You can spot it at any baseball stadium, where spectators nudge each other for oversized T-shirts…
Or at any conference, where participants eagerly stuff their swag bags with pens and bottle openers…
We adorefree items.
There are surely evolutionary reasons for why inexpensive things thrill us, but I’m not here to delve into those.
I’m here to explore what happens when we resist our natural impulses — and begin refusing free stuff.
I started doing this a few years back, and as tough as it was (and still can be), I believe my life has improved because of it.
Why I Stopped Taking Free Items
Like most people, I enjoy getting free things.
But I also detest clutter.
I wavered for a long time, living with those conflicting tendencies, until I read a book called “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin.
In it, Rubin uses a range of tactics and experiments to make her life better.
One of them: “Stay on top of clutter.”
Although it might seem “frivolous,” she writes, “I’ve discovered — and many people have told me they feel the same — that clutter burdens me more than it should.”
And a simple method to cut down clutter? Stop accumulating it from the outset.
“Because I’m focused on clutter-busting, I’m now very cautious about anything that’s free,” Rubin explains.
“Now, instead of automatically taking a freebie, I ask: would I choose to purchase this item? If not, I probably don’t truly need or want it, even if grabbing it feels like a treat.”
So just consider: Would you pay for that complimentary notepad? Or stress reliever? Or beer cozy?
Probably not. But you’ll accept it because it’s free.
Then, thanks to the “endowment effect,” it becomes much harder to discard than it was to take.
“Once we possess an object, we value it more,” Rubin notes in the New York Times.
“I may not have particularly wanted that ceramic beer stein stamped with a law school logo, but now that it’s on my shelf, I find it oddly difficult to part with,” she writes.
“And the longer I have it, the more I cherish it. For that reason, it’s wise to be cautious about hand-me-downs, yard sale finds and promotional swag. The seemingly harmless bauble you pick up on impulse may take root in your home for years.”
SO TRUE, right?
I mean, how many pointless items do you own that you’ve become unreasonably attached to — simply because they’ve been lounging around your house for years?
And it carries consequences:Being organized and clutter-free could help yousave money,earn extra incomeor evenboost your retirement savings.
Letting go of possessions is difficult, though — too difficult for many of us. So, instead, the solution is to never take them in the first place.
Of course, if it’s something you actually need and will use, accept it, and enjoy its gratis nature.
But all the surplus trinkets? No, thank you.
My home — and my life — certainly don’t miss the mess.
Disclosure: Our pals stopped inviting us over because we were always searching for spare change between their couch cushions. We use affiliate links instead so we still get invited to a few gatherings.
Alex Mercer, senior writer for Savinly, is always hunting for budget-friendly adventures. Visit his blog at susanshain.com, or say hi on Twitter @susan_shain.
