Minimalism, money, and finding your “enough” with Kelly Foss / 92
When you hear the word minimalism, you might picture a near-apartment, a perfectly curated capsule wardrobe, and someone who has somehow never been tempted by the checkout aisle at TJ Maxx.
But minimalism doesn’t have to mean owning as little as possible. For Kelly Foss, host of the Millennial Minimalist podcast, it’s really about intentionality: knowing what matters to you, understanding what you actually use, and being more thoughtful about what gets your money, time, space, and energy.
And once you start looking at minimalism that way, there’s a pretty clear connection to money.
In this episode, we talk about stress spending, buying things for our aspirational selves, figuring out what “enough” actually looks like, and why buying less can make it easier to enjoy spending money when we do choose to spend it.
Episode highlights
[01:00] What minimalism actually means — and why it’s more about intentionality than owning as little as possible
[06:30] The emotional side of clutter, stress spending, and why buying something new rarely fixes the feeling underneath
[10:30] How to figure out what “enough” looks like when it comes to clothes, hobbies, and everything else we own
[15:00] Practical ways to decide what stays, what goes, and what we’ll realistically use
[18:30] The aspirational-self spending trap — and how social media can convince us to buy for a life we aren’t actually living
[22:00] How buying less can reduce money anxiety, decision fatigue, and the mental energy we spend thinking about purchases
[24:00] Finding our personal “number” and deciding what we genuinely want our money to support
[27:00] Spending more on the things we value — from workout classes to coffee — while intentionally spending less elsewhere
[33:00] How to enjoy our money without slipping into overconsumption
[40:00] A simple experiment for anyone who keeps buying things and wondering, “Why did I even buy this?”
Minimalism isn’t about having clear countertops
Kelly describes minimalism as living an intentional life, not a life of scarcity. We love that distinction, because otherwise, minimalism can start to feel like another set of arbitrary rules we’re supposed to follow: own this many shirts, get rid of your decorations, have an empty kitchen counter, etc.
But here’s what Kelly says: If you love shoes, you can own a lot of shoes. The question is whether you actually love and wear them. Your version of minimalism can look completely different from someone else’s because the goal is to make room for what you value.
For Kelly, the financial benefits of minimalism were actually a bonus. Once she had a better understanding of what she already owned and genuinely used, she naturally became less interested in buying more.
There’s an emotional side to this too. Shopping can become something we do when we’re stressed, sad, bored, or overwhelmed. Buying something might give us a temporary lift, but the thing we bring home usually can’t solve the feeling that sent us shopping in the first place.
That doesn’t mean you need to shame yourself every time a stress-induced package arrives on your doorstep. Money is emotional. The helpful part is noticing the pattern so you can start asking, What do I actually need right now?
What does “enough” look like?
We talk about “enough” a lot when it comes to money. How much income is enough? How much should we save? When do we get to stop moving the goalpost?
But it’s worth asking the same question about our stuff.
How many clothes are enough? How many hobby supplies? How much skincare? How many subscriptions, kitchen gadgets, or random Target purchases do we realistically need?
This can get especially complicated when our possessions are connected to who we want to be. Maybe you have supplies for a hobby you keep meaning to restart or clothes for a version of your life that doesn’t really exist anymore. Getting rid of those things can feel like saying goodbye to an identity.
So instead of immediately deciding something has to go, Kelly recommends asking a simpler question: Am I realistically going to use this?
Maybe the answer is yes, and you decide you genuinely want to make room for that hobby. Great. But if you’ve been keeping something for years because you might become the kind of person who uses it someday, that tells you something too.
A few questions can help when you’re stuck:
Do I actually use this?
If I don’t use it now, am I realistically going to start?
Do I own something else that serves the same purpose?
Would I be excited to use or wear this tomorrow?
Am I keeping it mostly because I spent money on it?
That last one can be especially hard. But keeping something you don’t use won’t bring the money back. Sometimes selling it, donating it, or giving it to someone who will actually use it is the better option.
Spend less where you don’t care so you can spend more where you do
Here’s where we think minimalism and personal finance fit together especially well: Intentional spending does not mean spending as little money as possible.
Sometimes becoming more intentional about the categories you don’t care about gives you permission to spend more on the ones you do.
For Kelly, workout classes and coffee shops are worth making room for in her budget. Someone else might choose travel, restaurants, hobbies, clothes, convenience, or a nicer hotel. There isn’t a universally correct category to spend money on.
We’re generally not interested in labeling specific purchases as “good” or “bad” for that exact reason. A $7 coffee could be a completely forgettable purchase for one person and one of the best parts of someone else’s week.
The better questions are: Does this matter to me? Can I afford it? And is my spending actually reflecting the life I want?
Fewer buying decisions = less stress
Kelly has noticed that buying less helps reduce some of her anxiety around spending. Because she isn’t purchasing things as frequently, she can put more thought into the things she does buy. Spending becomes less about guilt and more about knowing why she’s choosing something.
And yes, intentional spenders still buy things they regret sometimes. You are not going to optimize yourself into never wasting another dollar. Sometimes a purchase simply gives you information about what you like, what you use, and what isn’t worth the money to you.
If you regularly find yourself looking at something you bought and thinking, Why did I even buy this?, try Kelly’s experiment: Describe your actual day-to-day life.
What do you really do during a normal week? What do you wear? What hobbies are you actually making time for? What products do you consistently use? What makes your routines easier or more enjoyable?
Then use that life as the filter for what you buy.
You don’t need to become a minimalist by next weekend, and you definitely don’t need to get rid of the hobbies, shoes, coffee dates, or other things that make your life feel like yours.
The bigger idea is to get curious about what your version of “enough” looks like. Because when you know what you already have, what you genuinely use, and what you actually care about, it gets a whole lot easier to spend less on the rest — and use your money for the things that matter to you.
TL;DR
Minimalism isn’t about owning as little as possible. It’s about being intentional with what gets your money, time, space, and energy.
Before buying something, ask whether it supports your actual life or an aspirational version of yourself.
Knowing what “enough” looks like can reduce unnecessary spending and the mental energy that comes with constantly deciding what to buy.
Intentional spending can mean spending more on the things you genuinely value while spending less elsewhere.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start with one question: What do I actually use, and what does enough look like for me?
Resources
Kelly’s podcast: Millennial Minimalists
Kelly’s website: mastersimplicity.com
Listen to the Finance Girlies on Kelly’s podcast: Money Made Simple with the Finance Girlies
The Finance Girlies content is for educational purposes only and is not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice.
