For the last few years, Cindy and I have been trying to buy fewer things, but better things. This idea was a reaction to finding ourselves moving into increasingly smaller accommodations about every 3-4 years. Each time we moved, we just wouldn’t have room for everything we owned. Actually, we don’t have room for everything we have now. We’ve been renting a small storage unit for the past year. It’s the smallest one they have, and it will hold a shit-ton of your stuff. This isn’t necessarily a good thing.
We went through some of it last month, sorting out what to keep, what to trash, and what to donate. Shedding some of our processions, whittling it all down, felt good. It meant fewer things we had to physically and mentally keep track of. In another month or two, we’ll move about 20% of what’s there now into a friend’s attic, and stop renting the storage unit, which costs us $45.00 a month.
But physical clutter wasn’t our only problem. Last month, the big TV in the living room blew up, and that gave us the perfect excuse to ditch cable. We still watch TV (the small one in the office), but only about 10% of what we used to. We don’t channel surf looking for something to watch any more. And we don’t miss it that much.
For us, we just thought cutting back on some material processions and services like cable would save us some money (and it does). But it has had a nice side effect: we find ourselves saying yes to more experiences, more travel. Sure, it’s just small trips now, but we’re not spending hours each day watching other people on TV do stuff. We’re doing stuff. Before, we might have planned a trip as an exercise in wishful thinking. Now, when we talk about a trip, we see it as a real possibility. This isn’t a big deal for a lot of people, but it is for us. Normally, I would have blown off the possibility of going to Star Wars Celebration V because it’s not being held anywhere near where I live, and it would only be for one day anyway. This year, however, I said yes after thinking about it for about 5 minutes, because that one day could be awesome, right? I have a place to stay, tickets were easy to get, and I have months to buy a plane ticket. Why would I talk myself out of that?
Looking at our piles of stuff, and asking ourselves, “Okay, what do we really want? What do we really need? What is essential?” has definitely spilled over into travel. Instead of thinking about all the things we need (or think we need) for a trip or getaway, we consider all the things we don’t need to make it happen.
Sounds simple enough, right? But how many of us overpack for most of our trips, lugging around suitcases full of stuff we thought we might need, but didn’t? We pack all that stuff into suitcases for the same reason we rent storage units: it gives us peace of mind, security. It turns out that being able to justify keeping a storage unit full of seldom-used items is no different than being able to justify packing everything but the kitchen sink when we travel (although Cindy and I have never been quite that bad). It’s what you want to take versus what you need in order to go. It’s the different between packing like the Griswolds and Bruce Banner. We plan for the exception, as many just-in-case moments as we can think of, instead of planning for the rule. And all we wind up doing is weighing ourselves down with stuff.
We all have attachments to stuff, or ideas or attitudes that serve no real purpose other than to make us feel safe and secure. The question I have to ask myself is, How many of these attachments are keeping me from doing so many things I’d probably enjoy, if I could just let go of them?
And, the funny thing is, for the last couple of weeks, we’ve been on the hunt for a good carry-on bag for Cindy’s trip to New York this August. She doesn’t want to lug the big red suitcase around, or spent 30-45 minutes waiting in baggage claim; she just wants to grab her stuff and go. It couldn’t have hit us in a more obvious way that the kind of experience we want to have in life depends largely on our willingness to get moving, and the amount of baggage we’re carrying.
So, over the next few months, I’m going to
- Continue to shed more things than I accumulate
- Plan a trip for next year that requires me to use my passport, dammit
- Commit to traveling with one carry-on, and one backpack
Where would you go?
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hooray! Hooray!
For some reason I feel like I might need the kitchen sink for the New York trip.
If it’ll fit in the carry-on. Just channel Maggie Mason! And for crying out loud, don’t smack anybody in the head with it getting it in and out of the overhead compartment.
Cindy–I have a kitchen sink, a bathroom sink, and a workroom slop sink. Don’t bring yours. Just some clothes and comfortable shoes will do. (But I have those things, too, if you just want to arrive naked.)
Chris–Love this post. I always want to get rid of things, but have the hardest time making myself do it. Right now I’m wearing all of my ill-fitting, stained clothes one last time and then washing them and putting them in the give-away pile. “The one last time” trick is kind of working for me.
@Chrome – I’m all for whatever works. I’ve noticed that the more I get rid of things, the easier it is to keep doing it. One of the hardest parts of this whole project is making trip after trip to the donation bin, or recycle bin, and filling up the trash cans in a matter of minutes.
I’m a backpack person. If I’m going somewhere for 5 days or less, all I need will fit in there! Longer than that, all I need is a duffle bag! I’m all about simplicity! I know that shocks you!
Glad you didn’t get rid of the chocolate fountain though!
Great post.