Letting go of stuff- the secret to living lighter

Letting go of stuff- the secret to living lighter

I am a total and utterly hopeless nester. I adore trinkets and items with stories. Things can be useful and a source of delight. They are a blessing, but…

Here is what I’ve learned. A secret that I want you to know.

Our stuff can suffocate us. We hold onto things, knowing we paid precious money, thinking they have monetary value. Unwilling to let them go for nothing!

Here is freedom, friends. It is just stuff.

Now, I don’t say that lightly. Years of homemaking on a budget, homeschooling on a (nonexistent) budget, cooking and storing and living with a plan?

Stuff accumulated. That might be used later. It was good planning. I get it.

But, that accumulation doesn’t last forever. Things expire, things disintegrate, things go out of season and style.

Then, it is just stuff we have, not treasures.

 

How do you declutter and let go of stuff?

Let’s say you have several name brand baskets (fill in your own blank. Things from cooking and scrapbooking and makeup parties), and you’ve owned them for at least ten years. You might not want to just “give them” away, thinking they are worth something.

Chances are, their monetary value has diminished to far below what you paid. They are worth little, yet they cost a great deal.

Oh yes, they do!

For every minute and hour and month that we think of what to do with those items we no longer want? Time passes, valuable time that could have been spent doing NEW things. Developing FRESH ideas. Living LIGHTER.

Do you think our time is worth more than our old stuff?

What is the value of our life? Do we want to spend it scrambling for a few potential dollars to be made, or give it away and move on?

(Check out The Minimal Mom on youtube for GREAT videos on this topic)

 

 

Emotional attachment to material things

Ugh. I am so guilty of this!

Have you ever shopped in a thrift store and found something special? Something of great value in your eyes, that is out of your price range to buy otherwise?

I’ve been that shopper. Those scores really encourage budget-minded mamas.

Share the stuff while it still has use. If something brings you joy, keep it, by all means! If it doesn’t have sentimental value or true use, pass it on.

This weekend I cleaned out a closet. 3 bags for donation, and a whopping 10 grocery bags of trash and recycle. Sounds awesome, right?

Yeah, um, except it was a small linen closet. And, it took most of my Saturday. Sort of mortifying, but hugely gratifying.

I don’t want stuff weighing me down, and I’d guess you don’t either.

That is why  is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo is a bestseller. And why Becoming Minimalist moves its audience to action.

Matthew 6:19-21 Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

 Our time is valuable, our life is valuable. Our stuff, less so. 

Let’s talk about your home. What has been hard to part with, and what are you ready to let go of?

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I do/would use myself. This post may contain affiliate links that at NO additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission to help support this blog. Read full privacy policy here.