| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So five years ago I made the choice to sort of remove myself from consumerism as best I could. I stopped decorating my living places, I only bought new clothes to replace clothing that fell apart, I've been wearing the same pair of shoes for over three years.
I have almost completely squashed my desire to own "stuff".
When this comes up with others, I'm always surprised at people's reaction to my life style. They act as if somehow I'm the weird one.
So I'm interested in understanding the desire to own stuff, as I never felt it nearly as strongly as most, and now have nearly eliminated it.
What drives you to buy stuff?
How much of your income would you say goes toward buying stuff of no actual mechanical use?
When I was younger and had just moved out onto my own, i had to sell a lot of stuff i had to make it.
Now, I'm a little bit older and am tired of not owning anything of substance.
I usually choose to buy something that helps me out though. Insulation for the garage. or installing a new dishwasher in the kitchen or something. Nothing little that is a waste 5 years down the road.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I don't have time to answer. There is a sale at Macy's I absolutely must get to.
|
But how do you keep up with the joneses without stuff?
Also I'm a hoarder as well. I like my 'stuff'. Though most of what I buy I do use. Books, movies, video games. I'm not fond of decorative items themselves (though occasionally I do make such purchases). In fact looking at my last few purchases, it's usually for some functional use, such as work or play, not style itself. Most of the non-functional items I've received have been as gifts from others. Even wardrobe choices are generally work related (it's been a year since I bought a shirt that wasn't up to work's dress code, and that was last year's Gencon). My gaming bag was free from work two years ago.
Hmm, I need a vacation, methinks.
As a 19 year old male I often look at my bank account and think hmmm I've spent $500 in the last two weeks and seemingly have nothing to show for it. I say this now as I stare down at the latest thing I let games workshop rob me for.
I don't tend to save money. Most of my pay each week tends be split between pc games (damn you steam), petrol, going out for a meal with my friends, buying random stuff off ebay and every so often going for a big one on the town and waking up the next day to see my wallet has been emptied. Turns out that chick who seemed really into you just wanted a free drink.
I wear nice clothes not because I feel that I need to wear them but because I like to wear nice clothes.
I females are especially bad for the sort of OMG I HAVE TO OWN THIS attitude.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If it's shiny and pretty I must make it my own.
I think age, income and upbrining are massive factors in this.
But at the end of the day if it's your money spend it the way you want. People shouldn't you how to spend your own money. Unless it's having negative effects on other people or severe effects on you.
But how do you keep up with the joneses without stuff?
You ignore the Joneses and whenever they try to speak to you you pretend to be deaf or mentally disabled.
Or you say something so offensive that the Joneses never look at you again.
Sometimes I just scream "I've got AIDS!" when people I don't feel like interacting with attempt conversation.
Surprisingly, even in 2012, that still causes most people to back away from you several feet as though it's airborne.
I have my computer, which I replace when it starts getting old and problematic, but that's usually three or four years between unless something happens (my old laptop lasted that long, and that's after dropping it a couple of times about halfway through, so sometimes wonder how much longer it would have lasted without those bits of trauma). I own some books, but after getting a Kindle for Xmas last year I don't have as much desire to purchase new ones outside of a few specific series (Harry Dresden I'm looking at you). And I buy gaming stuff on occasion.
Other than that? Not really. I could live in a studio apartment the size of my room (about 15x20/25 feet give or take, not counting closet and bathroom space) comfortably fine. I don't spend much money beyond the above listed stuff except on fuel for the car, food, and paying off my debts.
So five years ago I made the choice to sort of remove myself from consumerism as best I could. I stopped decorating my living places, I only bought new clothes to replace clothing that fell apart, I've been wearing the same pair of shoes for over three years.
I've been doing this for 10. :)
I have almost completely squashed my desire to own "stuff".
What kills it for me is that most of the crap is made in China. I do everything reasonable to reduce supporting a communist dictatorship.
When this comes up with others, I'm always surprised at people's reaction to my life style. They act as if somehow I'm the weird one.
Ditto. I've been called skinflint and tightwad many times.
So I'm interested in understanding the desire to own stuff, as I never felt it nearly as strongly as most, and now have nearly eliminated it.
