Who can resist free stuff?
It seems foolish to pass it up, right?
Who couldn’t use another rubber jar opener or keychain or tote bag?
Me.
A year ago you wouldn’t have heard me say that. I’ve always loved the little freebies. As this year has rolled on, I’ve done some
work related traveling that took me to different consumer shows – travel
shows, travel industry events, shows sponsored by magazines and newspapers –
and at all of these, people flock to the tables with the free stuff. Everyone grabs something. I would stroll by them, glace at the table
and the grinning salesperson (I assumed), and try to graciously snag whatever
item was up for grabs. After one show, I
can home with a large, heavy tote bag, loaded with brochures and catalogs of
places I want to visit someday and . . .
. wait for it . . . more tote bags!! Flash drives, bottle holders, lots and
lots of pens, magnets, clips, small notepads, and water bottles.
The lure of free stuff extends beyond the giveaways at trade
shows. That’s marketing. It’s meant for you to take and use and maybe
remember the business when you need a limo to the airport.
But the free stuff isn’t really free. It comes with a cost. For that travel show where I got all the
stuff, the cost was an aching back and shoulder from carrying it around, the
loss of time and space trying to figure out where and how to store this
“reference” material, and just another square foot of my home filled. Is this what I’m paying the mortgage for?
George Carlin used to say that our homes are just a place
for our stuff. My stuff happens to fill
up a two story Cape style home with a basement
and garage. We pay the mortgage to house
this stuff and what of it do we actually need?
These thoughts come to mind a lot lately. I’ve been reading books about minimalism and
seriously considering what surrounds me and the associated costs. I’m not talking the monetary costs, although
that is a part of it, but the costs to psyche from the added stress of maintaining
the stuff, storing the stuff, and shopping for more stuff.
There are a whole bunch of people out there who write about
the joys of less stuff. Who would have
thought?
Some of the books I’ve read recently include:
This is the one that started it. I was in my hotel room in New York with my Kindle and somehow
searching for “simplify my life” brought me to her book. It inspired me in that she kept reminding me
that less stuff means more travel, and I like travel. I did find her a bit extreme, though, and
couldn’t imagine living in a space without art on the walls. Here’s her website: http://www.missminimalist.com/
Simplify – 7 guiding principles to help anyone decluttertheir home and life by Joshua Becker.
Joshua and his wife were doing what many homeowners in suburbia do,
clean out the garage, when it occurred to him that if he got rid of some of the
stuff, he’d be able to spend more quality time with said wife and their
children. He wasn’t as extreme, and I
think my goal would be along these lines.
Here is his website: www.becomingminimalist.com
Minimalism - Live a meaningful life by Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan
Nicodemus. Two young guys, friends for
years, plodding down the road into adulthood, doing what we’re all told to do,
go out and get a job and be successful, but after a few years of “success” –
making big money, buying lots of big stuff, carrying big debt – all the while
feeling like something’s missing – big time.
They shed their stuff, downsize, get rid of their crap, and now write
and lecture about the minimalist lifestyle.
Here’s their website: www.theminimalists.com. If you go to Amazon today and tomorrow (June
22nd & 23rd, 2012) you can download Millburn’s
new book, After the Crash for free.
How to start a freedom business by Colin Wright I love his idea of traveling full time and
living wherever the urge takes him. I’m
not sure that I could do that but I’d be willing to try traveling for a
while. I think it’s the idea of not having
any roots whatsoever that throws me.
Here’s his website: http://exilelifestyle.com/
And I liked this post on Julien Smith’s blog: http://inoveryourhead.net/the-short-16-step-guide-to-getting-rid-of-your-crap/
Especially # 6 . . . I have a spare room like that. It’s only a place for stuff. No one has lived in it.
So this ought to get you started down the road. Seems odd to suggest you buy more stuff to
learn how to get rid of old stuff. My
Kindle is bearing the weight of my purchases.
At least I don’t have 4 (or more!) actual paper books to add to my
already cluttered bookshelves.
Now I’ve got to start getting rid of my crap. And stop bringing in more crap. I read this earlier today – sorry but I’m not
sure where to attribute it –
It
went something like:
Step 1: Rent a dumpster.
Step 2: Put your stuff in it.
Step 2: Put your stuff in it.
The more you let go, the easier it is to let go, and the freer you
become.
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