Constant self-reflection

When Qiao broadcast herself doing yoga in the vacant space of her home last year, her audience, who thought of her as a minimalist, suggested she take her simple living further.

Qiao has since scaled back on ordering takeout. She buys fresh food every day and cooks herself.

Whenever she feels like buying something, the item must justify itself: She will ask herself if she will use it often and if it is worth the space it will take.

Currently, Qiao is assured that everything in her apartment is a necessity.

"Not spending has given me time to think of things at work and observe other people's mentality," she says.

"I also read a lot more than before," she adds. She has read 30 books since mid-November.

So far, Qiao has kept daily tabs of things she consumes and shares her experience with her 90,000 followers on the popular social commerce platform Xiaohongshu, also known as Little Red Book.

She has used her influence and brought together people who are interested in living the simplest possible life in two WeChat groups. Each group has more than 400 members.

"It is more like a trading platform, and people can give away things they don't need to those that do," she says. "All transactions are free of charge."

Qiao advises her followers not to focus too much on the definition of "freeganism", an extremely low consumption lifestyle.

"Everyone should find their own minimalist lifestyle, with the bottom line being reasonable in terms of nutrition and food safety," Qiao says. "You will discover many interesting things about life while experimenting."

Contact the writer at yangfeiyue@chinadaily.com.cn