FRUGAL MINIMALIST LIVING FREE
Will this book, whether digital or physical, bring enough value into my life to warrant the purchase? A frugal person might perceive an additional cost to owning a physical book because of the space it takes up, but they might also perceive an extra "cost" in having a digital book because it can't be swapped with a friend or at a Little Free Library.Ĥ. Some minimalists are definitely concerned with digital minimalism, but the overall minimalist approach is more concerned with physical objects and considers physical objects to have a much greater cost.Ī frugal person is much more concerned with the purchase of a book, regardless of the medium. You can have thousands of books on a Kindle, and it's still just one device. However, since Kindle books take up no physical space, there's little restriction for most minimalists in terms of acquiring books. For a minimalist person, a Kindle makes a lot of sense as it effectively is one small device that replaces an entire bookshelf. The perfect example of this concept is an Amazon Kindle. Minimalism inherently focuses on physical objects However, the minimalist might not necessarily have the perfect tool for a specific repair job, whereas the frugalist is much more likely to have that perfect tool.ģ. A minimalist would buy a small set of tools, intending to multi-task with them, and those tools would be very well-made and seen as an investment. A frugal person often acquires these tools on discount, buying them at garage sales, estate auctions and even at retailer sales.
Many frugal people have lots and lots of tools because they get value out of repairing things. My favorite example of this is found in a garage.
On the flip side of that concept is the idea that a frugal person isn't necessarily concerned about the accumulation of possessions, provided that those possessions have a use and are acquired economically. Frugality doesn't necessarily object to the accumulation of possessions While they may spend more money than what the average person would consider wise on a product, that product hopefully won't need to be replaced in their lifetime.Īgain, a person who is really driven by minimalism might find frugal insights useful in decisions like these, and the reverse is true for a frugal person, but in general, the minimalist is less concerned with money as a resource than a frugal person is.Ģ. While this might overlap with spending less money because, well, you're buying fewer items, it does not mean that a minimalist necessarily spends little money.Ī minimalist is much more likely to invest in high-end products that last longer and won't need replaced within a few years. Minimalism is primarily interested in reducing the number of physical possessions you own. Minimalism isn't concerned with how much money is spent They are concerned with maximizing the value that they get for one of their resources - their money.įive key differences between minimalism and frugalityġ. You would have far fewer housekeeping, cleaning and organization tasks in your daily life than someone who has filled a four-bedroom house to the brim with possessions.įrugality, on the other hand, simply refers to an economical approach to the consumption of resources, often focused on money, but spreading to other resources such as time and energy.įor example, a person who invests the time to evaluate several options for a purchase - including not buying the item at all, borrowing it, renting it and so on - and chooses the one that provides what they perceive to be the best lasting value for their dollar is practicing frugality. The reward for doing this is that you spend less time in basic upkeep, maintenance and organization of your possessions.įor example, let's say that all of your possessions fit into a single duffel bag and you lived in a tiny home. Minimalism, as it is used today, generally refers to the reduction in the number of one's possessions to lead a more simple life. However, even though minimalism shares some practices and principles with frugality, it is actually quite distinct from frugality.īut what's the difference between the two practices? Minimalism offers many insights that are valuable to financially successful people, and it definitely offers tools and ideas for financial success. "Minimalism" seems to be a trendy topic these days, with glowing articles in the New York Times and in The Atlantic and minimalism gurus like Marie Kondo writing bestsellers.Īs someone who has practiced frugal living for a long time, the ideas and principles behind minimalism seem to be insightful and a useful parallel to frugality.
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