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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oswego chapter.

Since the start of 2019, I’ve been trying my best to become a minimalist by being mindful of the things I do and buy. After having gotten rid of more than half my wardrobe, pens, hangers, books, etc., I have learned a lot about what being a minimalist means and why I’m struggling with it. 

1.Social Media

Social media is one of the biggest reasons as to why I’m struggling with being a minimalist. While I have limited my wardrobe to just 15 tops and 7 bottoms, I still feel insecure about what I wear. Because of the #OOTD culture, the culture of wearing the newest clothes and the biggest brands, I feel as if my clothes don’t make me stylish or cool. Because I don’t have Instagram-able outfits on every day, I feel insecure and struggle with limiting my wardrobe. 

2. Friends

My friends ask me to look at something they’re thinking about buying when I go shopping with them and it ends up becoming very hard for me to not buy things with them. I struggle with limiting myself from buying things, especially if I have friends who are shopping with me. Friends can also sometimes help sway your mind. There have been times when my friends have managed to convince me that I deserve to buy myself something nice. But I have figured out a way to combat this. I will carry things I like around with me and if, by the time my friend is at the register, I feel like I don’t like them anymore, I put them back and walk out (mostly) empty-handed. 

3. Hobbies

I love to read, and one of my biggest purchases every year are books. I have been trying to cut down on buying books because I realize that I buy more than I read. While I have been trying to buy a Kindle, I currently do not have the finances to do that. And since I haven’t bought a Kindle, I tell myself that it is okay for me to buy books. Since I also don’t like reading e-books, it has been especially hard for me to even convince myself to buy one.

4. Convenience 

There have been a lot of things that I end up buying for convenience’s sake. I have been trying to get myself to use a menstrual cup so I can cut down on costs as well as lower my period waste, but pads/tampons are much more convenient to use. The same happens when I have to pack snacks; I use a Ziploc bag instead of tupperware. The issue with that is that I have tupperware that I don’t end up using because a Ziploc is more convenient and I don’t have to wash it.

 

Nirdishtha Raj Sapkota is a Journalism and Graphic Design double major with a minor in Creative Writing. She loves indie and lofi music. You'll probably find her eating spicy and sour food or running around yelling for no particular reason. 
Jordyn is a Biology major with a minor in creative writing at SUNY Oswego. She hopes to open a rehabilitation center for wildlife in the future. She's very passionate about animals and spreading awareness for animal rights. She also enjoys drawing and painting.