5 Reasons why we hoard - and they're wrong

"Less is More" is one of the catch-cries of downsizing. Often the fewer things we have the more we value them.

So it's a great title for a book that's basically a manual for how to de-clutter your home.

The introductory chapter of Less is More: How to De-clutter Your Life gives some great insights into why we find it so hard to reduce our stuff. Here are 5 of them - the last one is one of the biggest for me.

1. The cost of holding on.

We were raised by our parents and grandparents and in their day items were expensive and space was cheap. It made sense in those days to hold onto stuff just in case you ever needed it. But today housing is expensive and items are cheap. It's hard to change a habit, but now we save much more by downsizing.

2. Keeping it in the family.

For some reason we prefer to give things to those close to us. Again this was viable in the days of big families and lots of children to receive hand-me-downs. But these days we have smaller families and there are plenty of others to give (or sell) items to.

3. On sale.

Often when things are reduced we think it's a bargain. If we don't need it, it's still not a bargain.

4. Advertising.

I've blogged about this before. Advertisers' lives are about getting us to to buy things we wouldn't otherwise get. They try to convince us that our life will be better with more stuff. Often they succeed. But deep down we know we'd be happier with less.

5. Green reasons.

This one is particularly big for me. It seems such a waste to throw something away, especially if I haven't used it. But really, the environmental footprint from making it has already been made; and storing it in the garage forever is basically the same as landfill. The best thing we can do environmentally is to get it into the hands of someone who'll use it.