However, I can personally attest that my grocery bill has gone down significantly since I have started to store less food, generally buying simply what I need, when I need it. I was brought up with the freezer mentality, lots of things ready to just be thawed and eaten. Nowadays I have very few freezer items anymore. This, of course, only works because I have about 5 small grocery store/deli/bakeries within 2 blocks of my house. Yes, sometimes the loaf of bread costs 20% more than it would at the super immense supermarket, but I only buy a loaf when I am actually making sandwiches, instead of buying it because I may need it sometime this week.

I also agree with many commenters it is a matter of balance, and, unfortunately, analyzing how much something is worth involves so many factors it is hard to make the most rational decision, so we often end up being guided by our emotions–and thus going for stuff.

Or perhaps he lives with another human. We have a lot of nice things packed away, so we can enjoy them when we want and the hordes of 2nd graders that run through our house every few days *can’t*. Comics are definitely in this category, especially comics that aren’t child-appropriate.

Clothes, well, I’m about to use the clothes from baby #1 for baby #2, and since we are moving next summer, I plan to pare down, but still keep some in case of a baby #3, but I admit, I’ll keep my favorites, and the stuff that looks like new. It helps a lot of the stuff was already bought at yard sales, or I know will get covered in spit up, but I wish I hadn’t been given so many cute brand new outfits for baby #2!! No one did that for #1 and now I have all these adorable outfits that will get worn just a time or two!!

You might check, too, if you are ok with donating them, the high schools around here often ask for donations of baby clothes in good condition, so that’s where I plan to take a lot of mine that I can’t resell at my fall yard sale, stuff that I don’t want to keep because of wrong season, or just didn’t like the look/feel of (for some reason, terry cloth sleepers give me the heebie jeebies!!) I did that last year, blankets too, and they were so excited to have them.

The only caveat I’d introduce is “things we enjoy” should actually mean “things we enjoy”. Lots of people accumulate things that other people *expect* them to enjoy.

In your example, if you derive enough enjoyment from the stuff on your mantel that you believe it’s worth the effort (dusting, polishing, etc.) to keep it looking nice, more power to you.

But if you’re doing that because you think that’s what “you’re supposed to do”, you’re not living your life – you’re living somebody else’s.

And that’s really the key to minimalism and simple living – living your own life.

I know a bunch of people who have cookbooks and never crack them open, ever.

I can tell you that I used to have 48 shelf-feet of books (8′ shelves, six shelves tall). I’ve gotten rid about 90% of those books, because I absolutely hated moving them.

I can say, in all honesty, that I don’t miss them. Any of them. I didn’t read them when I had them; I just had to cart them around every time I moved.

And what’s the point of spending time and energy taking care of something you never use?

I know people that have gone through a ton of those pans in their lifetimes.

Now consider buying one or two nicer pans for around $50. They’re well-made, the heavy bases help retain heat which helps you cook, and the finishes are more durable.

The person with the second set will probably have them last at least twice as long as the first, and they’re going to enjoy cooking more.

Who made the more frugal purchase?

I’d argue that the second person did, even though they had less pans total and spent more money, because they enjoy cooking more (which makes them less likely to want to go get fast food), their pans last longer (which means they don’t replace them as often), and they only have the pans they need (which means they’re using space efficiently).

All of those things are little pieces of the frugal puzzle.

Frugal is about so much more than money – frugality is about not wasting anything. And “anything” can be time, money, space, or any one of a dozen other things.

I’ve talked to many people with closets full of clothes. I even know one lady who dedicated a whole room to storing her clothes, because she gave up on trying to fit them into her closet.

To me, that’s excessive.

Those people probably need to downsize, and “if you haven’t worn it in a year, chuck it!” can be great advice.

But if you have a sensible amount of clothes, and you own a few Christmas sweaters, I can’t imagine disposing of them just because you didn’t wear them last Christmas.

And clothes of a different size? If you think you’re headed back to that size, just box them and tuck them away somewhere until you’re confident one way or the other.

Just be aware of what you own, and be aware of your ongoing cost of ownership.

Why not come up with a nice way to display them? I’d think you’d enjoy them even more that way.

Some gear for a hobby isn’t superfluous by any definition; it’s a part of your life.

It doesn’t become a problem until somebody says they have thirty hobbies, each with a huge stack of gear, none of which ever gets used.

In the end, I’ve ended up emphasizing to relatives that we really only need/want books and clothes. Some of them don’t listen and give toys, but it makes things easier to manage. If we get too many books, we list them on amazon or we donate them to the library. If we end up with a few more clothes than we need, then they’re often in good enough shape to sell at kid’s consignment sales.

My mom saved a ridiculous number of things, and gave them all to me when I had a baby. I saved them, thinking she must want them back when we were done with them, since she saved them for 30 years.

Nope. She was totally surprised I tried to give her back the tiny outfits & baby room decor when we were done with them. Most of them have now been donated or tossed (they meant more to her than me, and she didn’t want them anymore.)

But I agree with the author, I don’t need or want to live in an all white empty space. I like being surrounded by things that are sentimental but there are limits.

Are you aware of the St. Jude’s Ranch recycled card program? It doesn’t entirely solve my “what to do with the cards” dilemma, but it can lessen my sentimental guilt of parting with them. Other programs may also exist.

http://www.stjudesranch.org/shop/recycled-card-program/

Do I have more than I “need” to live? You bet. I’m reminded of it every time I look at my closets, under my bed or in other storage spaces. But I also know that a lot of that “stuff” represents clothing that my fluctuating waistline makes likely I’ll need again, power cords that somehow rotate in and out of use, mementos of travels, etc. Some can be purged and periodically is recycled or donated, but a lot of it is just the record of my life.

I try to be as mindful of what I’m adding to my living space as I am to what I ultimately remove, but I don’t consider my “stuff” to be the roadblock to financial health.

Minimalism and simple living has really struck a chord with me in my life and had made me reassess my priorities. Stuff isn’t everything. But that doesn’t mean I live with only 100 things. The biggest step is the realization of your priorities. After that, it’s much easier to amend your living area to follow that. I enjoy decluttering, so I’m always looking for things to get rid of that I no longer use. But I still fall in the trap of “but maybe someday…” I have to keep my perspective.

In relation to personal finance, it’s helped me a lot. Shopping is an old pastime, and I do it less now that I think about how many hours I have to work to pay for those adorable shoes, and how they don’t fit in with my ultimate goals of travel and having the kind of wedding I want.

Perspective, balance, and priorities.

I also think you’ve hit on something very important here. I certainly consider myself sentimental, and it is an inherited quality. Slowly I am learning that I can still let things go. For instance, if I decide to give something of my grandmothers away , I intentionally think of all the other things that I still have to remember her by. Yes, I plan to give away that set of tea bag holders, but I still have that vase from her bedroom. Perhaps you could remind your husband of this when you are trying to purge? It has helped me immensely.

I have a hard time getting rid of my kids’ baby clothes. Only once so far have I regretted purging an article of their clothing. It was this itty bitty pair of jeans that both my sons wore. I thought – they were worn and and the snaps weren’t as good as they once were. But when I saw it in the Goodwill bag as I was handing it over, I did have a twinge of sadness. I still think of those little jeans sometimes .