Achtung! a 2 part thread.....let's discuss "stuff" and then 2017

DdBob

DdBob

Dogue in teh desert
Stuff, you know the accumulation of well...stuff...ie. crap, i.e. consumer junk.

this thread kinda goes hand in hand with the NEWSFLASH : Housing thread.

I have become enthralled with the Tiny House thing majig whatever over the past few months partly just due to the aesthetics of the designs and whatnot (some really cool architecture) but also because it's quite frankly I think the only way I'll ever be able to afford my own "castle", my own property. Of course with tiny spaces comes the question of what to do with all the stuff in ones life, storge space in a nutshell.
So the minimalism question is an obvious one...smaller necessitates less and less which means you need to streamline yer junk (stuff) to what is important...i.e quality over quantity. I think i first became aware of minimalism years ago when i got into teh krautrock but that's a whole 'nother ramble (I should try to minimalise my words)...but anyway less "stuff" in all aspects leads to more "clarity" which probably leads to less stress and moar happiness, etc, etc It's like a busy weekday when you dread waking up vs an easy Sunday morning....

OK..nice!... so any of you blokes or blokettes into less? Myself has loved the idea in theory for a longtime but only recently started 'doing" , perhpas about a year ago but I'm in the midst of really getting 'er done during my week off right now.

So (FINALLY) that leads to the thread title...what is your opnions of the accumulation of stuff? I think obviously everyone's definition will be different but everyone does 'need" SOME stuff and that's just dandy unfortunately in todays society with so much disposable income and readily available credit (not to mention the advertising through "always connected" technology) we are targeted by the vultures. We are slaves to theman not just 8 hours a day anymore like our grandparents but now it is for 30 years and 24/7, etc...they OWN us...we work so we can buy stuff and we live in mc mansions so we can store all the stuff we buy , we buy stuff on credit, we go into debt ..i say fuck it. I strive to work less, to spend less and "buy" more freedom...for me in theory it should be easier because I am single and I enjoy being single it would obviously be more difficuly with a sig other and/or a family.
I think it became more clear to me the "stuff accumulation" when my mom died a couple years back....there is just SO MUCH stuff that people accumulate throughout our lives and then POOF one day your gone and it means nothing (well a small percentage of it is valuble to loved ones for the memories) but the rest is just consumerist STUFF *spits*

So that's kinda my onward/forward idea for 2017 and beyond....to minimise, to streamline to not be a puppet to wall street.

BTW if you are interested in the idea of less there is a couple hokey websites (perhaps hipsters but what the hell sometimes even a turd don't stink) *spits* there is a good documentary on netflix
https://minimalismfilm.com and then there's this

What's yer thoughts for 2017 "resolutions", love letters, advice, hopes, dreams , desires, deepest fears, etc. :hmm:
 
I like the idea of a small place. But I have two kids and two dogs and my husband and I both need home offices, so we’re not going smaller than five bedrooms unless we move back to NYC.
 
I already live in a small place, but we have way too much stuff. We had been anticipating a move that now will not happen, so we have started downsizing. We took a lot of items to a local Flea Market where we had a booth, but we are not selling enough to justify the cost. Now we are taking stuff to Goodwill and to the local Transfer Station, where there is a place to leave things that others might use. We are hoping to have things really pared down by this time next year.

If I stop buying guitars...:rolleyes:
 
I am, at heart and by nature, a Romantic with a decadent streak. A post-modernist. Clarity and minimalism are aesthetically effective only in relation to the sprawl. I feel most at home amongst clutter and overmuchness. I enjoy a good mess, a fine riot of whatnot. I don't like or need or want a lot of the bullshit that comes in the American dream happy meal. But I recognize that I am also ill-suited to living in some pristine little tiny house.

Empty space for empty heads. Tiny boxes for small ideas. Yuppie fantasies of luxurious faux poverty.
 
