Minimizing Stuff & Maximizing Experience

Probably the most productive thing I did while at my parents' house in Ohio was get rid stuff. I now have a plastic bin of clothes in their basement, two drawers of photos and paperwork and a shelf of scrapbooks I've made from my travels. Other than that, I have my 65-liter backpack here with me and that's all I own.

My old room last year,
before we left to backpack Peru
(Photo featuring Lizzy Turner)

My old room now (that shelf is all travel scrapbooks)

 All my life, I've heard those inspirational quotes about how money and material possessions aren't as valuable as we often act like they are--that they're not the part of this life people really care about once they reach the end of it. Hearing this advice though, I've simultaneously experienced all the marketing--the commercials, sales, coupons & so on everywhere I look. We all insist on buying the newest iPhones and an absurd amount of clothes and useless junk.

I know not everyone is the same but, from my experience, for me, those non-materialistic quotes definitely seem like the advice to follow. You know...

"If you don't have many possessions, then you don't need to work all your life like a slave to sustain them, and therefore you have more time for yourself." ― Jose Mujica

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."

“No level of pleasure from any material possession compares to the feeling of unconditional happiness.” ― Edmond Mbiaka

I believe these things to be true but I don't just want to walk around saying them; I actually want to live them out.

Why have I come to really believe this way to bring greater happiness? Because I've had the average amount of stuff and now I have a lot less. The less I have, the happier I feel--the lighter and the freer I feel. If I want to move houses tomorrow, I can. If I want to switch countries tomorrow, I can. Nothing is tying me down anywhere. I feel better knowing that the things I used to have on shelves or in boxes that I wasn't using are being used by someone now. The 9 inches of hair that I just chopped off is going to someone who will make wonderful use of it, too. Everywhere I go, I have what I need and people share with me so I want to do the same.

I think normally it's hard for us to make those moves, though. People who have houses feel like they should fill them because that's just what you do. You generally buy the biggest (most comfortable) house you can afford for your family and then you fill it with stuff. It's normal. But I really wonder if that's causing unnecessary stress for people. It certainly causes unnecessary work for them and now I truly doubt that it makes anyone any happier. I think some people even feel somewhat trapped by the amount of stuff they have and yet it's hard to let go of it. Well here are a couple of tips, then...

Tips: For whatever reason, it always feels like you shouldn't get rid of things because you might use them later. I don't know why this is so deeply ingrained in us (maybe it comes from the time of our evolution when we had to stockpile a bunch of crap because it was such hard work to get it in the first place? I have no idea) but I have the urge to hang on to things, too. The goal is to let your logic take over instead of your feelings here. If you haven't worn a clothing article in over a year, donate it. Don't hold on to it just in case...give it to someone that will actually use it. If you have stuff that you don't actually use on a regular basis, give it away to someone who will.

One thing that taught me just how little I need was trying to fit everything I wanted into my backpack the first time. I spent a year traveling Peru and Brazil and felt like I had way too much stuff. When I went back to my parents' house this time then, I knew to get rid of almost everything I had that wouldn't fit in that bag. I did and it felt great! I'm in Brazil again now and I still know that I have more than I need. If you want to try to get rid of things (shirts, for example), decide on a small space to use for measurement and force yourself to get rid of whatever doesn't fit...it could be a backpack too or anything else!

Don't fill your house with stuff just because you have space and you can. Keep only what you really need and use. Trust me: the more you get rid of, the better you'll feel! (...and don't buy other stuff to replace what you get rid of! Just enjoy the freedom!)