Start living a simpler life with less stuff and start creating space in your life for memories to be made rather than taking up more and more space in your home.
If clutter and unused items are taking over your home, robbing your wallet of your hard-earned dollars, and generally making your life more difficult, maybe it’s time to start figuring out how to live with less stuff.
Here are ways you can start living a simpler life with less stuff:
1 – Stop shopping for fun
If you want to start living with less, you need to stop the inflow of more stuff from coming into your home. The easiest way to do this is to stop shopping for fun.
I get it. I’ve been that person who went to the store with no list, hot beverage in hand, and ready to find anything that suited my fancy that day. I was “going shopping”, and it was my fun to be had for the day.
The thing is though, I didn’t need anything. I was just looking for an endorphin high. I wanted the joy of finding something I didn’t know I wanted or needed.
You can still enjoy shopping, simply do so with purpose. Meanwhile, look for a fun new way to spend your days, instead of shopping.
2 – Stop shopping for a good deal
On the same note as not shopping for fun, stop shopping for a good deal too, and you will immediately experience a simpler life of living with less.
No matter how many ways you spin it, it’s not a good deal if you don’t need it.
This means you don’t have to immediately work your way to the clearance racks to find that amazing clothing deal. It also means you don’t have to walk the endcaps looking for a random piece of something marked down 70%, therefore you must buy it or you are missing out.
If it’s 70% off but you don’t really need it, then it really isn’t saving you any money and is costing you a whole lot more precious space.
3 – Make a list
If shopping is your gateway to allowing more junk and clutter into your home, one simple fix is to never enter a store without a list.
Sure, it seems simple enough. I only need one thing. Yet, we’ve all been there. We’ve gone in for that one thing, and we’ve come out spending $157 on many other things we just had to have today.
Make a list. Stick to it.
4 – Let go of hobbies
If you want to clear some space in your home and experience the joys of living with less, one way to do this is to let go of the hobbies that don’t work for you any longer.
This could be crafts, sporting equipment, gardening supplies, books, or other items that help you create something you used to enjoy.
We all have different seasons in our lives. Sometimes we have the time to make things. Sometimes we have the energy to do certain tasks.
Then, life happens. Maybe your interests change or maybe your ability to do things changes. That’s OK.
There became a certain age when snowboarding no longer appealed to me. I don’t care how much snow fell the night before, the hard landing of those falls outweighed the joy of the sport. To my husband’s surprise, I gave away all my snowboarding equipment and moved on to skis. I never looked back.
Let go of the things that don’t serve you anymore.
5 – Embrace experiences
When you are looking to live with less stuff, you start to realize you need a new way to spend your money and time. One of the best ways to do this is to start embracing more experiences.
Instead of going shopping, go do an activity that has been on your bucket list forever.
Instead of going to the book store, go to a local coffee shop with a library book.
Instead of buying your child another toy, take them for ice cream.
Experiences make the best gifts too, as they give you memories rather than steal more space in your home.
6 – Spend more time with others
We are social beings. Even if you are a hardcore introvert, you need other people in your life. Spend more time with others instead of filling that gap in your soul with more stuff in your home.
Host a potluck with your friends. Randomly, without any reason other than you want to see them.
Invite a friend to meet you at a local coffee shop.
Take a trip to see family you haven’t seen in a while.
Build yourself a community of people you can count on, rather than spending your time filling your home.
7 – Unsubscribe from temptations
Everywhere you look, we are in a world that encourages consuming more. If the temptations are too much, do your best to remove some of them.
Unsubscribe from emails. Better yet, stop giving your main email address out to retailers. Give them a “junk email” address. Have all your junk emails go there, so you can still find a good deal if you need a coupon. (I have a junk email address. There are tens of thousands of emails in there. Every January 1st, I simply delete all and start over. Easy-peasy.)
You can also unsubscribe from mailers coming to your home. This also cuts down on paper waste!
8 – Spend less time on social media
Stop watching others live their lives and go enjoy your life.
Call a friend. Invite someone over. Try a new experience. Go enjoy one of your hobbies.
Comparison is the thief of joy and often encourages us to buy more rather than consume less. Create a simple life and live with less by actually going out and making your own precious memories, rather than looking to see what you are missing out on with someone else’s highlight reel.
9 – Keep up your budget
It doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank. Keeping up with your budget will make you keenly aware of how you spend your money.
If you don’t have a budget, now is the time to start. You can do it on paper or go digital. Whatever you do, start tracking where your money goes, and this alone will create a sense of where you spend your money.
A budget doesn’t have to be fancy or complex. If you are unsure where to start, I love following The Budget Mom. She has great ideas on how to get started, especially if you are a pen and paper kind of gal.
Is digital more your thing? I’m also a huge fan of You Need a Budget (YNAB). They make digital budgeting easy.
10 – Get creative
Before you buy something else, see if you can make it work for free or less. Yes, even if you can afford to buy it.
Want a book? Use the library to see if you really like the book.
Need a tool for a one-time project? Could you borrow it from a friend or rent it?
Want a new picture for your wall? Do you have an old frame in storage you could use and simply replace the print?
Find substitutions. Look for creative alternatives. Use what you have on hand, and use it up first, before buying more.
Start Living With Less
If you want to live with less, the best thing to do is simply start. Get creative. Embrace more experiences, and stop the inflow of more clutter into your home.
The memories you create from actually living, rather than buying, will change everything!
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