How Minimalist Living Can Help You Pay Off Debt

You live so well, those things do not satisfy you. And I think we all know that, the satisfying part of that base of your heart is huge in this process. So, someone listening to this, what are the first things he should do? - If you want to simplify your life, the first thing you have to do is not an action, we will get into action in a second. The first thing you should do is ask yourself a question. And that question is: how could my life be better with less? And by asking that question, you begin to identify what the benefits of simplifying are.

Because for me initially it was about finances. I knew my finances were out of control. I needed to simplify my life so I could regain control of my finances. But then I discovered all these other benefits, like I spent more time on creativity and the people in my life and I improved my health. So what are the benefits for you and an understanding that will not only give you the how to do it, but also the why? Why am I simplifying my life? From there, I think it's important to start little by little. And just start somewhere.

We have something on our website called the 30 Day Minimalism Game. And this is how it works: you partner with someone, a friend, a family member, a co-worker. At the beginning of the month, we each decide, on the first day, we will both get rid of an item. Second day of the month, two articles. Third day of the month, three articles. It starts very easy. - Yes. - It gives you the boost you need, but in the middle of the month it starts to get more difficult. On the 15th, you're like I have to get rid of 15 items. - I was going to say 20 articles. - Good? - I'll start in February. (laughs) Only 28, only 28 articles.

Well, okay, so by day 20 you think: I have to get rid of 20 items today and tomorrow I have to get rid of 21 items. Whoever spends the most time between you and your friend will win, but if you both make it to the end of the month, you both won because you got rid of about 500 items, that's a very good start. - So, personally, I'm curious: what is your house like? Like now, where you live, your closets, what is your life like? - If you walked into our house, it's not like you would jump up and say, "Oh my God,

minimalist

s must live here." - Yes Yes. - You would probably just look at our house and say, "You know, those who live here are pretty neat." And that's because everything we have in our lives has a purpose or brings us joy.

Everything else is gone. - That's great, very funny. - We have a washing machine and dryer. And we still like to use hot water. - Good, good, good, totally. So there's a kind of extreme, I guess there's a range to being

minimalist

, there's a crazy extreme, that you say, we laugh at this, like a fork, a spoon and a plate, like something from here. . And then some people say, okay, I like the idea, but I prefer to be minimalist, like I don't want to fully immerse myself. Can you get 50-50 with this lifestyle? - We can determine what is appropriate in our lives and I believe that everything we own fits into one of three categories.

Is essential. And we all have the basics, the same basics. We're all wearing clothes right now. We need housing, we need food. We have the same essential elements and we have the non-essential ones. Things we could probably do without but that really add value to our lives. They increase our life experience. They amplify our lives. And then we have this third category. That category is garbage. Most of the things we own are junk that get in the way of the most meaningful experiences in our lives. - Of course, well, we came into our Facebook community and the people in my Facebook community love you, so we have some questions from people. - Awesome. - For you to respond. - Brianna asked, how can being a minimalist

help

you save money and get out of

debt

? - I know that for me that was one of my biggest drivers for getting into minimalism.

So I'll tell you, the first thing I did when I started down this road was I took my nice new Toyota Solera, a really nice new car, just a couple years old, and I traded it in for a 2004 Toyota Corolla that I didn't have. car payment and I still have that car today. This is how I really appreciate what minimalism has

help

ed me do when it comes to my finances. I am, I was officially

debt

free in 2015. - Oh, I love that. - And I certainly owe minimalism a lot of credit for that. - Absolutely very good.

Well, the next question is from Emily, she asks, my husband and I like to think of ourselves as minimalists. I think the only thing we struggle with is: do you buy quality (expensive) things or do you buy cheap? I think the terms minimalist and frugal are very similar but also different. - I think when we think of minimalists we think of a guy who lives in a cave with no possessions or something like that. I tend to have very high quality items. I have much fewer items. It's the strange paradox of minimalism: for me, I get much more value from the few items I have than if they were diluted by 300,000 other items getting in my way.

Wouldn't you rather have one really nice pair of pants that will last you two years instead of 10 pairs of pants that will last you a month each? - True, very good. - Absolutely. - Asks Katie, what is the first small step you recommend for anyone who wants to move towards minimalism? - Man, I think from that question, how could my life be better with less? You'll definitely get the upper hand by getting to the why of that question. But ultimately there is the Packing Party approach if someone is extreme. The 30 day minimalism game, I mean, it's huge, Josh talked about it before, it's amazing.

You just find someone else who wants to encourage you to minimize and wants to minimize themselves and you can have a lot of fun with it. There are many small steps you can start with. - So good. Sensing another challenge for Chad and Diana. - Uh oh. - Date night challenge for the minimalism challenge, so we'll see if that happens. - Okay, Nancy asks, how do you let go of things when your spouse wants to keep them because "we might need them by, when, if"? - I think ultimately to get a spouse, a friend, or anyone else on board, you really have to show them the benefits.

