Will the 100 Thing Challenge End the World?

Over the months I've been winnowing away my things in preparation for the 100 Thing Challenge, people have brought up many of the same questions.  For some reason everyone wants to know if I'm counting each pair of underwear as a separate thing.  Today I got asked if dental floss counts, which kind of made me feel guilty.  Not because I am not counting floss (I'm not) but because I really should floss more consistently.

Anyway, one valid question about the 100 Thing Challenge that comes up often is this, Wouldn't it be bad for our economy if everyone took the 100 Thing Challenge to heart?

You're at the wrong blog for sound economic analysis.  I'm not an economist, but just an average person whose checking account often looks about as shaky as the United States' economy.  Even so, here's my answer to those who think the 100 Thing Challenge could engender economic ruin and usher in the end of the world.

Nope.

Money is either used wisely or unwisely.  Wisely used money leads to economic stability and prosperity.  Unwisely used money leads to economic risk and catastrophe.  Let's be honest about the situation in the United States right now, the recession we will experience over the next year or more is the result of our group effort of unwisely using our money at the individual level, the industrial level, and the governmental level.

Mindlessly, selfishly, and greedily spending money on frivolous consumer goods, risk-rich investments, and special interests (which it seems to me includes the war in Iraq) are all examples of us unwisely using our money.

A point of the 100 Thing Challenge is to develop in myself an amount of consumer discipline.  I want to develop a discipline of not thinking like or acting like the "typical American consumer."  I'm not some Pavlovian consumer drooling at the sound of each marketer's chime.  I want to live a life that is characterized by wisdom and charity, not mindless and selfish and greedy consumption.

I suspect - though I have no authority or special training to prove it - that the economic trouble currently faced by the United States will not be solved by more spending at Wal-Mart or Best Buy or Nordstrom. My sneaky suspicion is that after a healthy dose of fiscal chastening, the economy of the United States will recover when we start using our money after first using our wisdom.

Comments

[Annette]

I found you today from reading the time article on decluttering. Then I proceeded in reading your blogs - very interesting. I am ready to start sifting through and getting rid of 1/2 my families stuff - at least to start. I realized from the Time article; I have the emotional connection I have to walk through as I do this too - more of getting rid of past lives - or should I say past life styles - admitting that we will not be living that way anymore for good or bad. Anyway I wanted to say thanks for helping me to start.

[Cara B.]

The 100 Thing Challenge really has me thinking. I've been decluttering for months, slowly. I know I feel better with less around me. I'm trying to guide my family through the same idea. I now have something to work towards. I'm just not sure I will be able to achieve it in the end.

[Emily]

I have been trying to get rid of things myself for about the past six months, and I was surprised to find this blog through the Time article, which led me to a whole bunch of other people with a similar plan. Awesome!

I don't know enough about the economy to know what would happen to it if we all only had 100 things... I'd certainly like to see what things would look like, though.

[Coline]

Thank you Dave. I feel lighter, already.

Shalom !

Col, Manitoba, Canada

[Ursula]

I am pleased to know that my husband isn't the only one thinking: Will The 100 Thing Challenge End The World. Whew, I was worried. It has been suggested that I would be "hard pressed" to take this challenge; so I have decided to attempt what appears to be an impossible task. How do I even begin, when I have 1000's of things? Mercy! Next Tuesday is my beginning day. You see, I need some serious help to even get started, so Maria is coming to help. I feel as if I am buried in things. Even the attic is so full, that I am surprised the ceiling hasn't caved in on my husband and I. I can get rid of things easily; but sadly, my husband is the ultimate pack rat. My strategy is to purge while he is at work. Hey, maybe I can even make some money. But, doesn't that mean I can spend it on more things? Help, I am already sinking in the swirling whirlpool of excess.

[Kristin]

Ursula,
Give the money you make to a favorite charity.

Good Luck!

