“Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions.” —Peace Pilgrim
SIxteen years ago, we sold, donated, or discarded over 70% of our family’s possessions. We removed clothes, furniture, decorations, cookware, tools, books, toys, plus anything else we could find in our home that was not immediately useful or beautiful. The result has been a completely transformed life and lifestyle. It is a decision we have never regretted.
The intentional choice to pursue minimalist living and owning less has brought with it a great number of benefits. It has been the answer to much of the discontent we felt in our lives when we owned more. And the decision holds the potential to do the same for you.
Consider these Seven Common Problems that Can Be Solved by Owning Less Stuff:
1. “I don’t have enough money / I’m in debt.”
The simplest solution to almost every money problem is “spend less.” In fact, it’s the first step in almost every financial program ever devised. Purposefully deciding to own fewer possessions is an important step in getting your financial house in order – and often times, it’s the only step you really need to take.
2. “There’s just not enough time in the day.”
We were immediately surprised at how much extra time we found in our lives after removing our unnecessary possessions. We came to realize, if we aren’t careful, the things we own quickly move from “time-saving” to “time-consuming.” Just think about all the time we waste caring for our possessions: shopping, researching, organizing, picking up, cleaning, repairing, replacing – even earning the money to buy them in the first place. And the reality is, it can be difficult to determine how much time our possessions are actually stealing from us until we actually remove them.
3. “There’s always so much cleaning to do / Even after I clean, my house feels cluttered.”
Want to have a cleaner home? Own less stuff. It works every time.
4. “My house is too small / There’s never enough storage around here.”
Chances are pretty good that your house isn’t too small – you’ve just put too much stuff inside it. Case in point: according to statistics, the average house size in America has doubled since the 1950’s… yet, many of us still think that we need something bigger. You probably don’t. And removing the unneeded possessions from your home and life will likely provide the opportunity for you to discover that again.
5. “I’m too stressed.”
The artist and philanthropist, John Ruskin once said, “”Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness.” Every increased possession weighs down our lives with new things to worry about, care for, and maintain. Our purchases have far surpassed bringing convenience and ease into our lives. In fact, they have begun to do just the opposite – they have brought new forms of stress and anxiety instead.
6. “I can’t decide what to wear / It’s so hard to keep up with the changing fashions.”
On the surface, fashion appears to be an ever-evolving game where the rules change with each passing season. As a result, it demands astute attention (and an expansive income). But it does not have to. Instead, carry a beautiful wardrobe filled with a few timeless pieces that you truly love to wear. Once you love everything hanging in your closet, deciding what to wear will be one less problem to deal with in your morning.
7. “I wish I had…”
Our culture begs us to own more. Advertisements call us to purchase the latest and the greatest. Our natural tendencies cause us to compare our lives with those around us. And we seem to have a built-in desire to impress others by owning as much as possible. As a result, we spend precious energy wishing we had more. But this constant dreaming, hoping, and envying other’s possessions is stealing from our joy and contentment today. It makes us feel like we are missing something – even though there is so much joy right in front of us.
We made the decision years ago to live with fewer possessions. Sometimes, I get asked, “Do you think you’ll always be a minimalist?” My response is always the same, “Oh yeah, I’m never going back. There is just too much joy and freedom on this side.”
And I cherish the opportunity to invite others to experience it as well.
YK @ simplelivingconnect says
In the process of learning more about simple living and slowly working towards it. Thank you for your useful sharing!!
Jolie says
You could not have expressed my feelings better. I have been slowly trimming down my excess possessions. I live I a cluttered space mostly because my husband houses product in our garage and spare places in our home, so trimming back is difficult. Because I like to cook and have a number of gadgets, I noticed that I only use a few of these regularly. So, I’m thinking to have a box nearby and after using one of these items, throwing them in there. Anything else still left in the drawers after lets say a month will have to be discarded. Because it’s obvious it’s only taken space. Same with clothes and on down the line. When I worked, my wardrobe was considerably more extensive, but totally unnecessary, so it’s time to eliminate those items as well.
Thanks for a well written article.
Deedee says
I don’t know what to do. I have always tried to live a minimalist life, but I fell in love and now have been living with him for ten years. We have two children. Our house is a screen shot from some Twilight movie. Neither of us is into buying, but he hoards. He drags home cut tree branches and grass from the neighbors and dumps them in the parking spot. He picks up broken planters’ pots and rusty nails. He gathers used cardboard boxes and gift wrapping papers from other people’s recycling bins. Never throws away anything and fishes out what I throw way from the garbage can, hides them from in the most unlikely places. They become nasty surprises. In the drawers meant for keys and maps he puts drained batteries, broken sunglasses, extra keys from apartments he rented twenty years ago in Switzerland and broken arms and legs from Playmobile dolls. Once he kept a dead cat (road kill) in the garbage can for a day so that he could dig hole in the garden to bury it….for fertilizer purpose. Am I too paranoid but is this still normal? I have a feeling that this is not a “decluttering” problem only.
