I find it difficult to admit most of my life was wasted chasing the wrong things. Looking back, it has become increasingly clear how I spent the first 33 years of my life chasing temporal, material possessions. I thought my life would improve as I acquired them.
It was supposed to be the “American Dream.” But I was all wrong.
While my household possessions were not extravagant, they accumulated over years—especially as we moved into larger and larger homes. Each move would result in more rooms to furnish and more empty closets and storage areas to keep our stuff. Fashions changed and thus, we bought new clothes. New technology emerged and we purchased new gadgets. Kids entered our family and with them came toys, gifts, hand-me-downs, and purchases “necessary” to raise them correctly.
Eventually, our possessions began subtly to control our lives. We spent countless hours cleaning, sorting, organizing, repairing, replacing, removing, and maintaining our physical possessions—not to mention all the time we spent on the front end earning the money just to make the initial purchase in the first place.
Our pursuit of material possessions was controlling our checkbook, draining our energy, and robbing us of true, lasting joy.
But then, everything changed.
When I was 33 years old, we began giving away all the possessions in our lives that were not absolutely essential to our purpose and goals. Eventually, our family removed over 60% of our earthly possessions. And we couldn’t be happier. We found more time, money, and energy to pursue the things in life most valuable to us: faith, family, and friends. We discovered far greater fulfillment in life pursuing our passions than we had ever discovered pursuing possessions.
And now, my only regret is that we didn’t pursue simple living sooner—that we wasted so much time, so many years, and so many resources. If I could do life over again, I would have embraced a minimalist life earlier: my teens, my twenties, or as a newly-formed family. As a result, from the very beginning, we would have experienced:
- Less debt.
- Less clutter.
- Less financial obligation and debt.
- More savings.
- More intentionality.
- More presence with others in my life.
- Less need to get ahead at others’ expense.
- More passion.
- More contentment.
The life-giving invitation to minimalism holds benefit for every generation. It is never too late to start no matter what stage of life you are introduced to it. But my life would attest to the fact that today is the best day to begin living with less. And the earlier in life, the better.
Lynda C Adair says
When I moved out at the age of 22, I started out with just the basics. Over the years, I accumulated the “American Dream” of stuff. After I married, at age 30, my eyes were opened when I saw ALL of my spouse’s stuff. I have been donating items for over 5 years now, and live with so much less now. I even gave away my wedding china, because I never used it. I just kept 2 coffee mugs and a decorative candle holder that I love. My home is just me and my spouse, (who eventually caught on, and has deleted a huge portion of his stuff.), and every season I re-evaluate my clothes, household items, and sewing items. If there are things I have not worn or use within a year, I gather them and donate them. The feeling that I have after I do this is so freeing and happy, and when I look at my clothing and personal items, and sewing hobby, I see what I want to see and wear, and use, and sew!
Robin says
Dipping my toes into the minimalism lifestyle. I dedicated this decade to be my minimalist decade. I’m taking baby steps but I like where this is going!
Kristen Johnson says
I’m 72 and have just finished round one of getting rid of stuff and minimizing. I let my grown kids look it all over and turns out they don’t want it either!
The really joyful part is now I have lots of room in my home, including a bedroom which will be rented out to a college student and another one for my teen grandchildren to hang out with their friends.
Pamela Honegger says
“Our pursuit of material possessions was controlling our checkbook, draining our energy, and robbing us of true, lasting joy.”
I am over 50 and am living this phrase right now. I am in deep debt, and own far more than I need. I have begun this journey to get debt free and live intentionally and to get my life back. I too, wish I had learned it earlier, but better late than never.
ACE says
Everyone around me was saying I would “need” the big house with the finished basement because we were starting a family. So I went for the big house. Turned out to be a big mistake. The maintenance, the running up and down stairs, the baby gates, the yard work, the constant organizing, the costs, the empty space to fill, ugh! Now that we’re in a small apartment I realize this would have been soooooo much easier all along. Live and learn. Never, ever going back to big house nor high-maintenance yard nor backyard swimming pool. Love my simple life.
Mary B. Wawrzonkowski says
We don’t have any kids, but live in a really nice, modest home. It’s perfect for us. But yet, people always call it our “starter home” and make comments of how we will probably be out of there in a year or two to move to something bigger.
I don’t get it. It’s just the two of us and there’s absolutely no need for anything bigger. But yet, people act like our goal in life should be to get out of this house and into something grander. I’m so glad that is not our goal.
I do wish I would have embraced minimalism younger than my 402, but its never too late and I’m glad I have a new, more contented outlook on life with it!!
Mary B. Wawrzonkowski says
Correction on above post…*meant* younger than my 40’s!:)
Melanie Montana says
We are still living in our “starter home” after 28 years. A friend of mine said I was lucky, my house is perfect for our retirement. No need to downsize. It was always perfect. The people who referred to our starter home were always envious when we went on a fabulous vacation. They were all house poor!
Susan says
I was really insulted when a colleague of my father in law (a wealthy doctor with far too many collections and far too many wives and ex-wives) once visited our newly bought home and declared it a “nice starter home.” Who was he to say that we could not stay in our first home? I admittedly have complained over the years and have yearned for a bigger home, but am trying to really explore the reasons and my real needs. I think the wise course is to stay in our house, paid off long ago, and focus on shedding the junk.
Jodi says
Last weekend I spent about 4 hours cleaning out a room on my one real day off of the week. I have been on a slow journey to less for a long time now, but my focus has only been on “things.” That day last weekend really reinforced to me that minimalism is really about more, more time and more freedom.
The truth says
whenever I tell people less in more they tell me I am being negative
Sammie says
That’s why I prefer the term “simple living” instead of “minimalism.”
J. says
Oh, I do like that term, “simple living.” I like it so much better and it doesn’t sound catchy to me….
Carol K. says
I’m 70 and getting ready to move from my house to a one bedroom apartment. I’m greatly reducing my possessions. I look forward to living in a more peaceful simple way.
Sammie says
Carol, I’m interested in your decision. I’m 71 and thinking about making such a change. It’s a big step. I’ve been living simply for years, but leaving my house is the next decision.
Donna says
I have been reading about minimalism for a while and looks right for me.
ren says
Find I have no time to read, but hmmmm, time to watch TV and FB and emails….
Switching my thinking for summer, taking time to read in evening when I unplug and thinking of dusting of piano books or learning new song.
Time to expand.