How to Own Less Stuff pt 1

Do you also feel like sometimes you live in a mess or something that resembles a storage space?

I feel like we don't talk enough about the work that owning things means. The things we own need to be stored somewhere, cleaned, and maybe maintained or fixed once in a while. I'm not advocating for getting rid of as much as possible (if you don't want to) just to be mindful about what things you want to put in the time to look after. 

Things tend to accumulate in our homes and to keep it tidy the easiest thing to do is to own less stuff. So here is part one of How to Own Less Stuff. 

Declutter. 

This is, I think, the quickest way to own less stuff. But it can be hard because decluttering can be emotional or maybe you spent a lot of money on an item or you keep it for "just in case". I would like to encourage you to think about what you want to keep instead of what you want to toss. This might make it easier to prioritize. 

It can also be hard to declutter things that you've spent a lot of money on. Then I want to present a concept I learned at uni: Sunk cost. That is "a cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered" which means that you cannot get the time or money back that you spent on that item you can only look ahead. So, you have to decide if you want to let that item keep taking up space and maybe give you a bad coincidence or let it go and focus on the future. 

Take care of the things you own.

Consider what you already own and value them. We don't have infinite resources on this planet so if we are going to support all people and nature we have to consume less and take care of what we own. 

I've gathered some tips on how to make your clothes last longer and also how I care for my shoes.

One in one out. 

Not to sound like a broken record but it works and makes sure that the number of items you have don't grow. Also, a bonus tip: imagine that you want to buy a new piece of clothing then go to your wardrobe and figure out what you want to sell (or donate) to make space for the new thing. 

Buy less. 

The stark contrast between being a student and starting to work and having money was prominent for me. Just the feeling that I could walk into a store and buy something just because I wanted it was a new feeling and a bit overwhelming. However, when I saw this quote ”You don’t need to buy everything nice” it reminded me that just because you can doesn't mean that you have to or should. That is a mindset that I still carry with me today. 

This also goes hand in hand with buying things that are on sale, "a good deal" or have limited availability. I'm sure you know that it is not a good deal if you don't need it and these things may end up cluttering your home and stressing your finances.

I hope you got something out of these tips and maybe you have some tips of your own that you would like to share.