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Stuff-onomics: Hidden Side of What You Own

thinksimplenow.com — We work hard to make money and collect stuff because it defines who we are (or want to be). But do we really need all that stuff? (NO!) Get a step by step guide to declutter your house AND your life.

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  • awflasher, on 05/08/2008, -18/+6Dugg, It's really a long wait since your vacation in India.
    • pogfreak, on 05/08/2008, -2/+10Whiny piece of crap. You can pry my pogs from my cold dead hands.
    • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -1/+4ass kisser
    • erhanaltay, on 05/08/2008, -3/+7If everyone was happy being an illiterate monk or herder, we would still be in the stone age. It is our drive for material wealth, power, and status that drives humanity to constantly improve and innovate. Of course keeping your house organized and throwing out junk is useful, I just didn't like the moral philosophy behind this article.
      • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -3/+2Agreed, see my comment below on "India-nomics". Every Westerner comes back from their 3/6/12 month "voyage" to India thinking they are some enlightened being free from the shackles of consumerism... Meanwhile, if materialistic pursuits really had no value, we'd all still be living in caves.

        Then again, if you're buying art books to "display" so people will think you're cultured, maybe some culture shock is some necessary chlorine for your shallow waters.
    • Szandor, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Do be quiet. You just want to get in her pants.
  • HIFIsamurai, on 05/08/2008, -2/+12 “Good order is the foundation of all good things.” - Edmund Burke
    • trappleton, on 05/08/2008, -9/+1That doesn't even make any sense.
      • Jektal, on 05/08/2008, -0/+5Everything good has an orderly base, or foundation.
        Similar to the saying (horribly paraphrased) "complex systems built on complex systems never work, while complex system built on simple ones usually do"
        • Szandor, on 05/08/2008, -0/+5Sad that you had to explain that to him.
          • trappleton, on 05/08/2008, -3/+1It's sad that anyone thinks "goodness" is so simply explained.
      • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -1/+0See Mark Wilson's treatises on mathematical optimism for clarification.
  • simplemindz, on 05/08/2008, -18/+1Done! How was your trip?
    • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -1/+4It was great, then she got home. Didn't you read the article?
  • rathofbuns, on 05/08/2008, -30/+2Welcome back! This was a great post. I wish we all had the opportunity to experience the change in perspective you had!

    http://www.LivSimpl.com
    • Szandor, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1Jesus, some of these comments should be on her blog, not here.
      • rathofbuns, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1Actually, I hadn't thought about it when I made it (obviously), but that's a good point. Sorry about that.
  • Tyr7BE, on 05/08/2008, -2/+29What's with the puff-piece comments? This is just some lame "simplify your life" article in case you couldn't handle that on your own.
    • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3They get no play so they try to hit on internet avatars...
    • ahawks, on 05/08/2008, -1/+1I think she asked her friends to digg her article.

      A good hint is simplemindz's "Done!", for example..
  • ninjadave, on 05/08/2008, -8/+2Can someone post the list and text? It's blocked because its a blog here, but I really need some tips O_O
    • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -0/+25" I went to India."
      "I got back and realized that I am a fake and threw all of my ***** out."
      • BobMysterioso, on 05/08/2008, -0/+11Well not all my *****. I keep a computer and blog tirelessly about myself and about how bad you people are for reading it, and wasting time, and not enjoying life, and having things.

        No, I'm not hypocritical at all.
      • rockefeller2, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1@ErikHarrison: ***** excellent comment.
    • crerwin, on 05/08/2008, -1/+9Here's a tip: stuff like "O_O" is annoying. Stop it.
  • Pimpalicious316, on 05/08/2008, -4/+17blatant spam comments are blatant
  • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -2/+12Untie the ties that bind you.
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -1/+0Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooa. Whoaaaaaaaaaaa. Nooo maaan... Stop it. You are blowing my miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind.
  • Calcularius, on 05/08/2008, -3/+45"For example, I wanted to be viewed as an artistic person, so I collected art books, photography collectables, and art works. They are displayed throughout my home, so that when I have visitors, they can see that I am indeed an artistic person and validate my story."

