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Why I don't want stuff

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Re: Why I don't want stuff

#191

Post by mesozoic »

CocaKoala wrote: post #164
branchless wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Often it's bad because the people I know aren't rich. That's fine, I'd rather they just brought themselves. If it's bad why spoil dinner!

Expensive wine is not always good, cheap wine is not always bad. One of my favourite wines is a ten bucks a bottle; it's more expensive for me now because I need to order it by the case and ship it across the country to get it, but so it goes. If somebody brings a bottle of wine to dinner, unless you specifically planned the meal to go with a specific bottle of wine (or if they specifically say that this bottle is me…

This is true one of my favorite wines is 5 bucks a bottle.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#192

Post by whitegrape »

sanderjd wrote: post #17
ycmbntrthrwaway wrote: post #6

Every time I have a birthday I am terribly worried about receiving some gift that I won't like from people who don't know me good enough but want to give me some present. Receiving a gift that I don't like and having to avoid showing that I don't really like it is worse than receiving nothing. In fact I have enough money to buy anything I want myself, so there is really nothing I would like to receive as a gift.

Are there any things you like that are temporary and experiential? For instance, I really like things like coffee, wine, movies, weekend ski trips, nice restaurants, etc. All of these things can be given as gifts, and better yet some of them can be enjoyed with the gift-giver (and spending quality time together is the best gift, really), but don't take up any space. I've had some success over time making it known tha…

Giving and receiving the consumable gifts is the best I think, and I'd rather give/receive cash than gift cards as the extreme version of that. I generally wouldn't consider clothing a consumable item though -- I wear socks until they have holes in them, so it surprises me that you wear out 5 pairs a year. I was successful in a "no clothes" policy for several years, but apparently I need to renew it since over the last few for my birthday and Christmas I've gotten several wool socks from more than one party that I really don't like... They don't fit my feet well (they're "appropriately sized", but don't fit well for the same reasons Nike shoes of my size don't fit well), I wear them as a last resort if I somehow run out of my clean regular white cottons that last forever. The wool ones are the first to go in the donation heap...

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#193

Post by guptaneil »

danans wrote: post #106
nostromo wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish there was a startup in this space. I have so much house maintenance stuff. For example, I only really need a ladder once a year. But I keep it around forever because when you need a ladder, you need a ladder . I would love to not have to store and maintain all this stuff and to just request it on demand. Can someone solve that for me? I'm embarrassed to admit that sometimes it's easier for me to just buy a new…

In my neighborhood we all borrow each others gear, whether it's home improvement stuff, or occasionally used outdoor sports gear. Any startup in this space would have to establish the "trust" feature of a sharing community, which is a feature that a friendly neighborhood has built-in. You might be on to something if you find an easy way for people to publish their inventory of stuff to a trusted group of neighbors, m…

Coworkers might be another good trust network to build off of. It also has the benefit of you essentially being required to know your coworkers, while you aren't guaranteed to know your neighbors.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#194

Post by ant6n »

mtreis86 wrote: post #76
0xffff2 wrote: post #70

I can appreciate the sentiment, but I actually like doing things. Don't get me wrong, I probably spend much more time than most in front of my computer, but even so. I'm a photographer -> Two bags full of camera gear, tripod... I'm a hiker/backpacker -> Backpack, tent, sleeping bag, hiking boots... I'm a cyclist -> Bike, helmet, gloves, pump... I'm a computer engineer -> Solder station, wire cutters, crimping tools..…

Everything you describe is a tool. I think there's a difference between unnecessary stuff, and tools.

My tv is a tool. I use it to watch Netflix.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#195

Post by kinai »

greggman wrote: post #184

I do want stuff but ... about 30 months ago I got rid of everything and started traveling. I've been living out of a large suitcase and backpack for that entire time, staying at hotels or renting AirBnBs a month at a time. Because I'm living out of my suitcase I can't buy anything without throwing something away. I have 2 pairs of shoes, dress and non-dress. When I've gone to some place tropical I've had to buy sanda…

I am in the same spot, but I got cloth for all climates with me, 1x65l and 1x45l backpacks. Also 3 pair of shoes and even 1 pair boots. ;)

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#196

Post by candu »

danans wrote: post #106
nostromo wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish there was a startup in this space. I have so much house maintenance stuff. For example, I only really need a ladder once a year. But I keep it around forever because when you need a ladder, you need a ladder . I would love to not have to store and maintain all this stuff and to just request it on demand. Can someone solve that for me? I'm embarrassed to admit that sometimes it's easier for me to just buy a new…

In my neighborhood we all borrow each others gear, whether it's home improvement stuff, or occasionally used outdoor sports gear. Any startup in this space would have to establish the "trust" feature of a sharing community, which is a feature that a friendly neighborhood has built-in. You might be on to something if you find an easy way for people to publish their inventory of stuff to a trusted group of neighbors, m…

This. We don't need a slew of startups to solve this problem; it's called talking, and it can be done via any of several existing {meat,cyber}space communications channels.

