Stuff

I have too much stuff.

Highlighted by sdt333

We overvalue stuff. That was a big problem for me when I had no money

Unless you have some plan for selling that valuable thing you got so cheaply, what difference does it make what it's "worth?"

Highlighted by prakashswami

In fact these free or nearly free things weren't bargains, because they were worth even less than they cost. Most of the stuff I accumulated was worthless, because I didn't need it.

Highlighted by mavrik

What I didn't understand was that the value of some new acquisition wasn't the difference between its retail price and what I paid for it. It was the value I derived from it.

Highlighted by mavrik

In fact, worse than worthless, because once you've accumulated a certain amount of stuff, it starts to own you rather than the other way around.

Highlighted by prakashswami

And unless you're extremely organized, a house full of stuff can be very depressing. A cluttered room saps one's spirits. One reason, obviously, is that there's less room for people in a room full of stuff. But there's more going on than that. I think humans constantly scan their environment to build a mental model of what's around them. And the harder a scene is to parse, the less energy you have left for conscious thoughts. A cluttered room is literally exhausting.

Highlighted by gaudette

a house full of stuff can be very depressing. A cluttered room saps one's spirits.

Highlighted by subversion

One reason, obviously, is that there's less room for people in a room full of stuff. But there's more going on than that. I think humans constantly scan their environment to build a mental model of what's around them. And the harder a scene is to parse, the less energy you have left for conscious thoughts. A cluttered room is literally exhausting.

Highlighted by subversion

(This could explain why clutter doesn't seem to bother kids as much as adults. Kids are less perceptive. They build a coarser model of their surroundings, and this consumes less energy.)

Highlighted by subversion

The average 25 year old is no match for companies that have spent years figuring out how to get you to spend money on stuff.

Highlighted by prakashswami

the people whose job is to sell you stuff are really, really good at it.

Highlighted by subversion

How do you protect yourself from these people? It can't be easy. I'm a fairly skeptical person, and their tricks worked on me well into my thirties. But one thing that might work is to ask yourself, before buying something, "is this going to make my life noticeably better?"

Highlighted by gaudette

How do you protect yourself from these people? It can't be easy. I'm a fairly skeptical person, and their tricks worked on me well into my thirties. But one thing that might work is to ask yourself, before buying something, "is this going to make my life noticeably better?

Highlighted by subversion

Another way to resist acquiring stuff is to think of the overall cost of owning it. The purchase price is just the beginning. You're going to have to think about that thing for years—perhaps for the rest of your life. Every thing you own takes energy away from you.

Highlighted by prakashswami

Before you buy anything, ask yourself: will this be something I use constantly? Or is it just something nice? Or worse still, a mere bargain?

Highlighted by subversion

Before you buy anything, ask yourself: will this be something I use constantly? Or is it just something nice? Or worse still, a mere bargain?

Highlighted by mavrik

If I want to spend money on some kind of treat, I'll take services over goods any day.

Highlighted by prakashswami

The worst stuff in this respect may be stuff you don't use much because it's too good.

Highlighted by subversion

Another way to resist acquiring stuff is to think of the overall cost of owning it. The purchase price is just the beginning. You're going to have to think about that thing for years—perhaps for the rest of your life. Every thing you own takes energy away from you. Some give more than they take. Those are the only things worth having.

Highlighted by subversion

Every thing you own takes energy away from you. Some give more than they take. Those are the only things worth having.

Highlighted by alexko

I've now stopped accumulating stuff. Except books—but books are different. Books are more like a fluid than individual objects. It's not especially inconvenient to own several thousand books, whereas if you owned several thousand random possessions you'd be a local celebrity. But except for books, I now actively avoid stuff.

Highlighted by subversion

I'm not claiming this is because I've achieved some kind of zenlike detachment from material things. I'm talking about something more mundane. A historical change has taken place, and I've now realized it. Stuff used to be valuable, and now it's not.

Highlighted by subversion

In industrialized countries the same thing happened with food in the middle of the twentieth century. As food got cheaper (or we got richer; they're indistinguishable), eating too much started to be a bigger danger than eating too little. We've now reached that point with stuff. For most people, rich or poor, stuff has become a burden.

Highlighted by subversion

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