Most of us know we own too much stuff. We feel the weight and burden of our clutter. We tire of cleaning and managing and organizing. Our toy rooms are messy, our drawers don’t close, and our closets are filled from top to bottom. The evidence of clutter is all around us.
Today, increasing data is being collected about our homes, our shopping habits, and our spending. The research is confirming our observation: we own too much stuff. And it is robbing us of life.
Here are 21 surprising statistics about our clutter that help us understand how big of a problem our accumulation has actually become.
1. There are 300,000 items in the average American home (LA Times).
2. The average size of the American home has nearly tripled in size over the past 50 years (NPR).
3. And still, 1 out of every 10 Americans rent offsite storage—the fastest growing segment of the commercial real estate industry over the past four decades. (New York Times Magazine).
4. While 25% of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park cars inside them and 32% only have room for one vehicle. (U.S. Department of Energy).
5. The United States has upward of 50,000 storage facilities, more than five times the number of Starbucks. Currently, there is 7.3 square feet of self storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation. Thus, it is physically possible that every American could stand—all at the same time—under the total canopy of self storage roofing (SSA).
6. British research found that the average 10-year-old owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 daily (The Telegraph).
7. 3.1% of the world’s children live in America, but they own 40% of the toys consumed globally (UCLA).
8. The average American woman owns 30 outfits—one for every day of the month. In 1930, that figure was nine (Forbes).
9. The average American family spends $1,700 on clothes annually (Forbes).
10. While the average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year (Huffington Post).
11. Nearly half of American households don’t save any money (Business Insider).
12. But our homes have more television sets than people. And those television sets are turned on for more than a third of the day—eight hours, 14 minutes (USA Today).
13. Some reports indicate we consume twice as many material goods today as we did 50 years ago (The Story of Stuff).
14. Currently, the 12 percent of the world’s population that lives in North America and Western Europe account for 60 percent of private consumption spending, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only 3.2 percent (Worldwatch Institute).
15. Americans donate 1.9% of their income to charitable causes (NCCS/IRS). While 6 billion people worldwide live on less than $13,000/year (National Geographic).
16. Americans spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches ($100 billion) than on higher education (Psychology Today).
17. Shopping malls outnumber high schools. And 93% of teenage girls rank shopping as their favorite pastime (Affluenza).
18. Women will spend more than eight years of their lives shopping (The Daily Mail).
19. Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items.The research found we lose up to nine items every day—or 198,743 in a lifetime. Phones, keys, sunglasses, and paperwork top the list (The Daily Mail).
20. Americans spend $1.2 trillion annually on nonessential goods—in other words, items they do not need (The Wall Street Journal).
21. The $8 billion home organization industry has more than doubled in size since the early 2000’s—growing at a staggering rate of 10% each year (Uppercase).
The numbers paint a jarring picture of excessive consumption and unnecessary accumulation. Fortunately, the solution is not difficult. The invitation to own less is an invitation to freedom, intentionality, and passion. And it can be discovered at your nearest drop-off center.
Some people’s love language is giving. So if that’s your parents’ love language, maybe it’s ok to just be a thankful receiver. My minimalist child is good at telling me specifically what he needs but he understands giving of gifts is my biggest expression of love.
Just a thought…
But nonessential goods do not have to be the only thing you give. There are tons of ways to give without giving “stuff.” Giving is also my love language, but I have found that giving in honor of someone works even better most times. I have sponsored children, animals, etc all in the name of loved ones in lieu of nonessential gifts. Just my 2 cents.
So basically you are saying “I gave your gift to someone else”?
My parents donated a small sum to a charity in my name. This will probably sound ridiculous, but it made me teary-eyed and emotional. It was the best gift ever and they have now made it a tradition and do this for me every year, it makes me so happy to know that a family who needs help is getting it!
25 years ago, I decided to quit giving Christmas gifts. Wrote everyone saying the money I would have spent on them was going to a food bank. People loved it. We all have too much stuff!!!
Amazed – this says even more about your heart than does the kind act of your parents. Lovely example…….thank you
Great!
A wonderful idea. My husband and I didn’t exchange gifts this past Christmas but gave a gift to an organization that feeds and clothes the needy. It felt really good. Our drawers and closets are full. We didn’t miss receiving the gift.
Good for you Erin and family. I do the same.
No, I don’t think he is saying “I gave your gift to someone else”. That would be tacky. I think he is saying that he knows the people well and wants to give them a gift that will actually mean something to them. The “gift” is to fulfill a basic need of someone who is incapable of filling it themselves. My Mom does this every Christmas; instead of sending tons of money or gifts to her 5 remaining children and all her grandchildren and great-grands, she chooses a project such as a community well that needs to be dug. For example, one year it was in a small community in Laos, which she knew about because my nephew and his young family were working there. Another year she bought a goat for each of several young families. Then she always mails us homemade peanut brittle and almond roca, and includes a beautiful card that tells what this year’s project(s) are. It truly makes me happy, and I feel as though I’ve been “gifted”. No sweater or pair of PJ’s or slippers ever made me feel that way. The point isn’t how we feel anyway – the point is that I don’t need another sweater, and that there are people in the world who will materially, emotionally, psychologically and mentally – maybe? – benefit from our surplus. We need to get over that hump of hesitation and just go ahead and share the surplus. No big deal – it’s simple logistics.
