Want Freedom From Stuff?
I was probably once like you. I wanted stuff. I wanted the latest gizmo’s and gadgets. I wanted a nice TV. I wanted nice furniture. I wanted nice stuff. Then I realized that stuff doesn’t define who we are. So my wife and I chose freedom from stuff. We decided to sell it all. We’re now doing more stuff with less stuff. And when YOU find freedom from stuff, you’ll be able to do so much more when you’re not bogged down by said stuff. Things like…
#8. Travel
Stuff holds you back. Sure, you can travel with stuff. Maybe you already do vacation for a week, a month, possibly more. In the end you’ll still come back. Why? Because of your stuff. You’ll miss your hair straightener, your chaise-lounger, or your 60” projection TV you play Grand Theft Auto on. I can fit my entire life in a medium sized suitcase. I used to have three bedrooms, a rec-room, living room, and garage to fit all my stuff. I can’t possibly imagine this house sitting nomadic lifestyle with much more than I currently have. Our freedom from stuff allows us to be mobile and travel much more.
#7. Move
Whether you’re moving abroad, or moving three streets over for a better school for your kids, getting rid of stuff will make the move much more…I was going to say enjoyable, but that’s not right, moving is never enjoyable. It’s chaotic, it’s hectic, and as organized as you may be, moving is never organized. You wonder what boxes things are in. If you packed everything. You check drawers over a hundred times. Movers either show up too early or too late (I know, I once worked as a mover). So do yourself a favor, move with less stuff to make it less chaotic (and much more enjoyable for your movers). Moving is the perfect excuse to purge.
#6. House Sit
When we first sold all our stuff to move to Panama we never thought we’d become house sitters. In fact, we never even knew House Sitting was something to do. We do now. But it wasn’t until we sold all our stuff that we discovered this lifestyle. We’ve been house sitting for over a year in Central America, all because we found freedom from stuff.
#4. De-clutter
I grew up with a pack-rat. My mom kept almost EVERYTHING. It wasn’t until later in life that I learned that this was a trait shared amongst all her siblings too. Not to go all Freud on them, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with their parents going through the Great Depression. I get it. But at the same time, here’s what happens when you accumulate stuff…You run out of space to put stuff. You buy more storage/shelving/closets. You fill those up. You lose stuff amongst stuff so you buy another item even though you already had that item. You start thinking “I need more space”. And the mention of tossing, selling, or donating things conjures up sentences like “I might need that”. How much money have you spent making sure you have a place to store your stuff? How much money have you wasted on stuff you’ve used once – let alone stuff you’ve never used!
#5. Be Free
Please, don’t get me wrong. Buying stuff is fun. Scientists have performed studies proving it. I’d look into providing an article link, but I’m far too lazy to do that. Plus, I want you to continue reading this list rather than chase a squirrel. The big corporations know how to lure you in though, don’t they? We see commercials for the latest i-product and we want it. Or the ads for clothing that make you sexier than…really sexy people…sorry, I’m terrible with analogies and comparisons. My point is, after selling your stuff, you truly realize…it’s just stuff. You second guess purchases and ask yourself “do I really need more stuff”? This is freedom from stuff. You’re no longer easily duped into buying things you really don’t need.
#3. Open Your Mind
I love the movie Fight Club for what it signifies. And the best line of the movie for me isn’t the first rule of Fight Club, it’s The things you own end up owning you. I’m glad I saw that movie in the comforts of my own home, because if I was in the theater I probably would have stood up, pointed at the screen, and shouted YES! Since I freed myself from stuff I look at life a lot differently now. I tolerate a lot more. I have more patience. I think about my reactions to situations. I’m more open-minded.
#2. Become More Charitable
When we sold all our stuff to move abroad, we had a lot of things we knew we either weren’t going to sell, or we would need them up until our last day (cookware, beds, clothing). Add to that the many garage sales we had where we practically gave things away, well, you can see how you become more charitable. I take an alternate approach to selling stuff now too. If I paid $20 for my Slap-Chop, and some guy offers me $2 for it at a garage sale, well, maybe a food kitchen could put that Slap-Chop to better use than Two-Buck Bill from down the street!
#1. Be Creative
I’m not saying you don’t need to buy things, like a house for instance. Hey, everyone needs somewhere to live, and buying a house is typically a great investment. But when you buy a house you need to put stuff in it. So instead of buying artwork or frames from big-box stores, hang some paintings done by your children or nieces and nephews. Go to re-use centers and re-purpose something. Go to garage sales and outbid Two-Buck Bill for my vintage wood tennis racket you can use as a door handle to your shed.
With all these fun things you can do, why wouldn’t you want to find your freedom from stuff?
Now go sell all your stuff!
I know nothing about house sitting maybe a good book to buy!
Gordie, you can enter for a chance to win a free copy: http://sellallyourstuff.com/professional-house-sitter/
And if you don’t win, it’s only $2.99 for a limited time on Amazon!!!
I love this post! I’m in the process of getting rid of pretty much all of my possessions before leaving and if feels like a weight is slowly being lifted; it’s kind of liberating in a way!
