All The Things I Want to Say About Money But Never Do

Intentionally choosing to spend money on the things we truly want is not always easy.

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Recent videos:

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Most popular videos:

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You can read more tips in my book, The Minimalist Home, or pre-order my new book, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life:

Read hundreds of articles on decluttering and owning less on the Becoming Minimalist blog.

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[LeMErin]

I appreciate your honesty. I’ve been told that I’m “lucky” because I travel more than the average person. But it’s not that I’m lucky- it’s that I’ve made travel my goal. I live in a tiny apartment, I don’t eat out, I rarely buy new clothes, and when I recently upgraded to an iPhone 12, my previous phone was the iPhone 6. You can have anything that you want, but you can’t have everything that you want (right now).

[JulianaGockos]

I had a teacher who always said that "we always have money and time for what we really want"

[carrotgold]

I made all those decisions 50 years ago. And...the mortgage disappeared, I wrote a check for my last car purchase, I contribute heavily to charities that feed the poor, and I am helping my niece's family build a new house. Financial freedom has long term rewards 💰

[barbaramerrithew]

I did a No Buy January and saved $850. I have decided on a No Buy Year and by the end of the year the bulk of my debt will be paid off. I did not miss anything and have already gotten into the mindset of not spending. Learning about and embracing minimalism is truly changing my life for the better. I can't wait to see each much what other changes I can make that will add to my quality of life.

[FindingMyStar]

When I was adopting my daughter I heard time and time again but how people wished they could adopt but couldn't afford to (not everyone should adopt, and most people don't understand anything about adoption) but at the same time bought expensive cars, electronics, etc. Becoming a mother was the most important thing to me so I made it happen. Same with travel, that's now an important thing for me to save for. My daughter doesn't need fancy toys or fancy clothes when instead we can make amazing memories.

[whatfun]

I'm already a minimalist. Been one for a long time. I don't struggle with it. But your output, Joshua, continues to sharpen my understanding and appreciation of it, and my ability to articulate its principles and benefits to others. Thank you for this.

[granitemoss]

I notice a lot of folks spend their money on WANTS and then complain when they're struggling to cover their NEEDS. I get it, needs aren't sexy or fun, but neither is the stress of always coming up short. The better you look after your money, the better your money will look after you!

[melilifabulosa]

Next week I go down to working two days a week. The reactions have ranged from, great, you can start a side hustle! to envy. I've spent the last 10 yrs laser focused on debt reduction, and have decided after seeing this pandemic that time with family is most important.

[RayTator]

Lynn here We have just what we need.and every time I watch you I learn more..thank you for your time

[ssumanmishra]

It's true, we purchase so many things without giving a thought tht how it will be helpful in daily life. It's actually small choices which can make large differences. Honestly great channel.👍

[djf]

One time I was in a drugstore waiting to check out. It was in a mall, and it was winter time. Parents and little girl in front of me. The child asked the Mom if she was going to buy her a new jacket. The jacket she was wearing looked too small, and it also had a broken zipper. The mom told the kid they didn't have enough money to buy her a jacket, and then proceeded to buy a carton of cigarettes. A kid's jacket would have cost less.

[lmajor]

I agree with everything you talked about here. I think money is emotional, and getting control of where it goes and why we spend it that way means confronting some emotional issues. Issues many of us are either completely oblivious too, or would rather ignore. Thinking of internal messages like "I need to give my kids the childhood I never had, " or "I've worked hard and I deserve this, " or "That person who put me down all my life (whom I've never forgiven) won't put me down now when they see how I live/what I own, " or "I've always wanted to be in the in crowd, so I need to have the things they have so they will accept me." I think until we get to the bottom of what is really driving the purchasing, it is hard to control it.

[amandeepshah]

I realised whatever Joshua said a year ago. It all ends to our priorities, where we spend our money, I've even seen people prioritising their House Loan EMIs over their children's education, this is the gravity of the situation, and the extent to which conspicuous consumption has engrained in our minds and daily lives.
But I'm glad I found out the meaning of life.

[Ceci]

Completely agree. I've always liked the statement, "You can have ANY thing you want but you might not be able to have EVERY thing you want."

