Jul 19, 2025
What is the cost of owning something? You might say that X items cost you Y something. That's fair; however, is that the full story?
In order to accommodate stuff, or kipple, as Philip K. Dick called it in his 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?—things which seemingly appear out of nowhere, and accumulate at a surprising rate—what sacrifices must you make?
The economic reality of owning a bunch of kipple is that you now need to have a larger home in order to accommodate it. Even worse, people will rent storage units for their kipple, meaning that you are essentially making monthly payments on things that you already own—in perpetuity.
In addition to the financial cost, there is the mental cost of having stuff scattered everywhere. You can peer into someone's mind by looking at their home.
I would prefer to have a clear, organised mind, and so, I begin by organising my surroundings. Around six years ago, I decided to become a minimalist; not because I needed to, in fact, my income was rising quite precipitously at the time, but because I knew that it would improve my life greatly.
I went around my room, and I started putting things in piles. I started with this mystery charger I've been holding on to for four years, which I'm not quite sure what it belongs to. Yeah, that can go. This broken iPod? Yup, on top of the pile it lands.
Soon I found myself sitting in a much emptier room, but somehow fuller at the same time. The intentional use of space made my abode feel that much more familiar and warm, like a home, instead of some room I was renting, so I could keep my stuff.
In the intervening years, I travelled quite a bit. I'd go from the UK to Romania, and then Portugal, and then back, and then Spain, and then Finland, etc.
This time served as an even better way to practice minimalism. I could only take so many items with me. At my leanest, I essentially just had my backpack. Although quite large, it fit in the overhead compartments on planes, and it contained, well, my entire life.
My laptop so that I could work, my camera, my clothes, my e-book reader, and some toiletries. That was pretty much it. It is quite eye-opening when you can only take one backpack with you, plus a smaller bag underneath the seat in front of you.
This does not mean that you shouldn't own anything, or that you should throw away important mementoes. What it does mean is that, if you want a freer life, you should view your possessions with a critical eye. Additionally, you should really think before buying anything new.
Will this purchase improve my quality of life, or will it simply become stuff, something that I need to clean, repair, maintain, and replace?
So, which items are truly important to you?