Less is more: How we try to resist the urge to buy...
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- čas přidán 17. 06. 2024
- After taking time to minimalise our possessions and simplify our life in early retirement, we realised that our next big problem was to stopping bringing more "stuff" into our lives by impulse purchases.
We are by no means experts on minimalism, or extreme minimalists, but in this video we want to take you through the steps we take to resist the urge to buy more "stuff". We want to explain why we have the urge to buy, how we can resist the urge to buy and if we are going to make a purchase, how we can make it an intentional purchase.
We are Richard and Jackie and we live in the UK. We retired from teaching at the age of 51 in the summer of 2022. Our plans for early requirement include relocating to the Yorkshire Dales, developing our forever home and travelling the UK, Europe and eventually the world in our VW campervan Nelson.
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Many thanks,
Richard & Jackie
Timeline:
00:00 Introduction: How can we resist the urge to buy more stuff?
01:15 Why do we want to buy?
04:30 How do we reduce the urge to buy?
07:32 How do we buy with more intention?
08:36 Final thoughts on how we can resist the urge to buy more stuff
I'm a total minimalis nowadays. I really regret buying junk when I was younger. I could have probably have retired a long time ago had I invested it.
We are certainly not total minimalists - even now but we realised when we down sized just how much stuff we had bought without even thinking about it and so much stuff that went to the charity shops or tip had hardly been used - I agree - we would be so much better off now if we had resisted that urge. 😬
Yes , I’m downsizing and just realising how much “ stuff” I bought , kept, maintained and insured and never used !🤦♀️🤦♀️ every house move I decluttered but after a few years in the new home I would have accumulated more things. It’s only the last 10years I stopped it - but noticed in lockdown I bought extra food and have finally stopped that too.
Totally with you. Our bike packing trips really teach us how much value/joy each item has to give to justify hauling it up big climbs. My OH has always had a one in one out policy and we were always good at need before want. Ironically yesterday I had an Amazon delivery of two new Wild Guides, I wanted 4 but deliberated for a week and bought the two areas adjoining home. We so rarely buy books, either kindle or book exchange but these books are worth it.
The other factor that really helps our purchasing decision is environmental impact. The state the world is in I want to have a lower footprint. So I will spend a long time ensuring something will last, be fit for purpose and hopefully contribute to local/national economy. Luckily make up and none functional clothes/shoes have never interested me. As for handbags….. but I spent a long time researching a “nice” travel rucksack that I waited and asked for as a Christmas present. Big enough to be useful, small enough for hand/weekend luggage. Smart enough to be nice. I will have it for a very long time.
Good to have a reminder of how to achieve those experiences. Thank you.
Yes Richard is setting off on his hike to do the Dales Way this weekend and he has scrambled around getting stuff together that we already have - he spent weeks researching for a new large rucksack and then waited until it was reduced by 25%.
Books are our weakness but there is a huge new Oxfam book shop in Skipton that we have found some great travel books in and our village has a library book swap shed.
Hope you enjoy the wild guides - we have used several of them over the years - the Scotland and Lake District ones are falling apart!
Hope your bike travels go well this summer x
We already had Scotland and Scandinavia, still not been to Scandinavia in van, need the time for that! Just got Wales and South West, already spotted something 5 miles from home I didn’t know about. Surprised there’s not an Ireland one, yet.
@fionaridley5011 we have had the Scandinavia one since before lockdown tempting us
Good Morning Richard and Jackie 🤗🥰!
You’re hitting the nail on the head dead on spot again!
Your analysis of the ongoing forced situation by being manipulated to buy things you absolutely don’t need (and wouldn’t probably never even want without targeted manipulation) is fully accurate!
I certainly feel an increasing unwillingness to buy something, no matter what and, on top of that, a skyrocketing rejection for adverts as well as for the producers of and main beneficiaries of marketing strategies!
In other words: I am completely fed up with this terrible marketing machinery and the infinitely greedy people behind it!
It is quite scary how easy it is to spend your money with out even leaving your house! And since we were researching information for the video - how much more tuned in we are to all the adverts we are bombarded with.
I do actually love you pair 😂 I’m 56 and have been toying with the idea of retiring for some time. A couple of things happened to spur me on, so I’m having a practice run with a 3 month career break, June-August, before I take the full plunge! If you’re ever near Edinburgh and need a park up give me a shout…longer term plan is to move to Skye - where you’ll be equally welcome!