(I'm hardly a Luddite; rather, I think there's a lack of appreciation for basic interpersonal communication as a powerful technology in its own right.)

I don't remember where, but in recent memory I saw an article about an apartment building where residents would mark their doors with icons representing appliances/tools they were willing to share - a simple solution for an easily solved problem. (See also: rideshare boards on campuses, bulletin boards and flyers in local shops, local community centers, etc.)

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#197

Post by tome »

adevine wrote: post #33
ck2 wrote: post #19

Not wanting "stuff" is a gamble that your present and future is secure and safe. Having been homeless at one point, I've become a bit of a hoarder, because you never know when things will go south and you are one month away from being homeless (again). Also we'll see how often you keep erasing things and starting from scratch as you get older and find that remembering things is a lot harder and takes a lot longer to…

I take the opposite conclusion. If god forbid things do go south and you become homeless, it's much worse having to figure out what to do with a lot of stuff, than if you have minimal stuff to begin with. There was recently a story in the Austin subreddit about a guy who was evicted, and all of his furniture and other stuff was put out on the apartment complex lawn, to be quickly picked up and carted off by his neigh…

Yeah, I've moved frequently enough in the past few years that I dare not buy very much in case I have to move again!

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#198

Post by drzaiusapelord »

dvirsky wrote: post #161
Xcelerate wrote: post #18

I relate to this guy so much. > It makes me really happy when another Christmas or birthday has passed and I didn’t receive anything. It makes me feel understood. My sister and I have this arrangement. I tell her every Christmas that her gift (nothing) is the best one, because I don't have to figure out where to store more junk until enough time has passed that I don't feel guilty throwing it away. She's even more of…

I like getting birthday presents that are doing something. Usually my wife takes me on a vacation, or to see a show I really like, etc. It's much better than some object IMO.

This is what we do too, but to be fair its only because at our wealth level we can pretty much buy everything we want, within reason. Its different for poorer people. Getting a 42" TV when you can't afford one yourself is a wonderful feeling. I hate this idea that now that everything is mass produced and relatively "cheap" we suddenly see ourselves as above it all because we make decent money. Err, not really.

The only real reason I decry gift giving on my birthday is because I have so much shit I'm temporarily satisfied, not because I'm above having shit. If I couldn't afford some of those things and someone got one of them for me I'd be overjoyed.

Its also weird to hear that people think its minimalist to own a smartphone and laptop. Those devices do so many things, they're the equivalent of hundreds of gadgets. Or how "I don't own a TV" is the clarion call of the intellectual hipster but he spends his days shitposting on the internet, binging netflix, subscribing to hundreds of youtube channels, etc.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#199

Post by huherto »

ideonexus wrote: post #151
Xcelerate wrote: post #18

I relate to this guy so much. > It makes me really happy when another Christmas or birthday has passed and I didn’t receive anything. It makes me feel understood. My sister and I have this arrangement. I tell her every Christmas that her gift (nothing) is the best one, because I don't have to figure out where to store more junk until enough time has passed that I don't feel guilty throwing it away. She's even more of…

My family adopted the "no gifts" Christmas rule several years ago. Apparently, my siblings were stressing out financially each year buying gifts, but I found it did wonders for reducing my own holiday stress. Now we just get together, eat, talk, play games, and play with the kids. It's amazing in retrospect to see how small a part of the family get-together was gift-giving. We would exchange gifts, stack our new toys…

I don't know if this is popular in the USA. We also have a "no gifts" rule. Instead we do a secret santa. We do a real gift and an optional gag gift. It works wonderfully.

Except this year somebody sent lots of gifts for two of my nephews. It was ridiculous and very uncomfortable for the rest of the family to watch.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#200

Post by BinaryResult »

My daughter just had a birthday and we got a "Frozen" themed waffle maker. It's tiny, cheap, ugly and we already have a waffle maker. Now I have to figure out what to do with it because it's brand new in the box. Unfortunately every day that passes increases the likelihood that it just ends up in the garbage =P
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