Minimalist Living – Stepping Off the Treadmill

Whether by choice or by necessity, the movement away from conspicuous consumption and toward minimalism and a more sustainable lifestyle has been gaining a great deal of popularity and garnering interest from lots of unexpected quarters. Some of this movement toward minimalism and away from consumption is no doubt traceable to the recent recession. This recession took a massive bite out of consumer spending and is still wreaking havoc on the job market and the home sale front.

Changes

But some of the changes appear to be permanent, as evidenced by the still healthy levels of savings in the country. In a few short years, the savings rate has gone from 1-2% of post-tax pay to more than 6%. This tripling of the savings rate is a sign that many people are stepping off what social scientists refer to as the hedonic treadmill, the need for ever-increasing quantities of things we think we require to make us happy.

The problem with the treadmill is that studies show the human brain quickly adapts to those new purchases, considering them normal. This creates an ever-increasing need for more and more and keeps many of us trapped in jobs we dislike just so we can buy more and more things we know we don’t need but think we can’t live without.

Reevaluating

Perhaps that is why many of us are abandoning their former lifestyles and reevaluating what they genuinely need to be happy. For those embracing the minimalist movement, less is definitely more. By simplifying their lives, the early pioneers of the simple living movement found that they instantly had the freedom to do what they wanted with their time. This time could be used to work from home, enjoy more time with family, or even retire at the prime age of 40.

Of course, minimalism means various things to different people. For some couples, it might mean giving up one of the cars and downsizing to a smaller home. This could enable one parent to stop working and stay home with the children. For others, the minimalist lifestyle might mean selling the McMansion and the luxury cars and moving to a quiet cabin in the woods. Either way, this increasingly popular lifestyle choice is all about freedom and choices. Simplifying your life gives you the flexibility you might have thought you could never achieve in life. It also gives you the security to know you will be comfortable, no matter what life may throw at you.