[Rob J]

A friend of mine sent me the link to the Time article and I was immediately hooked. We recently moved from Dallas, Texas to Bend, Oregon because we found ourselves getting caught up in a consumerism lifestyle that didn't fit with who we are and how we wanted to raise our two children. We have an enormous amount of debt from this previous life and part of why I'm up for this challenge is to enable habits that will help pay down that debt. And then keep us in the black. The move to Bend was to give us a clean slate and facilitate a new respect for ourselves, our relationships and our planet. To remove the excesses, clear off the dust and live life to the fullest, taking advantage of every opportunity along the way. This challenge gives me a specific goal to achieve with respect to possessions. And the entire family has agreed to participate. We've decided that each of us will get down to 100 personal items and then 100 shared items that would include kitchen stuff, furniture and things like entertainment items (tv, Wii etc.). - I'm sure some of you reading this are now saying "Wii?? That's completely unnecessary!" The point of this challenge, for us, is not to get rid of everything superficial (although for some it may be exactly that and I support you 100%). We're looking to get rid of anything: 1) we don't use on a regular basis 2) that creates clutter but lacks real sentimental value (this will be easier for me than my wife - when we got married she was hanging on to an old rusted trash can because it belonged to her grandmother) or most importantly 3) that distracts from more important things like our relations with each other and the people we care about - the Wii is something we do as a family and if you're still balking at that then you've clearly never played : ). Our plan is to get down to these 500 things total for the family and stay there. And if someone wants/needs something new, they have to lose something they already have. It should be a great way to keep the amount of toys in check - for both the kids and myself. I admit I'm a gadget hound. There's also a strange dichotomy you might find interesting... I work for an advertising agency. Yeah. Ironic, right? I push products on people all day while trying to adopt a lifestyle of "controlled" consumerism in my own home. On the count of 3 everyone say "Hypocrite!". I deserve that. And I'm working to change it. But that's a whole other blog. Anyway, I agree with Dave: Wisely used money leads to economic stability and prosperity. Unwisely used money leads to economic risk and catastrophe.

Thanks, David for starting this.
Peace. And good luck to all who attempt the challenge!

PS - I've started a 100 Thing Challenge group on Facebook. Please join us and share your experiences.

[Ursula]

So, I have been pacing the floor, and fretting over this 100 Thing Challenge; trying to get it in perspective; trying to narrow down what "personal" really means. I have come to some conclusions. My jewelry cannot count as personal. You see, I am in my "senior years", so now the jewelry is on loan to me. After all, it all goes to the 3 children, and 3 grandchildren. So that doesn't count. (If I should die suddenly while writing this, and the child that started this whole thing counts it as personal, I will have to ask God for a few minutes from heaven to ring his handsome neck. They are heirlooms once I am dead, and that is a whole different category) What a relief. Than there are closets full of clothes. Okay, some of it is a real "no brainer", how many black slacks do I really need? A news flash ladies, black is not slimming, that is a marketing ploy. If you are overweight, you look overweight in black or white. What am I saving size 3 & 4 pants for? Who am I fooling, I am not going to be 3 or 4 years old again, the only way I would ever fit in those sizes, so throw them away. But, when all is done, and I have lots of clothes left; are they really personal items? I think not, they cover our nakedness, and Lord knows we would be a sorry sight without them. Now we come to the candles. You see, I have lots and lots of candles. The truth is they were gifts to me. I hate candles, because I fear candles. "Take a relaxing bath Ursula, and put candles all around the tub". Now, how am I to relax, when I am convinced that even though there isn't any electric attached to them, I will be electrocuted in the tub. So they are a "no brainer" as well. A wonderful way to get rid of the "gifts", The 100 Thing Challenge. I am making some progress here, that is comforting. So, I ask, "what is personal"? It can't be my books, they are there to educate and spiritually uplift me. It can't be the numerous DVD's, CD's, VHS, etc. etc. They are there to entertain, educate, etc. Hmmm; maybe it is the numerous purses I have, so many that I even have to crawl on my hands and knees under the bed to get some of them from the storage box under there. I am getting too old to do that, so I bet if I got rid of some of them, that would be personal. Wow, I am narrowing this personal thing way down. If it personally irritates, annoys, gets in your way, etc.; get rid of it. Enough for now. I will keep you updated on how I am coming along. As of today, all is still intact, but Tuesday will be a different story.

