Inspiration for owning less

When we moved from St. Louis back to our hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, most of our belongings were packed in boxes except for the basic necessities. Our kids were ages 9 and under, so I let them keep a couple of their favorite toys unpacked.

I was curious to see how they did with less toys…and guess what? It was actually enjoyable. We went on lots of nature walks. They picked up sticks and created games such as “Pirates and Treasures.” They played hide-and-seek and rock, paper, scissors. We had multiple dance parties. There was less stuff, which resulted in less demands from us saying, “Pick this up, pick that up, tidy your room, you have too much stuff.” 

At the same time, I was reading more about the minimalist life. I stumbled upon a phenomenal blog by a family friend, Joshua Becker, called becomingminimalist.com. I was intrigued by his philosophy about the benefits of owning less. He claimed that without owning too many things, he gained more money, time, and freedom and had less stress overall.

When decluttering, Joshua asks himself, “How often do I use or enjoy this item?” If it’s not very often, it’s probably time to either donate it, sell it, or throw it away. He states, “There’s nothing wrong with holding onto a few items that aren’t used regularly, but boxes and boxes of unused things become a drag on our potential.” (Becker, becomingminimalist.com) 

I glanced into our kitchen at the small stack of 5 plates, 5 spoons, 5 knives, and 5 forks. There were 5 glasses, a skillet, a mixing bowl, a glass dish, a wooden spoon, and a spatula. Just those kitchen items sufficed for the next few weeks while we were in transition. I cooked. A lot. But after each meal, we hand-washed those items so we’d be ready for the next meal. It took such little time. We had so much more time to be together as a family.

It was an epiphany for me. I looked around our home, which was almost 4,500 square feet. I had spent hours and hours vacuuming, scrubbing, organizing, decorating, and maintaining that home. It was gorgeous and near a golf course in a gated community. We were able to host many people passing through town and family members coming to visit. Our neighbors were wonderful. Our backyard looked like an enchanted forest, and the kids played numerous games of baseball on our flat side yard, which was almost an acre of a baseball diamond.

But for some reason, I wanted something different when we returned to Nebraska. I wanted less house. Less land. Less stuff. I saw firsthand the benefits of owning less. Before our move, we had a garage sale and sold about half of our belongings. 

We moved into a house about half the size of our previous one. Our current main level is about 1,200 square feet. I understand this may seem tiny to some and extravagant to others, but for our family it’s just right. If we’re having people over, it takes less than 30 minutes for us to tidy, get trash out, vacuum, wipe surfaces, and throw in some laundry. Since we have less space we are forced to own less stuff. There just isn’t room for us to store a bunch of things anymore. 

Some may think it’s strange that we downsized in our 30s, but we did. Now we have so much more time to spend investing in others, reading, playing, traveling, and cooking. Our home is simple, but it’s filled with love. And to me, that’s all that matters. 

Sources: 

Becker, Joshua. “Tackle Your Clutter Battles: 5 Life-Changing Questions.” becomingminimalist.com.