Thu Aug 12, 2010 at 12:18:41 PM EDT
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(10am~ - promoted by RiaD)
Tammy Strobel was living what most people would describe as the American dream. She had a husband, a condo, two cars, a good job and a fair amount of consumer debt. But the work/spend grind was getting to her, and after reading about the 100 item challenge, she and her husband began to simplify their lives. |
| puzzled :: The anti-material girl |
| They began by paring down what they had, and giving the excess to charity. They downsized their living space to a 400 square foot studio, eliminated both of their cars, and Tammy now is freelancing and volunteering, while her husband pursues a doctorate degree. Their debt is gone, and their lives are much happier. Oh, and, of course, she blogs about her life.
Studies on consumption bear out her experience. Once you cross a certain threshold, having more stuff is subject to the law of diminishing returns. Buying your first computer may have made you happy, but acquiring a second or third one doesn't appreciably increase your happiness quotient. Spending money on experiences has been shown to increase happiness much more than spending it on consumer goods. The afternoon spent hiking in the woods with your significant other will likely bring you more joy than adding another pair of shoes to your collection.
Tammy and her husband weren't dogmatic about the 100 items-they didn't obsess over whether a pair of shoes counted as one item or two-instead they focused on the meaning behind their possessions:
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?
It reminds me of a sig line used by a Mennonite woman on a board I frequented years ago:
Simple living is not our goal.
Simple living is merely a means by which we can free ourselves
and our resources for service to others in a world gone awry.
This story resonated with me, because I'm in the process of both cleaning out my dad's house and trying to streamline my own life. I think in the current economic climate, iPad fever notwithstanding, people are taking a long hard look at their possessions and trying to figure out if they own stuff, or if their stuff owns them. I don't think I could ever get down to 100 things-books alone preclude that possibility-but having fewer things to dust, to insure and to trip over has a real appeal.
How far could you go? |
