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1-Page Summary of The More of Less
Overview
Consumerism is out of control. In the 1970s, people saw about 500 advertisements a day. Today, it’s closer to 5,000 per day. It doesn’t matter what product is being sold; all ads tell people that if they buy more stuff, they’ll be happier. Companies paid $171 billion for advertising in 2013 and it works: The typical household owns 300,000 items.
Joshua Becker believes that people are consumed by their material possessions. The things they buy do not make them happy, and in fact, they just end up with clutter that drains resources and takes away from the important things in life.
Minimalism is a growing movement that’s captured the imagination of millions of people. It encourages us to buy less and declutter our homes, so we can spend time on things that are more important to us. In this article, you’ll learn why advertising makes us want to buy more stuff; how to decide what objects in your home should stay or go; and how you can help your family embrace minimalism.
Big Idea #1: Minimalism is about getting rid of possessions that stop you from doing the things you value most.
When you look around your home, do you feel like there’s too much stuff? You’re not alone. Many people buy things they don’t need and then end up feeling the same as before.
However, things are starting to change. People have begun embracing minimalism because it helps them get rid of unnecessary possessions that distract them from doing the most important things in life.
The author went on a minimalist journey during Memorial Day weekend in 2008. He started with sorting through his garage, which was full of clutter. It ended up taking hours to go through all the stuff and get it organized.
As he was cleaning, the man thought about all the times he had tried to clean his room. He realized that every time before this one, he came away from it feeling hopeless and despondent.
While he was thinking about that, his neighbor arrived. He told him about his daughter’s new lifestyle and how she always reminded her of the things she didn’t need to own.
He realized how much time he was wasting in the garage, sorting through things that were no longer needed. He should be spending more time with his family instead of doing that!
He talked to his wife and decided to reduce the number of things he owned. He then created a blog that documented this lifestyle change.
A website called The Minimalists has been very successful. It’s about living with less stuff and focusing more on experiences rather than material goods. In this section, we’ll look at what the minimalists believe in and how they’ve influenced so many people to change their lives for the better.
Big Idea #2: Minimalism isn’t about self-denial – it’s about getting more from less.
What is minimalism? People might think it’s about being frugal or getting rid of unnecessary things, but that’s not true. In fact, minimalists get more out of life by having less and doing what they love.
For example, many people have discovered that decluttering their homes means they are free to work and live wherever they want.
Annette Gartland, a freelance journalist, was feeling overwhelmed by all of the stuff she had accumulated over time. She felt like it was suffocating her and wanted to get rid of it.
In 2013, she decided to become a minimalist. She worked hard and managed to get rid of most of her belongings, including her house and car.
She has not looked back since then. She lives a free-spirited life, traveling the world and staying in different places like hotels, housesits and apartments. However, minimalism can also help you focus on what’s important to you right now. When Dave and Sheryl’s kids left home, they decided to take a road trip from their house down south. While on that road trip, they heard about minimalism on a podcast which changed their way of thinking. They realized that having more money is not necessarily better than spending it wisely for your family or yourself; wouldn’t be better if they just spent it all on themselves?
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