I can cut down on costs as well as lower my period waste, but pads/tampons are much more convenient to use. The same happens when I have to pack snacks; I use a Ziploc bag instead of tupperware. The issue with that is that I have tupperware that I don’t end up using because a Ziploc is more convenient and I don’t have to wash it.