Owning Less: 8 Struggles Simplifying Can Help Solve

There are many benefits of owning less stuff. From more time in your days to feeling more confident in who you are. Owning less can positively impact your life in a variety of different ways.

But another great thing about owning less stuff is the way it helps solve specific problems many of us face on a regular basis.

In today’s post, you’ll learn exactly how owning less can help improve or solve 8 struggles you might be facing in your life.

If you’re looking for another way to get motivated to start or finish decluttering, you’ll find it here!

8 struggles owning less can help solve

1. Feeling overwhelmed by mess

Clutter can be a big cause of mess in your home.

More stuff means you have more stuff to make messes with and those messes can get bigger and feel more overwhelming.

Less stuff not only means there’s less stuff to contribute to messes that happen. But it also limits how overwhelming the messes that happen feel.

Living in and using your home means messes are bound to happen. But the great thing about owning less stuff means the messes don’t get as out of control or feel as overwhelming. Simply because you have less stuff adding to the mess!

2. Financial stresses

Financial stress is often one of the biggest sources of stress for many households. Owning less won’t solve all the financial stress you feel, but it can definitely help reduce some of the stress you feel by helping you reduce your spending and manage your money better.

For most people, making the intentional choice to own less also means buying less. Not only do you not need as much once you commit to owning less. But you also are intentionally choosing not to bring more stuff into your home so you can enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free, simple home.

Buying less means you are spending less on “stuff” you don’t truly need, want or love. And instead, get more control over your spending and your finances in general.

When you feel in control of your finances (and not like you’re always spending more and buying more than you need or want), you gain more financial freedom. As well as help reduce some of the financial stress you might be facing.

3. Feeling like you never have enough time

Managing and taking care of a lot of stuff takes up a lot of time and energy. And it’s often shocking to think about how much time and energy you’re spending managing and taking care of stuff you don’t truly need, use or even like!

You’re working to pay for it, researching new purchases, shopping for it, etc. Then once you get it home, you’re picking it up, cleaning it, cleaning around it, looking for it, organizing it, reorganizing it, maintaining it, etc.

Choosing to own less means you have less to manage and take care of. And taking care of what you do own is easier and less time-consuming because there’s less of it!

In fact, the less stuff you own, the less time and energy you even spend thinking about your stuff in general.

Owning less means you spend less time and energy managing “stuff” and frees up more time and energy for what matters most to you.

4. Feeling like you can’t keep up with housework

If you feel like you can never keep up with keeping your home clean and tidy, the first reason why might be that you have too much stuff!

The more stuff you have in your home, the more time you spend taking care of it all. But it also means you spend more time dealing with it all when you’re trying to do housework too.

For example, dusting can be quick and easy when you only have a few items in a space to dust and dust around. But if you have many things on every surface available, dusting can take a lot of time. The same goes for vacuuming or even tidying up. More stuff simply means each task takes more time and energy.

Owning less means you have less to clean, less to clean around and makes it easier to keep up with housework in general.

5. Feeling like your house is too small

Whenever you feel like your house is too small, the first thing to assess is how much stuff you have. Do you have stuff you’re not using, don’t need or don’t like filling space that could be used for living?

Maybe your house size would work better for you if you had less stuff. It’s not always the case, but it’s definitely worth considering before you decide you need to upgrade and move to a bigger (likely more expensive) home.

Really assess what’s filling your space and decide if it’s more than you truly use or need. Start questioning if you could comfortably live with less to make your home function and feel better for you.

6. Feeling like you don’t have enough storage space

The same idea applies when it comes to storage space. It’s easy to feel like you don’t have enough storage space in your home. But sometimes, there’s a lot of clutter filling the space you do have.

Really start assessing how much of your storage space is taken up by clutter. Clutter is anything you don’t use regularly, need for the season of life you’re in or really love or enjoy.

Get rid of the clutter – the things you don’t use regularly, need often or truly love. Pay particular attention to things you’re keeping “just in case” or to use “someday”. Only keep what you use, need and love right now or in the near future.

Aim to have less stuff to store in general and you might be pleasantly surprised to see that the space you have is enough.

7. Having a closet full of clothes & nothing to wear

Feeling like you have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear can often happen when you have too many pieces of clothing in your closet that don’t work well together or on your body.

There are a lot of reasons why clothes can become clutter in your closet. They might no longer fit your body shape or size. It can be because they suited a past season of life or a fantasy version of the life you wish you had. It can be because you have too many pieces that don’t work well together. Or because the clothes don’t really work for your lifestyle.

Whatever the reason for having clothes in your closet you don’t wear or love, it causes clutter and makes it hard to decide what to wear each day.

Focus on keeping the clothes you love, wear often and fit you well right now. These are likely the clothes you are wearing most days anyway. The other stuff is just getting in the way and making it harder to find your favourites!

Get rid of the clutter and make it faster, easier and less stressful to get dressed in the clothes you love and feel your best in.

8. Feeling like you’re always comparing yourself to others

Comparison and wanting more can often become a vicious cycle. The more you compare your life to other people’s, the more you see what they have that you don’t. Which leads to you wanting more to try and keep up.

Making a choice to own less is a great way to help you intentionally step back from that cycle and stop comparing the “stuff” in your life to the “stuff” in other people’s lives.

Instead, you make the choice to choose a different path. A path where you own less and do it because of the benefits it adds to your life. You’re not depriving yourself. Instead, you’re giving yourself more time, space and energy for what matters most to you.

The more you remind yourself of the benefits and what you stand to gain from owning less, the less you’re tempted to compare what you own to what other people own.

Life becomes about more than keeping up. And instead becomes about creating a life that feels good to you. A life where you can focus your time and attention on what matters most to you. Not on what other people are doing.

Benefits of owning less

The benefits of owning less are far-reaching. Owning less is about so much more than just having less stuff. It’s about the freedom having less stuff can give you to create a life you love.

And it’s amazing how many problems owning less can help solve. Or at least make easier!

What do you think – would owning less help solve or reduce some of these struggles in your life? Leave a comment below and let me know!