Tell Us Tuesday: How Much is Too Much?

My husband and I are of the same mind (thank goodness) that any stuff we don’t use is too much stuff. We recently bought our first home, and almost everyone who came to visit seemed really disturbed that there was no basement. “What will you do for storage?” they wondered. If we have more stuff than we can fit in an uncluttered home, we get rid of it. This happens to have the gorgeous effect of thinking three times as hard before we buy anything – right after the questions “Can we afford it?” and “Do we really need it?” comes, “But where would we *put* it?”

We’re also glad to be teaching our kids, with this attitude that how much stuff you have has no bearing on their self-worth. If I had a dime for every time I said to my kid, “But you already *have* three elephant toys at home….” I’d be a rich lady.

I guess I'm somewhere in the middle with it all. Living simply is an environmental, emotional, spiritual, frugal and simple thing for me. Part of it is financial but I just FEEL better without having all the clutter around. I feel better not wasting so much stuff and knowing the true cost that isn't always reflected in the price. I feel better living simple and taking care of needs without worrying about the whirl of things that are societal demands and expectations. Simple pleasures are just so much better for me.

(says the woman who wants to downsize some more but hasn't figured out the best place to cut back yet.)
.-= Jenna Ann´s last blog ..Sunday's Journal Entry =-.

What a great question! I've never really thought about it before though. It is definitely something I am going to ponder over though. I have a fear of not doing enough in all three areas, which then leads to guilt. I need to find a healthy balance!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..101 Goals in 1001 days =-.

My father in law will pick off mold from food and then eat it.

I wont go that far. Ever.

I love eating out. But limit myself to just once in a while or while travelling on business.
.-= Ted´s last blog ..Seeking Peace =-.

This is a great question! I agree that these three things overlap.. pursuing frugality can lead to being Greener and a more Simple life, and vice versa for all.

To me frugality and simple living have a lot to do with properly defining needs and wants. I sometimes hear people say things like "I need a new bottle of nail polish" or "I need to have seat warmers in my Subaru." Let's give people the benefit of the doubt as much as possible, but it seems to me that everywhere I look is a confusion of wants and needs. Of course if you Need something, you're going to buy it, right?

Adding environmental consciousness to the mix does interesting things. If you're worried about where things come from and how you're going to dispose if them later, you might be less likely to buy certain things. "Greenness" also means thinking about repurposing, recycling, and making things by yourself or growing your own food, so you can spend less money and do something meaningful in the process. At the same time, a lot of eco friendly products are more expensive than regular products. If that's how you use your dollar, you're exercising your power as a consumer.

I guess to combine all three – frugality, environmental consciousness, and simple living – to me it means being conscious of the decisions I make and feeling powerful because I don't need all that stuff.

I think the answer to that deceptively simple questions could be a weeks long conversation. For our family, we've decided that we will never attempt to get down to 100 items, but that we had "too much" for quite some time. Over the past three years, I've been purging like crazy and am down to dealing the stuff that causes me to pause because of emotional attachments. Each time I make the decision to get rid of something, I feel less encumbered and it is a good feeling. No one size fits all answer, but the value is in the journey, in my opinion.