Obviously it’s your money so you are free to give gifts as much as you please! But when have started a new trend with birthday gifts for friends and my kids said they would even enjoy this too. We go to the mall and get a $10 gift card to the arcade, then get a $5 gift card to chick fil a in the mall and buy a token for the carousel and the train. Then we write a note that says please enjoy a day of from from your friend! I have gotten more compliments from parents about how much their kids love the gifts. So occasionally a good idea for a gift might be just a gift card to the movies or something like that and you don’t end up with so much stuff. We also have a treasure box that has slips of paper with outings, bags of quarters for the arcade or special time with one or both parents instead of a bunch of little toys that end up getting thrown away :)
We ask for no gifts for birthdays. Instead my kids choose a trip and we ask that they donate toward that trip of they wish. In doing this (Just the past 2 years) we’ve gone to 2 different zoos, an amusement park, and on a train ride. My kids love it and ask when they can choose their next trip.
You buy a gift card to “chick fil HATE”… Too bad as that sends a message of hate and intolerance. Hope no one you give these to is a member of the GLBT community.
Reply to Steve from the progressive hate parade. I love Chick-fil-a. Absolutely delicious. Your message of hate and intolerance has no room here.
Not only is the food great, I love supporting Christians. I am not a close-min
to finish my sentence. I am not a close-minded bigot like you.
My daughter is 14, I wish I would have seen this post 10 years ago! , lovely idea!!
@ Steve . . . Just because someone doesn’t support your lifestyle, does not mean they hate you. Even if that someone is a business. On the other hand, if you make such statements about that someone or that business, you may well be the one who is hating. Additionally, when we care about someone, we should speak the truth to them, even if that truth hurts their feelings. Because I love my brother, I spoke to him about his drug problem for years, while the rest of my family disowned him. He finally got off the drugs and told me how much he appreciated my never giving up on him and speaking the truth to him. He knew I loved him. The same is true of how we should deal with our “sexuality challenged” friends and family.
Lol! That’s how I interpret those kinds of gifts! It’s great to give to causes, but when you do so instead of giving gifts to your friends and family, there is no sacrifice on your part. As for the “recipient”, not only does he or she not receive a physical gift; they don’t get the emotional reward that comes from giving to others either, as not only was it not their choice to do so, but they also had no say in who would receive “their” gift.
PS. This is not to say I had a problem with any such “gift” given to me in the past. It’s fine if my friends or family would rather donate their money to charity than give gifts to me that I probably don’t need anyway (although always appreciate). I do think its best to be clear (even if it’s just in your own mind) that that is, in effect, what you are doing.
As my grandchildren get older (the oldest is 4) I plan to give them one thing and then sit with them and help them choose how to donate some money. I anticipate that to be a learning experience in compassion.
PS. My comment was a response to Zach.
My opinion on having too much stuff:
Almost every time, the money expended on material gifts and goods in the United States (or other developed countries for that matter) should instead be at least spent on experiences (as in, a day trip, a reduction in time working to spend time together, or even a vacation somewhere in the country) rather than the goods that just pile up in one’s home or office and then eventually get thrown away after messing with productivity.
Or, even better, they could be better “spent” by adding those dollars to a savings account and enjoying the equity they gain later in life, or at least living off of them on a rainy day.
Obviously, goods that make for a better experience (like buying a lightweight backpack to help you stay vertical on a hike somewhere) are a different story, but it’s honestly more valuable in most cases to just not spend the money, as the item in question is probably not worth one’s time or thought.
But in a greater sense, what is our greatest delusion in buying or obtaining or retaining or receiving or even giving? It’s that somehow, that purchase, or item, or whatever it is will be obtained, will improve the quality of the recipient’s life in a significant way. However, most times, the value of a purchase is overestimated (which is observable through buyer’s remorse), and this results in a let-down to the original purchaser of the item.
So what occurs when one gets rid of their stuff? Well, the way I like to think of it, people begin to draw more satisfaction from the things that they choose to keep when they get rid of all their unnecessary stuff. It’s like the amount of value to the things you own stays the same, but it’s divided between fewer things, and that means that with each interaction, one would get more satisfaction out of the thing they use.
Sorry for taking up so much space in trying to inflict my own opinion on everyone here. However, this site technically is all about getting rid of stuff.
