How to live sustainably is always a topic up for debate, and it is hard to decide which way is best out of the many possibilities. One way to live sustainably is by reducing/limiting the amount of stuff you have and keeping it to within 100 items; this is also known as minimalist living. This is becoming a new trend (it became publicized by Dave Bruno) and I can see how people would want to go about this route. With this approach you could save money by not buying new things. While you could get a new item to replace another, it seems like a lot of work to constantly be deciding which of your 100 possessions is worthy of axing. Also, constantly buying new items is against the mind set of this lifestyle. This means your money can go to better causes such as, debt, savings, retirement, vacations, etc.
Another perk is that if you are ever going to move again it would be simple. After being in college and moving several times (like most college students do) I am over moving. I really like this part of the minimalist living. It also makes you realize how little space you would need with only having 100 objects about your living space. Living in a small 2 bedroom house makes me constantly want to go through our house and clean out unwanted/unused items so we can escape the crowded feeling.
With this way of living you teach your children that happiness does not reside in possession of inanimate objects. This is kind of a big deal in today’s world, where children are constantly getting new toys and new technology products. While this lifestyle may be more challenging with children; it is still possible. It just takes more effort and planning.
But at the same time I don’t think I could ever adhere to the 100 items rule, because that means I would have to minimize my ever growing book collection. While that may be necessary even if I don’t adopt this new life style, I think having 50 books would make it impossible to keep my items under 100 things. Yet I do think the main message of this style of living works for me. Have less stuff, because really that is more sustainable and uses less resources in the end. It also tries to make you happy with your life and not your stuff, which is always a good thing.
