What Does Our Stuff Cost Us? The Hidden Toll of Household Excess
More than twenty years ago, I helped a friend move from an apartment to her very own townhouse. She has a never ending list of projects - organize her garage, upload her digital photos, donate excess stuff, and remove a temporary storage solution that has somehow survived two decades. She often jokes that she has been organizing her townhouse since she moved in.
What does all of our stuff cost us in time, money and effort?
Time
We spend hours researching our desired purchase. Then, we are disappointed when we finally receive it and spend even more time returning the purchase.
We spend our weekends organizing the garage or closet. Then, spend even more time attempting to sell it on Facebook Marketplace or donating it to a charity shop.
A parent passes away and leaves us with a house full - and decades worth - of stuff. We spend weeks curating their possessions to make sure that we save sentimental items and try to sell, donate or give away the rest. In reality, most of the once prized possessions will go to the landfill.
Credit Card Interest
With interest rates for existing balances hovering around 22%, the impulse purchase of that discounted item may cost more than you think if you used a credit card and do not routinely pay off your balance.
Storage Costs
We buy storage solutions to organize our stuff. We rent a storage unit because our housing does not have space for all of our stuff. We buy stuff for our stuff.
Approximately 1 in 10 U.S. households currently rent and pay for a self-storage unit paying an average ranging from $100 to $160+ per month, depending on unit size and climate control. If you invest $160 over 10 years at 7% annual return, you would have $28K.
Environmental
There is an environmental impact for the entire lifecycle of all of our stuff - from production to packaging to end of life in a landfill. We can minimize our environmental impact by buying less and prioritizing re-use of our own or others’ stuff.
For years, I actively participated in my local Buy Nothing group. I would post an ‘ask’ for specific items before making a purchase. My neighbors’ posts motivated me to give away unused items in my home. I felt incredible joy when I received a posted item - like shopping but it didn’t cost money and minimized my environmental impact.
Mental Health
We feel overwhelmed looking at a full storage unit that we need to sort and empty. So we procrastinate and the inevitable task hangs over us.
We look around our home with toys and clothes cluttered on the floor and bursting from our closets. Our stuff adds to our stressful day.
We saw on social media that our friend purchased a designer purse from the new season’s collection. We are no longer happy with the purse we purchased just three months ago.
We may not have time right now to de-clutter and organize. But it takes no time to stop adding stuff to our already stuffed homes.