Homes Are Overflowing
An article from the LA Times cites an expert who claims, "The average U.S. household has 300,000 things, from paper clips to ironing boards. U.S. children make up 3.7% of children on the planet but have 47% of all toys and children's books."
Sure, you might not be able to fit 300,000 items into your dorm room, but the fact that people have so many items crammed into their living spaces is still a reason to step back and consider if you really need everything you own.
Houses Are Getting Bigger — But They're Still Not Big Enough
According to a report on NPR's website, the average home in the United States in 1950 was less than 1,000 square feet. In 2004, the average home was 2,349 square feet. Even the most modest homes in the United States seem like mansions compared to the dwellings in poorer countries.
Despite the startling leaps in home sizes, people still have a voracious appetite for storage. In fact, there are more than 50,000 storage facilities in the country — that is more than five times the number of Starbucks! About 10 percent of Americans rent some form of offsite storage.
Clothes Are a Major Clutter Culprit
Do you have a closet full of clothing and still feel like you have nothing to wear? Many people feel similarly. According to Forbes, the average American woman has 30 outfits. In 1930, the average woman owned just nine outfits. The average American household spends nearly $2,000 on clothes each year.
With all of those clothes coming in to our homes, it is only natural that we would have to throw some out. An article from the Huffington Post states that the average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing each year!
Is It Time to Cut Back on Stuff?
The figures about how much stuff we own don't mean that we should all start to live austere lifestyles, but it never hurts to rethink our belongings.
Take inventory of the things you own. If you haven't used something in the past year, and it has no sentimental value to you, it's probably time to donate it, sell it, or simply throw it away. Some people adopt a rule that compels them to throw away two items for every one item they buy.
For items that you're not sure about but that take up a lot of space, you should consider putting them in storage for a while. You can wait a few months before you take another look to evaluate if you really need those things.
Owning a lot of stuff is trendy, but there is nothing wrong with resisting the trend. Conquer your clutter by getting rid of or storing things that you don't need.
Image via Flickr by Kris Krug