    Weird. I buy art books because I like and study art. I don't "display" them because I'm not all hung up on what other people think about me. It sounds more like this person is just finding out what a total fake she is.
    • ripple123, on 05/08/2008, -6/+3Poser?
      • earlycj5, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2I believe you meant posuer, posuer.
    • rockefeller2, on 05/08/2008, -0/+32And now she wants to be viewed as a world traveler who had some kind of life changing experience in India.
      • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -1/+6Haha, totally. People don't change, they just get new lines.
      • Szandor, on 05/08/2008, -0/+15My sister went to India for 6 mos. Came back full of "enlightenment". Within two months she was back at TJ Maxx, buying more *****.
        • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+5Same here. I'm actually pretty embarrassed of the BS I put my friends and family through these days. Oh well, live and learn. There's the REAL enlightenment for you.
    • maddskillz, on 05/08/2008, -0/+10I have to say, on a personal level I agree with you Calcularius, but I definitely know people who are more worried about what people view them as opposed to how they actually are.
      And rockefeller2, I think you hit the nail on the head
  • axiomflash, on 05/08/2008, -21/+1I saw this (kinda hokey) video the other day on the same topic. It has really resonated with me. I really recommend watching it!
    www.storyofstuff.com
    • yojiffyskippy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1There must have been multiple "Spam Shouts" sent out for this article because the shameless spammers are out in force.
  • trpnblies7, on 05/08/2008, -0/+4I'll take some of her stuff if she doesn't want it, then. I've been meaning to get a new pack of CD-Rs.
  • TritonVision, on 05/08/2008, -1/+11well..I'm out to collect more Star Wars action figure.
  • cmuwriter, on 05/08/2008, -2/+15Doing all that stuff sounds like a big pain in the ass.
    • cowsgonemadd3, on 05/08/2008, -6/+1You own a donkey?
      • cmuwriter, on 05/08/2008, -1/+4Yeah, it will hurt my donkey's back, because he will have to move all the stuff out of my house.
  • Willravel, on 05/08/2008, -3/+15I have no problem with materialism. It doesn't define me, but it sure is nice to have a bunch of dvds to watch during, say, a writers strike. Or to not have to wear the same shoes every day.
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1
      I have a friend who has about 400 DVDs, some of which on both Blue Ray and HD-DVD. All I can say is, WHY! I've never understood the point of collecting DVDs...

      How often do you honestly watch each film? Could you not just rent it if you really had the urge? Surely the $100's you must spend on amassing the collection could be invested in a modest rental pool to get what you really want to see without the clutter? Or just download it?
      • Willravel, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2How often do I watch each film? Having a collection a big bigger than your friend's, I watch them every now and again. I watched Casino Royale on Saturday when I was on my exercise bike. It was maybe the 20th time I've seen it (it's one of my favorites). I'm planning on watching Sunshine with some friends later in the week. Also, I've lent out about 70 or 80 DVDs to friends (some are deployed in Iraq and A-stan).

        Why do I have them? I love movies. Why do I have a bike? I love mountain biking. Why do I have a yoga mat? I love yoga. They don't define me, it's just one of the ways I choose to spend my free time and disposable income.
  • greeniemeani, on 05/08/2008, -8/+1She works hard for the money - da nah da nah...so hard for the money...
  • Calcularius, on 05/08/2008, -10/+14"The Sadus of India are pretty content with life, yet they own very little stuff. They carry all their possessions in light cotton bags. “… the biggest lesson I’ve learned is how little we actually need. How little we need in order to be happy.”"

    What do these "Sadus" do for society? What do they contribute? What do they do for a living? Just living your life in "order to be happy" seems selfish, unproductive and somewhat boring. I produce games and educational software for a living. I would not be happy if I wasn't doing that. The tools I need to produce my work will not fit in a cotton sack. ... and my 100" diagonal projection screen? That makes me VERY happy.
    • Willravel, on 05/08/2008, -1/+1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadus
      Huh, not what I was expecting. Oh, wait, did you mean SADHUS?!
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -1/+5The Sadhus choose not to be a part of society. That is kind of the point, friend. They believe "God will provide", and often go to great lengths to prove their devotion. It is not important for them to be functional members of human society. Also helps that most are stoned out of their gords 24/7. While they might not seem to add any value, they don't subtract much either... Any more than birds or flowers do. And yes, the weed is free in India.

