My Honest Thoughts On Minimalism, MLMs, The FIRE Movement, And More

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[MalloryHasCats]

I am a minimalist, but not for any political reason. It's purely psychological for me. My mom kept a very dirty house with tons of knick-knacks and clutter, and for 10 years, I lived in extreme poverty (I literally lived in an abandoned house in the woods with tons of other people's discarded stuff). Now that my life is better and I have more control of my choices, I have found that lots of stuff gives me insane anxiety. It's better for me to have less stuff around me. I would never shame someone else for their choices.

[msbell]

This made me like Chelsea more. I appreciate your honesty.

[Aubxee]

"These are human issues. These are not political issues." 👏🏻👏🏻

[ssrkinz]

In my view, FIRE isn't about cutting out all of the things in life that bring you joy just to retire early. It's more about "Marie Kondo-ing" your financial choices, and cutting out unnecessary spending that doesn't actually bring you joy. I still travel, I still go to the movies, I still eat out from time to time, and still go out with friends. But I also save aggressively by spending less in the areas where I care less, or where implementing a DIY solution wouldn't take much extra work.

That said, you're definitely right about it requiring a higher income. When I was broke in my 20s, this wasn't even close to being an option.

[ellabella]

Thank you for talking about MLMs, I feel very similarly and it's unfortunate that they seem so innocent when they are really not

[esmanmusic]

In my opinion minimalism is what you make of it. Guys like The Minimalists and Matt D’Vella talk about it in a way of being self disciplinary and not necessarily along the mean of “changing the world”

[sarahclark]

Minimalism has never been about the carbon footprint though. Its about reducing noise and clutter and distractions which don’t add to the quality of you life, so that you can focus on things that do add to it. I think you’re confusing minimalism with some other environmentalist practices like the zero-waste lifestyle. Sure, these types of lifestyle choices often go hand in hand, but they are very different ideologies.

[cbemn]

0:46 - Do you hate minimalism as Erin (Broke Millennial)?
5:46 - What do you do when someone you know gets involved in an MLM?
10:40 - How has sharing your political views affected your business?
16:54 - Do you watch and youtubers outside of the personal finance genre?
19:25 - What is your take on the FIRE movement?

[yasmeenalim]

I got teary eyed when she spoke about elderly people having to work so hard to survive. Wow America. We are better than this.

[Elliecatify]

Minimalism has got nothing to do with changing the whole world. It's about changing your own world.

I'm on a really low income and minimalism has saved me so much money literally because I do all the things that you just said that people on low incomes can't do. People are more resourceful than you think.

[orhidejaskale]

"you are only your values" <3 Chelsea, you are awesome!

[sabrinalopez]

Minimalism is just as a diet choice or as exercise (like someone mentioned in the comments :). I am very low income, but I consider myself a Minimalist. It is a lifestyle choice as you mention. I do it more for the financial aspect; buying less means I save more. I stopped buying Starbucks 24/7 (that saves me $30-40 a month), I switched my gym membership to class pass "lite" so I spend $15 a month and if I can't make it, most credits roll over (vs. paying for a Pure Barre 4 class membership which is $89). I am able to stay home with my kids working 2 days a week vs having to pay for childcare just by really analyzing what is meaningful to my life. There are people who do it for the aesthetics as you mention and/ or the environmental. It just really depends. Thank you for showing all the sides/ logistics and not just one sided! :-)

[simonerauscher]

I get what you are saying about the shame-y culture of the minimalist/low-waste/etc. lifestyle movements and the trendy asethetics of it all, but I somewhat disagree that the benefit of people participating in those lifestyles and the "movements" themselves are really only for individual gain (to the ones who can afford it). It's kind of like saying that your one vote does not actually have an effect on the outcome of an election. That is true, but when you combine it with many it can have great effect and send a message on a way bigger scale than just that one person's life. Even if it is a trend, coming with all the pitfalls of a trend, it shows the wider world and those 100 companies that people are generally interested in more sustainable lifestyles and products.

[wheezywaiter]

Thanks for great interview! And the kind words!

[crazyseasons]

Thank you for this! I was stressed out about the FIRE movement. And it made me feel bad about choosing to experience life while i'm still young but in a moderate and controlled way. Your perspective about FIRE validated that it wasn't for everyone.

Thank you for raising the discourse. All of these different yet similar individual actions - FIRE, MLM, minimalism - are brought about by heavy societal problems that can only be answered by systemic changes.

[linnybee]

I was in Amway, when I was young. My life revolved around it, including socially. It wasn't until I got out (a financial necessity) that I realized how cult-like it was. It damaged my life. Thank you for sharing your views on MLM's and the Fire Movement. I think you're spot on.
xo~linda

[jz]

I shop at the dollar store and I only make less than 900 dollars and I am a minimalist. I have own the same clothes for 4 years and I bought them at jcpenney's on clearance and with coupons. There's actually no secret to minimalism, it's basically being humble and letting go of bad vibes or any thing causing you stress like bad relationships or clutter or other people's really bad judgemental views about their lifestyle.

[bmccuan]

Love love love. This is the nuanced conversation about minimalism as a lifestyle I was wanting, not the rant Erin presented (which treated minimalism as a panacea for life's problems which I have never heard any minimalist say). Though I will note that I have never lumped minimalism in with zero waste ideology. To me, minimalism is just living more intentionally and is something everyone can do and everyone can see benefits of regardless of income bracket (just like exercise; you don't need to go to a gym and everyone can benefit from elevating their heart rate). But when it comes to zero waste, I'm 100% in agreement. Zero waste, imo, requires a much larger paradigm shift than minimalism does.

Ultimately, though, I view these things as lifestyle choices, just like you. I think FIRE is cool for people that can make it work, but I'd rather live my life intentionally now, not continually saving up to enjoy things when I'm older (insert John Lennon quote). Though, if done right, I believe both are possible (maybe not as wealthy as one would be on FIRE, but still).

Great vid Chelsea!

[taquienaboston]

Chelsea, I appreciate your candor and commitment to your values. It's why I trust your guidance and subscribe to this channel. Yes, financial fragility and financial survival are human issues.

[brenmmw]

“I earn less than my employees in my company.” Preach baby preach!🙌🏻