How wonderful it is to live a non-consumption life

I once thought that only shopping could make me happy. This is my consumption bill a few years ago

Looking at my once amazing consumption bill, I looked around but found that there was no What big thing to keep, finally realizing that just spending money doesn’t make me happy.

This is my recent consumption bill?

Someone asked me "What does minimalist life mean?" I want to say that it feels so wonderful. After minimalism, I gain more than just consumption. I hope to share more lasting happiness with you.

1 Problem-solving ability

In the consumerist system, we tend to use consumption to solve problems. If the hair quality is not good, buy a good shampoo. If you want to look thin, buy a good shampoo. Buying clothes that cover my flesh does not solve the fundamental problem. If my hair quality is not good, I will cut down on perming and dyeing, adjust my work and rest, eat healthy food, eat some walnuts, black sesame seeds, etc. to nourish my hair. I want to look slimmer. Just follow Liu Genghong's aerobics and exercise.

Instead of using consumption to solve problems, it can help me get to the core of the problem and make me think about whether there are other ways to solve the problem besides buying things. ?

2 Have freedom

In the past, it might cost 10,000 yuan to buy clothes a year, but now it only costs 2,000 yuan. The savings are not only 8,000 yuan, but also the 8,000 yuan. The energy and time I need to put in behind the RMB. For example, my daily salary is RMB 200, so if I want to buy a piece of clothing worth RMB 500, it is equivalent to two and a half days of work. I can buy any item I want to buy but don’t know if it is particularly needed. Use this method to convert it. If it is worth it, then you really want it. If you think it is not worth it, then you may not really need it. ?

Low material desires = I have more time, energy, and freedom, and I am not tied down by work. I don’t have to tire myself to death at work just because I want too many material things.

I used to be a very busy person at work. I once had a job where I had to take solo breaks, but for the sake of performance, I kept working hard and took two days off in a month. I worked every day except sleeping. , I didn’t have time to spend with my family, and I was still replying to messages from clients while I was eating. My face was tired and sallow. It happened that my mother was not in good health that year and I left my job to take care of my mother. Now that I think about it, isn’t work just for the sake of better things? Well, if I don’t have time to live or spend time with my family, then what’s the point of my life-threatening job?

After thinking about it, the competition for work will not affect me now. He will be involved in it, but I will not be involved anyway. I have withdrawn from the competition of consumerism and no longer use brand labels like Audi Dior. Define myself, don’t use objects to define my life.

Getting rid of the popular expectations of success, the end point of my life struggle has changed from a pile of consumer goods to enjoying every day, experiencing the small beauty of the moment, and I can also do what I want to do. , playing games, reading books, working out and making videos, how can life be boring? Making money to buy the illusions created by consumerism may end up leaving only a fleeting shadow. ?

3 Extend the radius of happiness?

I remember when I switched from a Nokia touch-sensitive mobile phone to an IPHONE 4S in my junior year, I was really happy for several months. It was such a cross-generational upgrade experience. It really produces a lot of dopamine! After that, I never had such a peak happiness feeling because of changing my mobile phone.

When the sense of surprise is gone, dopamine is gone. The same goes for blind and impulsive consumption. For a brief moment of happiness, dopamine is fleeting.

But why are we still keen on buying? Because dopamine stimulation temporarily paralyzes us, it makes us ignore things that are good for us in the long term, such as health, savings, and rest. interest. ?

I used to have no time to enjoy life, so I could only spend money to give myself a little comfort during my busy work. Now I feel that I don’t need to make so much money to satisfy my consumption desires, and I don’t need to work so hard. I used to spend all my time working on things I was interested in, so in addition to spending money as a single way to get dopamine, now I have many other ways to get dopamine, such as exercising, reading, making videos, playing games, you name it. turn me on. ?

4 Abandon differences

After being involved in the torrent of consumerism, it is easy to use items to define others and oneself. People who look good on the outside should give three points to those who are ragged. It gives rise to contempt, but in fact everyone is equal in terms of personality, and a person in a difficult situation will also have a noble character.

Did you read the news in October 21 that a delivery boy climbed up a building with bare hands and rescued a 4-year-old girl? From a secular perspective, you may think that he belongs to a relatively low-level person in society, but on the contrary, he saved the life of this little girl. Do you really want to say that he is not noble just because his status is low?

Obviously not, and the source of this difference is the use of material standards to define human class.

What brand of clothes you wear, what price of car you drive, what kind of job you do, and how big of a house you live in cannot be a label that defines this person. The only difference between us lies in individual cognition and personality. Differences in moral character.

I don’t want to be a discriminating person, nor do I want others to see me through material things, nor do I want to define others by material things.

Once I abandoned this material standard of measurement, my sense of difference also disappeared. The disappearance of my sense of difference was also my highlight moment this year and became a reason for me to like myself more.

5 Have a stronger sense of goal?

As mentioned in the book "Greedy Dopamine", dopamine has two circuits, one is the desire circuit and the other is the control circuit.

Then I reduce the use of purchasing items to stimulate the dopamine desire circuit and use the dopamine control circuit. For example, my current goal is to achieve financial freedom before the age of 45 and have 50,000 subscriptions across the platform. I have this Two long-term goals pull me. Small decisions in my life revolve around these two goals. Most of my energy and attention are devoted to sub-tasks under the branches of these two goals, and I cannot serve these two goals. I just discard the insignificant things. For example, ineffective social networking and watching certain audio and video for a long time.

6 The possibility of financial freedom

There is a formula for financial freedom, which means that 4%-5% of total assets is equal to your annual expenditure, and you will be financially free. According to me According to the original consumption standards, the annual household expenditure must be at least 200,000 yuan. Then we need at least 5 million to achieve financial freedom. Now that the consumption level has been lowered, the annual family expenditure has dropped to 60,000. After not working, plus paying for insurance and future inflation, etc., even if the annual family expenditure is 100,000 to 120,000, then Brother Six and I will be financially free. Just need 2.5 to 3 million. It is two million lower than before. Based on the income of the two of us, it is equivalent to working for nearly ten years. Wouldn't it be better to save more than ten years to see the world?

We think that the money we spend is just money, but in fact, what we spend is our own life. If the unit price of a skirt is 300, and the hourly wage is 50, then this skirt is equivalent to six hours of energy time, and these 6 hours of energy time are equal to 6 hours of life. When buying each item, think about how much life this item can convert to yourself. , whether it is worth paying, you may feel calmer when consuming. ?

I no longer rely on purchases to obtain the joy of life. The meaning of my life and work are no longer just to buy something. My happiness is no longer attached to one item, but it is much easier.

Of course I am not saying that I will stop consuming, but I will be more vigilant before consuming. Rather than linking my life to various substances, now I have more important links that I want to maintain. Maximum time spent with close friends, partners, and family. The traces left on me by various experiences such as nature, music, books, movies, etc. can bring me greater pleasure.