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This is Optimal Finance Daily. Frugal Minimalism. Do less, buy less, worry less, live more. Part 2 by Liz of frugalwoods.com

Frugality takes less time. Through my shopping cessation, I came to realize that in many instances, frugality actually takes less time than non-frugality.

There's a myth that a life of frugality is more time-consuming than a life of consumption,

and in some specific instances, I'd say that's true.

But my experience is that, on the whole, frugality takes less time.

Why? Because there's so much less to do and to worry about and less to militate against. Much of my frugality pertains to simplicity and how I can streamline my life

in order to make it more efficient. Take, for example, the fact that I don't buy clothing

and haven't for over three years, with the exception of a pair of winter boots. This saves me.

Number one, time. I'm not dashing in and out of thrift stores, trying on clothes with a toddler

in tow. I'm not cruising the internet,

shopping for dresses on Amazon. I'm not even wasting time thinking about buying clothes or what I

might need or want next. It's just not part of my life. When and if I truly need an article of

clothing, as happened with those winter boots last year,

I buy it. But I don't spiral into a frenzy of buying an entirely new wardrobe just because I

need one item. Number two, stress. I don't panic about whether or not I have fabulously fashionable clothing for every single social event of the year.

I wear what I own, and I focus on wearing things that are comfortable and that I enjoy.

I really don't care if I'm in style or not. I think I look nice, and I'm happy with how I dress.

If other people care, that's entirely their problem, not mine.

I no longer internalize the belief that I must define myself by how I dress. I define myself by my

actions, by what I do with my time, not by some articles of cloth that I used to keep warm and stay on this side of decency laws.

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