I know what you're thinking: What an innapropriate question. But bare with me....

I've always been told that Americans have "too much stuff."  And it’s true.  And I’m guilty of it.  I’d like to say I have a minimalist style but I’d be lying.  I want my apartment to have that coffee-lounge-type-of- look: books spilling over shelves, intriguing trinkets glazed over the mantle, rugs layered upon rugs. But I’ve also come to terms that I have everything I need ….and more.  So I’ve stopped myself from buying more apartment décor, which was my guilty pleasure.

We could all use a cultural diet.  I've bought books that I only hope to read, that I hope will make me a little better at Trivial Pursuit.  I’ve bought Sundance Film Festival DVD collections I only got half way through.  Board games – well I never knew how fast they aged (especially the pop culture ones)before I wanted to replace them.  I’ve just sort of hit this wall where, I think, enough already.  I don’t need another coffee mug just because it’s neat.  I don’t need another mirror just because it fills up a wall.  I. Don’t . Need. Any. More. Stuff.

Then I saw this website, “How Rich Are You?” which supported my point even further.  No wonder I have so much stuff.  Even if you make $1,000 a year you are about sixty percent richer than the world’s population!

Go ahead: Try it.  I guarantee you that you’re richer than you think.

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

So – hopefully this inspires you to stop buying more stuff and start making stuff happen!  Visit YourCause.com to get it going.

- Lizette Romero