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Living on less
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Americans are hardcore consumers. Just look at the average family’s closets, basement, and even garage, which often no longer houses the family vehicles but boxes and bags. Now, however, some people are trying to counter the culture with the 100 Thing Challenge, a movement in which participants pledge to reduce their possessions to 100 items.
The idea is the brainchild of 37-year-old David Bruno, whose goal is to have only 100 personal things by this November and then live with only 100 personal things for a year.
Bruno keeps a running tally on his blog, guynameddave.com of what he has decided to hold on to and what he is preparing to sell or donate. For instance, as of early June, he was down to five dress shirts and one necktie but uncertain about parting with one of his three pairs of jeans. “Are two pairs of jeans enough?!,” he asked in a recent posting.
Interesting premise. Not sure I could comply. How about you?
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Less is more
Americans are abundantly rich with stuff. How many folks do you know who have a rented storage space?
We will move to Ft Polk in July. The army will pay for our move which will be done by contractors and even hired stuff-packers.
Right now our task is getting rid of so much junk, clutter, stuff we’ve outgrown.
The hardest part is getting kids to part with dolls or stuffed animals which they heretofore have not played with in years.
I will never get it down to 100 things, but I do have my own test for what I keep. When my best friend moved after her divorce, she told me later on “no one wants your stuff.” So she threw a lot of things out not wanting to be bothered with a garage sale. Now when I do spring and fall cleaning, the question I ask myself is “if I died today and my sister had to go through my belongings, would she ask ‘why was she keeping this?’” I also decided I didn’t want to be like the old aunts who saved everything for a rainy day, so I use my good towels, I use my good dishes. I remember going through their things after their deaths, and I don’t want anyone saying I didn’t live. Life’s short. Enjoy it.
I like the way NJL thinks. I agree, if you have nice things, USE THEM.
Kristin mentioned garages full of stuff–that is a pet peeve of mine. Most of the people in my neighborhood park in their driveway because their garages are for storing junk. They probably think we are never home because our cars are always closed up in our garage.
My mother-in-law says that rented storage places are immoral (with a few exceptions). I am tempted to say the same about the full garages. When the builders built all of these homes years ago, did they forget to include storage space? Or are we holding onto more stuff? Maybe I’m just lucky that the builder of my home gave me the only closets in the neighborhood.
Another thing–toys. Our first child is 18 months, and our second is on the way. Needless to say, we are having to deal with toys for the first time. I have found it is incredibly easy to accumulate toys with even one child. Birthdays, Christmas, random gifts, etc.
My wife and I (mainly me because I’m the OCD one) have implemented a policy. Our daughter gets to keep enough toys to fill a medium-sized basket. When someone gives a new toy, we get rid of an old one. My thought is that she needs to learn to entertain herself with the little she has–noisy, flashy toys are out. After all, she’s just as pleased to play with a wooden spoon, than the latest bulky, illuminated, $50 toy.
…and it makes cleanup a snap. Everything can be put back in her basket in a matter of seconds.
Graceland, just save the “favorites” that are full of memories. I confess that I’ve kept a box of toys, but I’m sentimental and enjoy reliving those memories every once in a while.
(Has anyone heard about that professor from Carnegie Mellon Univ. who’s dying of cancer who gave a “last lecture?” I understand his lecture can be downloaded from the internet. He has three small children and will not see them grow up. “If you live properly, the dreams will comes to you.” It’s worth watching.
Graceland: I like your basket idea. My daughter’s birthday is just around the corner and I’m fearful about all the “stuff” she might acquire–she already has a basket full of toys that I’m forever picking up! My husband and I plan to inform the family that they are limited to giving one toy and/or one outfit.
I’ve seen the “last lecture” NJL. Very inspiring!
As Jesus said, only one thing is needful. But that “thing” is not tangible.
We moved 3 years ago, so we did have to downsize. We had lived in the house for 20 years, raised our 4 children there and had a farm to deal with. As I went through all our stuff, I looked at it with these questions: Do I want this?, Will it come out of the box when I get there?, and Is this worth keeping?. We ridded ourselves of an enormous amount of stuff and I haven’t missed any of it.
Then we had the farm sale. The auction company came in and started cleaning out the buildings and putting it on the trailers. We went around and took a few things off the trailers to bring with us-but very little of that came. When it was all done, we felt a sense of freedom. And our kids never have to deal with all that stuff.
Somehow we accumulate without even knowing it. Things show up and we wonder how things got cluttered up again. It is just strange.
My sister-in-law took some toys and put them up in the closet. A couple of months later she would take some down and put others up. There were always “new” toys out.
I probably have more than 100 things in my flatware drawer alone. My friend calls me a “minimalist,” and compared to most people, I am. But I see no virtue in having only 100 things.
I too think it’s a bad idea to rent a storage locker! I’m a packrat in a house with truly tiny closets (built in the 50s); I could really use a walk-in. I rented a storage locker for two or three months when I moved to Tennessee, since I was only renting a smallish bedroom for my living space (including home office) and there was a lot of stuff I simply couldn’t fit in it. But I considered the storage fee as part of my “rent” and got rid of the locker as soon as I bought.