Great point. I read that book ¨5 Love Languages¨ many years ago and despite slight religious undertones, loved it.
It explained so succinctly the relationship I had with my father.
I was your child, Shirley. My dad did not live with us, but not too far away. He loved to take me shopping and ask me what I needed but I told him angrily (I was about 8-13) that I had enough clothes and stuff, and I´d rather hang out more! Go to the park, watch cartoons, etc. It wasn´t that he was absent, he would rather spend that time buying me things I didn´t care about.
And this book helped me to realize that although he showed love differently than I hoped, he did love me very much & cared. That was a HUGE revelation. I think he spoke this LL often bc he knew it was the LL of my mother, an extreme materialist. So, I cannot fault a man for not knowing the differences.
Everyone should read this book, & learn more about love languages.
What is wrong with religious undertones, bigot.
Why is anyone who is not religious a bigot? That’s really harsh.
Often these books are written with the assumption that everyone is of the same religion as the author. While it is fine to be religious it is not okay to make assumptions about other people based on your religion.
I agree with LL, it helped me understand many relationships in my life.
And some people do not understand the meaning of the word bigot, that just some of us have a reading preference…. We are not bigoted towards religion
The Wallstreet Journal had an article citing research that people treasure experiences much more than material things
While I support your premise, I will submit to you that giving is nowhere indicated to be the giving of material things, but the joy of giving lies in the visible enjoyment of the gift. So if I am right, the giving and sharing of oneself and different life experiences will result in much the same. While I could be wrong, I seem to remember life experiences much better than any physical gift I received as a child.
Interesting discussion though.
I agree. I love to give and to receive. But i appreciate gifts to ethnic restaurants, museums, art galleries, music lessons and the like more than physical items. I would also prefer to give them. I want to be remembered as the aunt who did awesome things with her nieces and nephews and helped them learn about different cultures and avenues of expression.
I love this!
Rachel, etc: Older people really prefer food baskets or grocery gift cards, which I make up for certain people around the holidays. They don’t need more “stuff” unless they request an item needed, like a family member. Food baskets are not expensive for example, I put a jar of jam, candies or chocolates, tea samplers, olive oil and/or baked goods. Some may want a flower arrangement.
Last year I suggested to my two best girlfriends that instead of giving each other tangible gifts for Christmas, that we each give each other a list of three charities and let the giver select one to donate to on the recipient’s behalf.
They opted for store bought gifts instead.
:(
This resonates with me. Both my son and I choose the charity gift for ourselves, with a choice of 3 charities to give to. The rest of my family, however, wants stuff.
Those “gifts” are not as appreciated as you think. It’s more effective to give experiences. A handful of ideas:
– show tickets
– a visit to a restaurant or gallery/museum, with or without your company
– horseback trail ride.
– afternoon at a day spa.
– A massage!
There are SO many opportunities to get out and enjoy life, but stuff is… stuff. I recently helped my tweenage kid clean her room, and she was afraid of letting go of relatives’ gifts, even though they still sat in the plastic wrap after more than a YEAR. Her room is now clean, with empty shelves for the future things SHE finds important, not what we think she “might like”
Some of my favorite gifts from my boyfriend are a seashell or a flower picked out of the garden. Simple and meaningful (and definitely won’t junk up my place)
Knowing the grandparents love to give, we took the initiative to very lovingly ask if they would help us gift “experiences” for the year. I provided a list of experiences that they could “sponsor” for the year…. like a weekend camping or a froyo date with dad, a trip to the zoo, etc… we’re putting together a coupon or gift certificate book of the different things and it will say who provided that special experience. Less junk, but just as much love!!
Dana I LOVE this idea! My sister-in-law every year for Christmas buys my boys and me a membership to our local zoo. We go at least once a month and it never gets old!
We did the same thing – asked for memberships to a children’s museum, the science museum, and swimming lessons, gift certificate to the movies with a “ticket” for a date with grandma and grandpap. We also ask the grandparents to purchase things my kids need: PJs, book bag, etc.
We also helped my son make a ‘ticket book’ to give to the grandparents – it has a photo of him on each ticket, with an activity listed. The grandparents can redeem tickets for items such as: trip to the library, getting ice cream, bike ride, playing Legos. All activities they can do together which don’t involve buying stuff or spending very much money.
It really has worked out wonderfully – both sets of grandparents (who are indulgent by nature) enjoy being so involved in planning for what the children need, have gotten to really enjoy the experiences, and it fulfills their need to give, without cluttering my house with things I inevitably will donate to Goodwill in a few months.
Have you tried using BecomingMinimal.com to better your life?
But what is their love language?
Absolutely! It’s also important to remember that “gifts” can be in a form of an “experience” (concert ticket, movie, dinner out, museum, wine tasting, massage, ect) … in a form of “time” (offer to babysit, house sit, pet sit, cook a meal, clean out their car)… Too many times we are made to think that gifts have to be material. Gifts can be wonderful, especially when considered outside of its usual “box”. ;D
Happy Gifting!!
