I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while now. When I first saw Leo Babauta with his list, I was intrigued. Then I saw Colin and Joshua, too. That got me thinking about how many possessions I currently have.
I’ve been down the route of owning a lot of stuff, and to be honest, it’s exhausting. The list below are the things I own and have with me at this moment. I still have things left back home (in Sweden) that I didn’t have time to clear out. It is stuff I will at some point sell or give away.
I feel like I can still eliminate a lot of stuff. I have way too many t-shirts. I probably don’t use 60% of them, but I’m not getting rid of them yet, because there’s no point. I am not traveling, but at some point they will go.
Then I have four sweatshirts, of which I probably only use two. I’m not sure if I’ll live like this for the rest of my life, probably not, but at this point in time, it’s something I enjoy.
What a Minimalist Lifestyle Means to Me
I enjoy a minimalist lifestyle because it gives me freedom. It isn’t just to save money or get a gold star. I care about what’s going in the world and inside myself.
When I used to buy things, I did it because it felt good. And that is what shopping is to most people–a high. Simplifying your life means that you have to simplify your mind.
This journey is extremely fascinating for me right now. I realize that while stuff definitely can be cool, it isn’t essential. When I’ve got my bases covered, I’m good.
The Rules
1. Personal Things Only. I do not count shared items, such as kitchen utilities, the camera (which I never use anyway), and so on.
2. No Books. I am not counting books. I currently have a handful of books with me, but the only one I would take with me if I were to move is the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I’m long overdue for buying a kindle.
3. Groups. Underwear and socks are grouped, because that’s what the cool kids are doing when they’re building their list of possessions.
My Possessions (on April 19th, 2010)
- Cell Phone
- Backpack
- Asus Laptop
- Laptop Backpack
- Flip Cam
- External USB Mouse
- External USB Keyboard
- USB Flash Drive
- Sennheiser Headphones
- USB Microphone
- Ear Plugs
- Toothbrush
- Pit-Rok Deodorant
- Black Sweatshirt
- Blue Sweatshirt
- Gray Sweatshirt
- Red Sweatshirt
- Jeans
- Beige Pants
- Slack Pants
- Swimming Shorts
- Regular Shorts
- 13-Year Old Shorts (My Favorite)
- Socks, counted as a group (~10 pairs)
- Underwear, counted as a group (~10 pairs)
- Cool Yellow Towel
- T-Shirt #1
- T-Shirt #2
- T-Shirt #3
- T-Shirt #4
- T-Shirt #5
- T-Shirt #6
- T-Shirt #7
- T-Shirt #8
- T-Shirt #9
- T-Shirt #10
- T-Shirt #11
- T-Shirt #12
- T-Shirt #13
- T-Shirt #14
- Passport/Wallet with Contents
- Jacket
- Asics Shoes
This Too Shall Pass
In the future, this list may grow, or it may shrink. I’m not bound by any particular rules, but at the moment I’m putting a lot of value on only owning things I really need.
The freedom you get from eliminating everything unnecessary and starting over is tremendous. It’s easy to let complexity and stuff creep into your life if you’re not paying attention.
Stay aware and stay awesome!
[Update: I wrote this post in early 2010, and on November 27th, 2010, I moved back to northern Scandinavia. I lived 11 months in Spain as a radical minimalist. However, now back home I have my work cut out for me. I am getting rid of stuff slowly but surely, but remember: this is not about living with a certain set of items, it’s about living with the essentials.]
[Update #2: It’s now 2014. I became a father in 2011. We bought a house in 2013. While I no longer live with the above items, I still enjoy living simply, and keeping the clutter down. It’s much harder with a family and a house, but again, this isn’t about how many things you have, but determining what you need.]
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Kick ass and congrats Henri!
Although I would submit that everybody should count each pair of socks (and underwear as well) as a separate item. It doesn’t make sense that 5 pairs of socks or 12 pairs of socks is the same as 1 pair of socks. It’s simply a cheat to get under a certain number of items. 😉
I’ve never counted my items. But if I did I probably have ~100. That said, I would count each and every thing because each and every thing is a physical item. 🙂
Talk soon!
Karol
I agree, the grouping is pretty fascinating. I don’t know the reason why, but I like the cheat 😀
I could definitely get rid of around 15 additional items, if each pair of socks and underwear was counted as one.
Thanks for stopping by, sir!
If you don’t want to live like this, then don’t! Follow your heart and do what you want. This post is more me keeping track of what I’m doing.