I mean, if Josh had come to me and said, "Hey Ryan, you know what? Your life is a mess, you need minimalism." I probably wouldn't have reacted (laughs) as enthusiastically to that. But seeing the The changes Josh made made me want to ask him that question: “What are you doing differently in your life? You seem very happy." But ultimately, just by

living

the example and showing the benefits, that's how you get someone to make a move on their stuff, you can't force anyone to do any of that. - Okay, last question. Lauren asks how to be a minimalist with kids.

I'm actually very intrigued. - Well, not having kids, it's very easy for me to project my advice onto others. I like to use this example: we were at an event where one of. the people who showed up were talking about what they do with their son. The example they gave was that their five-year-old son, the six-year-old, was coming home from school and, of course, they had works of art that were there. very, very proud. And they went to their parents and said, "Can I put this in the refrigerator?" And the mom said, "Yes, you can absolutely put this in the refrigerator." other art projects, just the entire refrigerator door.

And they said, "Now you have to choose which one you want to replace this with." - Oh that's good. - "And we'll go through it and get rid of this "so we don't have a lot of clutter in our life." So that's what they do, they will choose the one they want to take out of the refrigerator. , they put the new one on. And they look at it and they can scan it or take a photo of the work and then throw it in the trash. - Clear. I thought it was a cool approach. Well, honestly, a child. things.

Amelia comes home from preschool and it's just like that. And I say, and you never remember unless there's a picture or a handprint or a footprint, I mean, very small things. Keeping it as an art for children is sweet, but I think it's important to realize that minimalism is not about deprivation and we should especially keep it in mind with our children. I know with Ella, first, she's five now, but when. She was very little, I said, you're going to be a minimalist and you're going to be able to play with sticks and stones and that's it (laughs) And I said, what am I trying to do here?

No, she gets a lot of value from the toys she has. So having a big box of toys that she really likes is great. Now she won't get more value if she buys him 10 boxes of toys. In fact, they are going to start getting in the way, just like us, who when we are adults have our own toys. And then with her I realized that once she's done with a toy, what I want to instill in her is that she no longer gets value from it, but some other child does, so let's donate it together. And allow her to also realize the benefit of giving. - Very good guys, that was great, thank you very much for being there.

I really appreciate you guys, your advice, your wisdom and everything. - Likewise, thank you for everything you do. - Oh, thanks, well, it's been fun. So if you want to know more about The Minimalists, they are all over the social media channels. I mean YouTube, you have a YouTube channel, Instagram, Facebook and you have a great podcast. And if you want more tactical ways or encouragement as you sell your stuff to get out of debt, be sure to check out my book, Love Your Life, Not Theirs. You can click the link below. Okay, so we'll go back to my kitchen where Jenna will help us take the ingredients, the same ingredients to use and prepare five meals for the week. (upbeat music) Well, we all know that food is a struggle in life.

Eat healthy things, but without spending a lot of money. And it's like there's a constant push and pull. So I hired registered dietitian Jenna Waters to help us. So thank you Jenna for being here. - Yes, thank you for inviting me. - And actually we are friends from university. College friends. - College friends. - Wow field mice. - Wow field mice. - Well, you've been doing this for how long? - So, I've been a registered dietitian for about five years and my background is in sports nutrition and then I became a mom, we have three little ones.

And I couldn't help but think: we are professional athletes, moms are athletes. - Yes, we are, all the time. - All day every day. But at the same time we have so many demands and we need to find a way to balance all the variables. - And we want to feed our children well, right? - We want to feed them well, but not go crazy in the process. - Yes, that's right, that's right. - Absolutely. - And then you have two words that I love. Source and systematize. - That's right, I feel like every family has to find their sweet spot: let's get things right in terms of ingredients, what ingredients we're using.

Basically, we could use the same recipes we've always been using. But by having better ingredients you are automatically changing it. - Changing the font. Which is over here. - Yeah. - So, some things you like, you know what? Look and see and change some ingredients for better ones. - Of course, no high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils like canola oil, or soybean oil. Instead, we'll choose things like olive oil or avocado oil. - And I'm guilty of this, I'm not going to lie. I probably have terrible things in my refrigerator, but I love that you say it's like one small step, one thing at a time, instead of buying that kind of tomato sauce, switch to buying something else. - Exactly. - And look at the label and you'll see.

And I love this, this is it. - The snack basket. - The snack basket, great. Bright, bright, bright. - Well, it was born from the fact that my children ask for snacks 20,000 times a day. These are healthy granola bars, they're called perfect bars, unsweetened applesauce, at the beginning of the week I'll just cut up some veggies and put them in here, so the hummus packets, individual ones, make it easier, the guacamole packets , a bunch of fruit. Our policy at home is that when this runs out during the week, it's gone and everyone is left without food.