[Michelle]

I think the 100 thing challenge is great.

About two years ago I decided I needed to purge a lot of my belongings. And now I challenge myself to buy as little as possible for as long as I can (and I work in Advertising...).

And when it's necessary to consume, I try only to purchase long-lasting or previously used products, because frankly, there is already just too much stuff out there.

It's cheap, green and freedom.

[Someone]

Ursula,

I'd urge you to think twice about purging behind your husband's back. If you have to trick yourself (or someone else) into letting go of something, then it was never really let go of. If you accidentally get rid of something that was far more important to him than you realized, he's understandably going to feel betrayed. And even if all the stuff you get rid of is "just stuff", if he wasn't ready to let go, then figuring out that you've been doing it for him on the sly is just going to make him cling all the harder. Your clutter problem, as a couple, isn't going to be resolved in the long term until you are both able, willingly, to learn to let go. I know that helping him see the benefits decluttering could bring is a heck of a lot harder than just shoveling the stuff out the door-- but it's the only viable long-term solution to the problem.

Anyway, just my 2c. Take it for what the opinion of a random stranger on the internet is worth :)

(Reading your second comment further down though, it looks like you're off to a great start! I love how it feels to realize "hey, I don't NEED this stuff. I can just give it away!")

[kathleencain]

Great blog, Dave. In the last few months, I have become overwhelmed by a feeling of captivity and anxiety that I couldn't quite shake or identify. I finally figured it out one night before bed. I travel three days out of the week for work, and in my meager room, with only an overnight bag and a laptop, I realized how little I actually need to live. And, I also realized how grossly out of proportion my actual life was to my actual need. I'm divorced and childless. I have a huge 3 bedroom apartment that is filled from end to end with useless things. I rent a storage space for what won't fit in the apartment. I rent a garage for the second car. I was at first thinking that my tension was a result of tight finance. But then I realized it was that same suffocating feeling when one is in a bad relationship and doesn't know how to escape, much less if they even can. My closets are stacked end to end with shoeboxes, yet I always wear the same three pairs. I have fine dresses for all those fancy dinners I don't have time to go to, beautiful dishes for all those parties I'm too tired to host...I was suddenly struck with the realizaton that my life is a lie. I have created an artificial environment to buffer and shelter and insulate me, I was seeking comfort while actually creating tension. I announced to those close to me my plans to purge my life and, hopefully, find some measure of serenity. Of course, my family and friends scoffed at the notion, not realizing that my ability to enjoy excess is a vice, but the chance to spread that excess to those of meager means is a virtue. Not a few days later did my sister send me the Time article and I could hardly believe my eyes. I'm not the only one whose life is choking them senseless! I'm not the only one who has tired of being walled off from reality by a fortress of things which offer no promise! I'll be staying tuned, Dave. Thank you for showing others that there is life beyond stuff, that we are the sum of our actions towards others, not the sum of our toys. God bless.

[Cathy]

I disagree with you on one point, Dave. The war has happened because we were attacked. Every country on the face of the earth needs to know to not mess with us again. We have to spend money now to get that message out. The government has spent money on far more frivolous things-bridges to nowhere, paying people to NOT grow crops on their land and soon, bailing out people who were greedy and signed on for home loans knowing full well the interest rates would lock in in three years.

Everything else, especially your strong faith in God, I completely agree with. Publicizing the challenge is quite a challenge. I am glad more people are realizing the freedom which comes from de-cluttering their lives.