Give away at least seven items per week
How is this an ethical move? It is not just about making donations - if so, I would be better off donating cash to help those in the developing world who would benefit most, or selling my items and donating the proceeds. It is not about getting rid of all my possessions and replacing them with "green" or "ethical" items (that would defeat the purpose). It is more about simplifying, having less "stuff" and thinking more about what I consume. It is about changing my priorities from "stuff", to "deeds". It is about having more time (because I am not spending as much time cleaning or looking for lost items or deciding what to wear) to do more important things. My home is not going to become minimalist - just less like it could appear on Hoarders.
Slow Your Home's "52 Reasons to Simplify Your Life" include these reasons that resonate most with me:
- Less time spent cleaning
- Less impact on the environment
- Less time organising your belongings
- Less likely to inadvertently support child slavery and unfair work conditions through buying cheap, disposable items
- Feeling more content with what you have
- Less time (and money) wasted shopping for things you don’t need
- You need less furniture, which gives you more space
- No more dreading drop-in visitors
There are endless blogs on the topic of simplifying, downsizing, minimising and generally consuming less. Some of those that I follow include Becoming Minimalist, Be More With Less, The Simple Year, The Clean Bin Project, Simplify Your Life and Buy Nothing New for a Year.
Have you tried simplifying your life? Do you have any reading recommendations on the topic?