Even in grade school, I was a "rebel" against the fashion trends. Yes, I did own 1 shirt with an alligator (it was a Christmas present) and for a while I ran around in Vans with no socks. Other than that, I just did not care about keeping up appearances.
What drives you to buy stuff?
Necessity mostly. I am the sole breadwinner in my family so I do whatever I can to reduce the amount of money I personally use. I keep myself to a strict budget of $100/month to spend on things that are not necessities or for the family as a whole (Pathfinder books, occasional lunch at Denny's or Chili's).
How much of your income would you say goes toward buying stuff of no actual mechanical use?
Well, I do pay $140/month for cable TV and Internet. I also budget about $100/month to take the family to museums or other fun activities. We give some money away to charities. Other than that, its all rent and utility bills.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
*sighs* I have a collecting urge. I stop buying one thing, and it just moves to a different thing.
There is a lot of junk in my office that I really should give up, but I don't want to.
+1
My friends like to get all haughty and pretend that they're so non-consumerist, and then I look at their cd collections and it's over 1,000 discs!
Except for my one friend who walks the walk: he got rid of all of his possessions except for what he could fit in his car and slept down by the river. Then he decided that even that was too materialistic, so he got rid of his car and now rides a bicycle everywhere he goes. He's going to be a bodhisattva one day, but I just think he's a bum.
As for myself: I have no pretensions, I like to own stuff. Books, comic books, records, cds, VHS cassettes, DVDs, a few video games, old magazines, communist newspapers, RPGs. Got to own 'em all!
What I'd really like to do is build a hermetically sealed chamber away from the rest of the world and just read and listen to music all of the time.
And troll Paizo, of course.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
What I'd really like to do is build a hermetically sealed chamber away from the rest of the world and just read and listen to music all of the time.
And troll Paizo, of course.
WE MAY BE ABLE TO COME TO AN ARRANGEMENT.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
What kills it for me is that most of the crap is made in China. I do everything reasonable to reduce supporting a communist dictatorship.
Not sure why China should be a problem then. Dictatorship, sure. But communist... not in a while.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Not ever!
I feel the need to purge a lot of things I've collected over the years. The trick is to actually unsealing them out of storage and hopefully gain some money out of it from others who still find valuable these "collector items."
Aside from Paizo and an occasional book at Half Price Books, my latest trend has been getting concert t-shirts as a memento to a show I attended. At least I actively wear them.
A part of me feels that a huge burden would be lifted if I were to minimize the clutter of such possessions. I do think it does come with age.
Future sufferers from hoarding syndrome of the world, unite!
One time me and the Black Goblin were tripping and the Black Goblin kind of broke a little and started ranting about how alienated he was because he didn't own a television.
It was a pretty humorous rant, but I don't remember much about it except for him shrieking "I don't know what to buy anymore!" over and over again.
One time me and the Black Goblin were tripping and the Black Goblin kind of broke a little and started ranting about how alienated he was because he didn't own a television.
I have a computer, why would I need a TV?
I don't think I have any particular compulsion to own things or any aversion to doing so. Both strike me as a bit bizarre. I buy things I want that I can afford. I don't buy those things I don't want or can't afford. There are, of course, things I buy and then find that I don't like or don't use after all, but that's down to being fallible.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I buy books I want to re-read (if I'm wrong I either sell it to a charity-shop or leave it at a bus-stop or park-bench with a "you just found a book: Congratulations!" note attached) and DVDs of movies I won't mind seeing more than once. Other than that I'm not really a stuff-collector. Whoever came up with the first good format for digital music need a big thanks, though. The amount of records I've bought as files would have taken up a ridiculous amount of room.
Books. I can never have too many books. I own somewhere in the 15,000's and I still keep getting more (most of those were inherited from my grandfather, though, who was also a collector of books and left me his books, his canes, and his hats. Some pretty rare stuff there, too, like a XVI century spanish numismatic tome and a 1769 Protestant Bible printed in London). I come from a family filled with avid readers and book collectors, so it wasn't hard to figure out I'd end the same way.
Besides that, though, no, not really, though I'm not sure if it is because I'm not much of a consumer or I'm just lazy. I only buy stuff when I really need it.
I do like sleeping on new pillows, though.
