Only Richie Rich Can Be a Minimalist?

I read a rather chastise-y article recently about how only the rich can reeeeally afford to be truly minimal.  Just the few at the top of the income pyramid can purge the noise and need only a few belongings, free to jettison all the rest less useful things and live with white walls and just two sweaters. 

Ouch.  I hadn't looked at it that way at all. 

Yes, I appreciate that if you cannot afford furniture, and you are living with one of those giant electrical wire spools as your dining table, that "living with less" is a big freaking millennial joke to you.  What choice do you have?  Every day is less!

But I would argue that many who have quality "24 months No Interest!" furniture and a hefty mortgage are in no better financial shape than the spool guy. Not because they HAVE more and are wealthier, but because they likely owe more.  More debt and more burden. 

Embracing minimalism is not about being fortunate enough to throw all your stuff away.  It's about freedom, really.  Comedian Whitney Cummings wrote about how she felt differently about money once she started calling it "freedom" instead (click here for her Money magazine article).  For example, when making a purchase, saying those jeans aren't worth 200 of my freedom units.  If you have less crap to clean, maintain, or organize (Container Store is making a lot of cash selling boxes!), you have more time to a) work your side hustle and get out of debt, b) enjoy your family/friends, or c) do something you WANT to do, not be a slave to "spring cleaning" yet again.  Freedom. 

Being debt free is almost the biggest freedom you will welcome in life (aside from being told you are cancer free, I would imagine - that's got to be #1).  You can decide if you want to bring a purchase into your home (or not), solely based on whether you need/want it and are willing to separate yourself from your funds to do so.  NOT based on whether the "no interest" deal is good or if your have room on your Visa card's credit limit. 

I have written often about how many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and its freedom-limiting ramifications of doing so.  I think rich is not about how much your home is worth or how much your salary is.  I think it is measured in freedom, so if you make $30,000 or $300,000 a year and you are in debt, neither is rich.   There is a guy who lives in a $750/month apartment with a roommate, takes public transportation, buys a $4.00 Starbucks every single day, but he owes no money on student loans or credit cards.  His net worth is probably more than the guy who owes $750,000 on a house worth $800,000, and has two car loans and $10,000 on a credit card.  The minimalist guy?  Far richer than the guy with stuff (maybe he has white walls, but NOT minimalist).

I understand that not having a paycheck to support buying furniture and a late model car and plentiful belongings by definition makes one a minimalist.  I would never seek to insult those living with less because of circumstance, not choice.  I do, however, challenge the rest of us to look at living with less and exchange some debt stress for freedom.  Living intentionally (a buzzword I am still trying to define for myself) seems to permit choice in our lifestyle rather than obligation.