Why would you give somebody something that makes you feel good? What matters is what makes the receiver feel good.
My thoughts exactly, Tina! People seem to be forgetting why we give gifts in the first place. Whatever the gift, whether an object of some kind or an experience, ideally it should be something you know (or think) the intended recipient needs or would enjoy/appreciate.
Duh I love these cuz I have to do a debate
I really like these because they are really good pions for a debate
The giving of gifts doesn’t have to cost though… Giving a handmade item or giving them a written letter or card. My love language is gifts but someone giving me a massage is soooo awesome and I would take that over a new purse.
I have repeatedly asked people to refrain from giving me gifts and time and time again they do not respect this boundary. I have suggested my favorite charities or even consumables (bake me a cookie). instead, they give me stuff. Their expression of love is to make them feel good, not me. I end of donating whatever they give or toss it. To me, nothing says I don’t care about you more than not respecting my lifestyle.
I agree! I don’t want/need more stuff and frankly I don’t have time for more experiences. Let’s have a meal together for the holiday and if you want, buy me a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine – stuff that will be used but that would need a special trip for me to buy. Everyone in my family just wants to buy stuff for gifts.
I prefer to receive gifts that can be used – food, wine, chocolate, vouchers for services, plants… My family understands
Isn’t that kind of like giving a hug to someone who doesn’t want a hug, but they have to take it, to keep you happy?
That’s not love…. Love is being present, being thoughtful, being kind, being supportive.
Most gift end up in my nearest donation bin. I buy what I want and need, and I appreciate people when they understand me and my need to fix overconsumption and mass production in the world. I don’t want more of anything but someone’s time, company, attention and shared experiences.
For my hubby and I who are both total gift givers, we are learning to give each other fewer things but giving time and experiences.
For example, he is a wine lovers but sticks to merlots. So, a couple of years ago I have him 12 $25 handmade “gift certificates” that entitled him to go once a month and splurge s little at the wine store We normally don’t buy $25 bottles for “every day.” The catch was that I made it so that each month he had to buy a different type of wine that he had never purchased before. He ended up studying about the different wines and we had a good 2-3 hour date each month when he went to select his gift. Ultimately they will all be consumed but it was a fun experience for him as the receiver and me as the giver.
This is just one of many examples. He has bought me a cheese making class and I gave him a class on how to bake bread.
For kids you could do things like a coupon book that are good for outings alone with mom/dad, an ice cream cone, a night when they get to pick everything on TV, a get out of chores coupon, a new book from the bookstore… whatever your kid-o likes. By the way, I love giving and getting coupons. I have some that I have saved for years to use “just at the right moment.” Coupons work for ANYONE. We started doing them when we were both poor grad students but they’re still my favorite. We even give them to our dogs each Christmas. They each usually get one for a “car-car day” which means that they get to go and spend the day all by themselves doing fun stuff with the humans, a cheeseburger through a window, a walk by themselves… that kind of thing.
Not a thing there to add to the clutter (trust me, I have plenty already) but lots of gift-giving.
How about giving your child an experience? Rock climbing lessons, a movie night, a massage, etc. I do that now and it fills that space where I feel like I have to give something!
I do understand the gift giving love language.
I learned funky ways to give cash and other gifts that are used up – like gift cards ;)
For example:
Photo frame 4 stacked $5 and write on the glass “In Emergency: Break Glass”
Pack up a gift bag with a package of popcorn, a single serving of soda, a movie pass to Redbox or a DVD, add in a chocolate bar that is in a cardboard wrapper and slide a gift card to the movie theater in the cardboard (so it’s a surprise when they open the chocolate bar) It looks like you spent $5, but still keeps it below $30. It’s a gift that doesn’t require space to store it ;)
My daughters slide a gift card – or cash! – it the chocolate bars and gift them at birthday parties. (It’s a great way to see who is truly grateful and who is a brat…)
I even sent my sisters and my mom a St Patrick’s “bit of green” in a card…as a surprise I sent Starbucks gift cards, $5 each, and they arrived for St Patrick’s day. They could throw out the card and use up the gift card…no clutter ;)
(My mom’s birthday gift to me last November was every photo – black and white, even a photo of her grandfather’s brother being held by _his_ grandfather, and all original documents of birth & death…pretty much I became the holder of family identity. I scanned all of the original photos and had them re-printed by FreePrints – an app – added them to recent photos and then spent two weeks handwriting the names and birth & death dates, in a photo album expressing our family tree in a visual way from as far back to current times, as her Christmas gift. She loved it so much, she cried. Yes, it’s a physical gift…but I made sure it was something that could be passed down and it would make sense to anyone flipping through it. ;) And the photos aren’t loose in a suitcase under a bed, they are in an album for display.)
