Too much stuff

Why does it seem that the older I get, the more simple I want my life?

And why has it taken me years to figure that out?

I think the answer lies in the fact that I’ve been teaching financial education for so many years, and had the privilege to talk to so many adults about their financial situations, that I see one of the most common problems over and over again.

And that problem is that most of us just have too much stuff. We have too many clothes, too many gadgets, too much we think we have to do, too many commitments, too many shoes, too many pets, too many accounts, too many pieces of real estate, etc. and ad nauseum.

We want, want, want without enough forethought about what it costs to maintain those wants once they have become ‘gottens’.

What is just enough?

In my world, ‘just enough’ has an energy about a place that invites me to relax and calm down. Cayucos, where I was last week, is one of those places. I stay in my dear friend, Laura’s, condo that is right on the ocean. There is just enough in that place.

There’s a king size bed upstairs, one chest of drawers, and one closet. More than enough space for a week’s worth or even a month’s worth of clothing. (Secret: I always take too much clothing…I spend the week in yoga pants and flannel shirts and occasionally put on a pair of shorts if it gets warm enough:)

There’s another bedroom downstairs if I want to have someone join me (which I rarely do since I’m very selfish with my alone time…hence the phrase alone time).

There’s a small couch, just enough for two (OK, so sometimes my boyfriend, Steve, is invited for a couple of days), two sweet little chairs, a TV which I never find anything worth watching on and a dining room table with 4 chairs. WAY more than enough choices to sit.

There’s a small kitchen that has everything you ‘need’ to cook. I do take a good knife and my popcorn pot but the rest of it is perfectly just enough.

And the point is…’just enough’ gives me this incredible space to relax in a way that I don’t seem to be able to at home, yet.

Why? Because I work from home, the office is my dining room and there’s work stuff everywhere. Oh, and truth be told, as much as I love my home two blocks from the beach here in Santa Barbara (I know, pitiful, isn’t it!), I pay for it by renting out two rooms. I could easily live in a sweet one bedroom on the beach and have an office somewhere outside of the house.

How do you know when you have just enough?

You know you have just enough when you walk into a space and you’re not overwhelmed with what you have to clean or how much stuff is laying around.

You know you have just enough when you walk into that space and are greeted with a sense of peace and relaxation.

You know you have just enough when the idea of getting one more thing causes any sort of unrest in your being.

Just enough and financial freedom

The point is that we could all be financially free a whole lot sooner if we didn’t surround ourselves with so much stuff. The money it takes to buy all that stuff could be used to invest in assets that then produce more money for you, rather than you constantly working for it.

So all I want you to do this weekend is to look around your world and notice where you are well past just enough: relationships, furniture, books, yarn, shoes, kitchen utensils, foods, clothes, makeup.

And then start asking yourself what you could get rid of to give yourself some space. Donate it, have a yard sale, put things on Amazon or Craigslist. And don’t be attached to it…just get rid of it!

And finally, make a commitment to not replace the stuff you get rid of. A great way to do that is to have a jar or envelope and every time you feel like buying something new, don’t. Put that money in your “Just Enough” jar and when that jar gets full (and it will), put that money in your IRA or your savings account or your stock account and put it to work for you instead.

I think I’ve said just enough.