Oh man, I can so (partially) relate! We’ve downsized 3 times since we lost our home in the crash and am embarrassed that after a half-dozen dumpsters, more garage sales than I want to count, giving away free stuff on craigslist, and donating bags of clothes, we still have too much stuff.

I feel much better when my neighbors open their 2-car garage doors and the place looks like a shipping container packed to the gills with merchandise coming from overseas, while our single-car garage actually allows for movement and useful storage.

This would be great, except that it’s not a contest and we don’t get points for being “better” than those who live on our block.

We are getting better, and the mental overhead needed to manage all that stuff/junk has been greatly reduced. The easy way for me to resist the “add to cart” impulse? Those damn garage sales when we’d put out (relatively) expensive shoes and clothes and get (if we were lucky) a tiny fraction of what we paid. The disdainful look we’d get from a woman upon hearing that those nearly-new Cole-Haans in her size were only $10, and watching her drop them on the ground as if they had been rolled in dog crap.

Less IS more…