Would giving experiences (concert tickets, gift certificate for a nice dinner out, etc.) satisfy someone whose love language is giving?
Giving doesn’t have to be in the form of “stuff.” How about homemade cookies, a dinner date, a trip to the planetarium, a trip to a national park?
So marketing & advertising is clearly effective……… consumerism is the name of the game. The economy would crumble & we would then be sitting ducks. I live in 26″ travel trailer….. introduction 2minimalism. However, there are many RV’ers who DO pay 4storage facilities. My ex sister-i-law has been storing since 1976….. don’t think she has ever computed the math. What has she been storing? Everything from free make up samples 2tupperware. Lotsa BPA I guess. Go figure… security blanket I suppose 4some??
26 inches, huh? Yeah, that’s small.
These statistics are sad and disturbing.
Think you have too much stuff? Try this. Grab a bag. Set it next to your closet. Every time you get dressed if you pull out something that you were going to put back in the closet because it doesn’t fit, doesn’t look right on you, just isn’t quite your style anymore, drop it in the bag. At the end of the month (or when you have 50 items) take the bag to Goodwill, Salt & Light, Salvation Army, or your other favorite 401(c)3 charity. Get a donation receipt for tax purposes. Repeat as needed.
#50for50
Goodwill is no longer a non profit.
Actually, Goodwill still is a 501(c)(3) non profit. There have been a number of online rumors spreading about them, detailed here: http://www.goodwill.org/uncategorized/think-before-you-donate-and-get-the-facts-about-email-rumors/, but they’re not true.
Goodwill and others are drowning in people’s castoff clothes. Maybe it would be better if we stopped buying so many that we don’t need, won’t wear, and decide to drop off. Just an idea.
If I put 50 clothing items in a bag I would be naked?
And the nearest tiny house planner! Big houses give us reason to succumb to our desire to consume. #tinyhouses
I’m addicted to that show on HGTV! I live in a 980 sq ft home and am not busting at the seams…I think I’m a candidate! Now if I could just find a beautiful place to park one—like with an ocean view!
I am working toward building my tiny house but on a foundation instead of wheels. I’m so excited to do this and rid myself of all my unnecessary “stuff “!
Also love the coupon book idea. My grandsons birthday is coming up and he is one that for many reasons I don’t know as well. So, I’m going to make it for different times for just he & I to do things of his choice. I will give him a choice of two items per coupon like Any Saturday – a movie of his choice or an afternoon of fishing. Thanks for the ideas!
If you feel like you have too much stuff, definitely research Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Chaning Magic of Tidying Up. It will definitely help you decide which stuff is most important to you and will get rid of the unneeded excess.
Awesome book. Life changing.
It really WAS a life changing book for me, too! I haven’t completely finished with my “tidying up” yet, but already I am so much happier to be surrounded by less stuff, and it all sparks joy!
I was just about to comment about this book when I saw your mention. This book seriously did change my life. I apply Kondo’s principles to every aspect of my life, particularly my TIME, not just what I own. I’ve been telling everyone about it.
I also liked the book “unstuff your life” by Andrew Mellen. Very rational, simple approach. Just in case someone might be interested. :-)
I read that book. It was awesome; I’m still processing her ideas and have been planning when it’s going to happen. I feel like I need help though…..definitely will need help.
if you dont use something, anything with in 1 year, it should be donated or sold. As for TV’s PC’s and all electronic devices, by every child having one, a valuable lesson on sharing is lost. What is wrong with the family sitting down to watch a program together.
Your article is spot on, we live in throw away times, our earth is not growing, we better all change our habits soon.
If its anything like in this house, some people would literally be FIGHTING over what to watch. Mom Can’t get enough of shows i can’t stand(i.e. alasken bush people and duck dynasty), i mostly watch stuff like CSI and tiny house hunters(stuff that mom doesn’t like), and if my aunt had her way we’d be watching Animal planet all the time(she can watch that crap in her room).
You are proving Jamie’s point about the valuable lesson not being learned.
Besides, the best gift might be learning that there are better things to do with your time than watch TV
Great article! I’m a Professional Organizer, and I’ve surmised these statistics from personal experience, but seeing the numbers is jarring.
Wow. This is very eye-opening. I’ve found that clutter in my home = a cluttered mind. Clutter paralyzes. Possessions often own us.
Excellent point. Clutter does paralyze. And it does create a cluttered mind.
