Can You Really Afford All Your Stuff

Dec 29

Did you ever think about what owning more stuff is really costing you? You don’t have to be a minimalist to know that your stuff is taking up space in your house and your head. Learn how decluttering and avoiding consumerism is better for both you and your wallet.

I’m not talking just financially.
Owning “stuff” has much deeper impacts on you than just your pockets.

The more years that pass, the more money that comes in, the less stuff I want to own.

I realize how much having stuff takes from me. What I acquire in material possessions doesn’t compare to what I lose. I never considered myself a minimalist. I truly thought (and still think) some of those people are out of their minds with the extremes they go to. But I can’t deny the appeal and the philosophy behind the lifestyle. So I’ve decided to consider myself a minimal minimalist.

I know, creative right?

There wasn’t one moment that I can recall as a turning point.

It was more of an accumulation of events and transitions. For one, Ryan is very much against having too many things, and he really analyzes why we need certain items. Also moving several times forced me to re-evaluate what I had and what I wanted to bring with me. As well as with time come new ideas and new lifestyle exposures that had me rethinking possessions and purging. And it doesn’t help having severe allergies to basically everything in the environment. That pushed me to declutter to decrease dust and dander collection throughout the house. Even so, it’s still a struggle to always see the sense in it. Why?

Society, consumerism, capitalism.

As soon as you start to make more money, you begin thinking about what you can finally afford. Why do we automatically want to throw our money away at possessions? You work hard for your money, don’t just give it away as soon as it enters your hands. Is it our past traumas? Is it living through scarcities? Is it breaking the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle that makes us do this? I’m sure some or all of it comes into play with our behaviors and habits.

I’m not going to preach to you about getting rid of cars, downsizing your house, or anything major like that.
Not only would I be the biggest hypocrite, but I don’t buy into full-fledged minimalistic living just yet. But what we can do is practice some of the concepts on a much smaller level. A level that will still have massive impacts on our daily lives.

We have an unhealthy attachment to things.

I guarantee you have family members and friends who hoard, spend outside of their means, or can’t fathom parting with any of their belongings. You can’t change these people. But you can break the generational cycle and societal influences for yourself that trap so many others.

What do you lose by having more

Your time.
It gets distracting having so many possessions. It takes time to unclutter, to clean, to organize, to maintain everything in your home. All of this takes time away from more important things you be doing. And it’s rather exhausting. One of my most prominent memories is that of my mother dusting for hours every Sunday, and always being in a bad mood while doing it. Instead of getting to relax before the work week began, she spent her time cleaning and being mad about it. That stuck with me, and I vowed never to let a chore dictate my schedule or my mood.

Your space.
How many times have you looked around and thought “how the hell did I accumulate all of this stuff?” Not only is it taking up all corners of your house, it’s taking up all corners of your mind. Trying to figure out how to fit all your new clothes into your closet and dresser, where to place new house decor, and how to stack more books and various objects is overwhelming. It induces anxiety to see one junk drawer turn into two. A room for storage turned into multiple rooms to stash extra things. Boxes and containers stacked and loaded with things that we aren’t using. But we think that maybe one day, all of it will come in handy.

Your sense of self.
When I was able to get out on my own and leave my parent’s house, I wanted to have things that were mine. The years pass on by and you get lost in your things. Your identity is fused with what you possess. Maybe it’s trying to impress people or seek their approval. Maybe it’s the fact that you can buy things that you get to call “yours.” But the more we tie our identities to possessions, the harder it is to separate from them. Do you feel successful if you have things to show people and fill your house with? Do you feel fulfilled by this or are you still feeling empty? You are not what you own. And if you lose sight of that, your things start to own you.

Your freedom.
You get shackled to your possessions. Are you chained to all those fancy pillows on your bed that you will just throw on the floor? Going through the motions of taking them off at night to sleep, only to put them right back on when you make it in the morning. Right there is an example of being a bitch to your belongings. And on top of that you wasted money, wasted time, wasted energy. All because of what? Perhaps it was Pinterest that told you to. Or maybe Amazon was having a sale. Or you got click-baited.