      Not to judge your lifestyle, but if your TV really is the source of your happiness, I feel a bit sorry for you. I think I'd rather sit around and get baked watching the sunset, than sit around and get drunk watching the game.
      • Calcularius, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2Nobody said anything about "TV" I hate TV. I also said my screen makes me happy, I did not say it is the "source of my happiness." There are other things to look at on a vid screen, like deep and wonderful well written movies, and of course, my art. My art looks fantastic projected like that. Also, I hate "the game" and I rarely drink alcohol. Also, birds and flowers are part of the ecosystem, without them , we would not have a food chain. You sure made a lot of stupid assumptions and mistakes in your little comment!
    • saikyan, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3Let's not be so literal. The point is that you can improve your life by placing less emphasis on things and materialism. It doesn't mean everyone should live as a sadhus and get rid of nearly all their possessions. It's just about reduction and streamlining. Really, what's so wrong with that?
  • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -7/+1She looks like she chews on rocks. If she's so concerned about looking like something to others why not fix your grill?
  • seantubridy, on 05/08/2008, -6/+1Comment about my X-Box.
    • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -5/+1comment about my comment, then cite ten other comments, then luls, then CAT CAN HAZ DAT THINGZ?
  • Grimdotdotdot, on 05/08/2008, -1/+6Man, the author would ***** if they saw my DVD cupboard...
    • craighoxton, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3You have a copy of The Rocketeer?
      • Grimdotdotdot, on 05/09/2008, -0/+1No, but I do have the Sex and the City boxset and all the released seasons of Murder, She Wrote.
        I think I was issued them through the post when I got married, or something.
    • cowsgonemadd3, on 05/08/2008, -3/+1That made no sense? What would they do? You left out a word....
      • macweirdo42, on 05/08/2008, -0/+4English *****, do you speak it!? I'll try to summarize what he's trying to say:
        *author sees Grimdotdotdot's DVD cupboard*
        *author ***** her pants*
      • Rikkochet, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3(He has a lot of DVDs)
  • mrboratsagdiev, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3Unclutterer (http://unclutterer.com) is an awesomely PRACTICAL resource for this kind of thing without having to rip your soul apart. A friend of mine here in MN got me reading it last week.
    • TheMidnight, on 05/08/2008, -2/+2Link fail.
      • underdog138, on 05/08/2008, -1/+1Use a little due diligence and delete the close parenthesis in the address bar and try again when it fails. But, I suppose you wasted that effort to comment instead.

        Nice website.
        • TheMidnight, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1I did correct the link you empty-headed silly English kuniggit. The website blew too. It was more ***** cluttered than my apartment.
  • roxics, on 05/08/2008, -0/+6Good article, especially for pack-rats like myself. I'd love to minimize my life. But man what a daunting task.
    • ErikHarrison, on 05/08/2008, -1/+7Yeah walking to the garbage can is a bitch.... I mean daunting.....
    • ahawks, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1I feel the same.. seems like I can spend a whole day on it, and in the end, it doesn't really look that different. But each little bit helps right?
  • akatherder, on 05/08/2008, -0/+21I cleaned everything out of one of our closets. Now I just sit in there all day. My life has never been better!
  • jjef, on 05/08/2008, -3/+7It's ironic that an article about minimizing clutter is one of the most cluttered articles I've ever read.
  • trdrstv, on 05/08/2008, -1/+10I concur with Living "small" and simply; I had a similar experience post-divorce. She went crazy trying to grab as much of "the stuff" as she could, so I had to decide what was "Most important to me" and to fight for it. It was frightening little, ( but included the cat so I feel I ended ahead) and even the stuff I did keep post divorce I ended up flipping anyway (except the cat) as I started re-evaluating my life, my needs and my stuff.

    I went from a 1700 sq foot house to a 1 bedroom apartment which has a ton of wasted space, less clutter, and with no regrets.

    Live simply. Decide what's most important in life, and discard the rest.
    • Szandor, on 05/08/2008, -0/+4I feel your pain.

      And discarding the rest (ie the ex and all her baggage) is a really freeing experience.
    • wattersm, on 05/09/2008, -0/+2I went through the exact same thing, the house was actually 2100 sq ft plus a garage but now everything fits in my 560 sq ft apartment just fine. One good thing about having a small place is it keeps me from buying crap I don't need, I just don't have the space.
  • Kenzan, on 05/08/2008, -1/+11Less is definitely more.
    These days I look at more a a single quality item than many cheaper items.
    As the saying goes:
    Pay less now, pay more later.