I am a brand, marketing, and product consultant and have been in the retail, wholesale sectors for major lifestyle brands for 20 years. I’ve spent my career on creating reasons “why” people need more stuff. Marketers and Advertisers use scarcity tactics, artificial obsolescence tactics, and other emotional methods to keep the pipeline active. What’s not mentioned here at all is the diabolical amount of energy needed to create these goods – both human and natural resources. Yes, we’ve created a ton of jobs – but we’ve also created an outsourced workforce to support our habits and left massive energy and waste footprints in our wake. We’ve streamlined complex sourcing and supply chain models to become more efficient and faster at bringing goods to consumers via. plane, boat, train, automobile, and potentially drone. There are more outlets for buying goods now than ever. We live in a mass produced industrialized world…most goods are manufactured in key areas and facilities (some compliant some not) – meaning several brands in one factory with the same people putting them together – for the most part it’s all the same with different logos. Every time we buy something we are casting a vote and there is someone on the backend FORECASTING what we will buy in the future based on our purchases today. We just need to get wiser – aware – informed – so we can make better choices – and shift the paradigm. My work now and in the future is geared toward more purpose driven organizations who care deeply about not just the quality of goods they create – but the quality of life they promote – and sometimes – that doesn’t include any “stuff” at all – just great experiences.
Thank you for your insight on how the marketing and organizations behind the goods works!!!! It is educational and enlightening!!! Glad you have been able to move on to more pleasant work!!!
Very well said — rich fulfilling experience is what the modern life often lacks. So could the converse be true: The reason we have an emptier life is why we feel compulsion to fill it with stuff? Maybe we have forgotten what richer, more enjoyable at a deeper level life can be. And the tools for that richness we seem have carried with us all along, in fact born with. Look at young children — they can become completely absorbed in the backyard, alone or with other children. To combat overconsumption we need to rediscover what will give us higher morE profound pleasures. For me some of the satisfying pleasures available to me are those of using my thinking capacity to figure out possible “solutions” that afflict us: overweight, overwork, fanaticism, fear of talking to strangers,… I’d enjoy deep conversation with real people even if a brief sharing of joke over a cookie. LET’S SWAP OUR CHEAP PLEASURES WITH FIRST RATE PLEASURES!
Thank you for your insight!
Goodwill CEO makes millions a year. His inventory donated by you and I and a deal for Target cast offs. Not for Profit and Non Profit are different animals.
Thanks for clarification!
A friend and I have agreed to only gift each other “consumables” that are not store bought. She gave me 4 months worth of the feature section of the newspaper (her neighbor gives her the daily paper when she is finished with it) that contained comics and word puzzles and I gave her 2 quart jars (recycled of course) of my homemade granola.
I feel ill after reading this…I can’t believe some of these stats, and now realize the changes I need to make…Thank you so much for sharing this, you changed my entire outlook on how I view material possessions…
Vietnam Vets is a far more worthy donation recipient than Goodwill; just my opinion!
I help people simplify their possessions, as a business. We usually start in the closet. I ask my client two simple questions re: EVERYTHING in their closet: Do you LOVE it? If you were standing in front of it today, would you buy it? If no to either question, out it goes into one of three piles: to be altered, to be donated, to be consigned. I hauled 8, yes 8 giant trash bags of stuff out of one client’s closet. She told me it was like taking a high colonic! Simplification is in the zeitgeist. Finally.
8 years spent shopping equals more than 16hrs each week on average, if the woman lives to 80. That seems hard to believe.
One weekend/day off, plus a lunch hour or an hour after work on weekdays doesn’t seem that far fetched to me. I am WAY below that now, but have been above it before too.
Time magazine designates “The 100 Most Influential People” from around the world every year. In 2015, the list included Marie “KonMari” Kondo, a Tokyo-based organizing consultant. Her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has sold over 3 million copies and is a #1 New York Times Best Seller. Her enthusiastic followers live for the high of domestic purging. They call it Kondomania. Facebook has several groups of her followers supporting each other with tips on finding what sparks joy and letting go of all the rest and sharing before and after images. She is a cure for the modern clutter culture.
I give this to whatever organization I am driving by when I have a box to get rid of. I drop clothes off at the pink bins all around town, I haul my furniture to the curb- always gone in a day. I take odds and ends to whatever charity I am by…all have their positives and negatives. I just know some are right on my way thru. Just got rid of my cricut scrapbooking machine and a bunch of cartridges cuz the machine only works half the time. but for someone who has the time or just wants the cartridges…I am sure they will get a great deal on it. Took that to the Good Shepard Donation.
Reading this made me sad. And also embarrassed! I am such a contributor to these mindsets.
I really enjoy design and decor, and also fashion, I tend to satisfy my urges with yardsales, thrifting, etc. and justify that at least I’m buying used instead of getting new stuff. But that doesn’t mean I have less stuff. I tend to get into the trap of, ‘Oh it’s a good deal.’ ‘Oh it’s sort of cool…’ and instead of having things I will truly use, or want, I have a random mishmash of items piled in closets that I feel are ‘wrong’.
Especially because I have a really hard time parting with things even if I don’t want them, use them or need them. Sadly.