[djf]

I had an acquaintance who, when he kids were complaining about not having a bike, said they would have to wait til Christmas. It was Spring at the time. We live in Canada. What good is a bike to a kid in winter? Both the parents smoked. I spoke up and said that if they stopped smoking they could buy both of their kids new bikes in no time, and they would be doing themselves a favor too. I was not too politely told to mind my own business. Speaking up doesn't really pay.

[thomashughes]

I found that I would buy the same amount of meat and veg that I would buy while I was NOT metabolically healthy; however, one of your tips, Joshua, was to not "add" but "remove" something to solve a problem.

When I removed sugar, grains, seed oils, and refined foods, I removed: a 500 ml Coke daily ... and a litre and a half of Red Cola on both weekend days ... cookies nightly ... breakfast (banana, oats, sugar, chocolate, vainilla, huautli (amaranth), cinnamon) every morning ... apple and banana daily ... cereal in the evening and milk or chocolate milk.

Now I eat once a day. For example, today I ate about a half pound of ground beef, cream cheese, cream, about a half pound of chilorio (pork rib and pasilla chile), three eggs, and some cheese. This will do me for the day till dinner tomorrow and quite nicely. My savings from not eating breakfast, snacks, cena, and fruits and sugary drinks including fruit juices has saved me at least $1200 MXP per month just for me!

Removing gluttony has reaped tremendous benefits in money not spent and fat not gained and by consequence health gained for future "not necessary" medical expenses for chronic sick care!

Just that one change in my life has reaped $14, 400 MXP per year that has gone into savings!

By the way, t-bone steak and Chokis cookies are exactly the same price gram for gram, and the meat is much more nutrient-dense and satiating! Consider diet along with minimalism, and you will truly find "inner peace".

Thanks, Joshua!

[JamieM]

I have been living frugal for so many years that I cannot imagine living any other way. But my bills are paid on time, and I can afford the things that are important to me. Makes me happy. (Edit: And I should add that I am below poverty level for my area)

When women at work complain about not having the money to pay their rent or buy new school clothes for their they have the latest cell phone, salon nails, designer fashions, subscriptions to all the cable/satellite networks, brand new cars, eat out every day & party every weekend, spend thousands of dollars on Christmas, Valentines, birthdays, etc---and get angry if their husbands don't spend the same on them---go on expensive vacations every year, buy new tattoos every I don't do or have any of that (I don't want any of that lol), I can't drum up any sympathy. I just can't.
I believe you spend your money on what is most important to you.

I don't think I could be as gentle and tactful about it as Joshua is, so I just keep my mouth shut. But it sure is nice to feel validated.

[diannebee]

I love your lessons and I agree with all of them 100%! Because of your wisdom, I have been able to get rid of a lot of stuff. It’s still a work in progress but it’s going!
I agree with everything you said in this video. For the past two years I have worked really hard to get rid of all my consumer debt and build a 6 month emergency fund in case I lose my job. Right now I’m saving for a down payment for my future home. It’s going to take me 2-3 years but I am determined. I understand more about money after discovering minimalism (and Dave Ramsey). I’m in a better financial position than I ever was in my entire adult life.
I honestly think insecurities and ego are the two main problems why people are “broke” or struggling. If we just practice delayed gratification and be content with what we already have, I am convinced that many Americans wouldn’t struggle. It took me 2 years with deep sacrifice and I intend on continuing what I’ve learned for the rest of my life. If we all weren’t so over consuming things and materialistic I believe people would be in a much better position financially and in their personal lives. Thank you so much for your lessons and wisdom! I literally listen to you every single day at work!

[johannamiller]

One of the best lessons my parents ever taught me - when I was itching to spend my allowance on some stupid nonsense - was that if you don't spend all your money on things you don't really want, the money will be there when you find something you do really want. The principle has served me well to this day.

This is why it drives me nuts to see the personal finance exercises about distinguishing "needs" from "wants" - they all seem to assume that everyone goes around "wanting" absolutely everything under the sun. To me, it makes more sense to talk about "wants" versus "don't wants, " and to realize that I don't actually want the latest gadget, dinner at a fancy restaurant, a closet full of new clothes every year, etc.

[Myworldmymind]

I wish a video like this went viral . This is the knowledge our world needs !