Admittedly, while this is true, even saying it out loud to myself I know it sounds a bit crazy. And yes, I do enjoy a cup of tea as much as anyone else. However, not owning a kettle because I have a pot that serves to boil water equally well is probably the simplest way to sum up a personal philosophy. This philosophy captured by the concept of minimalism also happens to save me money too.
It’s about more than the kettle
Ok, yes it’s just a kettle and they are cheap and easily affordable. But where does it stop? Alexa to turn on your lights, when I’m just as good at getting up and flipping the switch myself. Pasta tongs when the one pair of universal tongs performs the same task. A cheese slicer and charcuterie board combo when the gently loved board and cheese knife I already own do the trick. And the list goes on.
These may sound like trivial household items and purchases but it’s the principal. If you can’t control the little things, then you probably won’t stop at the big things. Live in a city with public transit, bike share, car share, ride share, etc.? You’ll probably buy a car. Live in a home that is a bit smaller than you’d like? You’ll upgrade to a bigger home and a bigger mortgage dragging any dreams of financial freedom further afield.
My happiness doesn’t suffer from not having the new gadget to mince garlic when my trusty knife does it just as well (albeit with my fingers spelling a bit like garlic after the fact) or from having the bigger home and yard. And it definitely doesn’t come from not having a kettle.