“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
Ten years ago, we sold, donated, or discarded over 60% our 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.
At the time, the idea of owning fewer possessions was completely foreign to us. Nobody had ever told us living with fewer possessions was an option for life… much less a better alternative to the endless pursuit of more and more.
Looking back, while I would have never admitted with my words that I was seeking joy in possessions, I had become more influenced by our consumer-driven culture than I would like to admit. As a result, I worked long hours to earn money to buy newer technology, trendier clothing, nicer toys, faster cars, and bigger houses. I didn’t really believe the purpose of life was to chase possessions, but my calendar and checkbook sure seemed to declare that truth.
Choosing to intentionally live with fewer possessions was a decision that sounded surprisingly attractive. It was a decision that found its roots in our finances, our family, and our faith. We had grown weary of living paycheck to paycheck, weary of trading time with our kids to manage our possessions, and weary of pursuing worldly gain rather than lasting purpose. Owning less offered escape from the clutter in our homes. It offered escape from the clutter in our lives. It forced intentionality. And it offered the very ideals our hearts most desperately desired.
Since choosing to live with less, we have experienced numerous unexpected benefits. We have more time, more energy, more freedom, and more money to pursue what is most important to us. Owning less means less cleaning, less burden, less anxiety, and less stress each and every day. In short, we are freed to pursue our passions.
Over the years, I have come to define minimalism as the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. I have found it to be a lifestyle that appeals to the heart and resonates with the soul. Owning less is an invitation that is appreciated, desired, and accepted when fully understood.
Minimalism may be just the answer to a better life that you’ve been searching for all along. (tweet that)
Thedebtfreeminimalist says
A great post J.B!
Anyone who takes the path towards a life of minimalism will soon enjoy the benefits of owning less, the elimination of desire for the latest gadget/clothing must-have, the comfort you can take by realising that no one material possession will make you happy and that happiness will come, almost as a sub-benefit, of redirecting your previous consumerism led free time to more fulfilling activities.
Please take the time to check out my new website, http://www.thedebtfreeminimalist.com for inspirational advice on how to live a simple, frugal, debt-free minimalist lifestyle.
Noel says
Thank you for the great article! I’ve just started to downsize my life. Fewer clothes means less stress about a growing pile of laundry. Fewer dishes means never feeling overwhelmed with cleaning the kitchen. My dog seems unhappy with my putting away most of his (14) toys, but other than that it’s been smooth sailing. My biggest fear is my job. I’m living paycheck to paycheck and I still have student loan debt to pay down. I’m scared that I’ll spend the rest of my life staring at a computer screen, sitting on my ever-expanding behind, trying to become financially secure. This isn’t what I wanted my life to be like.
Tina says
Get rid of as many debts as you can and save as much as you can.
When I worked in an office I basically wore the same 3 pairs of slacks, 6 tops, and 3 sweaters in various combinations over and over again. Bring your lunch, do not pick up coffee on the way to work and never use the vending machines. You can save $40-$50 a week that way alone. If you can get by without a car , do that. If not keep a car as long as you can to avoid payments. Do not buy anything on credit, ever. Tina
beachmama says
We began simplifying in 2009 in selling our 3,000 square foot house and big mortgage. I built the house with my ex-husband 20 years prior to selling it. We lived in a 29′ travel trailer for 4 years and both worked full time as we built our dream house. Living in the trailer was an eye-opening experience . . . probably the most valuable life lesson I’ve done so far. Moving into the big house was overwhelming on many levels. I had a sense of guilt consuming so much raw material creating my dream. We soon settled into life, had a son and life was good. When I divorced I had to pay my ex-husband half a million dollars for his half of the house. We spent a fraction of that amount building the house but property values had skyrocketed. I struggled to stay in the house for 6 years after the divorce. Got my son off to high school and decided it was time to get real before I spent all of my equity.