We will no longer buy. - Yes Yes. It can be expensive. Well, then we search and then we systematize. - Systematize for a week. And this will look different for each family. So, taking a look at your week, what are maybe nights where you can spend a little more time in the kitchen?, what are some nights where we have to make leftovers?, or maybe nights where the ones you would have had to drive all night. Make a quick Instant Pot meal. Here's an example: On Monday nights I have a little more time, so I always choose a recipe that I can make in bulk or double or triple and then use in different ways throughout the week. - Well, where do you buy something like this? - Actually, this would be at any conventional grocery store, so we buy chicken breast, organic chicken breast and then we cut them into three pieces each and then we dip them in beaten egg andthen in a mixture of almond flour and flax seeds.

I make a big batch at night and then like I said, with the leftovers we'll use them in different ways throughout the week. And this is a honey mustard sauce. So on Tuesday this is what I do. I just make an easy one pan meal. Tuesdays are very busy nights for us, so any night that might be busy for you, you can just make a honey mustard salmon. Then we use the leftover sauce and put it on top of the salmon. Just a few vegetables, all on one sheet, very easy. - Put it in. - Put it in.

Bake it, roast it, whatever you need to do. - They are fine. - Yes. So this is it, these look familiar. - Chicken strips. - These are chicken fillets. And then we're going to make chicken parm. So we're just going to take the chicken tenders and literally put the sauce on top of them. - Everywhere. - Yes. If you want to make the cheese? - Yes. - Provolone cheese. It was literally like a five-minute dinner. And then taco bowls. This is cauliflower rice. - Yes. In fact, I bought it for the first time this week. - It's good. - The first time I go healthy. - Well, that's incredible.

A plus that is fantastic. And small transitions like that can make a big difference in terms of nutrition. But it doesn't taste much different. - Use ground beef, peppers, a little guacamole. - Exactly, these are those individual packages of guacamole from that basket over there. - Well. - So using ingredients in different ways can be a big help. - I love it. - Yes. - And then I see, I feel a pizza. - Yes, feeling a pizza. - The spirit moves, the spirit moves here. - That's how it is. So instead of getting takeout pizza, which used to be our go-to, we thought, okay, we need to save some money and actually, let's try to make it a little healthy.

So let's do this again: I diced the leftover chicken and we're going to make a pesto chicken pizza. - Oh mmm. - Then I'm going to make this, the pesto, if you want to put cheese on it. And this is a cauliflower crust. - Okay, in the freezer section. - It's in the freezer section of any supermarket. - What does it taste like? - It's great, it's basically like a flatbread. - Okay, I love flatbread. - The chicken and some roma tomatoes cut into slices. - And do your children like it? - Honestly, they love it.

I think sometimes we have a "you have to try" rule in our house because we're just not that picky. - That's how I grew up, you did what mom cooked and that's it. - Amen, amen. So they try it and interestingly, studies show that it takes a child about 20 times to try something before they start to like it if they don't like it at first. - Interesting. - And I give up like two. - Easily, easily. - So we keep trying. - Is so big. And once again, it's important to plan, think ahead so you don't have to pick up the car at the last minute and spend extra money you don't need. - Completely. - Think about the future and you will be able to do things very quickly.

I mean, we literally made these meals really quickly. I love it. - Yes, just a little foresight. - Excellent. So if you want all these recipes in detail, be sure to click the link in the description and enjoy, enjoy the good food. Thanks Jenna. - Thanks for inviting me, Rachel. - So good. - Very funny. (upbeat music) Oh, I love Jenna and she's so smart, I love that she kept reusing everything. And she planned the whole week with good and healthy foods. I love it. Alright, now it's time to work hard to save money. I love these, I love these, I love these.

Abigail said: Our family is growing and now is the time to get a larger vehicle. I just paid cash for a new Honda Odyssey for us. Well done, Abigail, well done. Jessie said: I can't believe it's been nine years since we said "I do." I wouldn't trade our $500.00 wedding for anything. My grandmother was right, a wedding is just a day on the calendar, but marriage is a lifetime. Grandma is always right. Nine years, three dogs, three moves, three kids, and over $100,000 of debt accumulated and paid off, and many, many more memories to come. Oh Jessie, congratulations, that's great.

Sarah said: Emily worked hard the last three months saving her commissions for her pillow. She was so excited. I love this loving and hardworking girl. Give, save, spend. Guys, I love this. I love seeing everything you are saving for and even your kids. How cute was that? Well, you've been posting photos, which I love, but I also want you to post videos, which is really fun because we might show them on the show. And remember to use #sheworkshard Savingmoney Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, all things, so exciting. And remember to like or subscribe so you don't miss the next episode.

Hopefully, there will be something in this episode that you can learn to improve your life. Many thanks to our guests, The Minimalists and Jenna. And remember to take control of your money and create a life you love. (upbeat music)