And then I feel frustrated by how disorganized I am, with “stuff” controlling me. It’s a vicious pattern! Reading this list made me realize so many people have the same cycle. And spending 1 hour in a Goodwill immediately opens your eyes to the reality that America as a nation has WAY too many items!
The worst is I’m always trying to instill in my children that things don’t buy happiness and to stop being materialistic, yet here I am setting such a piss-poor example!
This has really made me think. Thank you.
I am not the average American! Yeah. The only storage I have is my Christmas decoration in my attic and the baby clothes for the next child born to my daughter (she just had one but wants another eventually). My kids do not have TVs in their rooms. If they would like to watch TV, they can sit in the living room. I do have many items though. Pictures alone are in the thousands. I used to be “double copy” happy until I realized, I’m one person with two eyes. That was silly.
I’m having trouble tracking down original sources on many of these statistics. I can’t find the original source for the 300,000 number anywhere, and it seems implausibly high.
I can’t find the DOE report. Your link says “Department of Energy” but doesn’t link to the primary source.
Can you give me some help on these items? I’m writing an article and trying to track this stuff down. I try not to post any statistics from secondary sources. It seems this is a lost art. Even the LA Times and NY Times are posting statistics with links to secondary sources that don’t have links to primary sources.
We live in a relatively small house with 3 teenage boys. Our house is full. We have primarily stopped Christmas gifts because we have no more room.. Storage Facilities are out for us, because once in you can never move out… Parents have de-cluttered most of their belongings… When the boys move out, we will send items with them immediately to help de-clutter….
According to SSA, self storage is the fastest growing segment in commercial real estate. The occupancy rate of self storage units in America are 90%. I believe in less is more and quality rather than quantity. If interested, read my blog post – http://stretchadime.com/self-storage-terrible-mistake/
We’re heading toward a world where stuff is more malleable, and we’re not ready for it. Labor to produce goods grows less while requiring more energy input. There is a maximum at which producing goods will no longer be a profitable venture.
You’d have to contact this lady to find out where SHE got the stats.
“Consider these statistics cited by professional organizer Regina Lark: The average U.S. household has 300,000 things, from paper clips to ironing boards. U.S. children make up 3.7% of children on the planet but have 47% of all toys and children’s books.” In MacVean, M. (2014)
For many people, gathering possessions is just the stuff of life. March 21, 2014 Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2014/mar/21/health/la-he-keeping-stuff-20140322
The numbers are really quite staggering. I read about some really interesting research done by UCLA’s Center for Everyday Life of Families that found people don’t actually use most of the rooms in their increasingly large homes. James Wallman’s book “Stuffocation” has a great summary of this research and how the middle class has reached material saturation.
In June this year I got rid of 564 things. It sounds a lot, but it was just scratching the surface and certainly not without it’s trials – http://moretimethanmoney.co.nz/2015/05/31/playing-the-minimalist-game/
I had an ESL student from Mali who said that he had grown up in a straw hut with a dirt floor and now had a 750 ft apartment with a dishwasher and disposal, but that he was happier then because his family shared love and warmth but in the USA people just had things.
Or sell it on offerup.com
I couldn’t agree more. We just moved from 4100sq ft to 1400sq ft. Couldn’t be happier! Our huge house was just a huge storage unit. The more stuff we got rid of, the lighter we felt. The less toys the kids have, the more they played with it. If you focus on what’s really important you’ll see that it’s not the stuff that makes you happy. http://ittybittyfoodies.com/focusing-on-the-important/
None of my friends enjoy moving. They dread it! Me? I LOVE it cuz it is an opportunity to get rid of stuff we no longer use or need. Everything I own now is there cuz we want and need it, nothing frivolous remains. As a result, we have only our best items left. Beautiful antiques, art and other items adorn our rooms and walls instead of junk. We take pride in our possessions but they do not possess us! Our stuff is so much more stream-lined and anything I have stored has neatly been assigned a clear lidded bin with writing on it so it is easily spotted and then afterwards put back where it belongs. If u haven’t moved recently or do not intend to, then just pretend and go thru the motions cuz I assure you, it can be very cathartic! :)
There are many things more important than giving useless crap to others. Yes, I can be accused of spoiling my own kids BUT after 12 consecutive years of buying Nutcrackers and snowglobes and Russian nesting dolls for my daughter (a “collector”) the sparkle and shine showed its cracks and faded. It became an increasing nuisance to house such items, we still have them but they are neatly tucked away for the future. I give of my TIME (which most parents are not in a position to do, hence the reason for stuff), I give of my cooking talents (yummy food), I give an ear, I help others organize, give kids money for higher education and create experiences (hockey games are not cheap, nor is the ballet or skiing) and they are so much more meaningful and take up no space except in one’s mind which is exactly the right place!
