Imagine saving hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars each year—for less money. These 20 figures show how.
Most people I know want more time and money. In most cases, I can see why.
We hustle—trying to meet deadlines, pay bills, take care of our families, and still find a place for rest, joy, meaning, and purpose. The days feel short. The costs are piling up. And it’s easy to believe that the only solution is to work harder, earn more, or somehow fit more into an already full life.
But maybe there is a better answer. What if the solution is not found in having more, but in having less?
Everything we buy has a cost—and not just in dollars. Our assets cost us time to earn, time to maintain, and time to manage. And the quickest way to get more time and money back into our lives is to pursue minimalism.
And it turns out, the numbers back this up. Here are 20 statistics that show how much minimalism can change every day by giving us more time and more money.
Money
1. Americans waste $18,000 on “non-essential” expenses each year (source)
2. Despite owning enough clothing to make an average of 135 outfits, Americans spend an average of $1,445 a year on clothes and shoes. (source)
3. On average, people spend $360 each year on jewelry, whether as gifts or for themselves—even though they already own 34 pieces of jewelry. Men, on average, spend more money on themselves than women. (source)
4. Families spend $24 billion a year on toys. Parents spend an average of $240 on toys and games every year while grandparents spend $500. All while it is estimated that 20-30% of toys are never played with. (source)
5. Americans spend $14.6 billion every year on home maintenance. (source)
6. In the United States, people throw away more than $473 billion worth of food every year—38 percent of all food in America. (source)
7. About $10 billion in electronics—including computer equipment and devices, screens, and small electronics—is thrown away every year in the US alone. (source)
8. On average, Americans spend about $1,100 a year on coffee at coffee shops. (source)
9. About 25% of grocery dollars are spent on processed foods and sweets—about $125/month for the average American family. (source)
10. In the US, consumers spend an average of $150 per month on random purchases. (source)
11. The average American spends more than $1,000 a year on subscriptions—$200 of which is on unnecessary or unused subscriptions. (source)
Time
12. On average we spendtwo hours a daybuying things and taking care of things we already have. (source)
13. Americans spend about two hours a day shopping online at work. (source)
14. The average woman goes to the store 301 times a year, spending about 400 hours a year shopping. This equates to 8.5 years spent shopping in an average lifetime. (source)
15. The average size of a new American home has grown to 2,338 square feet from 983 square feet in 1950, driven in part by the need to store excess inventory, which increases housing costs. (source)
16. 54% of Americans feel overwhelmed by clutter, managing things that raise stress hormone levels, especially for moms, costs mental health and time. (source)
17. Americans spend more than two full days shopping online a year. (source)
18. The average American now spends 2.5 days a year (60 hours) looking for lost items, costing families $2.7 billion annually to replace lost property. (source)
More
19. 81% of shoppers are willing to increase their online shopping spend to meet a retailer’s free shipping limit. (source)
20. The national average credit card debt among cardholders with unpaid balances in 2025 was about $7,321 (much of it tied to unnecessary purchases), resulting in an additional $120 billion in interest and fees each year. (source)
The data doesn’t lie: the less we carry, the more we can save—both time and money. And with that, we gain something even more important—the measure of living a better, more meaningful life.