Letting go of possessions and feeling pretty good about it, at least so far.

in #life7 years ago

So I’m in the process of getting rid of most of my stuff. Here are some of the things I got out of storage, most of it is or will be thrown away. Somethings I’ll sell or give away.
stuff.jpg I’m doing it because I don’t want my belongings to own me. I don’t want them to be a burden or hassle, I want them to serve me. So what’s the problem with owning things you might ask yourself? The drawback with owning too much stuff is, well this is what I can think of right now.

-You have to store it somewhere (this might cost you money).
-Somethings need taking care of or maintenance.
-It might lose value.
-It could get stolen or it could be destroyed (maybe it burns to the ground)?
-Maybe you want to bring it somewhere and it’s too bulky or heavy.
-You waste mental energy thinking about your possessions when you're in another country (is it safe, should I get rid of it)?

Now, of course, your money might lose value as well, if you keep all of it in fiat then it’s basically guaranteed. Instead of owning liabilities, that is things that cost you money, like houses and cars. It will probably serve you better owning assets, things that (hopefully) make you money, like stocks for example. And you want to protect yourself from inflation by using sound money (crypto and precious metals).

Anyway, the stuff I’ve gotten rid of so far, are things that I’m pretty sure I won't use, so it’s been easy and it feels liberating so far. However, there are some things that are harder to separate from. I find myself asking, maybe I’ll use it someday? This could come in handy? It might go up in value? Maybe I’ll regret getting rid of it? Maybe should live in a van or a tiny house? That way I can keep some of the stuff. I even spent hours watching people living in vans on youtube. I was googling tiny houses and thought about buying one, but I think I’m going to stick to my plan, getting everything into two bags, one checked, and one carry on.

I speculate that what's happening psychologically is that we humans are hardwired to avoid losses to a greater extent than we are to seek gains. I find it helpful to think, what's the worst thing that can happen? I get rid of a thing, later on, I find myself in need of this item. So obviously it’s the end of the world, right? There's no way I can rent it, borrow one, or buy a new one, is there? Seriously tho I have huge feet so one thing I’m struggling with is my diving flippers. It could be a problem getting my hands on flippers my size if I find the urge to dive in Thailand for example. On the other hand, they take up too much space, so if I keep them they will probably collect dust in my grandmother's attic or something.


Thank you for reading, I appreciate it, and I hope it gave you some value. :)

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I recently did this also in moving away from my home country. Gave away/ Threw away tons of stuff. I've been a bit of a pack rat over the years and would have had little trouble filling any sized space with junk. "you never know, these Styrofoam peanuts might be useful one day", "I might be able to use some parts out of this old CRT TV and broken microwave" Said things like this for 15 years and managed to amass quite a collection of trash. Never used 99% of it.

Throwing it all away felt great! Well I shouldn't say "it all" because I did keep quite a bit in storage "just in case", and ended up carrying with me WAY more then I've needed so far. So I've still got a lot more to get rid of but it's a good feeling, becoming lighter.

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Yeah, those broken microwaves are the things we regret throwing away when we lie on our deathbeds. Thanks for commenting.

@pomperipossa great post! Really inspiring. @xeldal, "you never know, these Styrofoam peanuts might be useful one day" cracked me up. I have that same thought process. I'm a crafter and love recycling and reusing things I find... I like to think I'm just really optimistic about the world and that I can find use and purpose for everything... or maybe this is what hoarders tell themselves at night so they can sleep? LOL

Wow, thanks for the great comment!

haha thank you! :) Just ya know.. blabbing about my thoughts.

Well it's working! :)

haha thanks! :0)

Whenever I hear pack rat I think of good old Fallout!

Thanks for the occasional support! One of your older comments just made me realize Sasha PUA is here! Unbelievable! He helped me sooooo much...

Ha ha, I've played my fair share of Fallout 2. Thanks for commenting and reading!

It feels so good to give up the clutter . It is like taking weight off your shoulders :)

@xeldal est que tu peux faire un tour sur mon blog merci . Ton commentaire est très bien fait.

It can be heart-breaking too though sometimes...

that is very good of you. it is good to be kind with our stuffs.

Interesting idea. I think I should get rid of some stuff myself. I value my time and spending that time on useless garbage is not worth it.

Yes, time is the ultimate resource!

While moving your stuff, you made a good argument and got me thinking about maybe getting rid of some of my possessions as well.

Thank you, I think most people would stand to benefit from getting rid of some of their stuff. It doesn't have to be as extreme as what I'm doing but if you think about it, you probably own some things that you know you don't need.

I've always been a minimalist at heart, for most of the reasons you mention, but I was just a minimalist who owned a lot of stuff. Over the last 10 years I gradually disposed of my "baggage" until my reality caught up with my ideal. I can move to another country with just one trunk holding all my stuff.
Unfortunately, as I was downsizing my wife was hoarding and her stuff will now require a medium sized shipping container. I wish I were joking.

I have the same problem. My husband hoards music and sound engineering equipment. He has the largest bedroom in the house to put it all in, and it still won't fit in there, so it's out in the living room and other places in the house. He says he will start a company one day with all the stuff he has. I'm still waiting...

Meanwhile, all of my personal possessions will fit in a tiny closet.

Ha ha even tho you're not joking it was pretty funny!

Indeed, materialism is a slippery slope. The more you own, the more time you must spend with it. And time is the most valuable currency in the world. The more time you have for yourself to enjoy, the better.

Yes, good point! Thanks for commenting. :)

Good! I fully support your campaign to get rid of stuff. I will be doing a series of posts like this later this year, where you get to see all the stuff I'm getting rid of.

Stuff is such a drain on my mind and on my resources. I want it all gone!

I advise you to keep at least a toothbrush and some clothes. ;) Seriously tho I agree it's a real mental drain.

If you haven't gotten rid of everything yet, one thing you can do is have a party where you invite friends over to take stuff. I did it and called it a "house colding party" because we Americans call it a "house warming party" when you move into a new place and friends bring gifts for your new house.

I'm proud of you for doing this thing!

Nice fins! I have some high end dive fins, too. I'm glad i kept them. I'd forgotten how expensive they can be until I was looking online the other day to find some to have a spare pair for friends and wow! Like $350 usd!

Thank you, that's a good idea! Maby I'll bring the fins to Acapulco?

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