2008: My year of living smaller

2008: My year of living smaller
broadcast.oreilly.com

I'm only a college student right now, and already have limited expenses, but I've been exploring the idea of reducing the amount of things I own; a more minimalist lifestyle. I've realized something that Jelliffe points out towards the end of his article:

"Simplicity is great if it is coupled with quality household goods, but terrible with commodity goods that bust all the time."

Most items you can get at Wal-Mart, Target, or any major chain store are not well made...and, well, crap. Yes, the nicer things are more expensive and more difficult to find, but they are worth it. Which makes more sense: owning one quality $100 knife for 30+ years, or going through 10 $20 knives over the course of 30 years?

That's just the beginning of living simpler, though. It isn't just about replacing your stuff with better stuff, but about reducing the overall amount of stuff you own. Do you really need X, Y, and Z, or can you do without Y and Z?

Relating this to my own experience, I like to see it as an interesting challenge. Since I fly back and forth from my school (and I don't own a car), everything I own has to be packed away in a storage unit at the end of the school year. Therefore, the less I own, the less I have to store, and the better off I am. I've been working to get rid of a lot of things I don't need (how much clothing do I really need? Electronics? Trinkets?) and avoiding buying new things. The major advantage this has is that it frees up a lot of money to spend on things I really want to do, such as a trip to Japan I have planned for this summer.

I wish this idea would go more mainstream, though, as I think the whole US could do with a little downsizing. Perhaps this current economy will help push us in that direction?

But living with 1 $100 knife requires certain behavioral changes. You must take care of it, sharpen it, transport it if you're moving.

Really, these are positive changes and I totally agree that we should be buying more durable goods and maintaining them. In fact, this behavioral change is why the government wants people to own homes. Home ownership gives you something that you need to maintain well rather than simply move away from/discard. It even gives you incentive to improve upon it as that trip to Home Depot can really improve things like the value of the home. People live in communities, improve their homes and communities, and take a real stake in improving things on that local level.

As it stands, I'm likely going to be buying Ikea-produced furniture next year because I need to furnish an apartment cheaply, and I will only be keeping it for a couple years. I don't have the money or the means to buy furniture that will last me a long time at this point...but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about what I am doing. I still am aiming to buy as little furniture as is necessary, and avoiding anything I can do without or simply don't need.

Yes, the idea is simplistic, but that is the point: if you can reduce and purchase quality then you should, and if you can't, at least have an awareness (and perhaps simplify another aspect of your life). I'm at a point where I can do both, but understandably, not everyone can do that.

It's all about reducing as much as you can, within your current circumstances. I'm not trying to say that you need to buy that $100 knife now, but in that case, perhaps you could do with one or two less forks (this isn't a literal example, mind you). Less waste and less worry, without entirely sacrificing comfort.