“I believe that examining the hidden impacts of all the Stuff in our lives is a way to unplug, which is the first step toward changing things.” ~Annie Leonard, The Story of Stuff

Going through my stuff again helped me reevaluate what I need in my life. As a result, I was able to donate a number of items that were cluttering up my closet and bookshelf. I also reconsidered why I’m participating in the 100 Thing Challenge and its importance.

The more I mull it over, the more I think the 100 Thing Challenge is less about counting up stuff, than it is about asking ourselves larger questions like:

• Where was my stuff made?
• How was my stuff processed and where does it all go when I’m done with it?
• Why do I shop so much?
• Do material things really make me happy?
• If I have less stuff to worry about, will I have more time to give back to my community?

Being aware of how stuff affects our physical and emotional health is empowering. More importantly, making small changes in our own lives leads to a greater awareness of the connection between environmental, economic, and social justice issues. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you unplug from your stuff.

1. Slowly sort through your stuff.

Go through your home room by room and create piles of stuff you want to keep and stuff you want to donate. This process takes time. Undertaking a gradual transition will help alleviate emotional guilt associated with trashing possessions and promotes a routine of minimizing that is more likely to outlast quick lifestyle fixes.

I get a lot of emails that ask for a magic solution to the problem of clutter. There is no magic solution. If you have a house full of stuff, there is no weekend solution for responsible decluttering.

And I’m serious, be responsible. Don’t throw your stuff away! Give it away or repurpose items so you don’t need to buy something new. We don’t need more stuff in the landfills, toxins seeping into our water supply or more garbage shipped to developing countries.

2. Avoid lifestyle creep.

Lifestyle creep is when we try to keep up with the mythical Joneses and end up unhappy and in debt. Participating in the 100 Thing Challenge is a great way to avoid this phenomenon. For instance, I take care of what I have instead of constantly buying the latest clothes or shoes. It’s helped me become more mindful of my consumption choices.

3. Save rather than shop.

If you take on the 100 Thing Challenge, I guarantee you’ll save a lot of cash. One of the main reasons I’m participating in this challenge is to keep clutter out of my life and to save money. I’m now much more thoughtful about my purchases. I know what I already have and what I may or may not “need.” The end result has been an increase in savings and time. And that makes me happy.

4. Get your counting groove on.

Consider participating in this challenge. If you think the task is too difficult and you are not sure where to start, then begin by reading The Story of Stuff, The Art of Being Minimalist, Simplify, and The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life. These books will help you unplug from your stuff and consider its hidden costs.

Please note, this article was originally published in April. Since the New York Times piece, But Will It Make Your Happy?, was published I’ve received a lot of inquiries about the 100 Things Challenge. I hope this answers some of your questions.

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“I believe that examining the hidden impacts of all the Stuff in our lives is a way to unplug, which is the first step toward changing things.” ~Annie Leonard, The Story of Stuff

I tend to be a little obsessive about projects, so when I read Collin’s post about taking photos of his stuff I decided to copy him. I love photography, so this little project was actually a good exercise for me.

Going through my stuff again helped me reevaluate what I need in my life. As a result, I was able to donate a number of items that were cluttering up my closet and bookshelf. I also reconsidered why I’m participating in the 100 Thing Challenge and its importance.

The more I mull it over, the more I think the 100 Thing Challenge is less about counting up stuff (and taking photos) than it is about asking ourselves larger questions like:

• Where was my stuff made?
• How was my stuff processed and where does it all go when I’m done with it?
• Why do I shop so much?
• Do material things really make me happy?
• If I have less stuff to worry about, will I have more time to give back to my community?

Being aware of how stuff affects our physical and emotional health is empowering. More importantly, making small changes in our own lives leads to a greater awareness of the connection between environmental, economic and social justice issues. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you unplug from your stuff.

1. Start sorting through your stuff. Slowly.

Go through your home room by room and create piles of stuff you want to keep and stuff you want to donate. This process takes time. Undertaking a gradual transition will help alleviate emotional guilt associated with trashing possessions and promotes a routine of minimizing that is more likely to outlast quick lifestyle fixes.

I get a lot of emails that ask for a magic solution to the problem of clutter. There is no magic solution. If you have a house full of stuff, there is no weekend solution for responsible decluttering.

And I’m serious, be responsible. Don’t throw your stuff away! Give it away or repurpose items so you don’t need to buy something new. We don’t need more stuff in the landfills, toxins seeping into our water supply or more garbage shipped to developing countries.

2. Avoid lifestyle creep.

Lifestyle creep is when we try to keep up with the mythical Joneses and end up unhappy and in debt. Participating in the 100 Thing Challenge is a great way to avoid this phenomenon. For instance, I take care of what I have instead of constantly buying the latest clothes or shoes. It’s helped me become more mindful of my consumption choices.

3. Start saving instead of shopping.

If you take on the 100 Thing Challenge, I guarantee you’ll save a lot of cash. One of the main reasons I’m participating in this challenge is not only to unclutter my life, but also to save money. I’m now much more thoughtful about my purchases. I know what I already have and what I may or may not “need.” The end result has been an increase in savings and that makes me happy.

4. Get your counting groove on.

Consider participating in this challenge. If you think the task is too difficult and you are not sure where to start, then begin by reading The Story of Stuff, The Art of Being Minimalist and The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life. These books will help you unplug from your stuff and consider its hidden costs.