Moving was gut-wrenching and I hung onto the sadness of letting go until only a few months ago. I still miss the house and property (5 1/2 acres) but my (now) husband and I live on the coast. Although we’re renting, we live in a great house with a view of the harbor and the ocean. The house is half the size of our country home and a postage stamp size lot but it’s plenty big enough. Although living on the coast was always my dream we may never have moved here because we loved our country home. We’re no longer pressured to make a huge monthly mortgage or maintain a big house and property. I walk the beach several times a week, work from home and have a community I’d never experienced in our country home. I’m now living another life-long dream.
Another dream of mine is to build and live in a tiny house. However, this isn’t a dream shared by my husband. He’s what’s now known as a ‘prepper’ so feels it’s best to have 10 of everything. Because he loves me he’s agreed to the tiny house idea but his vision is of 3 tiny houses . . . we’re getting there ; )
Thanks so much for sharing your life and inspiring me to pursue a simpler life.
Kuwanna says
I hear you… I’m in a 3400 square foot house and thinking I was nuts to ever agree to buy something this big. In reality I can barely keep up with the cleaning, and would rather have my feet up or play with my kids than vacuum the upstairs…again… And then there’s the yard…
So this year or next we’ll make plans to move. My husband is on board with this. The challenge will be getting a house no more than 2000 square feet when he wants at least 2400… :)
My husband has also mentioned the idea of owning more than one property for vacationing or to rent for additional income. As far as I’m concerned I am one person, we are one family, so we are good with one house. If I want to vacation somewhere I’ll stay in a hotel that I don’t have to maintain all the other weeks out of the year!
I love this blog and reading replies from people who have the same goals as me. :)
Happy Annie says
I just read a great article on the benefits of downsizing into a smaller home here: http://blog.realestatebook.com/2013/07/24/benefits-of-downsizing-into-a-smaller-home/
Ally says
Oh my goodness. I am married to a “prepper” also (I never had a term for it before…I love it)! So much of getting over your stuff is the fear that you might need it someday! Not sure what the best way to deal with it is. I am confident we will get there eventually, albeit slowly. It’s amazing how one can become so attached to stuff!
christina says
We moved to a larger house about a year ago, and keeping up with it has been time consuming and overwhelming for me. Getting rid of our stuff is helping, as is buying less, too.
swalia says
Eliminating the excess surely brings a sense of peace and content in life. I am new to the journey and your blog is such an inspiration!
JS says
Great article. I think minimalism allows you to focus your life.
Tanya says
We are also going through this process. We had wanted to begin a couple of years ago, but got an offer to live on a large piece of property, 7 acres, which we really needed to experience. That property came with a 2700 sq ft home, not what I wanted but the experience was needed to happen. Now we are all (2 adults, 2 children & our zoo of kittes and 2 dogs) living happily in an 800 sq ft home and loving it! Garage Sale #2 in April. We keep realizing we need less and less. Our priority is to travel more. So nice to have less, we still have a long way to go, but you have to start somewhere!
Brown Vagabonder says
As Thenix and I look to travelling for a year or so through South America, I have to figure out what to do with all of our stuff. Even though we are not big consumers, we still have a lot of stuff to store away. Furniture, clothes, electronics. We only have a 500 sq.ft apartment but we have surely crammed it with an abundance of things. Just deciding to go on this trip led us to cut down on our ownership – we got rid of a lot of stuff that was just hanging around – it made us question everything we bought and received. Owning less is an answer to a lot of questions in our lives.
Chris Hufnagel says
My wife and I have recently begun to go through this metamorphosis from living a consumer based life to a life of less. As we tell friends and family that we are selling stuff the first response we usually get is them asking something about us not having enough money. It is really difficult to actually explain to someone that you want to choose to have less in your life.
“Choosing to intentionally live with fewer possessions was a decision that sounded surprisingly attractive.” I am going to be sending some people this statement and keep it in my arsenal as we continue on our journey.
Slackerjo says
I get what you are saying! My mother thinks that my frugal/minimalist lifestyle is because I am desperately poor. The opposite is true, I am able to put 40% of my income in the bank.
Robert Wall says
Interesting irony that the people who look rich are poor, and the people that look poor are rich….isn’t it? :)
Tina says
I have never been interested in what the “Joneses” of the world are doing. I just don’t want to be the biggest mess in the room. My kids give me things, my friends give me things, and sometimes I find what I need at a rummage sale or yard sale. I think all of us have an image of our selves and when we meet that image we are happy.
