Why owning less may be the ultimate luxury, and how to get there.

Just because everyone is doing it doesn't mean it's normal. And yes, pretty much everyone is doing it. CONSUMING. We work and we spend and we buy, buy, buy. We want the latest and the greatest and as much of it as possible. From fashion and homewares to technology and automobiles, we have accepted pretty much blindly that there is always something better out there and we should be chasing it. And whatever "it" is will finally make us happy, successful, accomplished, popular—you fill in the blank. Well, I'd like to suggest that there is "something better" out there, but it does not come in a material form. A happier, more fulfilling, peaceful coexistence that will put us all back in touch with what really matters and allow us to live lives aligned with our core values. Call it whatever you like, but there is a growing movement of people today who seem to have figured out that having less stuff is actually a luxury because it creates time and space for things that truly matter to us and fulfill us as human beings. It will also slow the destruction of our planet.

Reevaluating Priorities: Balancing Work with What Truly Matters

Ask almost anyone about their priorities, and you’ll hear the same things—family, friends, health, community, faith, making a positive impact, or caring for the planet. Yet many of these same people spend 60-80 hours per week working, away from what matters most. And we call that normal. We tell ourselves we have to work this hard—there’s always more we need to buy. Meanwhile, the U.S. junk removal industry alone is worth an estimated $10 billion. We like to say, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” but the truth? Most of it just ends up in a landfill, and we keep the cycle going.

In today’s world, it’s common for parents to rarely see their kids, for partners to pass like ships in the night, and for all of us to be too busy for the people we love. Many even need help caring for their beloved pets. And when we are home, we’re often drowning in possessions—constantly managing, cleaning, sorting, decluttering, and organizing. Instead of relaxing or connecting, we’re stuck dealing with our stuff. Step back for a moment, and it’s hard to deny—it sounds a little nuts.

Unveiling the Roots of Consumerism: Exploring the Societal Trends and Factors that Shaped Our Current State

How did we get here? A multi-billion-dollar advertising industry has been training us since childhood to believe we’re not enough. That we don’t have enough. That what we do have isn’t right—and there’s always something better we should chase. It starts with toys, treats, and clothes, then upgrades to tech, houses, cars, and more. And it never stops. We’re bombarded with an estimated 10,000 ads every single day. From the moment we can eat or sit in front of a screen, the machine goes to work—shaping our desires before we even know what we truly want.

Could there be something to this whole MINIMALISM thing?

It doesn’t sit right with me. The state of the world feels like a disaster, and with it comes a growing sense of anxiety and helplessness. Keeping ourselves busy with work and the constant pursuit of more may seem to help shield us from that, but it also prevents us from focusing on what we truly care about. And the anxiety and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness remain. Our cities are lined with the homeless and those with mental health issues, wars rage across the globe, and the planet is in crisis. Yet, as a society, we’re too distracted by the endless chase for more to truly see it—let alone do something about it. And if we do notice, we’re too busy to act. In my search for control, for a way to feel less helpless and actually make a difference, I’ve begun a deep dive into minimalism. I’m not committing to the lifestyle—at least, not yet. But I am committing to exploring it. To questioning what we’ve been told about success, happiness, and what truly adds value to our lives.

The key is to stop consuming stuff you do not need.

Initially, the word "minimalism" conjured images of boring, extreme people living in empty houses and driving Priuses. But when I heard Joshua Becker, author of Things That Matter and The More of Less, explain it as “the intentional promotion of the things we value most and the removal of distractions,” it clicked. It’s not about depriving yourself or living like a monk—it’s about clearing the clutter to make space for what truly matters: family, friends, meaningful connections, relaxation, and pursuing causes that align with your values.

So, what if we do want to get off the hamster wheel? What if we crave more relaxation, more quality time with the people we love, more joy, more free time? It starts with a simple truth: a lot of our stress and overwhelm come from giving too much importance to things that don’t really matter. If we stop accumulating and start letting go, life gets better.

Yes, DECLUTTERING IS A GREAT FIRST STEP. There are thousands of books on how to do it—pick a method, here are just a few, go through your drawers, closets, basement, garage, and let it go.

Spark Joy by Marie Kondo. https://konmari.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorp3NjR5Rfw-AKPRISfoBzc5BkEdMtDOiFiYltCcmzsPmUyvLQi

• Declutter like a Mother by Allie Casazza. https://alliecasazza.com/missed-dlam

• The Home Edit Life by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin. https://thehomeedit.com

• Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki.

• The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson. https://www.margaretamagnusson.com

• How to Keep Your House While Drowning by KC Davis.

  
  

  
  

  The very simple solution. Stop buying stuff you don't need.

  The average home holds over 300,000 items. Absurd, right? Yet most of us wouldn’t even notice if half of it disappeared. On average we only ever wear 20% of the clothes stuffed into our closets. This isn’t about making space just to fill it again with better or prettier stuff—it’s about breaking free from the trap of mindless accumulation. Living your life aligned to your core values. Enjoying every day. Caring for the planet so that it is there for your children and their children.

  You don’t need a bestseller or a guru to tell you what’s junk. Just look around. The clutter is junk. The stuff you don't use, don't like, that doesnt work or that you don't even know you have. Just go for it. Find people who do need it or will use it and let it go.

  And here’s the irony: the decluttering industry itself might be creating its own clutter. More books, more methods, more “life-changing” systems—do we really need another guide to tell us what we already know? I think we are way smarter than that.