# Minimalism



## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

Why are people so consumed with their stuff?

Is it just that we have been conditioned by our consumption based society?

Is there some emotional need that is being filled by acquiring items?

I grew up with very little and no means to get much other than the basics but when I started to attain more disposable income, I fell into the consumerism trap for a while.  I spent money on all kinds of things I didn't really need looking back i wonder if i ever really wanted them.

For the past 10 years or so I have been getting rid of stuff in my life.  I don't buy what I don't need but that doesn't mean I don't have some luxuries because I do.

I have found getting rid of stuff has not only made my home environment more pleasing and relaxing but that I seem to be more productive as well.

What is it about acquiring stuff that drives so many people?


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## norwegen (Jan 18, 2021)

He who dies with the most toys is the winner.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

norwegen said:


> He who dies with the most toys is the winner.


What does he win?


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## norwegen (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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A new harp.

More toys.


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## TheParser (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


> Why are people so consumed with their stuff?
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> Is it just that we have been conditioned by our consumption based society?
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I sure have to  admit that (according to what I have seen on YouTube), the sparsely furnished rooms of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo are  more pleasing to the eye than the abundantly furnished rooms of the royal palaces in England.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

norwegen said:


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I guess if you believe in heaven but it seems to me that guy got a bad deal.  he spent money all his life on all those toys and he has to leave them all behind only to get a harp he probably doesn't know how to play.


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## norwegen (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


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That may be true.

On a more serious note, though, I'm something of a minimalist myself. In my living room I have one sofa, one hutch, one small TV stand, and two small tables.


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Millennials are the worst, as far as not having stuff. Most of their homes look sterile to me: They have a bed, a table, some chairs, and a television.

My guess is that they have no sense of tradition, history, or value.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

TheParser said:


> Blues Man said:
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Yeah those Royals in England are hoarders


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


> Millennials are the worst, as far as not having stuff. Most of their homes look sterile to me: They have a bed, a table, some chairs, and a television.
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> My guess is that they have no sense of tradition, history, or value.



But what is value?

Is buying stuff that ends up in a closet, a drawer , in the basement, garage or rented storage space really valuable to the person that bought it?


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


> JGalt said:
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Value is things which are no longer obtainable: Guns, guitars, vintage cars, antiques, collectibles, etc. Things that remind you of a time which is forever gone. Things that also accumulate value over time, as opposed to things made out of cheap Chinese plastic, that were meant to be thrown away.

As well as things for hobbies: Things to to make things with, things to repair things with, tools, parts, broken things that you might fix later, if they're of any value.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


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Value is subjective.

Personally I don't think vintage cars are of much value.  I used to have a dozen or more guitars.  I had guitars that hadn't been played for years in a closet.  There was no value in those guitars because they weren't being used to make music and no one was enjoying them.  I donated a bunch to the local elementary school and now there are many young people playing guitar that might not have had the chance to.  To me that is far more valuable than letting them sit in a closet for 30 more years.


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## Mr Natural (Jan 18, 2021)

Not to mention the fact that your heirs are going to be stuck with unloading all your crap when the end comes.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

Mr Clean said:


> Not to mention the fact that your heirs are going to be stuck with unloading all your crap when the end comes.



Yeah I've had friends who had to deal with that situation.

The family took a few things as mementos and the rest got donated , sold for next to nothing or trashed.

Seemed to me to be such a waste


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## Moonglow (Jan 18, 2021)

Mr Clean said:


> Not to mention the fact that your heirs are going to be stuck with unloading all your crap when the end comes.


It took me years to accumulate all the dust bunnies I have.


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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My brother collects guitars and amplifiers, as well as building his own. He has 1960's and 70's Fender, Gibson, Martin guitars, Fender and Marshall amps, effect pedals, and stuff. He's sitting on a small fortune and could dump it on Ebay if he knew how. I've seen some of those old 1960's Japanese-made fuzz pedals go for $300-$400 dollars these days, Gibson Les Paul guitars bringing $50,000.

Here's a 1960 Fender Strat that brought $27,500...

Fender vintage Stratocaster  | eBay


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## Anomalism (Jan 18, 2021)

People think their stuff is some measure of their worth.


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Anomalism said:


> People think their stuff is some measure of their worth.



Go be poor somewhere else.


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## Anomalism (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


> Go be poor somewhere else.



No _you_.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


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So what's the plan?  let them gather dust until he dies?  What does he get for all that stuff then?