Small house movement. When I watch on TV they build tiny houses that cost more than my house. I wonder why they don't start with a prefab from the shed store. The outer is complete with windows and doors for like $6000. With that comes delivery and they sit it on the foundation of your choice. It's not that hard wire and plumb and for the investment of a community college course you can be certified to do it yourself.
 
What the fuck are you talking about, DdBob?

Don't know for 2017. I would like to make language progress and move.
 
I have definitely embraced minimalism over the past few years. Not to the tiny house extent - but just that I personally have started getting rid of stuff. I have cut back to about half the clothes I had 3 years ago. Gave away a bunch of stuff. I want to focus my money, time, and energy on things that matter - and for the most part stuff does not matter. Right now I am storing a bunch of 'stuff' but it is not mine. It is my kids who don't even live with me right now.

Funny because the 'Becoming Minimalist' website is exactly who got me into that way of living.

As for 2017 - I'm getting married so everything changes. I don't do resolutions but this year i have really fallen off the staying in shape wagon so that needs to change. I also want to put a major dent in my consumer debt so a job change may be in order - and me figuring out what I need to do in order for that to happen.
 
As for stuff. Since I've retired we've been getting rid of stuff accumulated over the years that we don't use. If the kids don't want it then it's donated or thrown away. We never kept a lot of crap anyway. Our house is only 1100 square feet and it will be paid off when I'm 60 and doesn't cost much to maintain.
 
Drop a couple lbs
Make a couple dollars
Learn a couple new songs
Go to a couple cool shows
Meet fun, interesting people and be nice to them...
 
I am really interested in the small house thing too but most of the ones I have looked at have been advertised as being cheap enough that one could build 2 together (subtract one kitchen) and still have a very cheap place but have a more realistic amount of space.

Prior to living in my current home (1245 sq. ft. bungalow with a full basement) I lived in a 576 sq. ft. apartment condo. I could transition back in that direction easily but would rather do it in a planned manner.
 
There is always a need to purge. Sometimes things are easy to purge while others more difficult. Having cleaning out my parents home of a lot of stuff (not fully done yet), doing my own is difficult. We all get caught up in crap as we are ourselves our own worst enemy. My wife loves to organize. Sadly that means put into a box and stuff it away. When you need it, you can't find it. Then buy another one and lo and behold, it appears magically. Damn thing multiplied.

As for 2017, play more gigs ass either a solo artist or in a duet, record my first ep/album. Currently prepping for retirement (next 6-7 years) by playing out more and getting a handle on the crazy music biz again.
 
One of the things my wife and I are discussing as we contemplate retirement is to have two places -- a tiny house in CA and a tiny house in WI.
 
I love those Tiny Houses that are set on vast, pristine acreage with snow capped mountains as the backdrop. I rather feel most of them will end up in a dump/field with a view of the ass end of a WalMart and noisy, smoking generators with no internet or cell service. And you can forget about showering.
 
I'm a chronic packrat, but I routinely go through "cleanses", usually over the forty days of Lent, where i throw out, donate, give away, or use up one thing a day. I'm making it my new years resolution this year--by 2018, I'll be 365 things lighter (plus everything i accumulate through 2017 :embarrassed:).

If you're looking to strip down a bit, there are worse ways than setting a time-limited, slow-but-steady goal and keeping to it.
 
Not moving into a tiny house. Not moving period since my wife is not interested in leaving this place. I don't have a ton of stuff (both cars fit in the garage).

If you moved to a tiny house were would you put all your guitars???
 
Gary Blanchard said:
I already live in a small place, but we have way too much stuff. We had been anticipating a move that now will not happen, so we have started downsizing. We took a lot of items to a local Flea Market where we had a booth, but we are not selling enough to justify the cost. Now we are taking stuff to Goodwill and to the local Transfer Station, where there is a place to leave things that others might use. We are hoping to have things really pared down by this time next year.

