Why I Decided To Get Rid Of All of My Stuff

Okay, I’ll admit that the above title is somewhat misleading, but when I jump into things I like to really jump into them. I often feel overwhelmed and like I can’t keep up, and I recently realized that a lot of that was stemming from the stuff I owned. I’ve never been a fan of clutter, and I would even label myself an “anti-hoarder”.

I have strong memories of cleaning out my late grandmother’s house after she passed and finding, I think, seven jars of Spanish olives. That one simple memory often causes me to have sporadic “toss the garbage” parties where I panic and lament to my husband, “Why do we have so much stuff? How could anyone ever need this much stuff?!”

Now, we are not wealthy people. We live in a house that is on the smaller side. We don’t have a lot of lavish collections (unless you count books), and we haven’t accumulated what I would consider an extreme amount of possessions. Despite all of this, I frequently get the sense that I would be a lot happier if we got rid of half of the stuff we owned.

This is probably a great time to mention that my ultimate dream would be to live full-time in a vintage VW van or a tiny house, so I may not exactly be the average person when it comes to wanting to simplify. I just can’t fathom why one person would need so much stuff. Each person can only wear one set of clothing at a time. Even I can only read like four books at a time. How many cans of soup does one need to keep in their pantry, really?

It just all seems so excessive.

So this was my mindset when I came across the book “More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity” by Jeff Shinabarger. Not only does he ask the reader to consider what is “enough”, he illustrates the idea that most of us have way, way more than enough by juxtaposing his life with that of his friend Clarence, a homeless man who spends ample time in his neighborhood.

This book is a fantastic reminder that comparing our stations in life to those around us can be either completely negative (like when we fall into comparison traps on Instagram when we realize we don’t take luxe vacations, have never-ending wardrobes, or own a private yacht like the influencers we follow) or, these comparisons can help center us and remind us just how blessed we are.

When you feel like you need to go shopping because everyone on the Internet has cuter clothes than you, think about the high school kid who doesn’t have nice shoes to wear so he wraps his old ones in duct tape. When you troll Pinterest boards looking for home decor inspiration, think about the homeless in your community and where they might be spending a rainy night in your town.

Now this is not meant to be a guilt trip. I’ve been materialistic my whole life until now, so I’m not trying to fault anyone else who enjoys the finer things in life. But reading this book and reflecting on all my blessings has made me reassess my level of happiness. Maybe I don’t have as much as my peers, but I could have a lot less. And it also made me wonder: how could I be spending my time, money, etc. if I didn’t have so many possessions to acquire, organize, and keep track of?

With all of these thoughts in mind, I now begin my experiment of simplifying, minimizing, cutting the fat, or whatever you want to call it.

At the same time that I’m simplifying my possessions, my husband and I are celebrating “No-spend June”. We sat down at the end of May and decided that the only things we are going to purchase this month will be necessities: gas, groceries, and bills. We created a list of ground rules to follow: no dining out, free dates only, no food purchases at all outside of our weekly grocery trips, no trips to Target (sigh), and getting rid of both cable and Amazon Prime.

I’ll be sharing lessons learned from the month (both in not spending and in simplifying) right here, but I’ll also share daily check-ins, the rules I’ve created for myself, and progress photos in my Facebook community. If you’re interested in getting a more inside look or picking up some of your own simplifying tips, join us here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rebelsrise/

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