Juliska says
No, this is not normal. Your husband is a hardcore hoarder. If he won’t get help, you should look into getting therapy for yourself, to learn ways of asserting yourself and setting boundaries. He is probably so caught up in his fixation that he can’t see how this harms his relationships, especially with his family. You can’t change him, but do you really want to watch it getting worse and worse, for the rest of your life? He hoards trash, for heaven’s sake! You may have to consider living elsewhere, at least for a while. This is not a good environment for children. They will grow up with the message that nothing in the world matters more to daddy than his useless, dangerous stuff – not their comfort, their safety, or their sanity.
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MSUEH says
Go AWAY; peddle your wares elsewhere!
Theresa Wulff says
Question. I have had to move home and take care of my elderly mother. I AM A MINIMALIST. She is not. Each time I mention something or I share an article about removing clutter, she gets angry. She tells me these things will mean something when she is gone. I do not want material things. I want to live in peace and to visit with her each day. It makes me crazy to see a dining room table with books and the daily newspaper on it and to have a small trash can and 2 other recycling containers just “hanging” out in the kitchen / dining rooms. Help me help myself. I want to respect her things however it is truly making me physically ill to have so many “Treasurers” laying on each level surface!?
Regi says
I have the same problem with my mother. She fills many rooms in our house with her stuff or brocken/useless things (she even takes things back from the garbage!). I don’t know what to do anymore.
Merry Collop says
Teresa, I hear what you are saying. However, try to allow your mom just to have what brings her happiness in this time of her life. She has many things going on in her life that she has no control over; allow her to hold on to her possessions as long as she can because that is all that she can ‘control’. Her health is failing, she can no longer care for herself, her independence is gone. Of course she will fight you in trying to downsize; she may not realize that she is fighting the loss of her independence, so just let her have what she wants. This will not last forever; eventually you can purge her home and have the peace you need. She will never need to know that you don’t value the things that she values, and that is a good thing because it makes her feel good that she will have stuff to give you that she thinks you will value. Allow her to have the last bit of her independence available; your job is to make her remaining life easier for her. It will be harder for you to allow her to have her clutter, but in the end, you will know that you did everything to preserve your mom’s happiness, and isn’t that more important in the final scheme of things?
Tammie Mayer says
Super great advice!!
Ann S. says
After reading your posts for several months, I finally took the plunge and began downsizing! Four bags and three boxes want to Salvation Army, a few things to friends and more to trash and recycle. I hope to keep the momentum going! Thank you for sharing your experiences and wisdom!
Anne P says
There’s an old book called “Your Money or Your Life” that has you go through some of your things or desired purchases to figure out how much that costs in your time – how many hours (or minutes) do you have to work in your job to own that. It can be really a really enlightening perspective and help in making some of those decisions to de-own or not purchase in the first place.
Rob C says
#2&3 particularly hit home for me. Thank you for these inspiring posts. They help!
Ralf says
Yes we wish we had a million pound right now so that my hubby can quit his backbreaking job as a carer.
Otherwise we are quite ok.
Only one debt, which is covered by savings. We only keep the debt going because of job uncertainty so that we can service the debt and pay the rent if anyone of us loses his job.
There’s just one easy rule to follow. Remove more stuff from the house than you bring in.
And a few more for beneficial side effects.
At spring cleaning sort out the damaged and useless. If you can’t fix it today, dump it.
Don’t just dump things to clear the house. If it would be useful to someone else give it away. If you know him, don’t wait for birthday or Christmas. This way they all get useful stuff over the year and focus on Christmas and birthday on you.
And fashion? Fashion is so ugly it has to be replaced every 6 months.
Go for style instead. Style lasts for years.
Go for twoo weeks of underwear so that you don’t need the washing machine for a shirt and a pair of socks.
And forget hand wash. A washing machine is far cheaper than a new back.
Robyn Petrik says
Every single of one these seven things is absolutely golden! I started flirting with minimalism a few months ago, and I love the feeling of slowing going through my belongings and paring down. And now that I’m fully self-employed running my own copywriting business, I’m especially thankful that it’s easier to want less and spend less now. Great post Joshua, thank you!