Why Minimalists Always Write a Shopping List First
Things that haunt you
Ah, minimalism…
The noble art of owning less, decluttering your life, and making everything just a little more Instagram-worthy.
Seems like an enlightened way to live, right? Who wouldn’t want to experience the peace of a pristine, clutter-free existence?
The problem is, in many cases, the minimalist lifestyle turns into an expensive exercise in rebranding.
Because let’s be real: most people don’t just get rid of stuff. They replace it. With new, sleeker, more aesthetically pleasing things.
Minimalist-worthy stuff.
And that’s why true minimalists always write a shopping list first 😉
The Great Decluttering
Those of us who’ve come across minimalism or tried to do it ourselves, we’ve seen it before—someone discovers minimalism, watches The Minimalists documentary on Netflix, reads The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, and suddenly, they’re inspired.
Everything must go.
The old sofa? Too bulky. The books? Unnecessary. The blender? Haven’t used it in a while, so why keep it?
There’s a moment of euphoria in tossing everything out.
Then, the garbage bags pile up. Your eBay listings go crazy, and the thrift store workers start to recognize you by name. You’ve never felt so free.
But as you stand in your now-empty apartment, a realization creeps in.
You still need to sit somewhere. And wear clothes. And cook food.
And thus begins the second phase of minimalism: the shopping phase.
Out with the Old, In with the Aesthetic
Here’s where things take a turn.
See, you could have just kept your perfectly functional but slightly mismatched plates. But no, those weren’t minimalist-worthy. You need new plates—clean, crisp, white, beige, or gray ones that sort of look handmade, but are not really.
Maybe matte black, if you’re feeling bold.
Your couch? That old thing took up too much space. It was crazy comfortable, sure, but now you need something more intentional—perhaps a Scandinavian-style, linen-upholstered bench with precisely one decorative pillow.
And no one can sit there, because you’ll never get rid of any hint of a stain on that fabric.
Then, your wardrobe. Of course. Every minimalist starts there.
Goodbye, neon t-shirts from college (well, probably a good choice in this case). Hello, monochrome capsule wardrobe with exactly 33 items, where everything matches because everything is black, gray, white, or beige.
Colors are just too much fun.
The irony, of course, is that minimalism—at least in the way it’s commonly practiced—often involves buying more new (or vintage 🙏 ) stuff, under the guise of owning less.
But the new stuff is so much better. Right?
The Shopping List
This is why minimalists always make a shopping list first.
Because while the goal is to own less, it’s also to own better. Every item must be carefully chosen. Every purchase must be intentional. And nothing ruins a minimalist aesthetic faster than accidentally buying something cluttered.
Minimalist shopping lists include things like:
A single, perfect wooden spoon that costs $95 but will last forever. Until you use it.
A chair that looks uncomfortable but is somehow ergonomic and chic.
A lamp that emits a warm, soft glow and probably costs more than your first car.
A single notebook, because even minimalists need to jot things down, but it must be made from ethically sourced paper and have a Japanese name.
Minimalists are not about not shopping. They’re about shopping right.
But Minimalism Isn’t Actually Bad (Really)
Jokes aside.
Yeah, they were jokes. Mostly.
It’s easy to poke fun at the contradictions of modern minimalism, but the core philosophy is solid. We all know that.
Most of us own way too much stuff we don’t need. The average American family owns 300,000 things. An average Western European person owns 10,000 things.
That’s just too much.
We fill our homes, closets, drawers, and garages with things we forget about, things that bring us no joy, and things that quietly drain our energy. Mostly things, we forget were there, pretty much.
Minimalism, when done right, isn’t about having a perfect aesthetic. Obviously. Even the most Instagram-worthy minimalists know this.
Minimalism is about being mindful, thoughtful, and meaningful.
It’s about letting go of the unnecessary so we can focus on experiences, relationships, or just a little bit of peace in a chaotic world.
So yes, maybe the shopping phase is a little ironic. Maybe minimalism has been hijacked by high-end furniture brands and artisanal storage solutions.
But at its heart, it’s still a great idea. One we should all try.