• “The less I needed, the better I felt.”

    —Charles Bukowski

  • You can live a life of ingratitude where you spend all of your money, or you can live a life of service where you invest it in yourself and others. Your choice.

    I used to think I was somebody. So I used all my money to prove it.

    Now I know that I’m nobody unless I’m helping somebody. This isn’t a bad thing, despite what you see on social media. I simply don’t care about being seen anymore. I’m happy being invisible or visible.

    Money Can’t Buy Happiness (trust me, I’ve tried).
    Jane Hwangbo

  • 22.  Go without. Try not replacing something, go without and see what creative solutions appear.

    25 Ways to Choose Less Every Day

  • Often, waiting on a purchase and living without it makes you realize either you already had something that did the job or you didn’t really need the thing in the first place.

    Do Less: A Minimalist Guide to a Simplified, Organized, and Happy Life
    Rachel Jonat

  • “But that’s how it is when you start wanting to have things. Now, I just look at them, and when I go away I carry them in my head. Then my hands are always free, because I don’t have to carry a suitcase.”

    ―Tove Jansson, Comet in Moominland

  • “When you discard something, you gain more than you lose.”

    Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
    Fumio Sasaki

  • 19.  Leave your “unused” space empty.

    When we talk about home organization, the concept of “unused” space becomes important.  We see an area where we haven’t put anything, and we think of it as unused space.  Naturally, we put our various skills to use and try to fill the void.

    Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
    Fumio Sasaki

  • The glory of acquisition starts to dim with use, eventually changing to boredom as the item no longer elicits even a bit of excitement. This is the pattern of everything in our lives. No matter how much we wish for something, over time it becomes a normal part of our lives, and then a tired old item that bores us, even though we did actually get our wish. And we end up being unhappy.

    Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism
    Fumio Sasaki

  • Despite living in a world of accessibility and easy consumption, we all need to find ways to slow down. The “perfect” item will remain or can be recreated, if necessary. Sales come and go. And your favorite big-box retailer probably won’t be going out of business any time soon.

    Give yourself the opportunity to make your space yours. But as you do, don’t forget to consider the merits of acquiring pieces slowly.

    Reconsidering The Merits of Slow Acquisition

  • “That clutter in your home used to be money.”

    —Craig Stephens