What I've Learned From Throwing Out my Crap

We all have a lot of crap...seriously. Have you ever looked around your house and just thought about all the space those things take up. I look at pictures of our empty apartment compared to now with all of our things and it's incredible...and that's not necessarily a good thing.

When you start a debt freedom journey, one of the first steps is selling your crap that you have. Seriously...before we moved into our new apartment I sold $150 worth of crap, and donated a ton more! It felt so good, to be honest. I realized a few things once I started doing this and every single one of these things has totally changed my outlook on consumerism!

1. I Don't Need Anything

Well, this might be a bit of a simplification. Yes we all need to have clothing, but do I really need that much clothing? Do I need another pair of shoes? Another piece of jewelry? The answer is probably NO!! We were all fed this idea as children; that more is better and having stuff is the only way to be happy...NEWSFLASH: We don't need most of the stupid stuff we buy. I've learned to take a look at what I own, and stop coveting more!

2. Shopping Was a Habit

This may not be true for everyone, but growing up, we would shop almost every weekend. Now, I did not grow up rich, and we were ALWAYS shopping on the sales rack, but regardless we were shopping...It dawned on me when I was getting rid of my stuff. We shopped because we were bored, so I realized that when I get bored...I shop (well used to anyway ;)). It's a terrible habit and I've substituted much better options like reading, hiking, training Mikita, or even clearing out more of my crap! (And yes, there is always more stuff to clear out)

Also just a bit of a side note, I saw a quote the other day that shook me:

Let that sink in for a moment. I want to cry thinking about all the wasted money on stupid shit I thought I needed. I can tell you that I will wait and really consider every purchase I make from this point forward!

3. My Life is Less Stressful

I don't know what it is about having less stuff, but it makes me calmer. It's also less crap to constantly pick up and put away. I think about all the extra time I spend cleaning that I could be doing something else...and that is the most obnoxious thing to me! The less stuff I have to make a mess, the fewer messes I have! Plus with having a puppy added to the mix, it has made the mess even worse. Mostly because she has tons of toys laying around.

I have a lot of small sentimental items that I will always keep because they are important to me, but I am way more conscious and aware of the things that I bring into our home. If it doesn't serve a purpose or make me incredibly happy, then it's not something I need.