I’ve been contemplating this concept for years. Being that I live in the US, accumulation is the name of the game. He who dies with the most toys wins, but does he really? After watching several episodes of Hoarders and then taking the time to clean my house again, I think about the accumulation of stuff. People will die to protect stuff. I’m not talking about the idea of freedom for all, but for a car or a TV. Never mind that there are people who will kill for them too. I have to wonder at the state of mind as well as the state of someone’s soul when they feel the need to have so much stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, stuff is fun. I’m a gadget person; if I could, I would probably own every kitchen and electronic doodad known to man. The latest and greatest? Yes, please. My circumstances changed, and I was forced to acknowledge that what I thought I needed was actually a want. I used to do my grocery shopping online and have it delivered because it was convenient. I never thought about how much more the groceries were per item, not including the delivery fee. When I looked at my life, there were a lot of things I was paying for that I couldn’t anymore, and I had to figure out how to pare down what I was spending without allowing my quality of life to tank. It was hard to do. Things I took for granted were now things that would drag me down faster than a rip tide at the beach if I didn’t get rid of them or find a new way to incorporate them into my life.

Once I was done with all that, my life was a streamlined version of itself. Some things had been tossed completely, most things altered, and some remained exactly the same. I was able to live on a lot less than I thought I could. Mostly it had to do with changing habits and reminding myself that just because I didn’t have whatever it was that it didn’t make me a failure. Eventually, I had to move, and again, I was forced to look at what was important. Our local thrift store got a big boost because I donated a ton of stuff. I went through and kept what I would immediately need once I could get back into my own house.

Recently I’ve been on a couple of road trips, and again, I ran into the want vs. need thing. I took too much stuff, struggled to carry heavy things, and made multiple trips. Hated it. There are times when that is necessary, but there are times when it’s not. No one is going to be prepared for everything all the time. To attempt that is lunacy, as no one is prepared for every eventuality while on the road. The first time, I took too many clothes in a bag that didn’t roll and ended up having to carry it on my shoulder. The second time, I took too much food, and my friend brought too many bags along with more food. The third time, I was good, but the person who came with me had too many bags of supplies and somehow managed to leave behind things she needed. The thing I hadn’t considered and had no control over was stairs and where my hotel rooms were in relation to the elevators. Those posed another layer of challenge.

It seems the issue of want vs. need keeps coming up for me. My life is concentrated, and for the moment, I’m content. During the worst of the pandemic, when supplies were short, I was fine. I was able to get what I needed when I needed it without hoarding because I had already been living a slimmed-down version of my life. There was never a point where I felt I lacked something except flour and yeast, but we drove around and found some, and I was good to go for months.

My point is that we can live on less than we think we can. We don’t need fancy coffee to get our day started. I know, easy for me to say as I don’t drink the stuff, but you know what I mean. Spend your money on things that will enhance the quality of your life and your health. Simplify where you can. Having a good life doesn’t mean “keeping up with the Joneses.” Most of the people who do end up going broke with a garage they can’t put their car in because of all the crap in it.

It’s been proven that we function better when things around us are neat, orderly, and uncluttered. Think about that the next time you’re shopping. Before you click the buy button, ask yourself, do I want it or need it. You may end up saving money.