6 Reasons Why It's Just Plain Good To Give Stuff Away

Give it away? Why would I want to give anything away, let alone things I actually like? One of our first world problems is having too much: everywhere we look in our homes there's stuff. And you can get stuff so cheaply these days, whether its stumbling upon an amazing sale at the mall, rolling up on a garage sale, or scavenging the used store for fashion items at a fraction of the price--we tend to have a stuff problem. And then there are those who have a garage sale to get rid of their stuff, which, collectively, turns out to be the mass recycling of junk nobody uses to other's homes where it won't be used, only to find itself at yet another garage sale.

Here are some reasons to give stuff away:

1. You have too much stuff: If you have a stuff problem, just donate it: Value Village, Goodwill, the Salvation Army are all places to drop things off at.

2. You'll feel good: Before you give something away you wonder how you'll ever part with x; but when you give it away, you realize you don't even miss it, and what you feel in its place is just feeling of joy--it feels good to give.

3. Help someone in need: If you have a lot, and others are in need, give to them. There are so many people who don't have the basics. There are many who go away on missions of various sorts, while leaving behind in our cities and towns people who are in need. 

4. Tax benefit: depending on where you give, you may receive a tax receipt that will help you at tax time. Some may see this as tainting the giving process, but others see it as a benefit of the system that encourages giving. 

5. It makes us suffer: In various religious traditions, stuff causes suffering: we worry about our stuff, plan to eagerly get new stuff, and burn with envy when we see someone with more than we have. Giving stuff away helps us restore our sense of who we are apart from what we may or may not have. 

6. Less is more: You don't have to accept the lie that more stuff makes you happy--the truth is, it won't; it'll just give you more to worry about. 

We think that more stuff will make us happier or more successful, but it's actually the opposite: the less you have the less you need to worry about.