From luxury handbags to 45-square-foot 'home' — doctor says minimalism saved her sanity
“Live simply and you’ll find richness in less."
NUR ADNIN MAHALIM
DR Amirah Alieya Mohamad, once a self-confessed shopaholic with credit card debt, now a minimalist doctor who literally lives in her own clinic and says it is the most freeing decision she’s ever made.
At one point, her life looked like a Pinterest board for “soft luxury”.
Designer handbags? Check. Endless online carts? Double check. But behind the aesthetic, Dr Amirah said her anxiety was through the roof.
She shared on TikTok about becoming a frugal minimalist.
"I was a shopaholic. I loved buying things ever since I was a teenager like clothes, bags, all sorts of bits and pieces.
“Whenever I went shopping, I felt happy, like getting a dopamine hit. But that excitement faded away after a few days,” she writes on TikTok.
Fast-forward to today: she lives in a 45-square-foot room with her husband, runs her clinic right there and swears by second-hand shopping.
“It’s enough for both of us. Everything fits in our car and that’s freedom,” she said in one of the videos.
The turning point came back in 2017.
“I started decluttering, donating clothes, selling gadgets but most importantly, I let go of my old, fake self.
“My anxiety reduced, I wasn’t stressed anymore, my mind felt clear and my heart was at peace,” she added.
Now, instead of splurging when life gets stressful, she hikes, runs and does yoga.
In one of her viral videos, she gave a peek into her minimalist wardrobe - just two versatile handbags, a pair of shoes for each activit,y like hiking or formal events and seven jubahs she fondly calls her “uniforms.”
“Live simply and you’ll find richness in less,” she shared on TikTok.
She is not just saving space but she is saving serious money.
“I used to rent a studio apartment, but I decided to move into my clinic so that I can save much more,” she said.
Dr Amirah also side hustles like working extra shifts and even helping brides on weekends.
“I made so many financial mistakes in my 20s, but it’s never too late to fix them,” she said.
For those who think being frugal means being stingy? She has thoughts.
“Frugal people care about value, not price. Cheap people just care about cost.
“For example, I’m fine living small and cooking from scratch, but I’ll spend more on things that add value like my Thermomix or yoga workshops," she said.
Her biggest flex now is not luxury labels, but it is peace of mind.
“Success to me is a calm mind, a content heart and inner peace. That’s real wealth,” she shared.
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