One question you will often hear at LPG is “how much is enough?” The question is asked in the context of money matters, priorities and goals, but why not ask that in the context of all the things that we own? Are we sure that we own our things and our things do not own us? At the start of a new year I usually find myself trying to declutter, simplify, and lighten up from the inside out. It was over the holidays that I came across an article that puts a number to just how much stuff we own – the numbers were incredible! Just reading the article made me want to get a jump start on cleaning out.

Some of the most interesting numbers from the article:
• There are 300,000 items in the average American home (LA Times).
• Americans spend $1.2 trillion annually on nonessential goods—in other words, items they do not need (The Wall Street Journal).
• While 25% of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park cars inside them and 32% only have room for one vehicle. (U.S. Department of Energy).
• Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items.The research found we lose up to nine items every day—or 198,743 in a lifetime. Phones, keys, sunglasses, and paperwork top the list (The Daily Mail).
• Americans spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches ($100 billion) than on higher education (Psychology Today).
• 3.1% of the world’s children live in America, but they own 40% of the toys consumed globally (UCLA).

This time to clean out and refocus reminds me that these things are only temporary and I am encouraged to store treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed (Matt 6:19-21). I believe that clearing out the tangible clutter and the clutter in the mind and heart are linked. If you would like to read the full article please click this link: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/clutter-stats/ Call us to schedule a meeting if you would like to talk about priorities, goal setting, and how much is enough at the start of this New Year. We would love to meet with you.

Article and references used with permission by Becoming Minimilast