One of the most popular posts ever here on Exile Lifestyle was All 72 Things I Own, wherein I took a photo of each and every object I owned in the world and was shocked to find that I had only 72 items.
Well that was back in November when I was living in Buenos Aires — a lifetime ago! — and seeing as how this is the 100th post here on Exile Lifestyle, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this concept and see how much I own now.
I had a vague notion that I wanted to be down to 50 items by the time I moved to New Zealand, and it looks like I met that goal. In fact, until today I was at 47 things…not too shabby!
But this morning a magical thing happened: 4 t-shirts arrived in the mail. T-shirts that I designed for Exile Lifestyle, my audience and myself. Yay! Oh wait. Guess I should have only ordered 3 shirts. Drat.
It’s okay, though. Because you know what? Rules were meant to be broken (especially rules created by you for a competition against yourself as part of a project also created by you).
I’ll continue to reduce as I stop using things (I imagine some of the other shirts I own will be on the cutting block soon), but at this moment I’ve got 51 and that’s just fine with me.
Below is a list of what you’re looking at in the photos above (in the same order). Click on any of the photos to be taken to it’s Flickr page where there is a more detailed description (including brands where applicable) and larger photo.
*It should be noted that I count some things together (the glasses and their case, for example) and I haven’t photographed the small tangle of cables I have to power the objects on the list. I also don’t include anything that is consumable (food, toilet paper, etc) or anything that I’m currently renting (my apartment in Christchurch, the furniture in it).
My 51 Things
- Button-down shirt
- Polo
- Long-sleeved shirt
- V-neck t-shirt
- V-neck t-shirt
- Graphic t-shirt
- Graphic t-shirt
- Graphic t-shirt
- Graphic t-shirt
- T-shirt
- T-shirt
- Jeans
- Jeans
- Pants
- Jacket
- Jacket
- Hoodie
- 3 pairs of boxers/boxer briefs
- 4 pairs of socks
- Shoes
- Flip flops (jandals!)
- Belt
- Workout shoes
- 2 workout shirts
- Workout shorts/ swim trunks
- Messenger bag
- Carry-on bag
- Sunglasses
- Wallet/contents/passport
- Notebook and sketchbook
- Pens and pencils
- Digital camera and case
- Tripod
- Phone and SIM cads
- Universal Adapter
- Laptop
- Laptop case
- 2 external hard drives
- iPod/armband/headphones
- Trimmer and shaver
- Glasses and case
- Toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
Update: December 11, 2016
I stopped posting photos of all the things I own several years ago when I discovered that it seemed to reinforce the idea that “minimalism” means owning as few things as possible.
That’s not the case. We’re not any better or more moral when we own less. The idea is to own exactly the right number of things for you and your priorities, and that will mean something different for everyone.
If you want to focus on travel and experiences like me, chances are you’ll want to own less, because everything you own is likely something you’ll have to carry (like I do) or store somewhere (which is wildly inconvenient and potentially expensive). If you need equipment or gadgetry to do your work, if your passion is collecting unicorn statuettes, if you’re truly fulfilled by owning all the books you’ve ever read, then you should; just don’t buy the big screen TV you feel you’re supposed to own. Save that money for more unicorn statuettes.
Which is to say that you should prioritize your time, energy, and resources for the stuff that really matters. That may be possession stuff, that may be relationship stuff, that may be personal hobbies and projects stuff. Most likely, it’ll be a uniquely shaped combination of all these things, and that’s worth embracing.
You needn’t own a few dozen possessions to be a minimalist, you just have to focus on the vital things and act accordingly.