This isn\u2019t an unrealistic lifestyle <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAfter \u201cwhat do you miss?\u201d the next question I get asked is \u201cwhen are you coming home and settling down again?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traveling with just over 100 items is not thought of as a realistic, sustainable lifestyle. Most people assume it\u2019s just a phase, one you\u2019ll grow out of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the longer I spend on the road, the more people I see making this lifestyle work long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In many countries, renting a fully furnished apartment, complete with bedding, furniture and a fully equipped kitchen, is pretty standard. I even have friends in their 50s – with a couple of kids in tow – who have rented like this for years, sometimes staying still, sometimes traveling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Predictions say there will be up to a billion nomads in the world by 2035. That\u2019s 13% of the world who will be, by design, living with fewer possessions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There will likely come a time where I will own more possessions than I currently do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now I know how little I can happily live with, I will probably never own much more. And just because I might <\/em>live with more stuff in the future doesn\u2019t make what I live with now \u201cunrealistic.\u201d This has been my life for the last 20 months, and is going to continue to be so. <\/p>\n\n\n\nMinimalism isn\u2019t an unfeasible lifestyle. It\u2019s gaining popularity across the world as more and more people realize they\u2019re overburdening themselves – and the world – with excess stuff. That\u2019s not unrealistic – it\u2019s just different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, do you want to know what the 134 items are? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHere\u2019s my latest inventory:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clothes and accessories – 61 items\u00a0<\/li> Electronics – 7 items\u00a0<\/li> Kitchen equipment – 12 items\u00a0<\/li> Toiletries – 16 items\u00a0<\/li> Books and stationery – 12 items\u00a0<\/li> Home furnishings (kept at my parent\u2019s house as I travel) – 26 items\u00a0<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nI won\u2019t go as far as the old clich\u00e9: the best things in life are free<\/em>, but I will say that not everything good in the world has to be a physical possession. Far from it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nPeople. Sleep. Tranquility. Nature. Free time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All good things. The best, in fact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Possessions are essential, but as every minimalist in the world will tell you, garnering too many of them can stop us from finding meaning and purpose. Thinking that possessions will make us content and whole is like trying to find the happiness crab under the wrong rock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For now, I\u2019ll stick with my 134 possessions. They give me what I want – nay, need <\/em>– in life right now. Freedom. The opportunity to travel, make connections and engage in experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\nLife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll take that over the occasional inconvenience of running out of socks, any day of the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
***<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charlie Brown is a British writer and full-time traveler. She is founder of Simple and Straightforward<\/a>, a weekly mail-out focusing on simple living, minimalism, and living life on your own terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Note: This is a guest post by Charlie Brown of Simple and Straightforward. The average American household owns 300,000 possessions. I own 0.05% of that number. In other words, 134 items. It was never my intention to live with so little. But back in 2020 my husband and I had the opportunity to sell our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":26951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"0","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[440],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Here\u2019s What It\u2019s Like to Own Just 134 Items in the World<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n