She Strengthens

Simplifying Your Life: A Path to Financial Freedom

In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded with messages about decluttering our lives and living more minimally. While the concept is appealing, many of the guiding principles lack concrete advice. It’s easy to dismiss vague statements like “only buy what you need” when we can justify our purchases.

Reevaluating Priorities

Recently, I took stock of the things I’ve eliminated from my life and reflected on the positive effects – both financially and beyond. Here are some of the changes I’ve made:

Ditching My Car

In some areas, a car is necessary, but for me, it was a financial burden. With insurance, parking, and maintenance, my old-but-sensible car cost me $240 per month just to exist. After crunching the numbers, I realized my side hustle wasn’t even breaking even on my car costs. Going carless was daunting, but after a year, my partner and I have saved thousands of dollars and haven’t felt stuck without a car. We use short-term rental services for occasional trips and take commuter trains to visit family.

A Hair-Raising Experience

I’m not advocating for everyone to go for a pixie cut, but I do think that if you’re spending hundreds of dollars on hair products and treatments, it might be time to reassess. I cut my hair to an undercut and have alternated between that and a pixie cut over the past three years. By doing so, I’ve reduced my need for products and saved money on day-to-day hair care.

Makeup Minimization

It’s time for the capsule makeup collection to rise to the mainstream. While experimenting with colors is fun, there are some things you just don’t need more than one of. I’ve shifted my focus to eye palettes, which offer multiple looks in one product, and save my experimental lipstick and gloss for sample-sized and mini products. Stick with your old faithfuls and keep only a minimal collection of fun picks.

Cutting the Cord

When I had Netflix, most of the shows I binged were ones I already owned on DVD. The truth was, I wasn’t a big TV or movie consumer, but I was swayed by the convenience of Netflix. Having Netflix turned me into a couch potato, and I ended up paying for content I didn’t watch. I decided to go a year without Netflix and got an antenna instead. Going back to “appointment-style” viewing has been a fun change, and we’ve spent our quiet evening time reading, writing, playing games, and working on projects.

Data Detox

When I found myself unable to keep under my monthly data cap, I made a drastic change: I turned off cellular data for my social media apps. I keep it on for messaging apps and emergency services like maps, but I won’t use social media unless I’m on wifi. This has helped me stay present in the moment and loosen my dependence on these apps. Even aside from saving money on data, this has been a very positive decision.

By simplifying our lives and reevaluating our priorities, we can achieve financial freedom and live more intentionally. It’s not about depriving ourselves of things we enjoy, but about making conscious choices that align with our values and goals.