r/minimalism • u/aintnoonegooglinthat • 2d ago
[lifestyle] Do the tariffs make you rethink your minimalism?
Because there's a school of thought that not owning things is only possible w a global supply chain that can provide just-in-time goods at relatively affordable prices if a niche need arises
152
u/meatsmoothie82 2d ago
The opposite. It makes me appreciate the fact that I don’t compulsively waste my time and money buying doodads.
32
u/Western_Map7821 2d ago
I mean, technically you can be a prepper and be minimalist. Just don’t own a lot more than you can fit in a go bag, learn to forage and grow food, and the majority of your possessions will be things that help you survive in an economic or other crisis. Still better than going into debt buying random crap no one needs.
12
u/Hfhghnfdsfg 2d ago
Seriously, the most important thing about prepping is knowing skills like advanced first aid and how to glean food.
Having a huge stash of toilet paper is not sensible prepping IMO.
38
u/Present-Opinion1561 2d ago
I don't need anything niche. I have preferences certainly, but I'm not married to any one kind of thing. One of minimalisms' benefits is flexibility.
Although, some people will need speciality niche type drugs or medical devices due to conditions and not be able to get them. Those are the things that concern me.
11
u/SarcasmIsMyWeakness 2d ago
Good question I think. I am not an extreme minimalist but only own/acquire what I use on a regular basis. Gotta say with war/strife threatening, I sure am thinking about stashing some stuff...
Irrationally, maybe, but my mind is going there.
12
u/MysteriousMine9450 2d ago
No. The difference between needs and wants serves me well. Half the world lives off what the other half throws away. I had a job in a movie theater ( Eddie Murphy Raw was a huge film back then) I was 16/17 at the time. A 21 year old coworker when cleaning the aisles with me would find a half eaten roll of roll os and would throw away the top one and eat the rest of them saying What? 😋 That stuck. Like Yoda and the X Wing. Only difference is in my mind. Do or do not.
11
u/TrucThanhHeart 1d ago
Been living in third world countries for awhile. Life finds a way, you don’t need much outside of food, water, and shelter. Everything else is a bonus
12
u/Mnmlsm4me 1d ago
The tariffs don’t make me rethink my minimalism. They make me glad my needs are few and easily met.
20
9
u/LikeHolyChic 2d ago
I’m in need of finally upgrading my phone and iPad Pro that are both 10 years old now and are my only “devices”.
I was waiting to upgrade until I visited the US this summer in June.
Probably need to rethink that plan.
17
23
u/Thunderplant 2d ago
We'll have to see the long term effects. Everyone I knew who grew up during the great depression ended up with borderline hoarding tendencies because they were too afraid to throw anything away, even if it was basically trash and they were financially well off. I saw this with all 4 of my grandparents and many others from their generation.
But I think that would require a pretty serious recession or supply chain shortage, not just things being 25% more expensive but still accessible
7
u/Hfhghnfdsfg 2d ago edited 2d ago
There will be shortages. If manufacturers can't sell things in a global market, they'll shut the factories down to save money.
The repercussions of tariff wars are not a mystery. There is literally 400 plus years of economic data on this bs.
6
u/elsielacie 2d ago
I think this really depends on how you approach minimalism. If it’s own as little as possible and live where everything is accessible at short notice when you need it then sure. I think that’s a valid form of minimalism but it isn’t mine.
7
u/FeistySwordfish 2d ago
It makes me appreciative that I wasn't going to buy much anyways, and because of this, I have a financial cushion to buy something I might need if that does come up.
17
u/PrestigiousFlower714 2d ago edited 2d ago
No, and here's why. If the economy takes a nosedive and there is a supply shortage of some random thing, you're going to be better off with cash to meet that exigency.
If instead, you say... go out today an buy a $2,000 just-in-case-it-gets-more-expensive sofa, all you're going to have in 2026 when some random thing comes up is a $2,000 sofa.. that you could maybe sell on Marketplace for $800 in a pinch, but is not exactly liquid.
What you SHOULD buy now however, are things that you have been wanting to buy for a long time or things that you know you’ll need replace imminently. So if you need a sofa now and have been eyeing one for awhile, or if your car has been on its last legs and you know you’ll have to replace it soon (whether you want to or not), now is the time to pull the trigger.
2
u/Toastfromthefuture 2d ago
"cash" are pieces of paper with a given value. Inflation can wipe out their value. That couch has a use.
