How Living With Less Can Actually Make Families Happier

If there's too much clutter in a house, it can become a tripping or choking hazard for both children and pets. Plus, the more stuff a family has, the harder it can be to keep clean, which could lead to a buildup of dust or even mold. The less we have, the safer and healthier it is for us all, really.

According to the New York Times, researchers from UCLA found that moms who had to spend time dealing with belongings had increased stress hormone levels. It's literally bad for us to have too much stuff, and cutting down on the amount that we own can improve our daily levels of stress and anxiety.

Ever see a kid rediscover a lost toy and have so much fun playing with it because it sort of feels new? By getting rid of the excess in our lives, we'll be able to find things that previously brought us joy that may have gotten buried or stashed away. Having less allows us to enjoy everything that's there to a fuller extent.

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To state the obvious, living with less means buying less and therefore saving money. With inflation seeming to be a problem that's here to stay, getting to pocket some money that may have been spent on unnecessary things feels like a total win. There are better uses for spare cash than items that'll just clutter up our homes.

If we cut back on the amount of clothing we buy, we'll have less clothing to wash and we'll save on the water bill. And if we don't buy every new tech gadget or countertop kitchen appliance, we'll also use less electricity every month. The benefits to owning a little less are numerous on both the health and wellness side but also the financial side.

We all want to teach our kids to be good people, and we can set a great example by living a more minimalist life. Placing less of an emphasis on owning things will teach our kids that items shouldn't consume them. They'll be more likely to share toys at school and they'll be less likely to be greedy at holidays or birthdays. New toys are great, but they shouldn't be all a kid thinks about. We can show them the importance of living simply.

For those of us who are looking to downsize into a more minimalist life, donating is a huge part of that. Get the kids involved so they can see that by getting rid of the excess, we can help families who may be in need as well as reduce our waste for the planet. It's a good way for them to see the impact of their actions.

If kids have fewer toys to play with or belongings to distract them, they'll be able to rely more on their imagination. There's something so magical about children coming up with games or adventures or stories all by themselves. Perhaps they'll miss their toys at first, but soon they'll be enthralled in their own fictional worlds. It's OK to let kids get a little bored; that's where the true imagination comes out.

How many times have we argued with our children about cleaning up their bedrooms or playrooms? By eliminating some of the clutter, it will be easier for kids to maintain their spaces, and we'll be able to cut down on fruitless fights. The same goes for communicating with our partners. By having less, we'll argue less about cleaning up and whose turn it is and where things go.

Teaching our kids to value things less means we get to teach them that experiences matter more. Maybe we can take some of the extra money we've saved by buying fewer things to go on a fun trip or to a cool museum. At the end of the day, kids remember making memories a lot more than they'll remember playing a video game for several hours in their room.

With less to do inside, families can take full advantage of the outside. There are so many fun (and often free) ways to engage as a family with nature. Take a hike, have a picnic, or swim at a local lake or beach. Like with all bonding experiences, kids will likely remember these sorts of memories far longer than they'll remember a tangible item.

According to the University of New Mexico, research shows more than half of the garages in the United States can't be used to park vehicles in because they're so full of people's belongings. Decluttering the garage allows families to use it for its intended purpose — keeping the car safe. And having less stuff inside the house also makes it easier to live and play in.

A 2016 study of college students found that they were more likely to eat sugar-rich food when their kitchens were messy, according to Good Morning America. Even for people not in college, it's probably a similar story. Who wants to cook a meal if there are dishes everywhere or clutter that doesn't even belong in the kitchen taking up space? Clearing that out makes it easier to make healthier dietary choices. Plus, spending less time organizing belongings gives us more energy to actually cook.

Good Morning America also reported that a Princeton study from 2011 found that when a space is too cluttered, items literally compete for our attention, making it hard to be productive or to focus. That can be the downside to working from home if the home is filled with too many things. Having less promotes productivity.

According to Sleep.com research from the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that sleeping in a cluttered space is more difficult. If a bedroom is filled with things, it can make us anxious or encourage us to focus on what still needs to be done when we should be getting rest. A clean, tidy room promotes better sleep, and we could all use that.

With fewer belongings to take care of, cleaning becomes way easier. So easy, in fact, that kids can get in on the action. Instead of needing to spend an entire day (or days) organizing a huge mess that's been building up, simple chores and regular tidying can be executed by kids and parents in a matter of minutes.

It's important for our kids to learn all types of boundaries. When it comes to stuff in the house, one boundary is that things have a place and they stay in that place. Decluttering the excess makes it easier to keep children's belongings in designated areas so our whole house doesn't become a playroom filled with toys.

When there's less to maintain and chores also take less time, there's more time for family bonding. Instead of Mom or Dad spending a weekend preoccupied with cleaning out the garage or attic, weekends can be spent playing games, going to the park, and just generally hanging out together. That's a more valuable way to spend our lives rather than being consumed with clutter.