Today’s minimalism inspired blog post is a topic we’ve all debated for years- How can I reach true life optimization by chewing gum?  More specifically, how can I reach it by becoming a minimalist gum chewer?  It’s like a type of nirvana us humans aspire to attain.  I’m sure there have been thousands of articles written about gum chewing but keep with me.

There’s something magical about the minimalism movement.  Every item you have has a place and a purpose and there isn’t a lot of useless sh*t cluttering up your view of these few precious things.

I am not a minimalist.  Although I do very much like the idea.  My wife and I own one car and I only have one electric guitar in my electric guitar collection.  Still, I wouldn’t consider us minimalist. Yet.

Over the last couple of years we’ve been slowly getting rid of the stuff in our lives that don’t bring us happiness.  Sometimes it can be hard to let go of something that you don’t have a specific use for but you know it’s entirely unnecessary.  A favorite kitchen gadget or that ab roller you got for Christmas in 2013 that you last used in January of 2014.

It can take a real conscious effort to keep in the minimalism mindset or, more importantly, to not slip back into the consumerism mindset.

My Secret Weapon is Chewing Gum.

I keep a pack of Extra branded chewing gum in my car because Costco sells Extra branded chewing gum, and I like gum.  My trick is to tear off small pieces of a single stick instead of shoving an entire stick into my mouth like I’m at a hot dog eating contest.  It might take me an entire day of chewing gum to burn through an entire stick.

I’ve been doing this for some time now and I estimate I’ve saved at least $.47 total.  That’s almost half a dollar!

As impressive as that amount is, splitting gum is probably not going to get me to FI any faster. The monetary savings isn’t why I split my gum, though.

“Why, why would you do that?”– You, probably.

Excellent question, reader.  What I gain from tearing a single serving of gum into several servings of gum is a small constant reminder to not needlessly consume.  It makes me more conscious about what I DO choose to splurge on because, shoot man, if I’m splitting a single stick of gum into 5 smaller pieces I’m not just going to go out and accidentally buy some silly knick knack with 1/5 of a piece of gum in my mouth.  That would be ridiculous.

I fully enjoy my minimalist gum consumption over the wild, over-the-top full stick gum chewing the rest of the world seems to partake in. You probably won’t believe this but I actually know a guy, in real life, who eats multiple sticks of gum, at the same time.  I should slap him sometime, just because.

Incase you’re still on the fence about this I’ll list some ways splitting gum is superior to squandering it, whole sticks at a time.

1. The flavor lasts the same amount of time whether it’s a full stick or a partial stick.
2. An individual pack of gum lasts way longer.  Again, not about the money but sometimes you run out of a pack of gum and you just have to sit there in your own filth like a kid who wakes up the day after Halloween with a sugar hangover wondering where all the candy went.  That won’t be me!  I’ve got a full tank of gas and a single stick of gum, come at me life.
3.  A full stick of gum feels cumbersome in my mouth.  I’m not here for that extra stress in my life.

Overall it’s just a nice reminder for me.  It keeps me motivated on the path to not mindlessly consume.  It doesn’t have to be gum, for you, but I would highly recommend finding something small, and probably insignificant to anybody else, that you can use as a reminder throughout your day to keep you in motivated to not mindlessly consume.

Related:

Humor: Local Minimalists Give up Dresser/Ceiling in Bid to Find Freedom

7 Things I do Every Morning to Avoid Decision Fatigue