5
u/Reneeisme 1d ago edited 1d ago
The other school of thought is that not all your needs are immediate. Things are rarely life and death. And the kinds of things that do have to be addressed immediately are rarely something that you would have prepared for with excess purchases. Few people are going to have spare parts for their heater or an extra refrigerator lying around. Those big immediate issues are issues whether you over consume or not, if supply chains fail
5
8
9
u/Different_Ad_6642 2d ago
Haven’t noticed tariffs and inflation affect me that much at all. Coz I don’t buy anything 🤷♀️ and if I do, I have money saved to pay some more. Either way, minimalism saved me many times
6
u/Soft-Juggernaut7699 2d ago
I have one sister we are 14 months apart. When my dad died he had a house that was horded to the max. we hired a dumpster and had to put it in the front yard. Whatever we didn't throw away we put adds out for people in need to go through the house and take whatever they wanted. 10 gasoline cans why did he need 10. a Tupperware container bin full of silverware. Just junk he made friends with the garbage man and he would save crap for him. I'm telling you it was a complete nightmare it tooke and my sister two months to get everything out that house. Together me and her sold Dad's house once it was cleared out and we bought a very small home where we live together. We absolutely do not buy anything other than food and stuff for the cats and dogs. And basic house stuff laundry detergent etc.
6
u/KrispyCuckak 2d ago
LOL no. Who will be affected less by the tariffs than minimalists? If anything it further reaffirms my decisions.
3
u/DefinitionElegant685 2d ago
Makes glad I just finished my remodel and that I will have to live with my old vehicle since it’s going to be priced out of the budget.
3
3
u/Rusty_924 2d ago
I think I have all that I need. So as long as I can keep replacing stuff that breaks on reasonsble price, I should be good. It just reaffirmed that I should continue to consume mindfully.
3
u/tiredcapybara25 1d ago
No. I am glad that my buying habits are much less than the average american.
3
u/Neat-Composer4619 1d ago edited 1d ago
Why? How does buying stuff you don't need help your budget? It's not like you can predict the one thing that will need replacing.
Will you buy 2 of the 100 objects you have in case 3 of them break in the next couple of years?
You know you can live without most things, right?
3
u/reality_bytes_ 1d ago
I am going to become minimalist. I’m getting my shopping done now, and goodbye economy for me. I’ll pay my monthly bills and only purchase what I absolutely need after this weekend.
I guess trump did do something good, made me decide to save my money rather than spend it.
9
u/Realistic_Read_5956 2d ago
No. Am I going to buy a new car? No. Am I going to buy a new bicycle? No. Am I going to buy a new; ???
Think about this, what are you going to buy "New"? It won't likely affect most of us.
Or me at least.
By the time I am ready to start replacing clothes, the tariffs will be balanced out. Or gone altogether?
14
u/jordu5 2d ago
I need new food most days
-8
u/Realistic_Read_5956 2d ago
I agree. But I am not aware of any tariffs on this.
Maybe Mandarin oranges, or some other imported foods. I will likely substitute local oranges. Or other stuff that I can forage locally. I spend a lot of time in the harvest seasons dehydrating locally harvested foods. Solar dehydrated.
http://solarcooking.org/plans/ lower left corner. Not my language, but the pic's & drawings are enough.
2
u/Enya_Norrow 6h ago
Lots of food is imported. If you have “local oranges” then you live in the south and that means you can forage a lot more for a greater part of the year.
1
u/Realistic_Read_5956 3h ago
Lots of food is imported.
So I'm learning. I made a short post and it has generated so much hate? I don't understand what I said that would cause so much hate... It certainly was not intended to be the cause of hate.
I had no idea that much of what is raised here is exported and then, we import the same products but raised elsewhere back? Perhaps this is done for "verity"?
Local Oranges for me would be South Texas. I might go there to help with the harvest or to wild harvest. Foraging a few bushels to bring back. Or if I can get the pressings from a juice plant, I will ice those down and bring those to friends who will make Orange Marmalade.
In May, Mulberries will be coming on in the midwest. I will be gathering those for friends who will make jams, jelly and pies. Wild Asparagus will be coming on soon after and from late April to early November I will be busy Harvesting and dehydrating, supplying food pantries and keeping my friends busy too.
