The idea of spending less money on purchases may sound appealing to most of us, but that doesn't make it easy. One person asked for help to break the pattern of retail therapy and needless purchasing.
"How do you not get consumed by consumerism?" they wrote in the r/minimalism subreddit. "How do you get over the feeling of always wanting something new, always looking for the next thing to buy?"
They explained that they primarily find it hard to resist buying perfumes and colognes. Even when they buy a new fragrance, they wrote, "I always find myself looking to buy a new one right after."
One commenter related deeply to the OP's particular fixation.
"I also obsess with perfume but I realized it expires and I need to use it up before that happens otherwise it's a waste. That motivates me," they wrote. "Thankfully, with an existing perfume collection, there's lots of options! I guess it's a discipline thing. Remember that you already have more than you need!"
More broadly, many people advised that one of the best ways to wean off the dopamine hit of purchasing is to fill your time with dopamine-triggering hobbies to replace it. This strategy generally works well, with the caveat that collecting items — like OP does with fragrances — can backfire as a minimalist hobby. After all, as one person pointed out, when that happens, "you've made consumerism one of your hobbies. You've got a traitor in your midst."
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Not only does moving towards minimalism foster a less stressful, less cluttered existence, but it also disincentivizes the mass production of cheaply made goods, which pollute the atmosphere and soil as they sit in landfills.
Collections aside, other commenters shared their favorite ways to pass the time that don't involve superfluous purchases.
"I think for me it's been deleting my Amazon etc accounts, and replacing the scrolling by keeping busy in the real world. Walks, gym, spending time with people," one person said. "And above all not buying anything outside of daily necessities (food, shampoo etc.)."
Another suggested that, even if somebody isn't ready to scale back their purchasing, they could still declutter by donating. For example, services like Trashie make it easy to donate old clothes, shoes, accessories, or linens. It's even possible to make money on used items, whether through selling them on secondhand marketplaces or trading them in directly with the manufacturer.
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