***

Spread the love. If this post helped you, please retweet it and share the content with your tribe.

Our big move is approaching quickly. Over the weekend, we started preparing for our move up north. For the holidays we’re going to combine visiting family, moving a few things and scouting apartments in Portland. We’re excited for this trip! We can’t wait to visit with friends, family and our future city.

We decided to store some of the stuff we don’t need immediately at the ranch during our visit. During this pre-move planning I’ve been asking myself these questions:

1. What do we really need?

2. How much would it cost to move the big stuff? Like our bed, chair and desk?

3. How much does our stuff effect the freedom to move around?

We don’t need a lot and the cost of moving our big stuff is ridiculous. Slowly but surely we’re giving away big and small household items. GardenPunk took a few houseplants off our hands to add to her refugee collection. My friend Debby is taking our chair and footstool. The desk is going to some of Logan’s grad student friends at UC, Davis. I am still looking to find a good home for our bed and cat tower.

We don’t have many personal items, but the household stuff takes up a lot of space. Friends who have seen our apartment would disagree. I’d probably get the eye roll and something like: What?!? You barely have any furniture or kitchen items!”

And this is true. Compared to the majority of American’s we don’t have a lot of stuff in our home. But even organizing the three hundred items in our home feels a bit overwhelming. I’m itching to get rid of the excess.

Stuff restricts your freedom of movement. Theoretically, we could leave for Portland tomorrow. But figuring out what to do with all our stuff would be problematic.

This will be the best moving experience of our lives by far. We’ll make one trip to Portland, with all of our stuff in the back of a truck. Our new apartment will be very minimal and that makes me happy.

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Every book I read changes my life for the better by shifting my perspective and challenging my belief system.

For example, I’m reading No Impact Man and have started thinking about eliminating plastic from my life and changing my consumption patterns. The book talks about conserving and sharing resources. I want to share these ideas with others and will pass the book onto the local library.

A few years ago I probably would have kept No Impact Man on my library shelf. Before downsizing, we had a huge book library. After a lot of thought and consideration we decided to donate the majority of our books to the local library.

Below are some of the questions I considered when downsizing my personal library…

1. Does the pride of having my own library outweigh the burden of moving my books to a new apartment?
2. Have I re-read or referred to any of these books within the last year?
3. If I’m not going to re-read any books, why keep them? Wouldn’t it be better to share?
4. Why buy more books when I can easily check them out of the local library?

If you’re thinking about downsizing your personal library, consider asking yourself similar questions.

I still buy books (usually when the library doesn’t have them on the shelf or the waiting list is super long). After I’m done reading my new or used book, I donate them to the library.

Please leave a comment and tell me about your personal library.

It’s been 6 months since we began the 100 Thing Challenge. Living with 72 personal things is awesome! My life is streamlined and simplified, which I love.

I was a tad shocked when I started counting because the number of my personal things was fairly low. My initial count included 120 items, but clutter was everywhere. So donating all my excess clothing and trinkets to a local charity was a relief.

I’m glad I started this challenge after we began our downsizing journey. It’s amazing to think we started this process about 2 years ago. At that time, we lived in a huge 2 bedroom apartment, with 2 cars, overflowing closets and a kitchen stuffed with 2 sets of dishes and silverware. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Becoming aware of what consumerism does to the planet and the negative impact it has on our life energy is a powerful thing. Now don’t get me wrong, I still get sucked into consumerism (a.k.a. iPhone lust). But at least I’m not telling Logan I “need” another diamond ring.

I hope the lessons we’ve learned will encourage you to downsize and try the 100 Thing Challenge.

Below is a quick list of tips that will get you going…

1. Start small

You don’t have to get rid of all our stuff to start this challenge. Take small steps everyday. For instance, you could donate 10 items a week to the charity of your choice.

2. Say no to recreational shopping and excessive advertising

Staying out of the malls is a must. Stepping away from consumerism is one of the reasons I’m participating in this challenge. So if I don’t go shopping, I won’t come home with stuff I don’t need or want. Also, we don’t own a T.V. and that limits the amount of advertisements we are exposed too.

3. Have patience

Downsizing is a process, so don’t be hard on yourself if you are having a hard time exiting the consumer lifestyle. Have patience and find a support network. Friends, family and the social networks have helped us stick to the challenge and be successful.

4. Stuff is a burden

Too much stuff is a burden. Especially, when it comes to cleaning and moving. Being clutter free means I don’t have to spend an excess amount of time cleaning trinkets or vacuuming up kitten hair from the couch. Plus, moving is a breeze. No more big trucks or U-hauls for us.

5. Clutter is a form of procrastination

Leo says it best…

When our houses or offices get piled with clutter, much of the reason is procrastination.

We all procrastinate — let’s just get that out in the open. There’s not a one of us who doesn’t, to some degree.

But while our tasks and projects can pile up, giving us some anxiety, the clutter is a visual sign of that procrastination, and carries with it just as much anxiety.

6. Consider creating your own rule list

In some ways the 100 Thing Challenge seems arbitrary, but in the end I think it’s a good exercise. No matter how much stuff you have, this challenge will force you to inventory your possessions, examine your buying patterns and ultimately life goals. The biggest challenge associated with this project is deciding what to count and what not to count.

What we’re doing now…

Right now we taking an inventory of our household items and doing another round of decluttering. You can view our list of personal things and partial list of household items by clicking here.