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The hazards of too much stuff

bbc.co.uk

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Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#11

Post by EdwardCoffin »

arbuge wrote: post #7
0942v8653 wrote: post #4

Also worth reading: http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html

The only part I disagree with a bit is the one where he exempts books. I think it is possible to buy too many. I've probably engaged in this behavior myself. I find it hard to resist buying a good book, but I have a bunch of them now piling up physically and electronically which I find it hard to find time for. Books piling up exert pressure to be read, but simply succumbing to the pressure to read them all might res…

I think it is possible to buy too many books, but how many that is really depends on the books, and the upper limit is perhaps higher than one might think.

I don't feel books piling up exerts any pressure to read them all. I have a lot of books I don't feel compelled to read, but find it beneficial to have ready for me to use whenever: reference books.

I also have a lot of books I already have read, and have no plans to reread, but will keep regardless, in case I ever need to refer to them to refresh my memory. As an example, I still occasionally will find reason to refer back to a book I read twenty years ago, to confirm something so that I can confidently cite it in a discussion I am having.

Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#13

Post by poulsbohemian »

I read somewhere once that the average estate sale yields just $900. That made an impact on me as for all the personal value that we put on our stuff - be it jewelry, electronics, motorcycles, boats - whatever your toys might be, in the end aren't worth much to anyone else. The stuff that really bothers me is consumer packaging. I'm shocked each week when I take out the trash and recycling how much of it is redundant - a cardboard wrapper with a plastic wrapper or two beneath, only parts of which are recyclable locally. I really wish manufacturers, especially of high-volume consumables, would come up with less energy-intensive packaging. Stick it in a brown cardboard box with black ink and I'll still buy it, but will feel a whole lot better to not see so much waste.

Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#14

Post by icebraining »

poulsbohemian wrote: post #13

I read somewhere once that the average estate sale yields just $900. That made an impact on me as for all the personal value that we put on our stuff - be it jewelry, electronics, motorcycles, boats - whatever your toys might be, in the end aren't worth much to anyone else. The stuff that really bothers me is consumer packaging. I'm shocked each week when I take out the trash and recycling how much of it is redundant…

Amazon has been working on it: http://www.amazon.com/b/?&node=5521637011

Alas, they don't always get it right: http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1d3il7/so_i_ordered_a_...

Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#15

Post by bluedino »

maxerickson wrote: post #8
acd wrote: post #6

Makes me wonder if the world will turn out like wall-e in the future or if we will recycle. It also makes me wonder if the central banks outcries that we need to consume more to boost economics is good for the environment? You don't own stuff your stuff owns you. That's why you need a larger home when you can't fit your stuff anymore. You also worry about your stuff, home burglary somebody taking it's, car some takin…

I think the future depends on whether energy continues to get cheaper or not (cheaper energy probably leads to increased consumption, but it also makes it cheaper to clean stuff up, and gives people more time to worry about cleaning up, etc.). I also think that one of the many factors involved with the fall off of crime is that (the typical) stuff (found in a house) isn't worth as much anymore. In 1990, a "nice" TV m…

I feel bad for criminals who had to team up to haul 36" televisions out of a house during a burglary. These days one robber could haul out a pair of 60" thin LED televisions by themselves.

Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#17

Post by nroets »

acd wrote: post #6

Makes me wonder if the world will turn out like wall-e in the future or if we will recycle. It also makes me wonder if the central banks outcries that we need to consume more to boost economics is good for the environment? You don't own stuff your stuff owns you. That's why you need a larger home when you can't fit your stuff anymore. You also worry about your stuff, home burglary somebody taking it's, car some takin…

> It also makes me wonder if the central banks outcries that we need to consume more to boost economics is good for the environment?

The central bank only wants you to save less. So you can either consume more, invest more or save in other currencies.

The effect on the environment largely comes down to government policies, such as carbon caps / taxes.

Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#18

Post by yassam »

I wonder to what extent a lifetime of exposure to advertising contributes to our craving for stuff. The article claims an evolutionary psychological explanation: anyone know of any research to back that up? Our ancestors were nomadic, so acquiring a lot of stuff wouldn't have made sense, would it?

I wonder whether the super rich of the 17-century wanted to acquire stuff as much as we do. They would have had the means to buy a lot, but would not have been exposed to as much marketing as us. I concede there would have been a lot less stuff to buy then.

Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#19

Post by stegosaurus »

icebraining wrote: post #14
poulsbohemian wrote: post #13

I read somewhere once that the average estate sale yields just $900. That made an impact on me as for all the personal value that we put on our stuff - be it jewelry, electronics, motorcycles, boats - whatever your toys might be, in the end aren't worth much to anyone else. The stuff that really bothers me is consumer packaging. I'm shocked each week when I take out the trash and recycling how much of it is redundant…

Amazon has been working on it: http://www.amazon.com/b/?&node=5521637011 Alas, they don't always get it right: http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1d3il7/so_i_ordered_a_...

Large cardboard boxes don't especially bother me - they're generally useful to have around and cardboard can be repurposed in a number of ways anyway.

More annoying are multiple layers of completely wasted plastic wrap. Or the notorious blister pack which is essentially designed to be _useless_ once opened.

Re: The hazards of too much stuff

#20

Post by stegosaurus »

maxerickson wrote: post #8
acd wrote: post #6

Makes me wonder if the world will turn out like wall-e in the future or if we will recycle. It also makes me wonder if the central banks outcries that we need to consume more to boost economics is good for the environment? You don't own stuff your stuff owns you. That's why you need a larger home when you can't fit your stuff anymore. You also worry about your stuff, home burglary somebody taking it's, car some takin…

I think the future depends on whether energy continues to get cheaper or not (cheaper energy probably leads to increased consumption, but it also makes it cheaper to clean stuff up, and gives people more time to worry about cleaning up, etc.). I also think that one of the many factors involved with the fall off of crime is that (the typical) stuff (found in a house) isn't worth as much anymore. In 1990, a "nice" TV m…

I agree on the point about 'stuff not being worth as much any more', though this may be a UK centric viewpoint. Housing has just dwarved everything else.

The entire contents of a typical flat I've inhabited would have a resale value of about one month's rent if sold for the best price possible.

If you went for just the big ticket items and sold them on the black market you'd likely get less than a week.

Tangible assets are becoming devalued compared to intangibles (rights to things rather than mere possession; homeownership, bank accounts, etcetera).

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