  • motogoat, on 05/08/2008, -1/+34I lived through an apartment fire about 8 years ago that purged almost 95% of everything I own out of my life. The fire was started by another tenant on accident but ironically, my place suffered the most damage.
    My first reaction was, 'my life is over.' One of the firefighters told me that the fire had spread so fast (old house, no insulation, rotted wood) that if I had been asleep in there, I would have most likely died.
    My second reaction was that I didn't have underwear, a toothbrush, a place to shower, a place to sleep, a pillow, etc, etc. And after that, about every three days I would mentally think, 'Oh, *****...where is that Wilde book?' And then it would hit me that it was lost like almost everything else.
    It did suck, I won't lie. But about a month later, I realized that there was nothing that I lost that I couldn't live without. Literally. I salvaged a box of photos and a journal and that was basically all I walked out of the place with thanks to the roof being burned, the water that put it out and the fact that it snowed afterward (it was in early March) and turned everything that didn't burn into a *****.
    Anyway, almost 9 years later I've amassed another collection of useless *****.
    I wouldn't wish a house fire on anyone, EVER. It's traumatic but it does teach you the lesson that of all the stuff you're surrounded by, you really only need about 5% of that stuff. At this point, the most important things are still photos (and computer files...I didn't have a computer back then) so it's strange that some of the most important things in my life are intangible files.
    Anyway, I guess my point is that getting rid of stuff is a lot less painful than you'd think. Especially if it's by choice.
    Another thing I'd like to suggest is that if you can donate stuff to the Red Cross (of things you no longer need) or the Salvation Army, by all means do so. They contacted me after my fire and both offered to help me with things like blankets, sheets, clothes and housewares.
    So if your clutter can become someone's only possessions, believe me...you may not know it but you may literally be saving someone's life.
    Holy *****. That was kind of heavy for a Digg comment.
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1I got robbed while traveling along in India with nothing on my back but the clothes I was wearing. I hear that... It's not a housefire, but being stranded in a foreign country with no money or passport sure teaches you a little about self-reliance and the kindness of strangers.
    • Szandor, on 05/08/2008, -0/+9Your comment was 10x more enlightening than her blog.
    • pyro789x, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Whenever I reformat my computer, I only save a few things to take with me. I'm lazy.
  • donte, on 05/08/2008, -1/+3Yes... it's the things laying around my house that make my life complicated. Hit the nail on the head with that one ::rolls eyes::
  • TheMidnight, on 05/08/2008, -6/+6*generic rant about New Age socialist ***** and how capitalism is the divinely ordained economy of the United States of America, followed by an irrelevant 9/11 conspiracy theory*
  • bobbknight, on 05/08/2008, -1/+4But, but, I need my stuff!
  • wordfan, on 05/08/2008, -2/+19I love it when a pretentious douche realizes they are a pretentious douche and then writes an article with the assumption that everyone else is also in the same category. "I collected stuff, because I wanted my life story to fit a certain persona and I collected stuff that would back up that story. For example, I wanted to be viewed as an artistic person, so I collected art books, photography collectables, and art works. They are displayed throughout my home, so that when I have visitors, they can see that I am indeed an artistic person . . . ." Really? Kill yourself. And don't tell me that this article shows you've changed. *****. You couldn't even get rid of your stuff without writing a painfully wordy and self-absorbed piece about your revelation in India. You're still a pretentious douche.
    • Tontomurphy, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2You took the words right out of my mouth..........
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2lol, love it. I give it 3 weeks before she's back at Ikea.
  • diggydougie, on 05/08/2008, -0/+5If I could only get my family to read this. They won't let me throw anything out. And they won't read articles like this either.
  • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -1/+5India-onmics: the Hidden Side of What A Newly "Enlightened" Pretentious Ass You Sound Like After Your Trip.

    Spiritual pilgrimages to India by spoiled Westerners has become this generation's electric Kool-Aid acid test. There is nothing so trite as someone who's "discovered" their ignorance and feels compelled to enlighten the world about it.

    "I wanted to be viewed as an artistic person, so I collected art books, photography collectables, and art works" - lol, what a poseur. This girl's traded in her vapid fakery for a badge of profundity. Let's pray her hasn't read The Secret yet.
  • raleel, on 05/08/2008, -5/+3seems to me that there are a lot of people on here who are bitter at someone else's realization and have to put them down for it.
    • Szandor, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2I don't think they're bitter, just skeptical/cynical about it because they've seen this several times before and what the long term outcome usually is: SSDD.
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+0It's not the message, it's the messenger.

