I recently read the book Suffocation, by James Wellman. Beside having a top-rate first name, the author does a good job of pointing out that we simply have too much stuff. He also gives some reasons as to why this is so. The book sort of falls off the rails in the second half, wherein the author is trying to eat his cake and have it too by explicating that its okay to be a capitalist, just not a materialist. And that being a minimalist is a bridge too far. Regardless, the reading of this book, and some accompanying issues in my life, have made me feel like it’s time to get rid of some things.

I started small. I just opened my desk drawers and emptied them out. I used to have a drawer so full of pens and pencils that it was tough to open. Now, about 80% of the writing utensils are gone. The drawer is so empty, I can see the bottom of it. I also cleared out two bins of office supplies, getting that down to one (I didn’t really need five scissors). Then I sorted through my CDs. Then I went through my nightstand drawer, and cleaned out under my bed. I next went through my closet, armoire, and dresser. I brought ten full bags of items, plus an old entertainment center, to Goodwill. I even opened up my book shelves and started culling. I gave away two books, put about a dozen in my Little Free Library, and brought two bags filled with books and CDs to Half Price Books (thanks for the $15, cheap asses). I went through all the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen.

I even got my kids in on it. I made Owen clean up his area in the basement. I brought Emmett out to the garage and asked him about all sorts of toys he no longer plays with. We set nine items out on the curb for people to take. Both Isla and Emmett gave me bags full of trash and recycling from their rooms. Sometimes I found items I’d forgotten I had and I made a conscious decision to use them. Why are there six containers of dental floss? Why do I have a dozen matchbooks? Why do I even own any straws? These things aren’t garbage, but now I’m making a deliberate choice to use them.Lately, anytime I enter a room, open a drawer, or step into the garage, I say to myself, “I need to find something here to get rid of before I leave this room.” Of course, sometimes I just add “forget that, I’ve got other stuff to do,” but it usually works!

Of course, getting rid of things is really only half the equation; it’s also important to not bring new things into the house. To that end, as of August first, I will begin keeping a list of things I purchased or acquired. This excludes food, toiletries, gasoline, and non-tangible items (such as a streaming service). So, in a few months, I’ll report back on what I have purchased. My hope is that I am more thoughtful about what I buy – keeping it to a minimum, or, at least, less than what it used to be. I also will endeavor to only buy things that are replacing other things. If I buy a pillow, fine, but I gotta get rid of my existing pillow. Same thing with clothes, dishes, books, and other items. We’ll see how it goes.