I might be able to get down to 100 things if I didn’t have to count books and magazines.
That’s all well and good, but what about the photo albums? Between my mother’s and my own (and I haven’t put photos in an album in 11 years), I must have a 100 of them!
But I agree about the need to not hoard. If it hasn’t been worn or used in a year, you probably don’t need it. Or, as my techie husband would point out, there’s probably a smaller and faster one available for less money now anyway!
Every couple needs a packrat and a tosser. In my marriage I’m the packrat, hubby is the tosser. If hubby had his way we’d have a bed and a couch (and proabaly be missing a few children). If I had my way yhrtr would be more art than walls and even less counter space. It’s a balance. He’s the yin to my yang.
But totally agree on the toys. Kids need very little of them because they make so many of their own. The basket thing works well. And in my packrat ways I keep a box of toys for when we have guests with small children. That’s when my husband appreciates my way.
I think that only 100 things is ridiculous. As someone pointed out, I have that many things in my flatware drawer.
It’s always a fine line around here. I feel guilty for keeping too much, but I was also taught (by families who remembered the depression) to keep everything “in case” and to be frugal. So, I will often find myself keeping *broken* things that I might be able to fix someday. (sigh)
So, I am slowly learning to pare down.
But, I don’t necessarily think having many things is sinful. It is the attitude that you have about them, and the way that you use them (or don’t.)
I also tend to be a generous person, who uses my things for Scouting, homeschool, and drama club. I give things to people when they need them, and donate craft items without blinking.
I am more than happy to share.
If I had only 100 things, then could I really share with others? And, would the groups to which I lend my time have to spend more on items I would otherwise donate?
Kristin - good luck with that birthday gift thing. My husband has 4 siblings, 2 parents, and until recently, 2 grandmas. They all buy at least one gift for my kids - each of them! And that doesn’t bring into account the gifts from my husband’s aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles and friends. It’s silly, but they want to do it. We are simply trying to counteract the effects of too many toys buy donating things here and there. We save the ones with memories, or that may be use by a future sibling. Broken things get tossed, and others are given away. And, I ask for books and savings bonds, which one can never have too many of. Thankfully, my family doesn’t go overboard, and is smaller than my husband’s family. But, toys can certainly fill a house very quickly!
As for storage units - we live in a small 1-1/2 story home. We do have walk-in closets, however. I have always told my husband that if we ever need to get a storage unit, we need to get rid of some stuff! I refuse to pay for a place to store junk that I obviously don’t miss anyway. The only exception would be if I had a bunch of antiques or other family heirlooms I didn’t have room for. Otherwise, it would just need to go!
I also see no virtue in only having 100 things. I see no virtue in living as though impoverished either, unless for a specific calling. After having been through lay-offs and strikes, I do tend to keep things. I am also enormously grateful to have many wonderful kitchen gadgets, that make my tasks easier.
I kept many older kitchen things for my children. Some did use them for awhile. If they received a lot of gifts for their weddings, their kitchen stuff was nicer than mine. Still, some work fine for camping.
We just visited our daughter who teaches in a preschool. She asked us to bring any empty cardboard tubes we had and I had a whole bag to bring her. They needed enough for the whole preschool. I was glad to have them and glad to get rid of them. Since I often taught VBS and Sunday School, I do save that type of thing.
Some things should be kept, even when you have no use for them, because life happens.
When I was 18, I purchased some pretty china that I liked. But before long, I started collecting other dishes, so only used the first set once or twice. They’ve been languishing in storage for more years than I’m ready to admit to.
Beloved Granddaughter graduates from high school tomorrow, and turns 18 next Wednesday. Guess what the only thing she wants for a gift is?
I like his rules. If he can keep his Marklin trains and books, I suppose I can keep the five truckloads of guitar amps and guitars I just took to storage!
Never sell a crib, unless you’re having trouble conceiving.
I sometimes wish I only had the large bag of clothes, a box of books and a box of kitchen stuff along with a mattress to move. I used to move by walking to my new apartment/room. If I had a friend it took only one trip (and one to the beer store).
I have been throwing out as much as I can lately. I sincerely think the accumulation of stuff is bad for your psyche and reveal something negative about your mental health.
When I moved from a 4 bed, 3 bath to a 2 bed, 1 bath last year, I ruthlessly weeded out carloads of stuff for the church bargain hunt. But I found to my chagrin that I needed some of that stuff back.
Do you need more than two mixing bowls? It turns out, yes. More than two pairs of jeans? Yes, if you don’t want to have to do wash every day. Are five books enough? Probably not. Do you need a variety of serving utensils? Yes, if you want to have folks over or dish your yams at Thanksgiving with something other than a teaspoon.
The inconvenience of being undersupplied is a considerable waste of time and requires too much ingenuity to overcome.