The day I gave up my stuff.

A few days ago My Two Dollars wrote a piece called “You are not your stuff, your stuff is not you”. It inspired me to write about the day I gave up my stuff.

Back in 2000 I got a wild hair and decided to move cross-country. I had a Volkswagen to which I attached a small trailer. Everything I was bringing with me had to fit in there. So I did some major purging. I couldn’t take my bed, or my couch but I did take a dresser and a chair. That was it for the big stuff. I also took my clothes, a few lamps, the computer, my 19 inch TV, and , ahem… my VCR. That’s about it.

I gave away, sold, or threw out just about everything else. Do you know my life changed without all my stuff? It didn’t. I was the same person I was before. In fact, I was happier. I actually used everything I owned. I knew what I had, and where it was. No more clutter!

Eight years later I’m still living with what I learned during that time. I know that buying clutter isn’t going to make me happier. In fact, I will be happier if I don’t buy it because then I will still have my money. I can use that money for things that will make me happy. Things like having enough savings, paying off debt, and going on family vacations.