026. Finding joy in simplicity
How my life changed after re-discovering minimalism.
I am a former shopaholic. My weekends used to be filled with mall trips, TJ Maxx hauls, Amazon deliveries. I was constantly browsing and wanting more. I got a thrill from finding the perfect top or dress or candle to add to my collection. That joy would last about 1 hour until I got home, put the piece away, and forgot about it. Until I shop again.
I’m sure many of you are familiar with this cycle. We live in a capitalist, consumerist world. We buy, buy, buy.
This only got worse for me when I got my first “big girl job” and started watching TikTok more and more (I was very late to the TikTok train and only really got on it when Covid started). My shopping addiction was truly out of control now that I had a real and consistent income. The deliveries were coming in almost daily. I had more workout clothes than I could even wear in a month. I bought new skincare, new makeup, and new hair tools. All that I barely even used. They just took up so much space—physically and mentally.
It wasn’t until I re-discovered minimalism and the personal finance community that I finally broke this cycle. But man, did it take work.
I first heard about minimalism in high school. It was 2016 and I started listening to The Minimalists podcast from the true “OG minimalists” and learned about what it was. I watched all of Matt D’Avella’s YouTube videos on it. The Millennial Minimalists podcast also probably made it into my Spotify Wrapped that year.
I wasn’t fully ready to embrace it just yet. I knew the concept, but I was still always searching for more stuff.
But a few years ago, I really took a hard look at where I was at in my life. I lived at home for a little over a year post-grad before I was ready to move out on my own. I had a little bit in savings. But not as much as I should have had. I filed my taxes that year, and I was shocked at how little of that I had left (granted, I was not making a lot of money back then). I had no idea where it had all gone.
And that was when I began a budget and started meticulously tracking all of my expenses. I looked at my pile of stuff and felt gross about it. Most of it was low-quality, mass-produced, and just wasteful. I got rid of so much stuff over the last couple of years—slowly but surely—because I had accumulated so much in a relatively short time.
It took a lot of discipline (and more often than not, a lot of failure) before I finally broke my shopping addiction. I still have the occasional splurge or day of shopping. But it is far from what it used to be. My impulse shopping has gone down significantly, and I shop with so much more intention. I prefer to thrift when I can, too. I look for quality over quantity. I save up before I make big purchases. I invest in experiences over things. I contribute to a Roth IRA and I have a bigger savings fund.
I am still far from perfect and I wouldn’t consider myself a minimalist by any means, but adopting some of the mindsets and practices has also allowed me to discover who I am. I don’t shop as a coping mechanism anymore. I have new hobbies that I enjoy, like making sourdough bread, painting, and running. I have money to buy my friends nice, meaningful gifts without worrying about the costs. I can plan last-minute trips. I feel like I have so much more freedom in my life because I have way less stuff holding me down now.
I have tons of tips on my TikTok page about controlling your impulse spending and budgeting if you’re interested in checking them out or don’t know where to start. Plus, if you become a paid subscriber, you get access to my 2025 budgeting template!
I hope you find this inspirational if you are also dealing with a shopping addiction. It’s hard not to in a world where it’s basically shoved down our throats with endless hauls and shopping videos. But it is possible to overcome it and become immune to it, too!
Xo,
Jess