Oh yeah I definitely need that cooler
that has the blender attachment
that's solar-powered so that I can make
margaritas on the beach.
Click!
Oh, wait a minute, I'm not signed in yet.
Think about it...
Break the Twitch
Being a minimalist myself,
it's been an interesting adventure
learning how to curate
the things that I bring into my life.
So I figured I would add my voice
to the conversation around
how to judge what's gonna be a good investment
of your money, of your time, and generally
how you should treat shopping as a minimalist.
So, the first step in terms of avoiding that
impulse, or that twitch purchase,
is to disable the one-click purchase button.
You have to add a little bit of space
into the process of ordering something.
So either a logout of Amazon, don't save your password,
turn off one-click ordering,
and make yourself go through some extra steps
so you actually can decide if it's something you need.
The second most substantial thing that you can do
when it comes to avoiding impulse shopping online
is create a mandatory wait period.
Whether it's 24 hours or 72 hours,
if you didn't know you wanted something
and then you saw it and you immediately wanted it,
it might be an impulse buy.
So prevent yourself from buying that thing
or give yourself some extra space to think about it
if it's really something that you need
by having a mandatory wait period.
And that's something
that you just have to enforce yourself,
but if you stick by the rules
it will really help you big time.
The third thing you can do is don't browse for fun.
I know it can be fun to just
kinda scroll through stuff and
look at accessories and look at different things online,
but make sure you have a need
and then go look for that thing
once you know that you have the need.
So know what you want first
before you go look for it.
That way you can figure out if the thing you're buying is actually solving a problem you have,
or if it's just something you want because you want it.
It's super important to just not discover something
and buy it right away just because you think it's cool,
there may be better ways to spend your time and money
and have that space in your house not be consumed
by the thing that you're just impulse buying.
As far as shopping at a retail location,
the most significant advice that I can give you
is don't go to the mall.
Have you ever noticed the particularly loud,
energized thumping music that plays
in stores at the mall?
How about the super bright,
sometimes flashy lighting that
occurs all over the place?
What about the smell of Cinnabon
on the other side of the mall
that you can smell all over the place?
All of those things are designed
to overwhelm your senses
and actually create decision fatigue
which breaks down your ability to make good decisions
about what to buy and what not to buy.
And then you end up buying more stuff.
Typically, the most common and frequently
purchased items are set in the back of the store
so you have to weave your way through the store in order to get the thing that you came for.
That's a strategy they use to get you to see more
items and hope that something catches your attention.
And none of that is even mentioning the fact that
the videos, the photos, the advertisements that are
splayed throughout the mall and all the stores within
are simply there to create insecurity about ourselves
and give us this idea that
if we buy the things in that store,
we'll look like that person or we'll feel like that person
or we'll have that kind of life.
We'll have happiness
from the things that we buy in that store.
And it's all fake.
You can't get any of that stuff by buying a pair of jeans.

If you do need to go pick up some things at a store,
I recommend that you write down
a shopping list in advance.
Write down all the different things that you need,
so that you don't kind of lose your sights on
the mission that you came to the store with.
Focus on the things on the list,
and if you see something that you didn't
think you wanted before,
because you didn't know that it existed, don't buy it.
Just stick to the list.
If you tend to struggle with impulse buying,
another thing that you can do
is kind of visualize the experience
and plan what you're going to do
when you see something that you might want.
So you can even just close your eyes
and visualize yourself walking away
from that really cute shirt
or whatever it is that you think you might want
or be distracted by.
Another idea is set a time limit that you can be
in the store when you go shopping.
I find it really effective to set an appointment,
say for 4 o'clock, and then go to the store at 3:15
so you know you have a budgeted amount of time
to get in,
get the things you need,
and then get on to your next meeting.
It's an effective way to kind of put a damper
on any browsing or extra shopping that you might do when you don't really need to.
In terms of a general scope
when it comes to shopping as a minimalist,
I like to think about things
in terms of, "what is your vision?"
What is your vision for your life?
What is your vision for what you want to accomplish?
If you start thinking about what exactly that vision is
it's easier to figure out
what types of things align with that vision
and what does not.
Is this going to get me closer to that vision,
or will this purchase just get me further away?
Will this create more responsibility?
Will it create more financial debt?
Which direction will this purchase take me in?
And through that filter,
you can really start to gain momentum
in the decisions that you make
to enhance your life with something
or to enhance your life by not
bringing it into your home.
Finally, there are a few key questions that I like to
ask when it comes to making purchases.
The first one is: where will it go?
As in, "is there a place in my home
where that thing will go?"
Do I know where it will be stored?
Do I know where it will sit?
If it's a decoration, what shelf will it go on?
And where will it go?
And if you can visualize it in a specific place
where it looks good
and where it will be useful to you,
that's a good indicator that maybe you can buy it.
The next question is: how does this new thing
serve me in a way that nothing I already have does?
If you already have something
at home that does what you need it to do,
do you really need that new thing?
If it serves a new purpose and it allows you
to do something that you couldn't do before,
then it might be a good purchase for you.
The last question is: how long will this item last?
Will it need replacing?
Will it need extra parts and accessories down the road?
Will it cost a lot of money to maintain?
Those kinds of questions are the great questions
that will allow you to determine whether that item will
create more freedom for you or less freedom.
Alright those are my ideas
in terms of shopping like a minimalist
and just some shopping tips so that
you can really focus on
getting the things that matter to you
and living the life that you really want.
I'd be curious to know what your ideas are
and if you have any rules or
different things that you do to make sure
that you maintain that vision for yourself as well.
If you found this video helpful, I'd love for you to subscribe to the Break the Twitch channel
so you can see future videos that I make
about minimizing distractions,
building good habits,
and creating opportunities to live a great life.
Hope you have a great rest of your day
and I'll see you next time.
