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how my sustainable lifestyle has changed my spending behavior

How My Sustainable Lifestyle has Changed My Spending Behavior

Posted on February 22, 2021January 22, 2023

It’s time to share something about my spending behavior. That’s because it has changed a lot over the past years. I don’t have the precise numbers right now, but it is a feeling I have. Due to minimalism and zero waste, my mindset has flipped completely. I see the world differently now. And with this mindset change my spending behavior has changed drastically too. Today I want to share more about that. Here’s how my sustainable lifestyle has changed my spending behavior.

Rat Race

A few years ago I used to be in the rat race many people are in today. We work to buy stuff, we buy stuff because we think it’ll make us happier. I really felt like that. I have worked since I was 14 years old and in the first few years I saved all my money for stuff. Literally. I would save about 200 euros for one shopping spree. I would travel to the other side of the country (or another country even: Germany) to go to the Primark and spend all the money I’d saved.

The more I bought, the better. I was always looking for the next jeans, the next toy or the next thing I didn’t need. And even though I spend most of my money on stuff: I felt like I never had enough. I would be happy with the new things I bought for a few weeks (or sometimes even days), but that feeling would fade. Then the feeling of not having enough would come back and the cycle started all over again.

Minimalism and Zero Waste

Of course it’s a logical that when you start to adopt minimalism and zero waste, you buy less stuff. If you want to live minimalistic it’s key to stop buying more things. And when you want to live zero waste it’s best to stick to the 5 R’s of zero waste. You refuse most things. But I never really though about it affecting my finances and lifestyle is this way I am sharing today. When I started this journey I took all steps for sustainability. It seems like an altruistic thing to do. But now, years later, I have changed my mind about this. It’s not only good for the planet, it’s great for myself too. I wouldn’t call it selfish, but I did realize that living minimalistic and zero waste is something that makes me feel much better. It is something I do for myself now too.

Spending Pattern

What is it in my spending pattern that has changed? I stopped adding value to stuff and so I rarely buy anything new (in this post you can see all the new things I bought in 2020, the last time I made up the balance). You’d think that I would then save all this money. I do save money, but I spend most of my money on experiences and food. As I said I don’t have precise numbers, but I would say from all the money I have left after I paid my housing and saved a bit, 45% goes to food and 45% goes to experiences.

Let me first start with the food. It’s a trend to spend as little as food as we can these days. Decades ago a much bigger part of people’s income would go to food. Now, people consider it a challenge to spend little on it. I think this is insane. I mean, it’s our source of life. Our diet is the basis of our life. If we feed ourselves with good food, we feel better. Why would you compromise on such an important part of your life? I value my health over stuff. And so, I don’t spend much money on stuff anymore. Instead I spend it on plant-based, organic, local and delicious food. I would never ever want to go back. I rather nourish my body than buy the newest phone.

Experiences over Stuff

Then the second expenditure, experiences. And I think this is just as important as food. The money I used to spend on stuff, I now spend on experiences (well, not right now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in a normal situation). This has made me a happier person in general. I choose not to buy a bigger tv or a new jeans. I choose to go to an amusement park with friends, a holiday or a an amazing festival (like you see on the picture on the top of this post). This way I create memories. Remember, experiences over stuff? Where I used to spend money in the Primark and bought even more clothes than I already had, I now make memories. It adds so much value to my life.

All in all, my lifestyle has changed. I no longer value an abundance of stuff. I choose to be happy with what I already have. This has left a lot of money for me to spend and so my spending habits have changed over the years too. Where I used to spend money on stuff, I now spend it on my health and memories.

That’s how my sustainable lifestyle has changed my spending behavior? What do you think about this?

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee Hoeksma and I am on a journey to an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle in which I have a more positive than negative impact on the beautiful planet earth. On this blog you can follow my journey to a life with only positive impact. At this blog you can find all sorts of things, from tips to recipes to personal experiences, but most of all fun (I hope!). I write about how I want to change the world, but don’t look at it as if I’m judging you. If anything, I like responses from my dear readers the most, so don’t hesitate to contact me or respond to any of my posts!

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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Vandaag een artikel op mijn blog over Pieter Pot. Een webshop voor verpakkingsvrije boodschappen πŸ₯œ. Een geweldig concept die jou helpt je afval te verminderen Γ©n er ook nog eens heel goed uit ziet in je keuken #nospon. Je leest het nu via de link in mijn bio. Een greep uit de vegan maaltijden die ik at in mei 2023 πŸ§†. Als ik zo terugkijk heb ik de italiaanse weer helemaal ontdekt, haha! Maar het hoogtepunt was wel echt de vegan, zero waste, kaassaus die ik maakte voor over de nachoschotel 🫘. Welke vegan ijs-, toetjes- of yoghurtproducten zijn het lekkerst? Ik zette het voor je op een rijtje in een artikel die vanaf vandaag te lezen is 🍧. Je vindt de link in mijn bio. Spoiler: deze van Hertog staat er zeker tussen! #plantaardig #vegan #blogger ✨ 4 tweedehands outfits die ik droeg in mei 2023 πŸ‘—. Ik had op iets beter weer en iets koudere outfits gehoopt, maar goed, dat schuiven we dan maar naar juni! Ik ben poepdonor πŸ’©. Ja, Γ©cht. Ik doe mee met een wetenschappelijk onderzoek waarbij mijn darmflora gebruikt wordt om mensen met een leveraandoening te genezen. Ik ben zo blij met de positieve impact die ik hiermee kan maken! En ik krijg er nog betaald voor ook. Meer weten? Lees het artikel dat ik erover schreef via de link in mijn bio. Binnenkort zal ik er ook een Youtube-video aan wijden. #donor #positieveimpact #nafldnashresearch Minimaliseren en ontspullen blijft een ongoing process πŸ“¦. Ik vind dat ik niet al te veel spullen heb, maar toch geef ik nog geregeld spullen weg aan de kringloopwinkel. In deze reel laat ik de laatste 5 items aan je zien. Plantaardiger eten hoeft niet moeilijk te zijn, je moet net even weten welke producten vegan zijn. Vandaag deel ik een makkelijke swap voor mayonaise 🍟. Het is weer mei! En dat betekent dat er weer een artikel met podcast-tips op mijn blog staat (de vijfde in de reeks inmiddels!). Vandaag lees je over 4 podcasts die ik aan bijna iedereen zou aanraden 🎧. 5 vegan maaltijden die ik at in april 2023 πŸ₯™. En ja, Γ©cht alles is vegan. Want elk gerecht is te veganizen.

Read my latest posts

  • Zero waste groceries at Pieter Pot
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