Wyndee says
I also have people in my life that don’t get it. We recently downsized to a smaller house even though when we moved my husband got a raise. My mom still talks about how nice my old house was. It was too big I could never keep it clean. It had so much room I never had to throw anything out. I am so much happier now with a smaller more manageable house. We are still working on it, I am going room to room. The ones I am done with I love being in.
ccattwood says
This is my goal in the near future as well…we have no problem financially to keep our ‘big’ house going, but the space bothers me as I am not a cleaning fanatic (hence a big reason I love the clutter-free lifestyle;]). People in our family think we are nuts to want to downsize to a more moderate house as ‘you have THE house most people aspire to’…but I aspire to less because I know it to be more :)
Meg says
We achieved a similar thing by dividing our home. We converted one end of it into a flat for our daughter and her partner. This gave them the opportunity to live well while they studied and also to practice minimalism because the space was small. Sort of independence with training wheels. Now that they’ve moved on we’ve got one of my daughter’s friends living there because of difficulties with her family and we like the idea of making it available to people in short term difficulty. Someone suggested renting it out as a holiday flat to make money. They don’t get it. That would mean more cleaning, more work and spending money on replacing things that are worn or damaged.
Kelly Davidson says
I am a new follower and will be looking to your blog as well as your book, Simplify, for guidance over the coming months.
I have already started the process by clearing out an enormous amount of kids toys, clothes, books and shoes. Next is the kitchen!
My fear though, is that once I have reduced everything we own down to what we need, how will I stop things creeping back? What strategies can you recommend to make sure I don’t fall in to the trap of feeling like I need “stuff” again?
Gina M says
I am VERY slowly trying to simplify…but I think the best way to keep your possessions reduced once you get there, is to adopt the 1 thing in – 1 thing out rule. If you do acquire someting new, something you already own must go! I wish I was closer to this goal myself…
Robert Wall says
Gina, I find sometimes the best rule is just the “1 thing out rule”. Something leaves; don’t actively try to replace it. :)
Audrey says
I delay purchasing things. I research it, look at and then wait at least a couple of weeks sometimes longer. I usually but not always find, life is great without it!
Colin says
I’ve been using my Amazon Wish List for this very purpose. I’ll maybe see something cool, research it, find the right one for me… and then add it to my Wish List.
If I still feel the same in 2-3 months, I’ll go ahead with the purchase. If I find myself staring blankly at the screen, wondering why I ever thought it was needed, it gets deleted from the list. It helps to cut out SO many unnecessary impulse buys.
Gail says
Agree, or start with one thing in, 3 things out!
Annie says
Hi Kelly,
I’m relatively new to minimalism, (1 1/2 years), and have discovered that “creep” is toughest when you first start your journey. One way I have learned to combat it is to keep a small notebook with me that has several tabs. One tab is for my “needs”, items that I do truly need for myself and my home, and that have to be budgeted for. A second tab has my budget and purchases which allows me to see how much money I really do have to spend available at any one time. My budget is based on cash so that I don’t fall into the trap of charging it just because I can. The third tab is for items I have seen and wanted, but not necessarily needed. I note where I saw it, how much it costs, and what date I saw it. Then I force myself to wait at least one week before buying. Most of the time I don’t end up buying it, and on the rare occasion I do I apply the one-in-one-out rule and sell/donate the old item if at all possible. It’s not a perfect system, ( I still have to avoid stores like Sephora entirely), but it’s working 90% of the time and I have been able to get myself out of debt within a year using it and my home is less cluttered and more comfortable to live in.
Todd says
Annie – your notebook with 3 tabs is a great idea! Thank you for sharing. So simple, but yet so powerful. Thanks!
Meg says
Thanks so much for this comment, Annie. Excellent advice and I’ll be using this system too.