If I stop buying guitars...:rolleyes:
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I usually just dump stuff into the local "big brothers big sisters" donation box not because I'm into their cause but because it's really close by and convenient otherwise I take books to the local used bookstore. I'm gonna get rid of a couple boxes of cds/dvd's soon and I'm gonna try to either sell them via Amazon/ebay or this place not looking to make much but I figure might as well get a little something hopefully. But yeah with the donating I like to think I might be increasing my good karma :embarrassed:
 
Denverdave said:
I have definitely embraced minimalism over the past few years. Not to the tiny house extent - but just that I personally have started getting rid of stuff. I have cut back to about half the clothes I had 3 years ago. Gave away a bunch of stuff. I want to focus my money, time, and energy on things that matter - and for the most part stuff does not matter. Right now I am storing a bunch of 'stuff' but it is not mine. It is my kids who don't even live with me right now.

Funny because the 'Becoming Minimalist' website is exactly who got me into that way of living.

As for 2017 - I'm getting married so everything changes. I don't do resolutions but this year i have really fallen off the staying in shape wagon so that needs to change. I also want to put a major dent in my consumer debt so a job change may be in order - and me figuring out what I need to do in order for that to happen.
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Yeah I got rid of most clothes that don't matter, that was actually one of the easier thing. I mean I kept a couple items which have sentimental value ( i'm a sentimental fool at heart) but everything else I have MATTERS except for a few shoes which will get thrown awya as time comes. I find with decluttering I kinda have a system where some stuff gets tossed willy nilly and other things kinda go into the "next time pile"
I just spent 2 1/w hours cleaning out the utility room (outside doubles as the laundry room) and I got it cleaned out about 70 percent. I had a friggin' hoover in their that i haven't used in like 18 years..wtf :mad: That is where all the cd's and dvd's are boxed and stored. the remainder I moved temporarily to the tool shack because I have brush and bulky pick up on the week of Jan. 9 so a lot of stuff will go then.

It feels great !
 
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nuke_diver said:
Not moving into a tiny house. Not moving period since my wife is not interested in leaving this place. I don't have a ton of stuff (both cars fit in the garage).

If you moved to a tiny house were would you put all your guitars???
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I haven't played since mid 2014 and don't really see doing so any time soon. I would pretty much keep my martin, my epi lP and my parker (forgot the model but it's their economical one :embarrassed:) one small amp and 1x10 cab and that it beyond a few pedals. I could always rent a tiny storage place for excess stuff too.
 
Much like @DdBob the recent death of my mother brought to light the futility of accumulating...after she died I was left with a house filled with the lifetime accumulations of a 76 year old woman (her) and a 50year old man (me), and was immediately overwhelmed by the scope of the problem...the necessity to sell the house for financial reasons forced me to confront my on issues and I undertook a massive downsizing effort in order to fit into a 750 square foot apartment from a 2000 square foot house...

The proverb "you become a slave to your possessions" and the adage that the less you have the more free you become have been proven true, to me at least...I only refused to compromise on the guns and guitars, everything else was fair game...

In addition, I have had to completely flip my wardrobe 3 times in the last year...I refuse to buy anything that I don't need for immediate use, which has resulted in a very streamlined and useable collection of clothes and shoes...

It turns out that I can get by on very little, imagine that...

As far as 2017 is concerned I have resolved to make no resolutions...I am only going to concern myself with maintaining the status quo in regards to my diet and exercise program...

I have gone through some massive changes over the past 2 years....weight loss surgery and the resulting loss of 225 pounds, the loss of my mother and my uncle, the sale of my house and the resulting freedom from debt...it has gotten to the point where I have not been able to free myself from planning, contemplating, or anticipating the next big event...I have been putting a lot of pressure on myself to decide what the next phase of my life is going to look like and it's been a major issue...

I think I have finally reached the point where I can just take things day by day, learning to live with things as they are instead of trying to force the future to happen...
 
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