Many of us are often curious about what’s in the other’s bags, houses, cars, drawers, pockets, hoping maybe they will get some inspiration, better ideas or just out simple curiosity. It’s human nature. I have to admit that I sincerely admire the opposite side of human nature, the one with zero curiosity about what the other posses, achieve or think, following of course all the common sense rules and social boundaries. Even though, I will share with you my list of 100 personal things, hoping that you find some inspiration in intentional purchasing habits and – why not – collecting memories, not things.
Two years ago I’ve left my home country and I’ve started living in Barcelona, Spain, a completely different lifestyle than I used to have before. Downsizing from a big house to a small apartment, sharing all the storage spaces with my wife and our little son was a challenge, commuting with public transportation was also different than owning a personal car, splitting the budget between the needs of all the three of us had a strong influence in my decluttering process as well.
Decluttering is great
After one year and a half of decluttering, my personal 100 objects list at that time was a very “light” one, because of the friendly climate of Barcelona, and it could easily fit in one single hand luggage airplane friendly (at that time I wasn’t involved in a permanent job, though, only freelancing, so that pulled the balance in my advantage, a little bit.
My 100 (Golden) Things
CLOTHES
T-shirts (7), Polo t-Shirts (2), Undershirts (7), Shirts (4), Long sleeve t-shirts (2), Jumpers (2), Vest (1), Hooded jacket (1), Jacket (1), Raincoat (1), Short pants (2), Long pants (2), Swimming pants (1), Sport pants (1), Underwear (8), Long socks (8), Short socks (3), Slippers (1), Sport shoes (1), Casual shoes (1), Sport hat (1), Flat hat (1), Belt (1), Wallet (1), Cards holder (1), Wrist purse (1), Sunglasses (1), Umbrella (1)
GADGETS
Smartphone (1), Backup phone (1), Smartwatch (1), Wired Headphones (1), Wireless Headphones (2), Powerbank (1), External HDD (1), Bluetooth speaker (1), Laptop (1), Mouse (1), Memory Stick (1), Charging cables (2), Multi USB charging station (1), Rechargeable batteries (set) (1), Accessories bag (1), Allen Wrenches Set (1), Multifunctional tool (1), Pencil (1), Plastic documents folder (1)
PERSONAL CARE
Nail clipper (1), Hair trimmer (1), Toothbrush (1), Towel (2), Antiperspirant (1), Shower lotion (3 in 1) (1), Toothpaste (1), Perfume (1)
OTHER
Big suitcase (1), Laptop backpack (1), Travel bag (1), Shopping bag (1), Laundry bag (1)
Total items: One golden hundred (100)
Most of the things are essential (excepting some of the clothing items), but if I have to mention, my special 3 items (besides the smartphone and the laptop) are:
- Silicone lanyard for mobile phone (relieves me from the stress of losing or damaging my smartphone). It is not mentioned in a separate position, as I consider it a must for any (smart)phone, together with the case and the glass protection
- My Silicone laces for sports shoes, making me ready to go in less than 5 seconds
- My precious Ultra slim wallet for day-to-day use (it is ultra slim indeed), you can get the best one in one day from Amazon
Some of the advantages of owning less stuff (and I’m talking mostly about clothing) are:
- you can easily remember what you have and what you don’t
- you can store them in minimal space
- you can pack anything for a trip in less than 5 minutes
- you can be extremely well organized with doing laundry
- sticking to that list you don’t have to spend much time and money in stores
- you usually need something just to replace something (although I recommend the repairing options first)
Things have changed a little bit in the last six months after relocating (again) in a country with a different climate and I will be happy to update it here again! Go minimal!