Leticia Cheek says
Great idea Annie! Thanks!
anonymous says
In response to the women who says she avoids places like Sefora to keep down spending etc. I have learned that these kind of stores are my friend. I can’t afford most of the items that they sell but I can afford the samples they give out. I sometimes bring old sample bottles and refill when I am out of old samples. Or the staff are more than willing to supply me with the newest products to try. I have trained myself to not use as much product as well therefore my facial care costs have gone down considerably. Yes, there are times I do have to break down and buy what I need. Just remember to think chemical and cruelty free.
OldIowaGirl says
I play a game with myself whenever I want to buy something. I have to answer “yes” to 1 of these 3 questions:
1) Do I need this?
2) Do I love this?
3) Will owning this make me happy?
montyloree says
Kelly… when you have enough time to appreciate EVERYTHING that you own, then it’s time to add more things… if you can keep fully appreciating everything, then you know you’re ok… it’s when we have so much stuff that we can’t appreciate what we’ve got…IMO
Joy Perkins says
One thing that works for my clients is to limit the size of the space you allot to items – for example, when I have used all my hangers, I have enough clothes or when a shelf is full, I have plenty of that item. Don’t try to be “creative” and fit in double the amount – you are just undermining yourself. A new item IN means an old item has to go OUT (or you really didn’t need to buy it) Focus on the quality of what you do with your time instead – for example, less time cleaning and more time visiting with friends. Best of luck!
Dennis says
Grow up.
Andrea Briggs says
I am relatively new to this too, when I am considering buying anything I ask myself, “will this enhance my life?” Usually it won’t!
Louis A. says
I have read Marie Kondo’s book on Tidying and personally, I have stopped overacquiring after keeping only the stuff I need and appreciate. You will be very choosy, resulting in focusing on buying things that genuinely make you happy, and that leads to buying less stuff. You develop this sense of value, which will help prevent succumbing to “retail therapy”. And you also will be able to get rid of stuff easily. I recommend her book.
Nancy H. says
That book gave me an entirely new way of looking at my life and the things I thought I HAD to keep because it was a gift or belonged to my Mother. It’s taken a while but now I walk through my house weekly and pull more items to sell or donate. It’s gotten to be fun to purge.
Rowan says
One thing you might do as you clear stuff out is reflect on what the stuff you keep reveals about you and your passions and interests. Reducing the amount of stuff you have can also help focus your pursuits and separate the ones you are passionate about from the ones that are just mild fancies that you think you’d like to do “when you get around to it.” When you see something you think you want, take time to reflect on whether you’d actually benefit from it or not. Would it contribute to your engagement in those things you value, or would it distract from them?
deirdre says
Once you feel the joy of having a simplified life, you will feel differently about shopping. I hardly shop anymore and when I do, I can walk out of a store with out anything in my hands. It has been the most freeing experience in my life.
Bobbi Kies says
If you feel you “must” at least go to a thrift store, instead of buying new. The damage to your finances will be minimal and you will be helping a worthy cause. Also, the desire lessens when you don’t come home with shiny new stuff in pretty packaging. And, decline the bag at the thrift store. And if you discover that you didn’t need it after all, donate it back. After living this way, you will discover how little you really need.
Ruthie says
I would say don’t focus on that concern. The answer will come as you go through the process of getting rid of things. Once I saw how much stuff held me down, and how difficult it was to sell items that came into my home, I stopped buying as much. When I DO buy something I have a one in one out rule. Sometimes even a one in 2 hour rule. The more I got rid of, the lighter I felt. The lighter I felt, the less I wanted to buy stuff for my home that I didn’t truly love or need.
Kate says
We started noticing things creeping back in after a whole summer pare-down last year. I realized I was buying without mindfulness. I always use a cc (we get points, we don’t carry a balance) so it didn’t feel like money. I was a bit out of control with spending, not only before the purge but afterwards as well. I now stop at each purchase and just go through a series of questions suited for me: when will this be in the landfill? Do I have something that can work already? What could this amount of money do for a disadvantaged person in my community? What would I get rid of because space is sacred now (not limited)? These questions. I also take a LONG time to shop, and I usually un shop about half of my items. Hope these ideas get you started on what will work for you!