Love that! Hope you enjoy your career break and have some nice plans. Edinburgh is a lovely place to live - and Skye is just gorgeous although we have been 3 times now and it has chucked it down every time!!! Glad you enjoy our videos 😊
As you can probably tell by my name, I'm very frugal and I have a budget spreadsheet which tracks all my spending (Richard would love it! 😂). I do find it very hard to spend money (even on the necessities such as groceries), and it's something which I've been trying to work on by allocating a specific budget for personal things and experiences, including holidays - but even then, I still find it difficult to actually spend money - I think I have chrematophobia, which is an abnormal and persistent fear of spending money. I also do the one-in-one-out thing, I try to buy second-hand rather than new, and this year I'm purposely using up things I already have rather than buying new items.
Look up Ramit Sethi, he has some interesting spending principles that might help you.
Oh Richard has a budget spread sheet too, to help us keep on track. Avoiding buying ‘things’ is quite easy but we have to budget carefully to make sure we can afford our travel experiences 🚐 I have an obsession with the new oxfam book shop in Skipton and travel books 😊
@@earlyretirementwanderlust I thought he would have one! You might have bought some of my books as I recently dropped off 3 large bags of books to the Oxfam shop!
Thanks for the tip👍 We will look it up.
On the subject of " will it last ". We bought Miele white goods for a new kitchen 20 years ago. Still going strong. They cost a fortune but well worth it long term.
Was talking to an engineer the other day and Miele have unfortunately gone down hill recently. We also bought a Miele washing machine over 10 years ago and yes bulletproof
We learnt the hard way going through probably 4 washing machines in that time as we bought the cheapest and had a very muddy rugby player in the family 🤣
Experiences over possessions!
Wish I had learnt this as a teenager rather than in my 40's/50's.
Us too! Trying to make up for it now 🚐
I love your vlogs so this is just meant as a talking point. I spent 20 years going short all round raising children on an inadequate income. These days I enjoy having things I like and treating my children even though they are adults now. I’m still pretty frugal but not having to worry is the luxury rather than the stuff itself.
Absolutely - I think my mum feels the same way as you and likes that she can just treat herself whenever she wants with out the worry. For us we were in a pattern of spending when we were working and the kids first left home which struck home when we moved and had to declutter it all! We do still spend our money - but more on experiences and travel. 😊
Go buy the new waterproofs you love. Getting out in the weather is your joy. Can't be too sensible.
This made me smile - we do get out in all weathers but I spent the money on a ferry to France instead 😊
This has been such a timely video for me. I absolutely believe in everything that you’ve said and it’s nothing new BUT I have noticed that since I retired back in February I am shopping more. I’ve never been a shopper. I’ve always followed the steps that you’ve outlined and I’ve got less money in retirement to fritter away. I always prefer experiences to stuff but I think the extra time on my hands and the ‘power of influencers’ have influenced (pardon the pun) my shopping habits. While watching your video I emptied my online shopping basket when I realised I didn’t need or particularly want any of the stuff on there. Thank you! Loving your videos. x
It is just so easy to sit with a cup of tea and browse the internet - buying what you want with just one click! We are finding it much easier now we use a cash system for our weekly spend as we have to go to the shop if we want something! (And shops are pretty limited in the Dales!)
Thanks for watching, glad you were able to take something away from todays video x
That Amazon shopping list has saved me from making a few very unnecessary purchases. I never actually realized this till watching this video. As part of our countdown to retirement I would like all major house work done and no overhead by that date. Eliminating unnecessary purchases is a key part of that goal. Thanks for another great practical video!
Glad it was helpful! We find it much easier to avoid the impulse purchases now, as we have to try and stick to our budget - it's amazing how quickly you forget about the item that you really wanted the previous day!
So, so true. I just wish there was no such thing as hindsight 🤦 or live and learn. Great morning advice. Thank you 🌄
I know we had fallen into the advertisers trap for many, many years while we were working! Much easier to control now we are on a budget and have to think before we buy 😊
Thanks for your video, it makes people reflect on modern society habits and the hyped marketing which seems to be endless. Thank you for that, I appreciate it. I myself cannot call me un-material, I do enjoy vintage things which often were made to last forever. Buying new cheap stuff, and being tempted by yet-another sales doesn't attract me. So I may be somewhere in between. Happydays from Sweden.
