Minimalism: Is Quality Important? (Pre-Minimalist Kitchen Tour)

The kitchen.

For many homes, the kitchen is a room that gets the most traffic.

It’s where we cook (or warm up take-out), eat (standing or sitting), raid the fridge, and gather. A lot of time is spent in the kitchen.

As I begin the process of decluttering my apartment for a minimalist lifestyle, I decided to start in the kitchen.

No, I don’t have a Pinterest-worthy kitchen. It is a basic, apartment kitchen that I am truly grateful to have.

It has everything that a proper kitchen needs to function: appliances, counter space, and ample cabinets.

Yes, my kitchen has quite a few cabinets. This is both a good thing and a not-so-good thing, especially when you’re a clutter bug like me!

One thing I noticed while going through my cabinets is that most (if not all) of my items are cheap and of low quality.

And, it kind of bothered me.

Why I Buy Cheaper Kitchen Tools

Since I’ve been living on a budget, I’ve always been mindful of how much I spend on household items. This is ironic because most of my discretionary spending used to go toward household items.

But, instead of buying high quality (more expensive) items, I had a habit of buying multiples of cheaper items. Things that came in packs and pairs.

Up until the last few years, I was a convenience food consumer. Most of what I ate could be microwaved, cooked in the oven (in its own container), or didn’t even require cooking at all.

So, I didn’t need quality sauce pans, dutch ovens, heavy-weighted mixing bowls, or high-end saute pans because I rarely used them.

I’ve identified that I used to buy cheaper kitchen tools because of the value I placed on what I ate and how I prepared what I ate.

Frugal To A Fault

When I started my last weight loss journey in Summer of 2017, I became more aware of the foods I was eating. I got serious about meal planning and cooking, actually cooking, at home.

But, I continued to buy cheap pots, pans, and utensils because I told myself that it didn’t really matter. I could still prepare a healthy, delicious meal with lower cost, low quality items.

And, this is true. But the question is, why would I want to? Why would I want to use low quality items to prepare food for myself and the people I invite into my home?

I know that this will be an area where I will struggle on my minimalism journey. Since becoming debt free, my frugality has intensified.

But maybe, in the case of quality over quantity, I am frugal to a fault.

Pre-Minimalism Kitchen Tour

Do You Value Quality In Minimalism?

As a minimalist (or minimalist-in-progress), what are your thoughts about quality over quantity?

Do you struggle with spending more money on higher quality items? Or do you believe that cheaper items are fine as long as they get the job done?

Please share your thoughts below!