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As is usual, the only thing that isn't fine is finding fault with a lifestyle you don't personally like.
We are probably on the clutter-y side from the perspective of the OP. We have curio cabinets filled with beautiful items, that serve no purpose whatsoever other than beauty.
Why do I buy these things?
Because I like them. Because they are pretty. Because I smile when the sun hits them in a certain way.
Could I travel? I suppose, I enjoy it ... but for many reasons, including caring for a parent, we can't at this point in our life.
So - If I'm going to be in this house 52 weeks a year, 7 days a week ...
why the heck shouldn't we have stuff we like and enjoy?
As to what happens to it when we're gone... who cares?
Its our money, its not as though we're starving our pets to buy knick knacks.
Personally, when I go to a minimalist's house, I think its sterile, and semi-devoid of personality. (As though they're temporarily staying in a hotel and don't want to get comfy). But, I don't think they're "Wrong" - I just think "wow, I couldn't live like this".
And I'm sure when they're in my house they're anxious with all my STUFF looming at them. And that's fine, they can be certain they wouldn't want to live like me.
But I don't think the minimalists are WRONG. Its just not for me.
Takes many types to make the world go round, if we were all the same - be a very boring place.
Up until about several years ago, the term "hoarder" was NOT synonymous with "collector". EVER. Now, it seems if you have three of anything, you're a "hoarder". The idea of a collection is to have the whole set or at least a lot of whatever it is. In some previously mentioned cases, beer steins and beanie babies. If those things bring folks joy, then it's not for us to have an opinion on someone else gathering up a pile of them.
Hmm, so is an art museum "hoarding" art?
The only time someone else's collection should impinge on us is when we have to deal with it, such as after that person has passed. And as some other folks have mentioned, a yard sale and selling the items for a lot less than they paid for them gets them gone.
Just the title of this topic "hoarding - buying unnecessary trinkets" shows this "anti-stuff" attitude. If someone bought it, it was necessary for whatever reason at the time they bought it. If they still have it, it should be fulfilling some sort of reason in the new owner's life, one would hope.
I'm suspecting the new minimalist movement has to do with the current crop of new adults being raised in the era of excess. Kids raised with too many toys may be lashing out against "stuff" because they may have felt the "stuff" was replacing the love and attention they really wanted. Although, this is just arm chair psychology, I'm sure there's a more valid reason out there somewhere.
I have watched those coupon-cutting shows where, usually some lady, gets 100 dollars worth of junk-food for 2 dollars. Then they film her pantry, fricken containers/cans/boxes of basically the same junk.........you really gonna eat that cr@p??????
My mother did a lot of crafting. When she died and I had to clear out the house I found trails through the house between boxes hip high. One would have nothing but doll heads, and another arms. I never saw so many craft items except at Michael's. She had boxes of wigs that were still in their original wrapping.
I have all the hummels and David Winter's and Lilliput Lane and..... the list goes on and on. I hate to sell them for nothing but I am sort of tired of several bins of them. I put some in curio cabinet and trade them out but I wish I knew a decent way to sell them. She loved them so and to me I would rather have the space.
Up until about several years ago, the term "hoarder" was NOT synonymous with "collector". EVER. Now, it seems if you have three of anything, you're a "hoarder". The idea of a collection is to have the whole set or at least a lot of whatever it is. In some previously mentioned cases, beer steins and beanie babies. If those things bring folks joy, then it's not for us to have an opinion on someone else gathering up a pile of them.
Hmm, so is an art museum "hoarding" art?
The only time someone else's collection should impinge on us is when we have to deal with it, such as after that person has passed. And as some other folks have mentioned, a yard sale and selling the items for a lot less than they paid for them gets them gone.
Just the title of this topic "hoarding - buying unnecessary trinkets" shows this "anti-stuff" attitude. If someone bought it, it was necessary for whatever reason at the time they bought it. If they still have it, it should be fulfilling some sort of reason in the new owner's life, one would hope.