All we need is less
Giving away the items I don’t use to a unknown charity, for me, is just like putting a band aid on someone with the flu. I get a false sense that I am a good person, with value, because I give my cast-offs to some one that I don’t have to deal with. The real challenge has not been addressed. First, I need to be happy and thankful with what I have. Secondly, I need to find the needy people in my town and help give them what they need, not what I don’t want. For me, when I just drop off things at charities, I feel justified to go and purchase more. When I started volunteering at the crisis center I was able to give away a lot of my stuff to a person I now knew, who really needed a specific item I had. Giving of my time helped me to declutter better than anything else I have tried.
Love #8. We shop a third of our life and we sleep a third of our life, according to the experts. Hmmm! I see a pattern here. What is the last third? Any expert info on that?
Last year my mother was terminally ill. (She died 9 days after my birthday) The last thing I wanted to do was party at that time. We were all desperately sad that she was about to die. Instead of celebrating or buying me presents I asked people to donate to Cancer Research UK and set up a webpage. It raised over £350 and meant far more to me than toiletries sets or jewellery would have, and they would have just cluttered up the house.
For those of you who are responding to comments about LGBT or ‘undertones of religion’ which such strong language as bigot or hate statements are not showing the love of Christ. While as Christians we might agree with someone’s choices or beliefs we are to turn the other cheek and show Christ’s love for the person and give grace and mercy just as Christ gave to us. Let us draw people to Christ with love not push them away with our harsh words.
I am writing a college paper on Minimalism, and this is the greatest page of resources I have ever used for any paper I have written throughout my education. Thank you for such a great collection.
I have started living a much more minimalistic lifestyle and am finding life so much more peaceful. My 3 teenage boys and I live in a cool 2 bedroom condo and we don’t own much of anything. I don’t lose stuff anymore and they love it too, with the exception of one of them. He would be a hoarder if I did not constantly go behind him and make him not bring stuff into the house we don’t need. I have a minimal wardrobe and don’t stress over what to wear anymore and I have more money than I ever have because I don’t buy excess stuff anymore. My boys and I are going on a small vacation tomorrow. We can do stuff like that now. Love your website!
Until I left home for college I lived in an 8X8 room with barely enough room to turn around. Moved into a dorm room for another 3 years or so and then into an apartment that was about 10X25 total space. My husband and I worked REALLY hard after college. We now have 2 very large houses, and we enjoy them with our family and friends. We use virtually all our stuff to entertain, for people who stay over, and generally to create a life that can be lived with our loved ones close. I confess that I could toss out a few extra pairs of jeans or maybe I keep my old tennis shoes a few years too long, but otherwise I manage my possessions pretty well. Once we have no need for these things, we’ll downsize. In the meantime, I bless and congratulate you all on your choices and hope you have wonderful lives. And I live with the hope that you would extend me the same wish.
One of my resolutions for this year was not to buy any clothes for one year. It is nearly three and half months and have not bought a thing. The reasons for not accumulating any more clothes were:
1. No more wardrobe space, have only one in our apartment
2. Already have more clothes than I could use
3. De-clutter life
4. If I want to wear something new, then I must Re-use, Re-cycle, Up-Cycle, Re-fashion, what I already have
As of now, the resultant effects are:
a. I am dressed better, using more of my clothes
b. No clothes in the wardrobe which are ill-fitting etc. thanks to re-fashion blogs
c. Saving all that time going through shops, online sites..
d. Friends passing on their new clothes to me that they bought and not worn
e. Best of all, admiration for my creativity and getting orders to re-fashion their clothes
Amazing facts, just loved it <3 :)
most amazingly $1.2 Trillion spending on nonessential goods, Lol :-D
To give stuff to show you love is stupid.
My kids dont get stuff for love. They get education, the ability to cope in live and help themselves, support, respect, time together, help when needed.
Stuff is dead material goods.
Not sure if anyone has read the book “Essentialism”, but it is a great one on this exact topic. It isn’t so much about material items, but about the way that we view our lives. There is so much parallel between the things / stuff we have and the ideas we harbor.
I live with my girlfriend in a 230 square foot efficiency apartment in Austin, TX and we couldn’t be happier. It allows us the freedom to travel, work on the projects we believe in (with long term viability) and generally is a better way of living than my family’s large homes.
Last year I wrote Christmas cards, basically: “I am no longer spending on gifts, wrapping and mailing [for you]. I am donating to heifer.org so that people who have very little can benefit from your excess.”
Loved the article. After my husband and I divorced I cleaned out a bunch of just stuff. I had it but it didn’t matter. Over the years since it has been a work in progress. The things I am keeping matter to me.
Wow this is incredible. Who knew. This makes me want to get rid of everything and never buy things again. I should read this everytime I leave for Target :)
I give my grown kids and friends memories. Such as plane tickets, concert tickets, travel money. Or I make gifts of soaps, salsa, vanilla, lotions. My kids are teaching me minimalism by their example.