Oh, I also collect hats, lots of hats. But my mother's family has been in the hat business for 300 years, so that's sort of a given.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So five years ago I made the choice to sort of remove myself from consumerism as best I could. I stopped decorating my living places, I only bought new clothes to replace clothing that fell apart, I've been wearing the same pair of shoes for over three years.
I have almost completely squashed my desire to own "stuff".
When this comes up with others, I'm always surprised at people's reaction to my life style. They act as if somehow I'm the weird one.
Maybe you are. Are you dressing in near rags and do your shoes have holes in them after 3 years of use? If you look markedly different than your peers, you're going to stand out.
We live in a consumer society where the norm is that certain things get replaced after a period of time. And they aren't usually built to last that long as a result. So more than likely, your clothes and shoes are standing out because of their general condition.
So yes, you're weird. Accept that.
Meh, I look at it like being the first set of guys who were against slavery.
Right now, I'm weird, in the future people will figure out this consumerism thing is kind of stupid.
And I'm not trying to compare slavery and consumerism, I'm just using the comparsion of a set of people who were "weird" at one point and eventually became the norm.
And 3 years of use should not have your shoes falling apart, there's zero holes in mine.
Or my clothing.
I will replace the shoes when they no longer function as designed.
Or you can even use religion. In the late 80s and 90s I was in Catholic School as an atheist. I was the weird kid out.
In 2012, in Canada, saying you believe in God in public makes you the weird one these days.
And that was only 20 years to shift that dramatically.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Personally I find being the "weird" one a point of pride myself.
While there is some residual social "coolness" to being the odd one out, I'd still prefer people think like I so we could just finally fix things around here.
And I can't help but prefer that being an atheist is no longer "weird" in Canada and has become the social norm for under 30s.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Eh, to each their own. I'm neither an atheist nor Canadian so it's moot to me.
So five years ago I made the choice to sort of remove myself from consumerism as best I could. I stopped decorating my living places, I only bought new clothes to replace clothing that fell apart, I've been wearing the same pair of shoes for over three years.
I have almost completely squashed my desire to own "stuff".
When this comes up with others, I'm always surprised at people's reaction to my life style. They act as if somehow I'm the weird one.
So I'm interested in understanding the desire to own stuff, as I never felt it nearly as strongly as most, and now have nearly eliminated it.
What drives you to buy stuff?
How much of your income would you say goes toward buying stuff of no actual mechanical use?
Define "no actual mechanical use".
I buy gaming books, reading books, comic books.
I also buy, obviously, food and things to prepare it with, clothes which I generally wear until they're a little too ragged for public use, computer stuff when it breaks or gets too slow, stuff for other hobbies/activities (mostly kayak/rock climbing gear). Eventually I'll need a replacement car, but I can put that off a few more years.I've got a lot of stuff, but that's more from never bothering to get rid of it, rather than buying a lot.
I would define art, posters, expensive furniture that is only expensive due to aesthetics, and such as "no mechanical value".
Basically things that are of value based on nothing but appearance, even expensive shoes and clothing.
Obviously you compare the price to wear ratio of clothes to find their true value.
A 5 dollar shirt that falls apart in a month is, one could argue, more expensive than a 50 dollar shirt that lasts 12 months.
But that's different from buying, say, a 100 or 200 dollar piece of clothing that is most likely no more durable for that inflated price.
Exceptions obviously made for clothing items inherently more expensive like a leather coat, but that leather coat can also last you for decades (mine is going on about 15 years personally... and I got it as a gift, so it's all gravy.)
|
Damn those Canadian atheists!
I suppose I have something of a compulsion to get stuff, but some of that is just from the coolness and usefulness of said stuff. I try to be objective and take a few days to think it over, but when a hot new album comes out I'll often buy it within hours.
Of course, digital music isn't really "consumed."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Personally I find being the "weird" one a point of pride myself.If you're just doing it for no other reason than to stand out, it's nothing more than a cry for attention.
Doing something and not caring if you stand out =/= doing something to stand out. Honestly, I'm similar - I don't give much thought to being the weird one unless called on it, but given that I tend to not much care for quite a lot of the people I encounter who deem themselves normal, well...
Anyway, I hate shopping. I'm a minimalist and an utter skinflint. I have quite a bit of stuff that I really need to go through and decide what to get rid of, but I don't have to go out and buy everything that looks cool.