I'm suspecting the new minimalist movement has to do with the current crop of new adults being raised in the era of excess. Kids raised with too many toys may be lashing out against "stuff" because they may have felt the "stuff" was replacing the love and attention they really wanted. Although, this is just arm chair psychology, I'm sure there's a more valid reason out there somewhere.
I know.
I've posted more than once that "hoarding" is an actual mental disease and is not the same thing as what most of these people are posting about.
I then got yelled down for DEFENDING hoarders.
More and more people today believe there is one right way to be/live/exist..... THEIR way. Then anybody who does something differently becomes pathologized (they're not just wrong, they're "Sick")..
Sorry folks, but honestly, 90% of all these stresses are just an issue of individual taste.
What about the preppers? It is not illogical to harbor grave concerns about todays ecopolitical balance. Soaring national debts and bankruptcies, war mongers sitting in positions of power, concerns about the weather, trade imbalances, tens of millions on food stamps, housing bubbles etc?
It would be foolish to think one is prepared with one of each needed item. Modern gensets are designed to last about 500 hours for example. Some will last 1-200 hours or less.
I don't recommend prepping by the way. Not because I have confidence in the system. Prepping is simply too expensive and there are too many possibilities. It would take years and hundreds of thousands to truly be prepared for most of the more possible contingencies.
Kennedy went on radio and advised Americans to build a backyard bomb shelter in the early 60s.
I think more people are worried about local breakdowns in the economy or spreading violent unrest. An EMP attack is far more logical than a thermonuclear attack. Hell....our electronics could malfunction and decide to hit us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Major Barbara
Suddenly, it's the 1950s. Build a bomb shelter now!
To start, my experiences are not as extreme as the ones you will see on TLC.
Recently, my grandfather passed away and my grandmother decided to sell their long time home of 50+ years. They raised 3 kids in the home, and my aunt also lived there (2 family house). My grandfather collected beer steins and baseball cards. My grandmother collected hummel figurines and beanie babies. This does not even include childhood toys and other items that were in the home. I helped my grandmother throw a massive tag sale as she downsized to a 1 bedroom co-op. I watched as tens of thousands of dollars worth of items were either sold for a fraction of what they paid for it or just given away.
I fear my mother is now doing the same thing - only she doesn't collect items, she buys unnecessary things. She is not hurting financially, although she is on a fixed income. She's lived in the home for nearly 20 years, and every room in the house is littered with childhood toys belonging to me and my sister, new toys for my 2 nephews, christmas decorations, nick knacks she got deals on, etc. etc. There is more every time I visit. She has been wanting to turn my old room into a guest room for my nephews when they stay but it's become yet another junk room since I moved out 4 years ago.
I am dreading dealing with the house when my parents pass. I wouldn't even know where to start! Seeing these 2 examples has led me to live a minimalist lifestyle. I do not buy ANYTHING that will sit and collect dust. I only buy clothes and food. My partner and I have talked about buying a home soon, and I am hesitant because I fear over time, my house would end up just like my grandparents and parents. My partner likes to decorate, especially at Christmas, and I cringe at the tub of Christmas decorations that already sits and collects dust for 11 months of the year. He likes kitchen gadgets that I know will be used once and languish in a cabinet. Whenever we are at Target and he has an eye on something, he'll look at me and say "I know, it's clutter" and put it down (Think wooden salad bowl set, when we already have a perfectly good set of versatile bowls you can use for anything, including salad).
Sorry for the long ramble, but I'm curious to see other people's perspectives. Am I too extreme? Am I just cheap? I want to spend money on vacations and invest it in my future. I cannot take possessions with me to the grave. Why do many feel the need to collect trivial items, to buy things that will hardly get used, to constantly redecorate their homes, etc?
I also hate clutter and useless things. Unfortunately, certain types of things tend to pile up after a while, especially when you start inheriting other people's things and can't bring yourself to throw them out because they remind you of that person. Kids make it even worse - they come home from school with huge piles of artwork and stuff that you just can't throw out (at least not while they are looking). I have boxes and boxes of stuff my kid has made - I have a big basement, so I just box it, label it, and put it down there. At least it's organized.
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