For me, I’ve also been moving in the direction of less physical items – but rather than having a count of physical things, my focus is only on things I use
I don’t think of myself as a minimalist though. I think of myself more as someone who just doesn’t want excess that isn’t used ;).
Yeah I agree. I’m almost the same way. I don’t think of myself as a minimalist, but I’ve been reading so much about it lately that I had to use the word in one of my posts 😀
43 items!?!?! i have more stuff in my room. Wow incredible how you can live with little but live a happy life. Congrats.
nice list :)…mine is pretty similar :)…it does give a certain sense of freedom :)..but this freedom is external…it’s freedom from things…which is not really freedom…if you understand the nature of your mind, of thought, of your inner space… that can subsequently lead to an inner psychological revolution….this will be real freedom…the freedom for…a choice less awareness….just pure being and not living your life by any rules or structures….como van tus classes de espanol?…te gusta la paella?…take care henri
Henri,
Every time you write a post, I feel like you are writing about the story of my life too.
In the past, my life turned into a mess, because I could not stop myself from shopping. I had turned into a “shop till you drop” sort of shopaholic. Addiction?
I was also given gifts and received discounts and so on. Things kept on piling up.
I became upset, because I could never find the essential items. The reason? My place had turned into a warehouse. There were things lying around everywhere.
I became frustrated and could not stand to look at myself in the mirror. I was ashamed of myself for hoarding things. What’s the point of having all this stuff when I don’t use 90% of it anyway? I am a bohemian by temperament, after all. That was how I thought at the time, I remember. And I was right on the money.
Over the years, I have sold things, disposed of things or donated to charitable organizations. I have given things away to the poor and needy. People have appreciated my generosity of spirit, and I have felt a sense of relief. What freedom, finally! I am in the process of getting rid of even more stuff. I really way to embrace the minimalist lifestyle. Currently, I want to get rid of my car with driver, because I never use it anyway. I am an outdoorsy type and prefer to walk anyway.
The wisest and most enlightened people in the world have always pursued a minimalist lifestyle. I want to join the party. I am not there yet, but I am on my way.
I have gotten rid of most of my possessions and I am gonna get rid of even more.
Thanks for the timely remind. Bliss is an inner game independent of what you own.
Cheers!
I get that minimalistic feeling every time i travel and I got it also when I was on a term abroad while still studying in the university, and I must say I enjoy it too. It’s a really empowering feeling to realize that everything I really need in life fits into one big backpack, and I am a full person even without all my belongings. I don’t either want to collect too much stuff to my apartment when I’m living in Finland like right now, but I still have a lot more stuff than you have. Can’t really sell my 42″ TV, even though I would not buy it anymore if I didn’t already have one. 🙂
Hey Henri!
I have seen quite a few people write about this. I’m not too sure how I feel about having a lot of stuff. I have lots and lots of things, way more than I need. But I like having those things.
I haven’t bought anything in a long time (clothes, gadgets, furniture etc). I think I’m at a stage where I have almost everything I could possibly need and only need to replace certain things when they wear out or break.
For the rest I am pretty set on travelling, so then I will just leave most of my things at home and travel very light. If you are travelling you need very little since you can just rent a furnished apartment. When you are in a fixed location I think it is much easier to accumulate (which might not be such a good thing).
Cool post, it made me think!
Cheers
Diggy
Congrats on such a small list of possessions!
I definitely have more than that, but I’ve been getting rid of lots of stuff lately. So much easier on the mind to not have to deal with so many material things.
I’ve seen similar lists before and though yours is impressive, the one common thing missing is the bed. I’m curious what you sleep on, i didn’t see a futon or sleeping bag. Also, do you own a bike or car? Thanks.
Hey Joshua!
I don’t own a bike or a car. I rent a furnished apartment, so I don’t own a bed either.
That makes sense, didn’t think of the furnished apartment. Maybe there’s a bike co-op program so you can ride in your town?
Like this post a lot, though I think I must have a much longer list if I try to count all my stuff!
I guess I am already the kind of girl who doesn’t shop much and doesn’t have many clothes, but it’s not true for books. I used to buy a lot of books and they are so heavy to move around when I need to rent another place.
I start to borrow books from city library and it saves me a lot of money and no need to find more space to pack them any more!
I would love to try a more simple way of living, including throwing away clothes or shoes I never wear.
As Apostle Paul mentioned, we should learn to live with much and to live with less. It think the ability to find satisfaction from life with less possession and with more possession is an art.