Stuff
When I moved to the UK I had to give / throw away a lot of stuff: clothes, books, electronics, furniture, sentimental stuff, knick knacks, etc. I realized in doing so that I had formed attachments to stuff that I didn’t really need but kept just in case.
Some of my stuff (and two cute cats), before
I had an entire apartment full of stuff and I had to part ways with most of it in order to fit my life into one large suitcase. Doing so helped may have made me feel a bit homesick in the beginning, but it was also liberating.
Some things I have noticed after letting go of my stuff:
- It’s now much easier to ruthlessly purge my wardrobe
- It feels good to donate to charity / give to friends
- If I ever had to move countries again it would be much easier to let go of my possessions
- When my stuff is organized, the rest of my life is easier to organize as well
- I’m more picky about what stuff I spend my money on. I ask myself “Do I really need this?”
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying everyone should live a minimalist lifestyle with no collections or frills. I have quite a bit of stuff now, in the UK.
I just think that being able to make the distinction between ‘want’ and ‘need’ is important. And also, it’ll save you public embarrassment on How Clean Is Your House.
I have too much stuff in rubbermaids in my parents home. I threw out a tonne of stuff in Calgary when I moved back, but I had collections (flags) and at-home gym stuff, and art supplies and the like I had to fly back.
Although, I am not as sentimental about my clothes and regularly donate items I do not wear anymore.
I am in the process of cleaning our condo, as we just had a roommate move out. I am going to organize the spots in the kitchen I use most, and find a way to organize my clothes and small things.
It does feel liberating.
I too have found it liberating to let go of things… unfortunately I am also a pack rat, and I find it takes me a mere 6 months to build up the levels of ’stuff’ that I had before, even after a 2 suitcase move. Good luck on keeping your quantities down!
I sometimes resent the fact that I own a house… garden implements, more cooking stuff than I need, general tools, books, toiletries, linens, clothes, cleaning supplies, furniture, … most of it is unnecessary. It’d be nice to move into a trailer once every 3 years just to purge.