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paulgraham.com

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Re: Stuff

#51

Post by slavingia »

jotto wrote: post #20
bcowcher wrote: post #18

This reminds me of fight club (or at least one of the core themes), in fact one of the lines in the essay reads like it was plucked out of the movie. Anyway, Fight Club definitely struck a cord with me and since then I have been living with incredibly little stuff. I have a computer, my iphone, my car, a desk and a bed and just enough clothes to get by for 2 weeks (do laundry once a week) and of course minor other th…

fight club: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJdfWdIBfE8 "byproducts of a lifestyle obsession" "things you own... end up owning you" "working jobs we hate so we can buy ish we don't need" edit: link fixed

shit

Re: Stuff

#52

Post by slavingia »

kgp wrote: post #9

"I think humans constantly scan their environment to build a mental model of what's around them. And the harder a scene is to parse, the less energy you have left for conscious thoughts. A cluttered room is literally exhausting." On a related note , Steve Jobs has no furniture.

He had no furniture. I doubt the same is true now.

Re: Stuff

#53

Post by DeusExMachina »

mortenjorck wrote: post #42

When I moved into my first apartment after college, I brought a laptop, a sleeping bag, a folding chair, and a clip-lamp. It was great. I felt I could go anywhere and do anything. Of course, with a new job, 650 square feet, and an an IKEA nearby, I couldn't turn down a few basics. So I picked up a spartan bed, a minimalist sofa, a function-oriented desk. Then time began to pass. Though I'd resolved never to subscribe…

> I'd kept pretty fit myself. But I realized that my lifestyle had put on a lot of pounds while I wasn't looking.

This is a very good sentence.

Re: Stuff

#54

Post by kaib »

clistctrl wrote: post #28

I've recently started to reduce my spending on "stuff" so I can start saving for the things I've decided actually matter (a startup, a trip to Europe with my girlfriend, as well as a ring for her for whenever that moment is right) One of the key concepts of the essay is happiness will not be reduced, and possibly increased with this change in living. To this I will attest is very true, I haven't gone on the trip yet,…

> as well as a ring for her for whenever that moment is right

this might be an interesting read: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198202/diamond

maybe separate the ring from the 'really great mate' part?

Re: Stuff

#57

Post by autarch »

jerf wrote: post #41
gasull wrote: post #37

You can join the 100 things challenge: http://www.guynameddave.com/100-thing-challenge.html One problem I've found with it is that people buy me worthless gifts (gifts I don't derive value from because I don't use them). I've created an online list of things I want at kaboodle.com, or more exactly, a list of things I wouldn't mind possessing, but my family refuses buying anything on the list because that's "spoiling…

Being a middle-middle-class American in the Midwest, I can and do pretty much just buy what it is I want or need that is on the scale of a Christmas gift my family could or would get. That, combined with geeky tastes (y'all know what I mean) virtually guarantees things-I-value-as-garbage as presents. Next year I'm going to try picking a charity and asking for nothing but donations in my name. I'm going to pick a popu…

I've been doing this for quite some time.

I make plenty of money, and I have very little interest in most stuff. The only stuff that does interest me is books, video games, and computer/electronics equipment. When I want one of those things, I buy it.

I've also been involved with an animal rights organization I co-founded for 11 years or so, so every birthday I simply ask everyone to make a donation to that organization.

Re: Stuff

#58

Post by wheels »

wyclif wrote: post #24
abstractbill wrote: post #12

Except books—but books are different. I suspect most people have their own personal caveat to this essay. Mine isn't books (I usually give good books to friends after reading them, and bad books to ebay). My own caveat would be raw materials for building or repairing things (electrical components, nuts and bolts, tools, etc).

It's not especially inconvenient to own several thousand books Until you find yourself having to move.

It's really not that bad. The things that are time consuming about moving are packing, disassembling, organizing, reassembling and so on. I own over 1000 books and live on the 5th floor of a building without an elevator, and even so, with 4 people it took us about 5-10 minutes to move the books in. Packing them into boxes took maybe 20 minutes.

Even though by weight it's much lighter the book shelves are a real pain in the ass.

Re: Stuff

#59

Post by groaner »

I find it particularly annoying that society in general, not just marketers, tends to pressure people into having stuff. Nobody respects the "miser" who is earning decent money and not spending it by buying things. I get a lot of flak from people who ask me that since I can afford something, why am I not adding it to my lifestyle? They wonder if I take pleasure in watching the numbers change in my bank balance.

My answer to them is usually that it's a slippery slope from buying things I can afford to buying things I don't actually need (slickdeals.net is especially good at exploiting this behavior). This tends not to sit well with them -- maybe it reminds them of a fact they are uncomfortable with and are trying to suppress?

Re: Stuff

#60

Post by tel »

I'm always aware of this when I look at model rooms for designer furniture. They are always alarmingly spartan. With that image, it's easy to notice that without the pressure of real stuff, your mind prefers it not be there.

That always struck me about IKEA. It tries to have both by trying to appeal to high design while filling their model rooms with clutter. It's very telling and a wonderful business model since they'll sell you the stuff: moose spaghetti, tiny candles, cacti.

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