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Is it possible to own a maximum of 100 things? It may seem like a large number initially, but sit back for a minute and think about all the stuff you own: random things you keep around but might use only occasionally, like staplers and hand mixers; tiny odds-and-ends stuck in kitchen drawers; boxes of holiday ornaments in the attic; out-of-season shoes and clothing; craft supplies that are kept on hand just in case the mood strikes. Heck, while you’re counting you may as well include silverware and every plate and glass in your cabinets. If you can’t fathom the idea of whittling your possessions down to 100 things, there’s no need to worry -- after all, with the 100 Thing Challenge you’re allowed to make up your own rules.
Dave Bruno is the person who came up with the 100 Thing Challenge (yes, that’s “100 Thing,” and not “100 Things”). He says he’s committed to living with only 100 possessions for an entire year, starting in November, but it turns out the number 100 is completely arbitrary.
Dave isn’t going to count his wife's or his kids' possessions, or things that belong to them as a family -- like couches and tables. Other stuff that won’t count: a collection of trains he doesn't want to part with. Woodworking tools. Two plastic storage containers filled with memorabilia (but he won't open them for a year once his challenge officially starts). And he may consider an entire collection of books to count as only one thing, too.
At least he's up-front about it:
Remember, this is my 100 Thing Challenge. I get to set the rules and decide when a rule can be stretched or outright broken. Basically I'm going by the spirit of the challenge not the letter of the challenge.
I’m all for adapting rules to fit your situation. If something doesn’t work for you, then change things and make them work. But if you’re the one establishing the challenge in the first place, don’t you think you should actually stick to the name of the challenge? If you have a lot of exceptions that make it easier for you to reach your goal, why put a number on the challenge at all? Why not just call it your “Downsizing Challenge” or the “Get Rid of Stuff I Don’t Need Challenge?” Is it because the number 100 makes it a catchier title?
(Here's a suggestion for Dave: if you're not going to count any shared household items in your 100 Things, or include anything that belongs to your wife and kids, why not just “give” them all your books? While you’re at it, “give” them anything else you don't really want to part with. All your problems will be solved!)
I've done a fair amount of downsizing over the past few years, and I’ve talked about the challenges of living in an apartment with a limited amount of storage space. There’s nothing wrong with getting rid of stuff you’re no longer using. In fact, I think it’s a great idea -- I applaud it.
Even after downsizing a fair amount over the past few years, I know I continue to hold onto certain things I don’t need (but I really wouldn’t mind if they no longer belonged to me). I’m still storing a few boxes at my mom's house, and in my little sister's attic in Richmond. The last time I was in my sister's attic a few months ago, I opened a box that’s filled with old mementos (mostly from high school and the five months I spent in Amsterdam in 2004).
One of the things I remember seeing inside the box was a large green and yellow button from high school, proclaiming my title as a Peer Helper. (Which means I was assigned to help an incoming freshman my senior year. I helped show her to her classes the first day of school, and had maybe one additional meeting with her about a week later to "check in." That was the extent of my Peer Helper duties.)
Some of these things bring back good memories, but there’s really no need for me to keep them at someone else’s house just because I don’t have room for them. I think what I should do is take the advice of other people I've seen online: bring my digital camera with me the
