Do you have a home jam packed with “stuff?” For years advertisers have promised us that brand name “things” would make us happy, designer clothing would make us popular and luxury cars would make us desirable. Guess what? They didn’t! Now many of us are trying to “detox” ourselves from the stuff and get the clutter out of our lives.
In fact, it’s super hip to be a minimalist these days. A quick peek around the Internet will yield you hundreds of posts and articles about how to live on less, simplify your wardrobe and minimize the clutter in your home. Friends and fellow bloggers are selling their belongings on craigslist and e-bay, having garage sales, and donating their unwanted stuff to charity. It’s like we’ve finally been given the green light to purge our crap and not feel bad about it.
I personally, love this new movement. I’m all about simplifying my life by simplifying my stuff. Remember when I re-organized my kitchen cabinets and came to the epiphany that clutter causes chaos? Well a few weeks ago I sorted through my wardrobe (wardrobe sounds fancy, what I meant was closet) and donated bags and bags of clothing and shoes that are too small, too ugly and too uncomfortable. At the end of the day, I felt great. Then I sorted through our housewares and the linen closet and purged a bunch of stuff from both. Proud as a peacock, I showed the bags to the bf and explained my new “initiative” to live a more minimalist lifestyle.
The only problem? Boyfriend is very attached to “stuff”
Bf is super frugal, which is something I really love about him. Except for when we’re trying to de-clutter the house. I can sort through a garbage bag full of bf’s clothing in about 5 minutes and put it everything into “keep”, “throw” and “donate” piles. Bf can go through the same bag in about 1.5 hours and at the end the day, 1 pair of socks with holes in the toe will be in the “throw” pile. Sorry to “out” you honey, but you know it’s true! I’m all about frugality, but we’re not living in the depression era and can afford to buy new socks!
Now let’s talk about electronics for a minute, shall we? Electronics in our household are another beast completely. Bf has an insane collection of electronics, computer parts and surround sound speakers from 1980. Let’s just say when I suggested that he possibly give away a few things (there’s no way anyone would buy this stuff it’s so outdated!) it nearly caused World War III. Bf was insulted, I was frustrated our small condo was jam packed with stuff and both of us were not wiling to budge.
Just when It seemed like we were going to break up (or kill each other), we discovered storage units. For a mere $130 a month, he can keep all of his stuff, I can have a clutter free apartment and neither of us has to move out. A win/win in my book. Do I like paying the bill each month? No! Honestly, I think it’s pretty ridiculous we pay to keep our extra crap. But that storage unit saved my relationship, and $130 is a small price to pay for my sanity.
Have you ever “saved” your relationship by buying (or paying) for something?
Image: Scott Meyers Self Storage Investing