• Stuff is expensive to buy. Especially when I end up only using things once or twice like books, dvds, dress shoes, and ties.
  • Stuff is expensive to store. One time I had to rent a storage locker because I couldn’t take my things when I moved to China. Some people get big houses with walk in closets and a three car garage.
  • Stuff is expensive to maintain. Broken stuff needs to be fixed. Owning a house means I need to fix the roof. Owning a car means I need to change the tires.
  • Stuff is time consuming to maintain. I have to dust my stuff. A bigger house means more sweeping. A bigger yard means more mowing. Owning a car means cleaning it and changing the oil and scraping ice off the windows.
    I need to go to the store to find replacement parts, batteries, light bulbs, cleaning supplies, and duct tape.
  • Stuff is stressful to own. I might lose it or dent it or scratch it or drop it or step on it. Or it might catch on fire. Or someone might steal it. Sometimes I get so stressed I buy insurance for my stuff.
  • Stuff reduces my freedom. Its hard to move to new place because I have to carry all my stuff with me.

Therefore I have decided to live with less stuff. So I hereby declare war on my stuff. And also on my things. Here is my 4 point plan to free myself from the tedious tyranny of too many things:

  • Point 1: Keep a comprehensive inventory of all my stuff.
  • Point 2: Ruthlessly reduce the number of things in my inventory to less than 200.
  • Point 3: No new stuff unless I throw out some old stuff first.
  • Point 4: Have a beer.

If I were hard core I would throw out everything I didn’t use in the last 6 months. Maybe I’ll be hard core at some point in the future.