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


> Anomalism said:
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Funny how the poorest people tend to think they need a lot of stuff


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Anomalism said:


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I'm not poor. I have lots of stuff. Stuff you've never seen before, stuff you've never even heard of, and stuff you'll never see. My house, garage, and shed are museums.

$10 gets you a guided tour through history and I'll even let you shoot at the targets in the back yard.


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## Anomalism (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


> I'm not poor. I have lots of stuff. Stuff you've never seen before, stuff you've never even heard of, and stuff you'll never see. My house, garage, and shed are museums.
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> $10 gets you a guided tour through history and I'll even let you shoot at the targets in the back yard.



Do you actually use any of it?


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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He's going to have an auction. They actually bring more than what you can get on Ebay.


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Anomalism said:


> JGalt said:
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> > I'm not poor. I have lots of stuff. Stuff you've never seen before, stuff you've never even heard of, and stuff you'll never see. My house, garage, and shed are museums.
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Every day, as much as I can find time to. Sometimes I just admire all my wonderful stuff. Sometimes I even fill the bathtub with some of it and wallow around in it.


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


> Why are people so consumed with their stuff?
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> Is it just that we have been conditioned by our consumption based society?
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BEHOLD,, MY STUFF!!!

I guess you could say I have a lot of stuff since it took 3000 sq ft to house it and none of its in my house,,

but all my stuff makes money,, I only buy tools that do more than pay for themselves,,

now my wife on the otherhand doesnt understand that concept and I have to constantly keep on her to not bring more stuff into the house,,


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Anomalism said:


> People think their stuff is some measure of their worth.


thats exactly how worth/wealth works,,,


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## Anomalism (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


> thats exactly how worth works,,,



Material worth maybe.


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


> Blues Man said:
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Now here's someone who gets it.


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Like was once said, "For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost."


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Anomalism said:


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thats how the majority of wealth is determined,,


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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It depends on what the stuff is.

All those drawers and closets full of crap aren't worth much but a single portfolio of stocks, bonds and real estate deeds can be worth more than all the stuff in your home


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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I have never met anyone who got wealthy selling the junk in his garage.

And wealth is a measure of your net worth as it is measured today.

It doesn't matter how much stuff you have.

But I was more commenting on the propensity of people to buy things that will not ever be an investment or an asset that will appreciate in value.


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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it all depends on what that stuff in those drawers is,, a drawer full of gold coins or a closet/room full of antique furniture is worth a lot,,


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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my mother in law had a garage sale that netted over 100K,,,


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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You're confusing hoarders with collectors. I seldom ever buy anything unless it's something I can use, admire, trade, or sell.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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So you have 3000 sf full of tools that make money?

You have to use tools in order for them to make money.  If you have a shop full of tools gathering dust then all you have is a shop full of stuff collecting dust


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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Hardly the average.  And did it really net that or was that the gross?  Most people have no idea what they paid for the junk that has been in their garage for 50 years


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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some are collecting dust until I decide to use or sell them,, either way they are of value


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


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All hoarders say they are collectors.

But you seem to get enjoyment from stuff so in that sense it's worth something to you.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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Maybe.


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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not much different than a million dollar painting hanging in the bathroom,,


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## BlueGin (Jan 18, 2021)

Anomalism said:


> People think their stuff is some measure of their worth.


Must be why lefties try to take everyone’s stuff away.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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Year a dusty table saw is just like that


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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and so is an unoccupied building,,


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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No. Hoarders collect newspapers, tin cans, plastic bottles, Walmart sacks, etc. Not unlike leftards who recycle, actually.

I don't recycle garbage or unusable shit. It goes to the township dump or ends up in the burn barrel.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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An unoccupied building is not an asset it actually costs money and if it stays empty long enough you will lose money on it.


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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semantics,,,


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


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Not necessarily true.

A guy could have a house filled from floor to ceiling with car parts and tools and he would still be a hoarder.


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## Blues Man (Jan 18, 2021)

progressive hunter said:


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No it's true.  Take from me I made my living on residential and commercial rentals.


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## JGalt (Jan 18, 2021)

I found a picture of a millennial. In the picture, he is holding all of his meager worldly possessions.


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## progressive hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Blues Man said:


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I didnt say it wasnt true,,


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## Concerned American (Jan 18, 2021)

norwegen said:


> He who dies with the most toys is the winner.


He who dies with the most toys is---still dead.


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## Concerned American (Jan 18, 2021)

JGalt said:


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That 27,500 will buy you a loaf of bread in the Biden economy with all the debt he is creating with all of these stimulus payments to everyone in the world.


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## ding (May 3, 2021)

Man craves impermanent things which do not satisfy him because he was made for more.


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