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Old 08-15-2010, 02:05 PM   #41
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Every item of stuff comes with the following additional tasks: acquiring the money to acquire it
And aquiring the money to pay income taxes on it. And sales tax. And possibly luxury tax.

And don't forget the money required to get and keep the j*b required to aquire the money to pay for it....
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Old 08-15-2010, 02:56 PM   #42
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I think many of us go through a number of phases.

Minimalist -- When I met DH he lived in a "Son of Sam" apartment. Mattress, bicycle, one chair, one reading lamp, 2 spoons, 2 forks, 2 knives, 2 plates, 2 cups, 2 bowls, one saucepan, one frying pan, one big pot, a few books (all books were donated after being read.)

Accumulation-- A friend DH hadn't seen in many years visited recently. He asked what happened and why so much stuff. DH pointed to me and said love and marriage results in more stuff.

Stasis -- DH ER'ed ten years ago and I ESR'ed 3 years ago. We are not accumulating much anymore (except techie toys, fabric, books) but we're also not thinking about minimalism and have financial plans that do not require minimalism.

Decummulation -- After moving my mother from the large house she had lived in for 45 years while rearing 6 kids and numerous others (kids kicked out of their own homes, unwed mothers, homeless family), we are mindful of all the stuff we have that will become useless over time but might be useful to others now.

Minimalist? -- maybe the final stage is back to minimalist. For my mother that is definitely the case as she moves deeper into dementia and is likely to move to smaller and smaller quarters. I'm gradually trying to reduce the "stuff" she has to
1. reduce the stuff I have to deal with when she does have to move,
2. spread out the distribution to children/grandchildren process, and
3. minimize emotional trauma to her in having to let go of things.
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Old 08-15-2010, 08:05 PM   #43
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I'm gradually trying to reduce the "stuff" she has to
1. reduce the stuff I have to deal with when she does have to move,
2. spread out the distribution to children/grandchildren process, and
3. minimize emotional trauma to her in having to let go of things.
Nice summary FurBall. Also, very thoughtful plan you have for helping your Mother to pare down.

Ha
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Old 08-15-2010, 08:19 PM   #44
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I have a rule: In order to acquire a new piece of technology, I have to give up and old piece of technology.
Made this a rule at our house too only it applies to everything and the outgoing item can be any category as long as it is physically larger than the inbound item.

No way we will ever see 100 or less territory around here though.
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Old 08-18-2010, 02:24 PM   #45
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One of the things I've really started getting interested in is minimalism -- owning less than 100 things, etc.
Found the perfect minimalist living accommodations for you: Capsule apartments

Plenty of shelf space for all 100 of your things and very easy on the budget - rent is only $51/mo.
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Old 08-18-2010, 02:38 PM   #46
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OK, maybe it's just me, but there ain't no way in h*ll I worked for almost 40 years to live with a 100 things! I like stuff! All kinds of stuff! There are more than a hundred things in the room I am setting. Books, furniture, electronic gadgets, and I am not through.
I'm with ya. What's the point of setting an arbitrary number of things you can own? What if 101 would make you truly happy? What if it's 500? I get the point, to live with as few things as necessary, but it seems like self denial for the sake of self denial. "Gee, I'd love to get that [insert object here], but I already have 100 things."

IMO, its more about making smart choices about what you buy and keep. I have lots of stuff, but have gotten rid of lots of stuff too. I miss little of what I gave away, but much of the stuff I still have makes me genuinely happy. Downsizing is one thing, but resolving to own no more than 100 things is...sorry, my mom told me if i can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

And I just have to ask, how do you count? Is your house one thing or do you have to count the stuff you put in it separately, like light or plumbing fixtures, carpet and cabinets? Do necessary items count, like toothbrushes, toilet paper or medicine? Do you have to count all 52 cards in a deck or just the deck? I'm being kind of serious and I think the questions just kind of point to the arbitrary nature of the exercise. How about living with just enough stuff to make you happy and no more. Then realize that the amount can change as you change. Then lighten up a little.
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Old 08-18-2010, 05:00 PM   #47
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I'm with ya. What's the point of setting an arbitrary number of things you can own? What if 101 would make you truly happy? What if it's 500? I get the point, to live with as few things as necessary, but it seems like self denial for the sake of self denial. "Gee, I'd love to get that [insert object here], but I already have 100 things."
Yes, it seems like going from one form of slavery to another.

Got 'too much' stuff, get rid of what you don't value. Simple. Who the heck needs someone to tell them what the 'right' number of things is? You're an adult now, you get to decide.

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Old 08-18-2010, 05:00 PM   #48
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Shingles on the roof, do they count? How about the number of bricks in the wall?

