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this clutter is causing us to feel heavy, depressed, overwhelmed, stressed, or just a little claustrophobic. We may not be able to identify our excess belongings as a cause of these feelings because our stuff has been in our homes for so long that it’s almost become invisible to us. “A trashy, cluttered, overstuffed house can breed depression. People don't realize it, but your surroundings do affect you. You need to let some light in, and breath e some space in,” writes John Barker, an interviewee for Minimalism for Grandparents .
    By getting rid of the excess, you may find yourself waking up with a new, more optimistic outlook on life. If you're familiar with Feng Shui, you know that the way you arrange your furniture and the cleanliness of your home can lead to better energy. Decluttering may allow you to see creative new possibilities in the space around you, and in the wider world, leading to improved mental health.
     
    Financial Health
    In 2008, Adam Baker of ManvsDebt.com and his family found themselves massively in debt, so they decided to go minimal. This has dramatically transformed their financial picture. They’ve been able to pay off $18,000 in consumer debt after selling everything they own and rethinking their lifestyle. At a time when everyone is thinking about the state of the economy and trying to find ways to make their money go a little bit further, embracing a minimalist lifestyle could not be a better remedy for a less-than-ideal personal financial situation. This is because, as a minimalist, you won’t spend as much money as you did before. You’ll think twice before every purchase and only let something into your home if it’s going to truly improve your quality of life.
    According to an EconomyWatch.com article by Liz Zuliani that references data from Money-zine.com and HoffmanBrinker.com , the total amount of consumer debt in the U.S. in 2010 was almost 2.4 trillion dollars. [11] That comes out to about $7,800 in debt per person. Embracing a style of living where we only buy what we need with money that we actually have is important to our financial welfare. Adopting this attitude will save consumers from unnecessary and burdensome debt.
    When my husband and I were planning our wedding , we knew that we wanted to spend a lot of time traveling during our first year of marriage. We sold or gave away much of what we owned. We realized that people would want to give us wedding gifts, things for the home, a home we were about to give up for a traveling lifestyle. We asked our wedding guests to kindly donate to our travel fund in lieu of giving gifts, and most of them complied with generosity. These two decisions, to sell our things and to ask for monetary wedding gifts, helped our newlywed financial picture tremendously. As you pursue the process of going through your belongings, you’ll likely sell some of your unneeded items too. You can have a garage sale, a yard sale, a sale via Craigslist , or you can set up auctions for your smaller or more valuable items on eBay . I recommend only selling small, valuable items on eBay because it’s not worth the time, hassle, and shipping expense for bulky or inexpensive items.
    In an August 2012 blog post for The New York Times, entitled “You Probably Have Too Much Stuff,” certified planner Carl Richards writes about realizing that holding on to things he didn’t need was costing him. “When we hold on to stuff we no longer want or use, it does indeed cost us something more, if only in the time spent organizing and contemplating it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about getting rid of that tie, for instance, and every time I went to choose a shirt for the day, I would think about the few that no longer fit,” [12] he writes. Richards’ more moderate simplifying process was inspired by Andrew Hyde, who made the news in 2010 when he declared that he only owned 15 items.
    Once you begin divesting yourself of excess belongings, you