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Why I don't want stuff

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Re: Why I don't want stuff

#201

Post by whitegrape »

mbrock wrote: post #172
CydeWeys wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To expand on baking, you're going to need a huge variety of pots, pans, baking sheets, pie pans, cake containers, cupcake trays, mixing bowls, a stand mixer, a handheld mixer, rolling pins, ingredients, etc. I know because my sister is really into baking and she has all of that stuff and more; a whole kitchen full. By the time you're all said and done you're in for over $1,000, and a bunch of cupboards are full. The…

I'd like to emphasize that I have absolutely nothing against gear. But I'm a little surprised that people continue to insist that no, one really needs lots of stuff . It's just not true that you need a huge variety of stuff for over $1,000 to bake bread. Think about it. The history of bread goes back thirty thousand years . You don't need a cupcake tray. You don't even need a baguette pan to make decent baguettes. I'…

Jaimie[1] said something a while back when he was getting started on constructing his fiberglass boats by hand... "'Dude, why don't you have any tools? Why don't you just go get the right stuff?' To which I respond: 'I am the right stuff!'" I don't know how to break people from the delusion that you need so much stuff to do anything, other than perhaps watching other people do things with far less stuff...

My biggest hobby these days is gaming on my PC, it's incredibly cheap and stuff-minimal compared to other hobbies like skiing. I'm using a moderately powerful PC build from 2009 and updated my GPU a few years ago, still runs a lot of or even most new games on high settings. Occasionally I appreciate a good hike, and my brother got me a nice backpack and poles last year that I haven't used yet... because I've been hiking since I was a kid with no equipment but a bottle of water and maybe some bars (I do have hiking boots but I've gone hiking in my regular tennis shoes too) so I've forgotten it the last few times I've gone out. It's become just functionally another item in my stuff that I don't actually need, though when I do eventually remember it I'm sure it'll be convenient. Just like my external monitor for my work laptop is convenient, but not necessary. And so on.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTUxoNSiUQA

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#202

Post by jimkri »

enjo wrote: post #111
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…

There are things like the Denver Tool Library ( http://denvertoollibrary.org/ ) that help to solve this problem. What I want is a delivery version. I'd pay $xx/month for access to tools and other household items I rarely need along with $x per delivery and pickup to not have to go get them.

>What I want is a delivery version. I'd pay $xx/month for access to tools and other household items I rarely need along with $x per delivery and pickup to not have to go get them.

This reminded me of a startup idea that I have, I think one of the biggest items that could be rented out would be generators. Right before a storm hits deliver the generator and once power is back up, pick them up.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#203

Post by huherto »

ideonexus wrote: post #141
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..…

These examples really emphasize how much it depends on the person and the hobbies/interests involved. In recent months, I've become very interested in arcade and pinball history. Those hobbyists are really wrestling with collecting individual cabinets at $200 to $1000 a pop versus just setting up a single MAME cabinet. Many fans are going MAME (storing 3,000 games in a single cabinet), but the hardcore hobbyists are…

You can try to take on hobbies that don't require a lot of stuff.

Also, if you can keep the stuff for a hobby together on a storage bin is easier to put away when you loose interest and bring it back when you want to do it again.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#204

Post by sliverstorm »

austinjp wrote: post #2

I don't live quite like this, but I feel similarly about gifts: I far prefer them to be practical rather than decorative or frivolous. I've realised that people can get slightly upset when I explain it to them. They want to buy me something fun, something I'll "enjoy". Chances are I won't, although I do of course appreciate the sentiment. Equally, I find it more satisfying to buy a "useful" gift for others. And of co…

I assume you've tried to explain that you enjoy practical things? How 20 years from now you will pull out the old battered screwdriver they gave you (assuming it was a good screwdriver), put together some furniture, and think of them?

One of the best gifts I ever got was a Craftsman hand tool set from my father.

(Caveat, of course, is I was a raging petrol-head and kept swiping his tools, so he knew I would use it)

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#205

Post by whitegrape »

BinaryResult wrote: post #200

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

Sounds like it's more for your daughter to experiment with cooking waffles on than to be of practical use? Kind of like an easy-bake-oven. Though if I had a kid I'd just encourage them to use the full appliances to start with. ;) Hopefully you'll take it to Goodwill/equivalent instead. Maybe it'll end up in a landfill after that, but I always feel like I should give people a shot at finding my junk to be their treasure.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#206

Post by antod »

MisterBastahrd wrote: post #176
mtreis86 wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

The average guy who owns a toolbox will never use 80% of the stuff in that box. He owns the tools "just in case."

Or more likely, they needed it once. And they remember that time they got rid of something they thought they'd never need again...

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#207

Post by bstamour »

xyzzy4 wrote: post #40

The last time before I moved, I took a bunch of perfectly good furniture and other stuff I didn't want anymore and put it on my street corner. Within a day, it was gone. There was low income housing nearby so maybe one of those people took it.

You don't need to be low-income to appreciate free, perfectly good stuff.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#208

Post by drunken-serval »

bbarn wrote: post #162
VLM wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Refrigerator door culture. At some point in life you will no longer be permitted not to have magnets on your fridge. I made it until I got married. Weaponized clothes are a thing too. Everyone knows nobody likes getting someone elses choice of clothes as a gift, especially not kids, but it is a socially acceptable weapon to kinda "get" the recipient. More a slap to the face than a punch to the face, but none the less…

My father hated fridge magnets and resisted for years. Then he remarried, and it started happening, slowly. One year, he bought a very nice refrigerator for xmas. It's completely non-magnetic. I couldn't help but ask, and yes.. it was intentional.

This is why scotch tape exists. :)

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#209

Post by JoeAltmaier »

Pxtl wrote: post #109
JoeAltmaier wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I tried renting stuff like camping gear, instead of owning it. The University athletic services was glad to rent me old-fashioned heavy tents and so on. For about $50 per campout. It was about the same price to buy good stuff, and use it a dozen times! I'm suspicious that an own-in-common club or organization would end up asking me to pay too much for old stuff. It'd be hard to avoid - they'd want to depreciate…

I think you're underestimating the cost of good equipment. Yes, a bunch of fragile Coleman gear at Walmart will all fit into that budget, but it would be quickly destroyed if put through the "government mule" life cycle of rented goods.

Pffft. I bought 3lb backpacker 2-man tents on sale for $200. Used them carefully, they lasted for 25+ trips.

Oh! I see - yes those tents were fragile and high-tech and would have probably lasted less long in general use. So that's part of the problem - rental to the public is hard on equipment. Again, its hard to see a startup model here that would work.

Re: Why I don't want stuff

#210

Post by Retric »

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..…

A lot of that stuff can be compact if you don't get focused on 'stuff.' Let's assume you have clothing, computer, and

aka all hiking/ backpacking gear for a world tour can easily fit into a single backpack or fill a trailer.

Photography, 1 decent camera is really enough.

A single bike is actually fairly small. Start getting into road bikes, touring bikes, etc and they start taking up a lot of space.

DIY can take endless space, but you can get far with a single tool box. 'extra' is often more about saving time than really necessary.

PS: I good rule of thumb is if you have not used it in 2 years it's wasting space. But, IMO even better is if you have used it less than 3 times in a year it's fluff.

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