      *BANG*
  • macweirdo42, on 05/08/2008, -2/+3How about an article about not buying useless crap in the first place? Dear freaking God, how dense can you be? Look, decluttering is nice and all, but don't make it out to be some great spiritual experience.
  • katorga, on 05/08/2008, -1/+2What a bizarre and empty way to live. You are what to do, not what you own. If you own artistic stuff so that others will perceive you as an artist, then you are a poseur. If you want to be artistic, you have to create art.
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+0She's a "materialist" in every sense of the word. By definition, buying the stuff she owns IS what she "does". Shop till you drop!
  • damnmonkey, on 05/08/2008, -1/+3There's a huge difference between needing something and wanting it. I don't NEED the stuff I collect, but I sure as hell want it all.
  • spongya77, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1I have only one question: why? Just because some people live happy lives sitting on a rock doing little? Why live in a city, then? There are so many happy shepherds, who, incidentally, also own very little. As for me I enjoy getting a movie out of my collection, or put in some music. (It irked me especially that the author spoke of CDs and DVDs as they were identical objects, like spoons... so if I want to buy a Blues Brothers album, I have to give up my G'nR greatest hits? WTF?) I also like having three pairs of shoes, and a lot of T-shirts, as sometimes I use 2 or 3. (The horror!) I also love books, so I tend to buy them. Because, you know, I read them. And I like to go back to books I like. Also, because libraries do not necessarily carry all the books I want to read, and it takes 20 minutes drive to get there. My mother drives me up the wall with the same *****.
    Yes, owning for the sake of owning is stupid. But saying that owning anything is stupid, is, well, plainly stupid.
    • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1Hey, as long as you don't mind carting it around, I say more power to you... I keep things to a minimum because I know some day I'll just have to move it. As much as I love them, books are a bitch to move. Now, I use Facebook's "Virtual Bookshelf" app to get the same sense of history I used to get from my actual bookshelf. Sounds stupid, but it's true! Shows me that 80% of my reason for owning a book past the time I've read it was for that sense of history.
    • secrity, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1This is one of the advantages of being able to buy digital copies of music and books, you have the music but don't have the clutter. Personally, I am a packrat, collect CDs. and have live in clutter.
      • spongya77, on 05/08/2008, -0/+0Yeah... I have a Sony ebook reader (got it for 60 bucks, otherwise I wouldn't have spent 400 on it), but it's not the same. (For one, the images can't be seen.)
        You're right: moving back to Europe will be a bitch. Especially that my hobby -scale model building- means I have a ton of delicate, plastic stuff to pack. Some of the books will have to go, too. But still: I have books from the 60s, 50s, even from the 19th, 18th century at home from my family. Lots of stuff I would have never had a chance (never would have looked for them), had they not been there.
        When I have the money I'll simply design my home to have place to put the DVDs, books and stuff, and that's the end of clutter.
        What I really don't need are candle-holders, little statues, and other stuff collecting dust on shelves. These are the things I am not collecting.
  • mobling, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Very good article. I keep reminding my kids of this as well. One of my favorite comments to them is that, "you spend half of your life trying to accumulate things you don't even use." "You spend the other half trying to get rid of them." Old habits die hard. Thanks for the reminder.
  • Fuzi, on 05/08/2008, -0/+4I use to be a pack rat but recently purged a ton of stuff from the house. It's a great feeling. I made a good chunk of money from ebay/craigslist and my home is so much easier to keep clean now.
  • xiphy, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Modern life requires a lot of "stuff" just to keep the machine running smoothly. I just filled a shopping cart with a bunch of crap for my new apartment, all of it more or less "necessary".

    I also lived out of a bag in India for over a year. While it's nice to have your life condensed down to 45lbs on your back, it's not sustainable unless you plan on being a homeless bum for the rest of life. Nevermind that all my actual crap was back in my home country stored at my parents' while I did it...

    Now, I've reached an equilibrium...

    I buy for function first. Whenever possible, I borrow, rent, or outsource. If I don't use it more than twice a month, I generally don't have it in my place. I buy items that are in demand (and thus easy to resell on Craigslist when I'm done), and avoid "collections" of any sort (unless its digital). I buy only the amount I will use right away, and try not to stockpile. Yes, massive TP runs to Costco can be cheaper in the long run, but I find the cycle of having to constantly stay aware of resources keeps you on top of them, so you can make changes for efficiency as you spot them.

