Cutting out the Crap
- richardmartinbarto
- Mar 1
- 4 min read
How often do you feel like you have too much stuff? Do you feel like you often get swamped by all the junk in your life - both literally and figuratively?
Here's the thing - studies have shown that having fewer things actually makes you happier. This may (or may not) be a surprise to you, but I can confirm from my own experience that this is true. Certainly, in a developed country, there is a temptation to fill your life with things that clutter up your life . This is how the economies of western countries are built - on capitalism and overconsumption.
After all, if everyone else is doing it, then it's normal and why should you not do it too, right?
Wrong.
First, (as mentioned above) studies have shown that having less stuff makes you happier.
Second, having less stuff means you save money - money to save or invest, contributing to your overall mental and financial security.
Third, you'll be less stressed over the fewer material items you do have, and you'll have more time to do other things - like spending time with other people and enjoying experiences.
Fourth, you'll have more money to spend on those people and experiences.
So, having less stuff is a win-win situation. But then why do so many people keep buying more and more?
The obvious reason is that's what society wants. We've built the strongest economies in the world on consumerism. This is a tried and tested method - in 2024, the world spent $1 trillion USD on advertising. With decades to perfect their craft, businesses have engineered extremely precise and targeted advertisements for specific audiences or even individuals. They target our need for convenience, our emotional needs, our need to express identity and social status.
This has worked fantastically well, to the point where people spend money when they don't really need to. Like loaning a new car every four years, or buying a new phone every two - just because there is a new model out.
System thinking
When you buy something, the cost of ownership rarely stops at just the purchase price. There are hidden costs. Take, for example, a new mobile phone -there's insurance to consider, the cost of maintainence, and perhaps even the more expensive data plan you want to go with it. These are only small costs. Bigger items have larger hidden costs, cars especially so. For that new SUV you've always wanted, there's more to consider - the higher relative price to a smaller car will mean larger finance payments, higher fuel costs, higher maintenance costs, higher insurance and higher road tax costs. The real cost of ownership is far higher than the initial purchase price.
Let's take a £20,000 car in the UK. As very rough estimates:
Insurance might cost £500 per year.
Road tax in the UK depends on CO2 emissions (g/km), but might cost ~£150.
Fuel costs vary depending on mileage, but at current prices (£5.20/gallon), and assuming 40mpg, you might expect to spend £1300 per year if you drive 10,000 miles/year.
Maintenance, including servicing and MOTs at ~ £500-800 per year.
Average car depreciation in the UK is £1250 per year.
It's much worse if the car is bought with finance. If you borrowed £17,000 at an interest rate of 7% (competitive on the current market), you'd be paying back an extra £2500 over the original loan value. For a 4-year finance plan, this is £625 per year.
So, if you bought the car on finance, the true cost of car ownership is ~£4500(!) per year.
An automobile is the greatest deliverer of hidden costs that most people will own. I like using the term automobile here because it reminds me that they are luxury items.
Hedonic adaptation
"The tendency to return to a stable level of happiness after a positive or negative event." Hedonic adaptation illustrates that buying more things does not make you happier. There might be a brief period of elation following the purchase, but your happiness quickly turns back to the base state (the same can be said for negative events). Think back to the last time you bought something big - a new phone or computer, or even a new car. For how long did you REALLY feel happy following the purchase? Can you remember feeling happier at all?
I can certainly attest to the fact that buying new things rarely makes me happy in the long-term. It may have taken me decades of trial-and-error, but these days I value experiences and time far more. I myself discovered the idea of hedonic adaption about three years ago, and I now increasingly ask myself if that thing I want will REALLY make me happy. And if I think it will I sleep on it - I don't buy straight away. I might wait a week, a month, even 6 months if it is some expensive fancy gadget like a new camera or phone. Even after all this faff, it's still the simple life events that make me truly happy.
Owning more stuff can even lead to greater unhappiness - you may find your life too cluttered to focus on the real things that matter to you. At the very least you'll you'll have more things to insure and you'll have to find more space to store them.
'tis better for the planet... and your wallet.
Buying less stuff, being less consumeristic and more minimalistic, is FAR better for the planet's resources; fewer raw materials are dug out of the ground, fewer pollutants released into the local river systems, less oil is used (both for transpotation and for plastic packaging). Of course, your finances will also benefit from owning less shit.
Clearing out the crap enables you to streamline your life and focus on the things that really matter to you. Is it buying that new phone or taking a long weekend with your kids by the coast? At the very least, you should consider the planet a little more when it comes to your purchases - your wallet will thank you!
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