“Simplicity bring more happiness than complexity” Buddha
I like having a lot of clothes. I love having options, trying things on in the mirror before going out, and buying a cute shirt I see at the thrift store even if I don’t need it.
For this reason, I had a hard time picking and choosing what clothes to take with me when I moved to Chile. I would be living from of a suitcase and a small backpack, and Chile has every climate on the spectrum. I had to bring clothes for work, leisure, summer, winter, and travel, so I had to be very choosy about what I brought.
During my first year in Chile, I bought a few things that I felt were missing, mostly clothes for hanging out and going out. But overall I spent that whole year wearing a very limited selection of items compared to what I was used to.
I also had almost no things. I brought the bare essentials, but I had no knick knacks or decorative possessions besides the few I accumulated during my stay.
And you know what I found? Within a few weeks of arriving I had forgotten about 90% of the items I’d left at home. I couldn’t remember more than maybe ten things that I owned once I’d spent a few weeks away. What does this mean? That they’re actually not that… Share on X
The Luxury Of Less Clothing
Having fewer articles of clothing means having fewer in each category of clothing. Fewer leggings, fewer pants, fewer work out items, fewer work appropriate shirts, fewer casual shirts, etc.
With all the items in each category reduced, deciding what outfit to wear became a zillion times easier, simply because there were fewer options! If I needed an outfit to wear out with friends? Easy-peasy, I only HAVE two pairs of pants and 3 shirts to choose from. One of them I wore last night and the other is dirty so, hey! I’ll wear the third shirt and there’s my outfit, plain and simple.
This ease and simplicity that comes from living out of a suitcase and was reinforced when I spent a month at home after my first year in Chile. Reunited with all of my THINGS (clothes and accessories and combinations and options), I got lost in all my choices and could never find something I was very satisfied with. It sucked! That month at home made it obvious how much easier it is to have less, because of the paradox of choice.
Now I have been living like this for the past two years – with only about 15% of the clothes I actually own and only about 5% of things (books, knick knacks, etc).
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Two months ago I took a solo backpacking trip through the south of Chile. I bought a tent, borrowed a sleeping back and bought other camping items that I needed. All of this camping gear had to fit in my big backpack, which left very little room for clothes and other items.
So from my already downsized wardrobe I downsized even more, choosing the bare minimum of what I’d need for my trip. And yes, when you’re camping you wear clothes even when they’re dirty and pay much less attention to your appearance than you normally would. So it worked out fine! And when I returned to where I’d been living it was like a reunion to once again have access to my other things. Although it they were things I’d been wearing all year and had gotten tired of, they seemed like new again after camping!
Holding on to Less
In a few short weeks I’ll be back at my parent’s house where all the rest of my stuff is waiting for me. During the month I spent at home last year I did a serious purge of everything I owned, and got rid of a ton of stuff. But then I returned to Chile, once again leaving the majority of my things behind.
I’m curious what I’ll find when I get back. Now that it’s been over a year, I remember even less of what I have than I did after a few week’s absence. While it will be nice to be reunited with my things and have them feel like new again, I don’t want to lose the perspective I’ve gained from living with less. While it’s great to have variety, it can easily lead to clutter and an overabundance of things that end up complicating our lives rather than enriching them.
This guest post was written by Melia Jannotta.
Mindful Decluttering & Organizing, LLC2018-05-23T01:30:36-06:00
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