Minimalist confession: I bought that thing I said I wasn’t going to buy.
Real talk. This experience has been a reminder for me that being a minimalist does not mean depriving myself. It means making sure the items I own bring value to my life.
The thing was an iPad, and the reason I wanted it was to have a larger screen and a stylus for a coloring book app I’ve had on my phone for two weeks. Day one of using it, I knew it would be way better on an iPad.
I used to have a closet packed with art and craft supplies. Years went by without me touching it. So I got rid of most of it in my big purge. One thing I kept was my large Ohuhu marker set, because I was still using it for coloring books. But my most used colors ran out of ink after about 6 months of use. I stopped coloring because of it, and donated the working markers.
But I’ve been missing it. Like many others, I love that’s it’s a creative outlet that’s relaxing and stress free. I’ve tried a handful of coloring book apps over the past few months, and finally found a good one. It was bringing me joy, but it was difficult to use on such a small screen and my finger rather than a stylus.
I told myself that because using the app on my phone was an option, there was no need to buy a second device. But two weeks had gone by and the desire for it hadn’t gone away (though music was a brief respite!). So I got it. And guess what? It was worth it. I have already spent three happy hours coloring today, and I look forward to many more. I wish I hadn’t tortured myself so much with the decision.
TL;DR: Minimalism is not asceticism. If your desire remains after time has passed, and you believe it will bring value to your life, just get it. Don’t obsess over it.