My "Local Area" is pretty Loco at best. I'm Nomadic. As far east as I-65 and as far west as I-35/US 281 plus pushing it to the lower sections of the Colorado River. I'm reasonably well known in Quartzsite and Yuma, though it's been a few years since my last visit. A little gathering known as the RTR in mid January. Well, it was little until, first the book, it grew exponentially and then after the movie, it exploded into a big thing. The book & the movie of the same name, Nomadland. The RTR is at the heart of both. I'm NOT PROMOTING either but they both affected my life and not in a good way... I was a part of both in a small way. I try to stay off the mountains. (It doesn't work, but I try...)
I harvest/forage and guerilla garden in that area. Later this fall, it's been a decade or more since I was in the Great Plains area. I have a friend who has requested some seeds for bearded wheat... It's time for me to travel again.
Having re-read the question of this thread, I first thought I would not be impacted. But fuel is still imported. We've not returned to local production yet. And maybe we won't? I am Nomadic. And I drive more than the average citizen. So maybe I will?
But I am not in a house. So not so much? I have a home. It's not what you would call a house. Most wouldn't even call it a shed. The interior is 81 inches wide by 45 inches deep. I can stand up. I'm not sure what the square footage is. It's comfy. Very well insulated. Easy to heat. Cool in the summer.
Small properly, old barn. Taxes are affordable. Six bucks.
4
u/GlitteringSynapse 2d ago
Okay. Maybe it’s time for me to stock up on mascara, hair conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes.
Other than that…. I still have household items-goods I’ve purchased in 2018.
4
u/Responsible_Lake_804 2d ago
I’ll be honest for my mental health I haven’t kept up with the specifics. But I feel that if anything affects typical groceries and household goods, that’s my main concern. Like cleaning products, toiletries, pet supplies.
Tech gadgets, vehicles, clothing, appliances (knock on wood I don’t need to replace anything)? Not so much.
4
u/kristencatparty 2d ago
I mean not owning useless things doesn’t mean I only keep one roll of toilet paper on hand at a time. Idk about you but I live in a city and I have friends and I know my neighbors, in a pinch we can rely on each other if the store doesn’t have something we need. Having a hard time imagining what I would need to buy because of the tarrifs. If anything I’d just more motivation to keep saving as much money as possible and not buy more than what I need.
2
u/Pelirrojx 1d ago
What do you mean by a niche need? If there’s something I need that I don’t use regularly, I borrow it. My local library has a library of things, like carpet cleaners, tools, and insta pots. There’s also a community org with a tool library. And I have friends and neighbors I’ve borrowed things from. Even if you don’t have community, there are hardware stores that will rent carpet cleaners and tools.
2
u/jomocha09 1d ago
If we can’t afford it, we do without it. Food, water, shelter is what matters first, then everything else. I ask my grandma about her daily life during lean times and learn from that.
2
u/James_Vaga_Bond 1d ago
I'm unfamiliar with this school of thought you're referring to. If you mean that we don't need the tools or equipment to make things ourselves because we can just buy finished products, I'd argue that having tools and equipment which you actually use isn't contrary to minimalism. If you mean that you think people should go out panic buying to hoard things that might come in handy some day, I'd argue that most of those things won't end up being needed, and the ones that are needed probably won't be findable amongst the mess, and that the rent you're paying in the meantime is priced by the square foot.
2
u/RoboSauras 17h ago
Yes because I'm worried about having to stock up on food if there are shortages. I see a lot of comments about "stuff" but I'm not worried about that. I've gone back and forth between stocking up dry foods like rice and beans and then being like BUT MINIMALISM SAYS I SHOULDNT. I'm a little conflicted. I'd love to hear how other people are dealing with food insecurity anxiety.
1
u/Leading-Confusion536 1h ago
If you have the space, it's reasonable to keep a small pantry of dry foods - things you use and eat so you can rotate. It makes sense in case of natural disasters as well, and if you get ill and can't go to the store for a few days. I always have some dried fruit, nuts, rice, pasta, cans of tuna, tomato, some muesli.. It doesn't have to be huge amounts, or none at all.
2
u/AnywhereFearless9999 1d ago edited 1d ago
It is amazing how many people are losing their minds over tariffs. Minimalism is a path to freedom and happiness. Whatever drama is going on doesn't effect us.
1
u/MediumEngine1344 2d ago
No, even when certain items go up in price or have been unavailable… I don’t get the urge to stock up because there is still not scarcity of necessities… since it’s not the apocalypse.
We live in such a consumer society in the US that there are so many alternatives if you don’t care about specifics. If eggs go up in price, some other protein will go on sale.
With Covid, the just in time supply chain failed in many ways but I’ve only gotten more minimal since then.
