Minimalism and Luxury

One of the nice things about spending the last few months focusing on decluttering, minimalising, and saving money is that I have become more aware of the "luxuries" I find essential for a positive quality of life.

For example, Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia cologne. This is the only perfume I wear now. I have always loved perfume--despite synthetic chemicals found in most scents, which fortunately don't bother me--and this is the scent I have been wearing since 2008. A spray bottle lasts about four months, costs about $50, and to me is a worthwhile expense. The scent is floral, green, and smells great on me.

It is definitely a luxury to spend $150 annually for a better smell--especially when there are lots of other, less expensive scents available. But the right perfume, to me, is the final accessory and tops off my look, no matter what I am wearing.

Another essential luxury is Lush's Happy Hippy shower/shampoo gel. It has a delicious scent of fresh grapefruit, doubles as body wash and shampoo (which makes it great for travel), and exfoliates as well as cleans. It is all-natural, too.

A large bottle costs about $20, but lasts 6 months. Compared to drugstore brands, a luxury; as a daily part of my shower routine, essential. There is a calculable difference in using this product vs. a cheaper version: the scent is first-thing-in-the-morning fresh and wake me up! At 6 am, that's... everything.

Third, luxury chocolate. I love drugstore brands and candy bar brands, but high-end chocolate, made by artisanal makers or simply the more expensive/higher cocoa content European names (like Lindt) are, yes, essential to my well-being. I can eat two squares of that kind of chocolate, for example, and be satisfied. The taste, the quality, and the afterburn is always worth the higher price tag and the smaller mouthful.