Thanks Loui, totally liberating, right! Sometimes I wish I had more stuff again just to re-live the experience of selling it 🙂
“Stuff holds you back”, I completely agree with that. When I sold everything, I felt so free! 🙂
Melissa, funny how we used to think it was stuff that made life more fulfilling when it was quite the opposite.
So much of this makes sense! Living the dream!
George, and when you sell all your stuff it makes dollars and cents ????
Couldn’t agree more. No more stuff! Down with this sort of thing!
Richard, so much easier to house sit too with less stuff!
Aside from the obvious of living a less cluttered life, freeing up energy to care about some of the other benefits is great. When you’re not worrying about your stuff, being creative and feel free happens so much more naturally.
Sure does Rob! We experience and do so much more in our life with less stuff.
I’m just rereading this article and realized something important: less stuff does indeed lead to being creative. One of my favorite quotes: Necessity is the mother of invention. It’s so true, and traveling with kids reinforces that.
I do love the feeling of getting rid of stuff! I still have too much of it (but working on de-cluttering).
Us too. Sometimes I want to buy things again just so I can enjoy the feeling of getting rid of them 🙂
I totally agree with you! I seem to live in perennial struggle with stuff (my husband and children tend to hold on to absolutely everything and anything) but every time I manage to make space, I feel a lot better. Things do end up owning you and suck up so much energy!
The good thing is you’re on the right track and you know when you declutter you feel better. Getting rid of stuff is a journey we all get to in our own time.
Hahahaha! Nice! At our place, my elder daughter and I have these period urges to rid ourselves of lots of stuff, and when we do it, it sure feels great!
Yes, getting rid of stuff is incredibly cathartic.
I can honestly say that I am quickly becoming very good at 2 or 3 of these items. Still a long way to go but I am making progress in the letting go of things, donating to charity, declutting, etc. Funny how we live half our live buying, collecting, and just having “stuff”, to hurry up and get rid of it later in life. 😉
I remember my aunts collected thimbles, miniature spoons, bells, and those mini crystal figurines of elephants (of all things). Never understood why.
It’s so true that half the stuff in my house in unnecessary and I’m sure I’m a big part of the problem. I am constantly putting things aside saying “maybe I can use this later”
…and that later seldom comes! I think as a grandchildren of great-depression parents there’s somewhat of a trickle-down effect.
So on point! When I first moved out of my house to travel I couldn’t believe how much rubbish I had accumulated over the years. Then ten months later I got back and got rid of even more – it felt so liberating! After all it is “just stuff”
Exactly Nikki, it’s just stuff. We now realize we’d rather spend money on experiences instead of stuff!
Having stuff is fun indeed, but not having much gives you freedom to go wherever you want and whenever you want. And of course more money to spend…:D
We like the “more money to spend” on doing fun things!
I used to attach a lot of importance to stuff… I was all excited at every job promotion and spent lots of money on expensive handbags and other ‘stuff’ like that. I still had enough left to travel part-time, so it was fine. But than I opened my eyes and realized I’m so much more happier carrying my stuff around in a €20 fake leather handbag that’s holding together with safety pins… So done with designer handbags, and yaaaay to having more money to travel and being free!!
It’s all about those experiences Lili! Even when not traveling I’d rather get a massage or eat a nice meal rather than buy stuff!
We sold all our stuff and are now traveling full time for 2 years. We feel free and don’t miss “the stuff”.
It’s definitely freeing to not be held down by stuff!
Less is more!! I’ve been traveling for 6 years now, sold all my stuff and what I own is now in my backpack. You’re right: so much more freedom and you realize you don’t need much to be happy! The less I have, the less I have to worry about! Like your article, very inspiring!
Can only agree with what you say and so did I, sold all my stuff in 2011 and have been carrying ever since my left-over belongings in my backpack around the globe…very deliberating!
Love this! We used to want to collect “stuff” too but then we fell in love with traveling and so we dont like to buy things that just sit there. Still working on getting rid of unnecessary things!
Some very useful tips here!There is really no point in unnecessarily hoarding up on stuff.Thanks for the insight:)
This is all so true! I still have some stuff I could get rid of, but I find every time I come back from traveling I actually want to get rid of things because I’m too overwhelmed with how much I have! It really weighs you down.
I got rid of so much stuff when I moved out my last place and I still seem to have so much more to get rid of. It’s quite a cathartic process though! And if it means I can do all the above – even better!
I’m totally in declutter mode. It’s funny, in my 20’s and 30’s I was focused on gathering and buying. Now in my 40’s it’s all about getting rid of it!
#8 and #2 are my faves <3
Great stuff. I agree, moving is never enjoyable but when you own so little stuff friends won’t run when they see you coming on moving day. LOL
Thanks Tony. Yeah, moving does become easier with less stuff, and having less stuff makes it easy to move around too!
Great stuff. I agree, moving is never enjoyable but when you own so little stuff friends won’t run when they see you coming on moving day. LOL
Nope. And the older one gets, the less enticing the “free pizza and beer” offer is to help move. Having less stuff means you can probably do it on your own too!