Minimalism. The true cost of our ‘stuff’.

Have you ever thought about how your unwanted stuff affects your life?

To be fair, I think the majority of you will say no. Hence, why I write this blog post to you today.

Let me start you off with some thoughts and feel free to comment any additional ‘costs’ you can identify!

Money

Now this is the ‘cost’ that first springs to mind! The element of money comes in different forms however.

1. Your initial spend.

   Yeah I really did once spend £30 on a t-shirt that was worn by Seann William Scott in a film…..! I can think of so many different, infinitely more useful things to spend £30 on. What was I thinking??

2. The cost other people would buy it for

   When i first started my decluttering journey, I realised how many of my items were unused and still in mint condition. Then it dawned on me that other people may get use out of my unwanted items and would pay money for it. Cue a mass selling spree. I have been lucky enough to earn thousands of ££s on my ‘junk’. Imagine if they were still sitting in my house collecting dust??

3. The hidden costs!

   You also need to consider the money you spend on eliminating your items. That quick drive to the household waste centre, the drop off to an online buyer etc. It all adds up! Try and be smart and minimise these spends. Tack drop offs to already planned routes where possible.

Space

Before eliminating my unused items, my house had things jammed in cupboards, drawers, piles of papers on furniture…. You get the image don’t you? There was a jam packed enclosed feeling, similar to what you feel on the London Underground! Not great for someone with claustrophobia right? No wonder i felt anxious!

Now my house feels light, bright, airy and I ultimately feel able to relax and enjoy my own home.

This also can link back to money. Imagine if your decluttering results in considerably less space to the point that you could reduce the size of your house. This would result in lower mortgage/rent, lower utility bills and less money to maintain your house.

Time

I found that most of my evenings and weekends were being spent trying to find things, tidying & sorting things in my home. I would have much rather been spending my time relaxing with my family creating memories – which is exactly what I do now!

Environment

As a planet, we produce too much stuff and buy too much stuff. Then what happens with it? It goes in the bin. Where is the love for our home? I have become much more aware of the things I buy, what they are made of and what I can and how I can recycle. If we all shared the same philosophy, our planet would be a much healthier place to live.

Where I have tried to focus on the most is plastics and how I can consume less.

Let me know your opinions in the comments box. Have you started to rethink your shopping habits?