How to Become a Minimalist

Evaluating how to become a minimalist can not only help you with less stress, but it can also speed up the time in which you can quit your job + escape wage slavery.

It’s not that hard to learn how to become a minimalist.  It’s all about cutting down, spending less money, and maximizing your investments.

What is a minimalist?

The definition of a minimalist is a person who reduces their possessions and lives with less.

I don’t believe in learning how to become a minimalist in the sense of not having wants or desires.  Rather minimalism to me is living on less, spending less money, and not wanting as many luxury or unnecessary things.

It’s a tool for me to allow myself to build up wealth and eventually become rich.

Some people use it as a lifestyle for the rest of their lives.  Others are minimalists for a while and then are able to spend more money once they’ve made more.  But at its core, minimalism is about getting by on less.

Why become a minimalist?

I wanted to know how to become a minimalist because I wanted to escape the rat race.  In order to do that I needed to be able to save more money and live on less.

Many of you are in the same position I was.  In fact most of my readers are men 18-40 who have jobs but have dreams of starting their own businesses.  If that’s you that entrepreneurship is the path you should take.

Entrepreneurs need to be able to live on less than their peers.  At least until they start to make more money.

Most people live their whole lives in debt.  Mortgages, car payments, credit card debt, and student loans are the main culprits.  As someone who’s gauging how to become a minimalist, the first thing you need to do is get sell what you can’t afford and get rid of your existing debt.

The 40/40/20 rule

The next thing you need to learn about is the 40/40/20 rule.  This is the breakdown of your gross income.

• You pay 40% (roughly) to the government, 40% is saved, and 20% is used for living expenses.
• If you pass less taxes than you can still follow and 80/20 rule, where 80% is used to pay taxes + save, and you still live on 20%.

This way you’re paying your taxes, paying yourself, and still getting by.  20% is far below what most people spend on their living expenses.  But if you want to learn how to become a minimalist then this is what you need to do.

If you make $150,000 a year, this leaves you with

• $60,000 to Uncle Sam
• $60,000 saved
• $30,000 to live on

It’s doable to be a minimalist if you make good money and live below your means.  But if you only make $100,000 a year, your breakdown is

• $40,000 to Uncle Sam
• $40,000 saved
• $20,000 to live on

You still need to make money

The less money you make, the harder it is to get by on 20%.  That’s why you guys need to get on your purpose and starting making six figures.  Determining how to become a minimalist isn’t about making less money.  It’s about living on less.  If you can live on less than you have a lot more money to save + invest.  This is how you’ll buy your freedom from your corporate job.

Rebellious Development isn’t about living like a homeless person.  It’s about optimizing your lifestyle and improving yourself as a man.  So when I’m giving you guys advice on how to become a minimalist, it’s not going to be so you can work less and relax more.

It’s going to be so you can still work more, but get your bank account up.  Then when you’re older you’ll have the luxury to work less and buy things you want.  Or still work a ton if you want because you chose a purpose that has really meaning to you.

Essentials

Enough with the rant, let’s dive into the essentials

• Rent/Apartment
• utilities (power, garbage, other bills)
• health insurance
• food

Your rent will most likely be the biggest essential.  If you want to know how to become a minimalist in the truest form, then you can live with your parents and not spend a dime on rent.  Rent will otherwise be the most expensive thing on your list.

However, I’m all about having a balance.  I think a man who’s working should live in a city and have his own place.  This will help you a ton if you’re a player in the game and like having a dating life.  So assuming you do that, the majority of your money is going to go to a studio or 1 bedroom.

But this is doable if you’re making good money and watch where you spend in other areas.  For example, I make up for this by rarely going out to eat since I’m in an expensive city.  I’ll be able to do that more when I go to a cheaper city and also increase my income.

So even though I make six figures and could afford to eat out all the time, this would push me above 20%.  And then my money goals would take longer to reach.

Extras

The extras are things you don’t need but like to have.  Things like going out with friends, dates, clothes, a gym membership, and so on.

• going out
• clothes
• gym membership

The biggest one for many of you will be going out.  If you’re going out then many clubs will have cover charges and other unavoidable costs.  But you can save a lot of money if you pre-game and limit yourself to only buying 1 drink when you’re out.

You can also take girls on cheap dates to dive bars instead of expensive dates to nice restaurants.

I love spending money on clothes.  But this is one area where I limit myself and has helped to save money.  Find out what clothes are going to give you the most ROI.  Like dress shirts, a nice pair of jeans, a blazer, shoes, etc.  Then figure out when sales occur for the items you want.  Stock up during sales, and never do impulsive buys.

Even if you know how to become a minimalist and don’t need a gym membership, it should be something every man has.  Find where you can spend the least money – like a 24-hour Fitness membership through Costco – and save money.

Creating a budget

Create a budget for minimalist lifestyle.  Follow the 40/40/20 rule and do the math for yourself.  If you can’t follow the rule to a tee then figure out what you can do in the next few months to either make more money or cut costs.

Let’s take the example of making $150,000

• $60,000 to taxes
• $60,000 to savings
• $30,000 to live on

The budget for your minimalist lifestyle will be based on the 20% number, in this case the $30,000.  Example breakdown

• $21,600 on rent ($1800 on rent a month)
• $1,200 on utilities ($100 a month)
• $1,200 on health insurance ($100 a month)
• $2400 on food ($200 a month)
• $360 on gym membership ($30 a month)

With this breakdown, you’ve spent $26,760.  Which means you have $3,240 dollars left.  This can be allocated to going out, clothes, gas if you have a car, more food, more on utilities, etc.

Your breakdown won’t be the exact same.  But you can see that it’s possible to spend 20% and still have a decent apartment.  However, the caveat is that you need to be making good money.  You can’t live on 20% of your gross income if you’re only making $40,000 or $50,000 a year in the US.

When to be a minimalist and when not to be

Learning how to become a minimalist will help you to get by on less so you can eventually have financial freedom.

You need to be a minimalist when you’re a wage slave and still building your wealth.  Once you have your own source of income, like a business, and have a comfortable freedom fund (money in the bank), then you can adjust your ratio to 40/30/30, or something similar.

You don’t have to be a minimalist your whole life.  But it’s advantageous to be adopt a minimalist lifestyle when you’re young.  You can get my on much less.  And it’s fine to go from a small studio in your 20’s to a nice apartment or house in your 30’s.  It’s much harder to downgrade your life when you’re older.

Live on less now so you can live on more later

Spend less money now.  Make more money now.  Then you’ll have such a powerful freedom fund that you’ll be able to do what you want when you’re older.

You can still have fun and enjoy life.  It doesn’t take a lot of money to have fun in your 20’s.  As you get older, you’ll need more money to have fun and to have a more relaxing life.  Have fun on less money now.  Make as much money as you can.

I’ve never regretted saving money.  All of the money I saved up is money for my freedom.  I can use it to live on, invest in my business, or invest in other assets.  Practice delayed gratification so you can get ahead.  Figure out how to become a minimalist while others are throwing money away so you can live a lifestyle that others wish they had in less than a decade from now.

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