What can you gain by having less?

Value.
You begin to place value on what’s important again. Remember when you didn’t have much? Channel those memories. You realize that possessions aren’t what brings you joy. It’s experiences, it’s time spent with family, it’s having your freedom and time back. A phrase you’ve heard a few times before if you follow me regularly is that it’s about quality over quantity. Just like we don’t need a bunch of shallow humans in our life, you don’t need a bunch of superficial items in your surroundings.

Intentionality.
Along with placing a higher value on what you own, you start buying things that let you live the life you want. Books that you will actually read, clothes you will actually wear, or things you will actually do. You start to purchase and keep only stuff that helps you create the life you want and connects you with those you love.

Healthy spending habits.
Once you become intentional, you develop healthy spending habits. If you are someone who has remorse or guilt at times with purchases, you will notice a reduction in those feelings because you start to think through your spending. I learned over time that I am an impulsive buyer, and I justified buying things because I felt like I deserved it. After way too many guilty transactions, I tried the 48-hour rule. I let them sit in the cart for a few days and think it over. What I’ve learned is that I either end up saving them for later on some kind of wish list or abandon them altogether. And I realize that it has no bearing on my life whether I own it or not. My purchases became more out of necessity than out of desire.

You are more environmentally friendly.
By ending the buying and trashing cycle, we reduce our utilization and carbon footprint. I love secondhand, I love getting used items, and I love repurposing things. It’s responsible for both the environment and my bank account. Sustainability and consumer responsibility are important to me personally. Practicing healthy spending habits and intentionality allows me to start buying from companies and people who have a mission and beliefs that align with mine.

You get power back.
You stop trying to live up to make-believe standards. You learn way more about yourself, what you want in your life, and who you want in your life. You start to take control back from being owned by your things. You are able to say no, you are able to walk away, you are able to find freedom.

This all may seem pointless.

What does getting rid of a few items of clothes do for you? What does it matter if you get rid of a few knick-knacks or decor items? What does it matter if you buy less stuff? The point is that it’s teaching you to form habits. It’s creating actions that build momentum that bleed into other aspects of your life. Not buying this, turns into realizing you don’t need that. It turns into buying more intentionally, into feeling less remorse and guilt. It turns into being more proud of the things you own because there is more meaning in them, and you can actually remember when and where you bought them. It turns into you realizing what other aspects of your life are cluttered and keeping you from living as freely as you’d like. It leads to revelations in figuring out what is holding you back from truly achieving everything you want in this life. It may seem small, it may seem pointless, but you have to start somewhere.

Give it a try for the new year!
Here is a quick list of ways you can start:

Turn all of the hangers in the closet the opposite way you have them now. Every time you hang an item back up, turn it back the other way. At the end of each season, get rid of what you clearly aren’t wearing.
If you don’t want to completely part with clothes or items in your house, put them in a box or container. Revisit them in a few months. Did you even remember you had them? Did you miss them? Can you part with them? Can you give them to someone else or donate them? Think through some questions that will help you determine if anything has value to you.
Double-check the items in your possession. Do they all have a function or place in your home? If you haven’t hung decorations, if you have to move around decor to clean and you find it frustrating, you probably don’t need it
Get rid of the “just in case” items. Chances are that if you haven’t used it yet, you probably won’t have a need for it.
Figure out what really drives your spending, and try to find solutions.
Change your mindset from thinking “what am I sacrificing” to “what am I gaining back.“
Start asking yourself questions before buying something. I’m not talking about essential items like toiletries and food. I’m talking about things you think are cute or would look nice. By doing so, you create more intentionality and healthy spending habits.
Define what success looks like to you. Is it in what you own? This may start to put things into perspective for you.

Until next week,