    Traveler's wisdom states that you will inevitably fill whatever size bag you take with you, so unless you want to lug it all around, it's usually better to buy smaller as a preventative measure against acquisitiveness. I feel the same way now about apartments.

    More space = more stuff to fill it with!

  • trammell, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Great timing! I planned on doing this tonight and this seems like a great way to approach stuff reduction.
  • jamesLankford, on 05/08/2008, -4/+3dugg for the hot chick in the pic
  • alternativecatI, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3In relation to this subject, everyone should read "Take Back Your Time" by John De Graaf with TimeDay.org.

    When you buy stuff you don’t need, you enslave yourself to pay for it. Spending time with your family is better than working 60 hours per week to pay for the expensive care you didn’t really need in order to get to work.

    I would also like to suggest watching "Century of Self"

    "Century of Self" looks at the history of public relations, marketing and advertising.

    Understanding how your thought process can be influenced is important to avoiding buying stuff you don't need.

    You can find the video on Google, Amazon, and NetFlix. If you are alive, you need to watch this documentary.
  • Punisher2K, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2Wow, she watched Clean Sweep and made it into a blog...
  • secrity, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1At one time I made it a rule that I would never buy a TV that was larger than 19" because anything larger was a bitch to move. We now have a 37" CRT Wega ......
    • trdrstv, on 05/08/2008, -0/+0Ouch. I had a 27" CRT Wega (Great TV BTW), and it was still a pain to carry it up stairs (even with 2 people because of the bulk). I think if you want "BIG TV" anymore it pays to go with a projector and make it as big as you like....
  • kimbokarrie08, on 05/08/2008, -0/+0We moved a ton when I was in college and newly married, and every time we moved I got rid of as much junk as I could. I hate having clutter, there is no reason that one person needs a 2,000 square foot house just to hold all their junk.
  • employeeno5, on 05/08/2008, -0/+1This is a nice little article about some simple steps rid your life of excess crap, but I wouldn't exactly call it the hidden side of stuff.

    Sure we could all use a reminder or some helpful tips, but if you haven't figured out that what you buy is all about identification by the time your 13 (never mind need a trip to India) than there's not too much hope for you anyways. If you have this "epiphany" as an adult, I'd say you're ripe material for a cult.

    Also, another point that the article misses is that some objects have intrinsic value beyond our identification with them or their basic consumer gratification. Books and Music and DVDs can all contain art. Lots of people don't really like them or understand them and buy them for identification reasons, but if you're not an idiot, you will listen to that record over and over again, you will watch that movie dozens of times and share it with others when they visit and you will reread that book.

    Granted we all make purchases that turn out to be mistakes and there's still the hoard buying whatever they think they're supposed to on a given week, but still, I think it's an important distinction to make.
  • The_Dude, on 05/08/2008, -0/+2*****, where's my stuff? I spend most of my dough on food, gas, property taxes, prescription drugs, booze..see a pattern? Consumables.
  • underdog138, on 05/08/2008, -0/+3When I moved out of my parents house into my first apartment I tried a similar technique. I left all my miscellaneous crap I'd accumulated for most of my life behind. I took my bed, my computer and a television. That was it. Nothing else.

    I only bought things when I needed them. I couldn't eat off the floor with my hands, so I bought plates and utensils. Leaning against the wall on the floor when watching over-the-air broadcast television was painful, so I bought a couch and a table. While I could hang some of my clothes, the unsightly pile of socks and boxers on the floor was annoying, so I bought a dresser. Puddles of water on the floor after taking a shower isn't very good for the floor, so I bought a shower curtain.

    Etc.

    I continued this behavior until I found myself no longer buying anything to maintain a functional lifestyle, and it made me realize how much ***** I really didn't need. I was also poor back then, so now I find myself being able to afford a few items I've lived without but would like to have, such as a kitchen table set for example. I don't need it (since I just eat at my coffee table or computer desk), but when I have guests over to eat I'd like to sit at a table instead of the couch.

    That's worked for me so far.
  • wiseasgandalf, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Yea!!! Tina's back from her India trip, which means I get new insightful, heartfelt, practical writing on my RSS feed. This article goes beyond the standard "how-to" simplify and dejunk to the real reason most of us don't--- it's a matter of our heart and ego that our "stuff" becomes a part of who we are. Great reading.
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