It is quite scary how different the retail world is compared to 20 years ago and how much we are bombarded by advertising in our everyday lives. We do sometimes battle with ourselves to resist the urge to spend on materialistic things - particularly if something is on ‘offer’. But the less we spend on ‘stuff’ the more we can spend on our travel and experiences. Thanks for watching 😊
Great video guys. We try to buy with intention, only on experiences! Not on material things. 😊
😊 we realised when we moved we definitely don’t need any more ‘stuff’ so any spare money we have will always go on experiences and travel 🚐
Because of the experience of it being such hard work downsizing and decluttering when we retired 5 years ago, it has made it much easier to stop buying stuff since then. We felt ashamed to see just how much stuff we owned, plus the stuff from 4 expired parents and a son who’d emigrated so x5 people’s stuff on top of our own!
We got rid of 90% of it all 😅 and now we buy second hand if we can. Eg I bought an ice cream maker for £15 from fb marketplace last summer and 3 mths later sold it for £15. I do this a lot!
Yes we certainly realised when we moved and downsized just how frivolously we spent our money in the last few years - my obsession is second hand books - particularly travel books. Most of our budget now goes on travel and getting away as much as we can 🚐
A great vlog, Richard & Jackie, wise words. Makes absolute sense and I am going to try a live a better life by following your lead 👍☺️
Thank you - we have by no means got it all right but we are really enjoying our journey 😊
Good info. I've got a video on the same subject that I'm posting today.
I will check it out, it is definitely something we wish we had been more mindful from our 20's! We would have saved so much more money!
@@earlyretirementwanderlust Ha, well we didn't have CZcams in or 20's to teach us.
Thanks guys and some great ideas as usual. We have adapted to a minimal life since moving into the motorhome full time . Having retired early too we are in the midst of working out a budget and looking more closely at what we need rather than want. It can be liberating to be free from the grasp of the marketing machine! Thanks Dave
Our pleasure! Hope van life is still going well - did you say you are based on a campsite for a few months now? We are getting much better at sticking to our budget now 😊
@@earlyretirementwanderlust Yes Richard a very small basic site quite near to Dumfries in a lovely quiet Glen. Great for biking. Thanks Dave
@davidhall8745 sounds great 🚐
I am with you on the Fjallraven trousers. They are pricey but are easily the best outdoor (and yard work) trousers I have ever had. I walk through brambles as if they are not even there. I have two pair and even bought a pair for my partner. They are definitely going to Iceland with us! Quality over quantity indeed. I must admit, I paused the video on your Amazon list to check out the books😂. We have similar tastes and I have added a couple of the authors to my cart but like you, will let them sit there😉.
It took Richard about 2 years to justify to himself getting a pair! He did make an impulse buy when we were in the USA and bought a second pair as they were reduced by 60% in an outlet shop and he had his birthday money with him - but he knew what good value and quality product he was getting!
Richard did chuckle at the Amazon reading list - he says he has never thought of himself as a reading influencer as English was never his favourite subject at school!
Was it my imagination or was there more adverts whilst watching your video! Really interesting though,well done.
Thank you ☺️ 😬 I hope not as it was a shorter video!
I’ve noticed that You Tube have ramped up the amount of ads and time length along with the offer to sign up to Premium across all my viewing 😮
nice to see the Rock Rose gin bottle being repurposed. Whenever we go to Dunnet Bay, I end up buying their products (probably intentionally sort of)
We too got the bottle of gin direct from the distillery when we did the NC500 and it is a great reminder of the trip - The girl in the shop also gave us a bottle with the top cut off which they had cutlery in - it's my favourite flower vase!!
Wait till you find out about Apple IPhone Cinematic mode😀 . How about agreeing to share stuff with family like tools you don’t use often?
Richard will have to wait until his phone breaks 🤣 And they are both still going strong after 5 years - even the battery life! Great idea sharing tools etc - we have donated most of ours to our son Luke as he has just bought a house with a garden 🏡
ha, yes, huel is one of the most nefarious of those ones!
Passenger clothes and road surfer van hire seem to be my top hit of adverts!