That said, ohmygod books. Gotta have books. Kindle's helped somewhat, but books are still a thing for me.
Doing something and not caring if you stand out =/= doing something to stand out. Honestly, I'm similar - I don't give much thought to being the weird one unless called on it, but given that I tend to not much care for quite a lot of the people I encounter who deem themselves normal, well...Personally I find being the "weird" one a point of pride myself.If you're just doing it for no other reason than to stand out, it's nothing more than a cry for attention.
Pretty much this. "You say I'm weird, and you're normal. I don't want to be anything like you, so I'm good with being weird."
|
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
|
I like having quality stuff. I never understood the mentality of buying a cheap thing that lacks the necessary functionality just because it's cheap. I much prefer to spend what I need to get what I need the first time.
Case in point, a suit. You buy a suit because it makes you look good. What's the point in buying a cheap, ill-fitting suit? That doesn't look good. I buy suits only rarely, once every year or two, but when I do I shell out for a good looking suit and I get it tailored.
Conversely, I will buy a beater car if all I need is something to get me from point A to point B. I don't need a super luxury car to make me feel awesome. I'd much rather have the luxury of not having a car payment.
Weird people! I'm surrounded by weird people!
I don't wear suits so it's a situation I'm not versed in.
But I agree, more expensive doesn't mean it's needlessly expensive. Buying cheap stuff that's cheaply made is bad all the way around.
I'm more talking about the person who spends extra money not for function but simply for form.
"You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled."
In my 20s I bought close to nothing, owned a couple of boxes of stuff (mostly books) and a Chinese rug, all of which easily fit in my car, and really didn't want anything else.
Now I'm in my 40s and married, and my wife and I own so much crap I can't keep track of it all. Most of it I don't want, except that we supposedly "need" it. I still love my books, although I'd get rid of all the dead tree ones if they could somehow magically all appear on a Kindle instead.
I don't wear suits so it's a situation I'm not versed in.
But I agree, more expensive doesn't mean it's needlessly expensive. Buying cheap stuff that's cheaply made is bad all the way around.
I'm more talking about the person who spends extra money not for function but simply for form.
I don't think there is an actual division between buying for function and buying for form. We buy, or more specifically we consume, based on what we need. And while you can divide needs between essential and non-essential, they are all needs regardless of the case.
So the guy who buys a cheap car to get to work and the guy who buys a dozen cars and goes to work on a helicopter are both buying the cars because they need them. Sure, the former's was probably more close to an essential need than the latter's, but needing is needing.
Note: In economics, there is no real distinction between "need" and "want". We need both what we want and what we need.
|
|
Most of what I own is books most of which I bought myself.
Otherwise I own clothes (usually gifted to me), my furniture (hand-me-downs/found on the side of the road), my car (a cheap rust bucket that I love dearly), and my laptop (another gift). I like to buy books and games, they bring me joy. Every other cost in life seems horribly inconvenient.
I don't wear suits so it's a situation I'm not versed in.
But I agree, more expensive doesn't mean it's needlessly expensive. Buying cheap stuff that's cheaply made is bad all the way around.
I'm more talking about the person who spends extra money not for function but simply for form.
I don't think there is an actual division between buying for function and buying for form. We buy, or more specifically we consume, based on what we need. And while you can divide needs between essential and non-essential, they are all needs regardless of the case.
So the guy who buys a cheap car to get to work and the guy who buys a dozen cars and goes to work on a helicopter are both buying the cars because they need them. Sure, the former's was probably more close to an essential need than the latter's, but needing is needing.
Note: In economics, there is no real distinction between "need" and "want". We need both what we want and what we need.
But there are arguments that this fusion of need and want is a function of influences on us from the economy, not the other way around.
We created an economic system, but over time it has changed us on fundamental psychological levels.
And not necessarily for the benefit of all mankind.
Yes, but you can change the things you want.
And often you can start to realize that many of those wants weren't really even wants as much as impulses to buy.
Sort of like the kleptomaniac who steals things they don't even want or need, just an impulse.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
That's why I expanded on it.
It's not so much that you change the things you want as much as you realize that many of the things you think you want are actually just impulses to buy. Your brain succumbing to advertising.
When you learn to identify those "false wants", you can stop having them all together.
It also helps if you don't own a TV, don't listen to the radio, and use AdBlock online.