Your Money_ The Missing Manual - J. D. Roth [50]
Stuff plays a huge role in your happiness—or unhappiness. Stuff costs money to buy, store, move, and maintain. But the costs aren't just financial. There's a real mental toll to having too much Stuff: You think about it and worry about it; it becomes a burden.
There's nothing wrong with owning things you use and value. The problem is accumulating Stuff you never use. The best way to cope with Stuff? Don't let it into your home in the first place.
Tip
Every time you buy something, it has an impact on the world around you. Buying fewer things means a little more money in your pocket and a little less pollution in the world. So do your part for the environment: Buy less Stuff.
Here are some ways to guard against Stuff:
Ignore the Joneses. Peer pressure is powerful, and one of the most dangerous paths to clutter (and overspending) is the urge to own as much as your friends do. But life isn't a competition. Learn to be content with what you have; owning more Stuff won't make you happier.
If you don't need it, don't buy it. In his book Clutter's Last Stand, Don Aslett argues that the value is in the using, not the owning. "No matter how you look at it," he writes, "clutter is a poor investment." So buy only what you need.
Focus on experiences, not things. As you learned in Chapter 1, experiences are more likely to make you happy than material goods. Of course, experiences cost money, but a trip to Thailand, a nice dinner with friends, and the entrance fee for a marathon all have one thing in common: They don't take up space. You get value for your money without any residual Stuff.
Practice the one-in, one-out rule. Try to keep a steady state of Stuff. If, for example, you have 12 pairs of pants and buy another, get rid of an old pair to prevent Stuff from building up.
Tip
Here's another strategy: Every week, fill a bag with Stuff you no longer want or need. At the end of the month, give the four bags you've filled to the charity of your choice—and start filling another bag. This is an easy way to slowly purge clutter from your life. (If you itemize your tax deductions, make a note of what goes into the bags so you can save on taxes at the end of the year.)
Focus on quality. Base your buying decisions on the value an item will give you. Often it makes more sense to have one excellent, expensive item than several lousy, cheap ones that just clutter up your home.
Borrow and lend. When you borrow and lend among friends, each person needs to own less, so you share the joy of having less Stuff. And why own thousands of books when there's a public library down the street?
Ditch packaging. Why buy DVDs when you can use Hulu.com or Netflix? Why purchase CDs when you can get songs through iTunes? If you don't need the packaging, don't buy it.
Reduce advertising exposure. Many people report that they buy much less Stuff when they stop watching TV. But radio programs, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet are all filled with ads, too. The more you avoid—or ignore—advertising, the less you'll be tempted to buy.
Tip
Many web browsers let you install plug-ins (little additions to the program) that help block ads, like this one for Firefox: http://tinyurl.com/FFadblock. Search around online to see what's available for your browser or ask your geeky friends for recommendations.
For more about the tyranny of Stuff, check out Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Doland (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2009), Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett (Marsh Creek Press, 2005), and It's All Too Much by Peter Walsh (Free Press, 2007). These three websites are also great resources: http://unclutterer.com, www.flylady.com, and http://mnmlist.com.
As you purge Stuff from your life, you come to realize that all you really need are the bare essentials—everything else is just Stuff.
Leading a Rich Life on a Budget
Frugality keeps you focused on your goals. When you buy