My daughter and I have this discussion often and me coming into the world in 1938 and she in 1967 our perspectives are far apart. We Americans spend spend spend and accumulate and accumulate and then work on getting rid of all the Stuff.. I'm not a spendthrift and not a waster and not cheap but know what is important and what is not. I've made errors on Stuff I've purchased that I never needed..... A person on another group years ago and a really down to earth, grounded person,. would always mention what is ENOUGH..... Food for thought folks...
Yeh, this was inspired by your other thread, I take it. Spending is a funny thing...it can be more of an activity (something to do) than it is the acquisition of things needed or wanted. This is what happens in a consumer culture. I don't think we always accumulate stuff for the sake of accumulating it. I think having stuff is sometimes the result of spending money for the emotional need of the moment. If you go through the pile of crap and ask yourself what was going on in the moment you bought each worthless item, you'd start looking at things you may or may not want to acknowledge in your life. A large part may be boredom, and a smaller part may be other unmet needs or problems that cannot easily be shed. Also consider that if you're overwhelmed with "stuff," at some point you had the wherewithal to acquire it. With overseas manufacturing making stuff so cheap (and making cheap stuff), more and more of us have that wherewithal. Such a universal capacity is unique in our history. It provides quite the distraction...and misdirection. Since we're doing tangents, I'll throw out there that since we have stuff sold to us from our first breath, we are condition to receiving these messages...and the messages have been crafted & refined over the past few generations. They know which buttons to push because in many instances they have created those buttons. Such conditioning can be (and is being) used against us.
Well, there are those that are fully comfortable with "little-to-nothing" and those that are just reverse. For years, I had the "little-to-nothing" due to my income. Old vehicles, rented furnished rooms (I had no furniture), but had enough to buy new clothes, have a horse/trailer and be involved in rodeo. I took my lunch to work all of the time and done a lot of "home cooking". Me and an electric skillet and crockpot got along great! IOW, I got stuck working for small companies and making small salaries. This was until I met my wife! With her two AA Degrees and a Bachelors Degree in Business/Accounting, her salary was much, much higher than mine. Luckily, she accepted my financial situation. I had never owned a credit card until after we bought a house. Then again, I never thought about applying for one and I knew my salary most likely wouldn't qualify me for one. There are those that see our boat and automatically think "they are rich". Of course, they don't know it's a 1992, which is a long way from being new. Many, many people want, and sometimes require, "the good life", which means: nice home, nice vehicle, cruises/vacations and on and on. We don't live back when gas was 26 cents a gallon, candy bar was 10 cents, bread 25 cents and on and on. Darn near everything people want to have, and do, today, costs. And, many don't care what the costs are.
I don't understand why people assume that their "way" is the best or only way. If you want to be a minimalist, then by all means have at it. But don't carry on like you are superior in some way because that's the life you choose. I haven't gotten rid of "stuff" because I don't want to. I'm no hoarder but I have plenty of things that I enjoy owning just because I want them. I live my life the way I want to because it's MY LIFE; I don't give a damn what other people do or think. If my children don't want to deal with my "stuff" when I die then they can pour gasoline on it, light it up and watch it burn. I'll be dead so what do I care. And as for this... ... you know "what is important" to YOU. I'll decide what's important to me.
Boy, you can be a "hard nose". Actually, I wish more people had that personality, but don't. There will always be those that will, and do, "keep up with the Jones's". There will be those that know they have to get rid of things they really want, but simply don't have the room for. Now, you do say "it's my life", so how much of "your life" is your husbands also? My wife is pretty much a "follower" and had no problem with me getting rid of some of her stuff. I call her my "Queen", but it's only jokingly. Now, she will tell me "you're the one in-charge" I will sometimes disagree. I think there are older folks, like the OP, that look at folks today and how much money they spend on "fun" things and may not understand that. Like she says about her and her daughter really thinking differently.
I don't waste my time worrying about what other people do; it's not my nature. I mind my own business. You should try that sometime; you'd probably be a lot happier if you weren't constantly judging other people. Not that it's any of your business, but my husband and I have a very happy marriage. Neither of us is "in charge;" that's a poor arrangement in marriage. We are partners and treat each other with love and respect.
@cody fosnaugh why do you classify Beth ss hard nose? I don't think you know what you're talking about. I like Beth have accumulated a lot of stuff and we didn't do any of it to keep up with anybody
I get anger from Beth's comments. People are just posting their experiences and no one is saying do this,. do that, don't do this...... I have this topic posted in a couple other forums where I'm a member. and getting replies.....and here is what I posted today to one of the member's replies: Wants and Needs!!!! I can still hear my dear ole Mom, saying "Save Your Money, Save Your Money", and to that I would say, "Oh Mom"..... If I had only saved a little more I'd be a bit more comfortable now at this old age....and I've been hearing for years that Social Security would be gone by 2036 and that's only 14 yrs away and those years go fast..... So some advice for you young people....Old age is not so golden for many many.....many struggle... And I know t his group is not a young group but I am on others of all ages... I've had a good life, comfortable and my WANTS are not great..... And Americans are accumulators unless many other countries in the world. I did my life and not tried to keep up with any of the Jones....and many have mates in their lives and many do not and so need to make it on their own constitution. If I had a little more right now, I'd hire a house cleaner more and I'd do a alternative joint treatment that is not covered by insurance..... :
No and I'm not asking for others to agree with me, I'm stating some opinions and people can take them or leave them.....
I am content with what I have. I look at those multimillion dollar houses and wonder, "Why." Possessions don't provide happiness. Reader's Digest once did a survey to find what makes people happy. They found that the poor people in Calcutta, India were among the most happy. Some of them were extremely poor but they had loving connections to those surrounding them.
Did you ever check out Bill Gates mega monster in Washington state? Some of the most down to earth nice people I've come in contact with have "so little" and are so grateful ...
If you have a roof over your head, food on your table, a car to drive, and fuel to heat your home, you are better of than most of the people in the world.
I am still buying stuff that I want because I can, and I still enjoy having the stuff around that I have acquired throughout my life. It saddens me a little to think that it's likely that no one is going through our stuff after my wife and I are gone, although that may not be the case. Nevertheless, I don't choose to live the remainder of my life for the convenience of those who survive me.