Western culture promotes and encourages amassing stuff and things. If we own a two bedroom house, we will fill it wall to wall. I owned a four bedroom house and although I lived alone, I managed to fill every room and had a full garage. Go figure! Why do Americans and people in western culture feel a driving need to have things? Why do we feel compelled to endlessly shop for something newer or better? As I was growing up I didn’t think much about this. When in college I didn’t own much, but then again I was a student with limited living space so I didn’t have much because I both couldn’t afford it and I simply didn’t have the physical space to store it. It wasn’t until I owned a house that I began amassing belongings.
The Breaking Point
When I first started traveling I was lugging around a lot of stuff. I had two sports jackets, slacks, dress shoes, several ties. I was carrying this around from hostel to hostel in Europe. At some point it dawned on me that I wasn’t wearing any of this. I was only wearing my t-shirts, jeans, shorts and tennis shoes. I went months not wearing dress shoes, slacks or ties. I never wore the sports jackets. Finally I decided to let go and give up these items. I donated all of them to a charity in Dresden Germany. I started reading on the topic of Lifestyle crafting and living simply which all started the snowball rolling in a quest to simplify my life in a number of ways.
Downsizing Belongings
Over the past two or three years I’ve spent a lot of time downsizing and reducing my belongings. It is quite a bit harder that you might first think. For some, the so called “hoarders,” like those in the photo above, it is nearly impossible to let go of things. The reason we cling to things varies. Some feel comfort in having “things.” They feel they need to have a tool or a box “just in case” they might need it. They buy things because they are great deals even if they don’t actually need it. Sometimes this means they have multiple items. I wrote a short blog about Selling Everything in 77 Days for those curious about how to go about clutter reduction.
24 Pairs of Athletic Pants? Crazy!
When I started donating clothes to my local charity, I counted up how many t-shirts I was donating (34), the number of athletic pants (24), the number of shorts (16), the number of slacks (12), jeans (10), pairs of shoes (7), jackets (8) and button up shirts (23). Looking at the piles of clothing I started asking myself how this happened. Why in the world did I own so many clothes? When was the last time I wore that shirt. Two shirts still had tags on them. I had purchased them because they were an amazing deal on clearance, but three years later I still had not worn them. Why did I own 24 pairs of athletic pants? I remember that I would shop all over for the “perfect” athletic pants. Because I’m so tall, length is an issue. Pants at Target, Walmart and Kmart don’t have an inseam measurement. They are only medium, large, and extra-large. I would try to find large that were long enough for me. In the store they seemed just fine. I’d wear them to the gym a couple times, then wash them. They would shrink and the next time I’d wear them they would be two or three inches shorter (or maybe it just felt like they were that much shorter). I paid $15 to $20 for each pair. That is $360 to $480 in sweat pants! It was at that point I read an article in the book The Art of Non-Conformity which had a chapter devoted to my exact clothing issue. “Buy half as much, but spend twice as much.” This was a startling concept to me. I was always trying to buy the least expensive clothing. I decided to put it to the test. I went to the sporting goods store and explained my problem to the sales person which directed me to a rack of basketball athletic pants for the typical tall basketball player. The tag said tall on it and the waste was the correct size. I then purchased a $45 pair of Addidas athletic pants. I washed them and to my amazement, they still fit. In fact, they are a little bit too long for me! So, instead of spending $360 to $480 on failed pants, I could have purchased a couple of pair of these more expensive pants and had a much better fit, higher quality product. I was absolutely dumbfounded by the concept. This started a slow makeover of my entire wardrobe. When I no longer fit some item of clothing, I would start looking at more expensive options. I bought a Pategonia soft-shell full zip jacket. It retailed for $150 at the Pategonia store. To me this was an insane price. I ended up buying the same jacket on eBay for $30 and have been wearing it for 3 years now. It is my single favorite piece of clothing.
Living Simply Beyond Reducing Belongings
This last year I began reading more and more about living simply and extending the concept to every day living. I’m trying to live with less complications and at a slower speed. I’m trying to do “single tasking” and at a slower pace. I’m trying to do less each day, but focusing on savoring the mindfulness of the tasks that I do take on. I finding that by focusing on two or three main projects or tasks each day is reducing my stress, increasing the quality of my work, and bringing me less stress and greater happiness. I’m not alone in my quest to simply my life. There are a number of books, blogs and even reality shows devoted to the topic. Perhaps, one could say, it might be an up and coming trend. I certainly hope so!
