The short answer is “No”, and to say otherwise would make no sense. Yet many people believe that only rich people can be minimalists. To understand this, we will look at some reasons why people believe this. We will also add a couple of extra reasons why minimalism is not only for the rich.
Why minimalism seems to be only for the rich
Minimalists have beautiful home interiors.
Minimalists have home interiors that are often as beautiful as showroom interiors. This is also considering that nobody lives in a showroom interior. This is important because people often associate beautiful interiors with rich residents.
Home interiors owned by minimalists are beautiful because of their absence of clutter. They share this trait with showroom interiors. It’s because clutter is the worst decor problem. An uncluttered room with cheap furniture will look better than a cluttered room with expensive furniture.
Having too many things in a room is the main cause of clutter. It is because adding too many things to a room can cause you to run out of places to put them. If that happens, clutter will pile up on horizontal surfaces. It can often make it impossible to keep a room tidy. It is also why it is easier to keep a room tidy and beautiful with fewer things in it. Having fewer things demands less money. This is why you don’t need to be rich to have beautiful decor.
Many rich people have decors that look minimalist
You don’t need to be rich to have a minimalist interior. Yet, many rich people do, or at least have interiors that look minimalist. This is true whether they are true minimalists or not. Nobody can fault them because minimalist interiors are often beautiful. As such, they have every right to want beautiful interiors. Regardless, it often gives the impression that minimalism is for the rich. Just remember that you don’t need more money to have less stuff.
Many believe that only the rich can afford to get rid of possessions.
This misconception is understandable. It seems like a waste to get rid of things you bought, especially if you paid a lot for them. But whatever money you paid for them is gone. So if you don’t use them, they will waste your space and time along with your money. So you are better off getting rid of useless things even if you don’t have much money.
Another factor is the belief that you should keep things “just in case”. But this only applies if it is an emergency. So, it is okay to keep a first aid kit “just in case”. But it is not the case for an old catalog or a trinket.
People with ulterior motives try to discourage ordinary people from minimalism.
Many merchants feel threatened by the minimalist movement. After all, buying less hurts their bottom line. So there are people who will try to discourage you from trying minimalism. They insinuate that minimalists are young, single, high-income people of one ethnicity. But there are minimalists of various ethnicities, ages, and income levels. It’s because there is nothing about minimalism that makes it harder for any group to practice.
Here are more reasons why you don’t need to be rich to be a minimalist
An item you will never use is never a bargain.
It is normal to hunt for bargains, especially if money is an issue. But something can only be a bargain if you will use it. Otherwise, it is a waste of your money, time, and space. Even if it is free, it is still a waste of your time and space. Minimalism is about preventing things from wasting your resources. So minimalism can help anyone, especially if you are not rich.
Buying fewer things will benefit anyone’s finances.
This is obvious. If you buy fewer things, you will spend less money on purchases. You will also save money that would have been used to maintain many of them. You might even save the money needed to keep some of them in storage.
In summary, it is clear why many believe that minimalism is only for the rich. For starters, many minimalists have beautiful home interiors. This is something that many people associate with rich people. Also, many rich people choose minimalist style decors because they are beautiful. This adds to the illusion. Many people also believe that only rich people can afford to get rid of possessions. There are also people with ulterior motives who try to propagate this myth. After all, merchants feel threatened by minimalism. But you don’t need to be rich to own fewer things. In fact, it can help your finances. This is a major benefit, especially if you don’t have much money.