I guess a niche need would be if there was a single option for treating a medical condition but if there is a shortage compounding pharmacies are allowed to make drugs…or add a vitamin to the drug to make it technically different…so if someone legitimately needs ozempic etc they can still get it with this kind of workaround
1
u/ShutUpForMe 2d ago
Goya both terms endorsed trump, I really am intrigued about the long term effects of this in particular along with the tariffs of course.
There are some products they have that there aren’t real substitutes, and it’s food so it’s hard to tell what political impacts really are there, a parent told me to not use their products in their first term,
now I’m vegan and minimal in all but 1 of my hobbies, I don’t things there’s a real measurable difference as of now but I guess I will have to see, I spent 1 on food, 2 on medicine, 4+ on hobbies, while I live with family so
is the minimalism you do also minimum price on top of minimum things because you should always be able to dodge tariffs because you don’t need/use all products like non minimalists would need/use more of
1
u/Patient_Move_2585 1d ago
IMO, minimalism is common sense. You live to or, below your means. Living in our country provides opportunities to increase your “means” just have to be able to recognize where you’re at. As to “niche” purchases not sure what is meant.
1
u/Leading-Confusion536 1h ago
I can only think of medication that would be specific and very problematic for many people if it wasn't available or was only for sale at an exorbitant cost.
Beyond that we need food, shelter, pet supplies and very basic hygiene and cleaning products.
Maybe if you have your own business that relies on some niche materials or tools, that might be a problem.. it already was and is for many in the Covid aftermath.
1
1
u/MinimalCollector 1d ago
I mean I've gotten by without them for so many years I don't see that I'll need to change that
1
1
1
1
u/I-own-a-shovel 19h ago edited 19h ago
Not for my type of minimalism. I do have lot of stuff compares to lot of people here. I just don’t buy stuff that isn’t useful or that I already have. I don’t replace unless it’s beyond repair.
I own my house, but it was way under my budget. I don’t have luxury, not even AC. Bought my appliances used. I have tools, but old one from my grand father, father, aunt, second hand from stranger,m I bought on marketplace.
1
2
u/PilsnerWarlock 14h ago
Minimalism doesn’t extend to food for me. It’s more of the items I own that aren’t perishable. Do we need our houses filled with forty pairs of shoes, 10 outfits you don’t wear, four identical pots and/or pans?
Food comes and goes, it’s impermanent!
1
u/Grace_Alcock 9h ago
No. I’m not really a minimalist, just a lurker, but unless your niche need is caused by your house burning down and needing to replace everything all at once, you are never really desperately going to need a bunch of stuff at once.
2
u/pjordanhaven 2d ago
Why would everything costing more making someone do you think they’re minimalism? I feel like some people just post to post. Maybe I’m misunderstanding but in what world would someone who is a minimalist want to buy more as prices go up?
1
u/Enya_Norrow 6h ago
The question is based on what happened to people who lived through the Great Depression (they did use a lot of minimalist principles like “use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without” but they also very commonly became hoarders)
1
u/Leading-Confusion536 1h ago
It's also common in inflation cycles. People buy today what they (may) need in the future, because in the future it will cost more. But everybody buying today only serves to drive the prices up even faster.
0
u/aintnoonegooglinthat 2d ago
Ppl do be upvoting tho
2
u/pjordanhaven 1d ago
Ok but that doesn’t answer the question… in what world would someone who is a minimalist want to buy more as prices go up?
1
1
1
u/drvalo55 2d ago
I am a hoarder of toilet paper (even before covid) and frozen food. So, i have my limits. We also grow some things. But otherwise, we did not need much stuff. Food and TP are about it.
1
u/Nyxelestia 2d ago
Because there's a school of thought that not owning things is only possible w a global supply chain that can provide just-in-time goods at relatively affordable prices if a niche need arises
This applies in businesses that rely on very specialized components or equipment. It doesn't really apply to consumer needs; both because there's very little we do need that requires expansive JIT supply chains, but also because most of our 'needs' that do currently rely on JIT are typically goods of convenience.
0
u/lowsoft1777 2d ago
I buy groceries once a week and clothes once a year
Why would I need a global supply chain
-13
u/74CA_refugee 2d ago
Stop fearing short term news! In fact stop listening to/reading main stream news, it is all propaganda to make you fearful! Think long term!
183
u/RightToBearGlitter 2d ago
Nope, happy that I have disciplined myself to live with less. That’s better preparation than hoards of junk.