We often talk about living in a disposable society. But the opposite is also true: We buy things and hold on to them for much longer than we use them. In a recent survey, 60% of adults over 60 said that they had more stuff than they need.
Dr. David Ekerdt, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Iowa, describes the things we own as our “material convoy” – a long train of things we drag everywhere we go. Eventually, age and space dictate that we cut that convoy back.
Deciding what to let go can be a challenging process. But if you realize how and why your convoy grew to the size it is, it’s easier to identify which things are important enough to keep.
How did we get here?
Caught between Depression-era parents who would never throw anything away, and the post-war push to keep things shiny and new, Boomers became family curators, non-stop shoppers and collectors. Having and displaying collections of things became a national pastime, as well as a way of differentiating oneself in a mass-produced society.
Times have changed.
Younger generations value recycling. While creating collections may have brought you great joy, the younger members of your family probably see things differently. It’s great that you loved your things. That doesn’t mean they need to be saved for posterity.
Don’t leave others the job you don’t want to do yourself.
Figuring out what to do with your things when you’re done with them is part of your responsibility in owning them. Don’t depend on your heirs to dispose of your stuff after you’re gone. They won’t be happy about it.
Start by appreciating the life you live now.
When choosing what stays and what goes, think about the life you’re living now. How do you like to spend your time? What things do you actively need and use? When considering how to dispose of something, think what is easy and expedient. Make an item’s potential financial value a secondary consideration.
Remember…all that stuff has weight.
Carrying your material convoy is exhausting. Don’t pass that burden on. To lighten your load – and resolve your possession predicament — your most important step is to decide you’re ready to let stuff go. Everything gets easier after that.