Toilet, has a number of parts, unless one goes with the traditional Japanese hole in the floor. Still need the the wash basin and ladle to pour water on hands aka Chodzu-Bachi, oh yeah and it is is outdoors.
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Old 08-18-2010, 05:07 PM   #49
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And I just have to ask, how do you count? Is your house one thing or do you have to count the stuff you put in it separately, like light or plumbing fixtures, carpet and cabinets? Do necessary items count, like toothbrushes, toilet paper or medicine? Do you have to count all 52 cards in a deck or just the deck? I'm being kind of serious and I think the questions just kind of point to the arbitrary nature of the exercise. How about living with just enough stuff to make you happy and no more. Then realize that the amount can change as you change. Then lighten up a little.
I actually did some reading on this. And, lots of people who do this either make exceptions for certain things or limit to items that are personally, individually owned. So, for someone in a family, items that are "family" items aren't part of the 100.

Also some people who do this group things. So, underwear is one item collectively.

That makes a bit more sense. However, I don't see the magic in 100 or 500. I think the concept of not having things that contribute to your happiness in life or contribute to doing something useful is a good idea.

I've gotten rids of lots of stuff as we are working on downsizing and I haven't missed anything yet. (For me the most difficult things to get rid of are things we already bought that we spent money for and that we might need in the future. If I was buying I wouldn't buy the item now...but if I throw it out I'll be irritated if a year from now I need it and have to go buy one).
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Old 08-18-2010, 05:15 PM   #50
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Hey, I think I will be able to stay under 100. Stuff in the closet 1, stuff in the kitchen 2, stuff in the rest of the house 3, stuff in the garage 4, WOW, I may even be able to keep it under 5!
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Old 08-18-2010, 07:08 PM   #51
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Got you beat. I've only got two, as in two housefuls of stuff. And a couple of cars. And a couple of kayaks...dammit!
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Old 08-18-2010, 10:25 PM   #52
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Got you beat. I've only got two, as in two housefuls of stuff. And a couple of cars. And a couple of kayaks...dammit!
But if you keep the kayaks and the cars in your house...
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Old 08-19-2010, 12:23 AM   #53
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While I am all for a decluttered living environment, arbitrarily limiting myself to 100 items (or whatever) is more likely to deprive myself of some of the things whcih give me pleasure and which I have worked hard for. My wine fridge alone would come close to having 100 bottles in it at a time. The study I share with my wife has over 200 books in it (and we probably have twice as many again in other rooms).

That said, I enjoyed doing our last big clean out in January 2009 and the less cluttered feeling that we (briefly) enjoyed after it was done and am pushing my family to do another one before the end of this year.
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Old 08-19-2010, 12:45 AM   #54
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While I am all for a decluttered living environment, arbitrarily limiting myself to 100 items (or whatever) is more likely to deprive myself of some of the things whcih give me pleasure and which I have worked hard for. My wine fridge alone would come close to having 100 bottles in it at a time.
Well that little problem would be easily fixed if you invite us all over for drinks, we can soon reduce that 100 bottles to 1 in no time.
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Old 08-19-2010, 01:34 AM   #55
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Well that little problem would be easily fixed if you invite us all over for drinks, we can soon reduce that 100 bottles to 1 in no time.
Sounds tempting, but I would be a bit worried about whether the "1" bottle would survive the experience....
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Old 08-19-2010, 01:48 AM   #56
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There is no way that I would ever reduce my belongings to 100 items.

On the other hand, I have been decluttering for several years and at the moment I am "full steam ahead" on this project. The anticipation of an interstate move via rental truck has certainly caused me to think twice about each item and whether or not I really want it.

I can't even begin to imagine how much stuff a person would accumulate who lives in the same house for 40+ years. What a nightmare for the heirs to sort out later on. It is really easy to squirrel things away, thinking "I might want that some day" when really, I won't.
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Old 08-19-2010, 07:25 AM   #57
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Got you beat. I've only got two, as in two housefuls of stuff. And a couple of cars. And a couple of kayaks...dammit!
OK, I guess I'm at three 'stuffs' now.

My Stuff.
Her Stuff.
Our stuff.

Geez, even my keyboard is a 101-key model. I guess I need to declutter with an iPad.


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Old 08-19-2010, 07:59 AM   #58
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I'd like to be a minimlist. My ideal room is ne painted white everywhere with a few small numbers of fairly modern furniture. However, my wife is a collector. She collects everything.

There is are some exceptions to minimalism. One of these is photography. Another is tools. In house renovation and building, I've discovered that its all about the right tools for the job. For example, recently I got a Dremel multi-max tool. I have no idea how I survived without this tool. Cutting drywall, and cutting little spot that I used to use a chisel and a hammer are now immensely easier and way way more precise. The oly problem is that the blades are not cheap and they wear out quickly.

I used to use my radial arm saw for most cutting. But then I got a Ryobi Electric Miter saw. I haven't used the radial since, and the Ryobi is way more precise than the radial could ever be. and the table saw is easier to use for most tasks than the radial.

In some tasks, minimalist doesn't work very well.
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Old 08-19-2010, 11:02 AM   #59
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On the other hand, I have been decluttering for several years and at the moment I am "full steam ahead" on this project. The anticipation of an interstate move via rental truck has certainly caused me to think twice about each item and whether or not I really want it.

I can't even begin to imagine how much stuff a person would accumulate who lives in the same house for 40+ years. What a nightmare for the heirs to sort out later on. It is really easy to squirrel things away, thinking "I might want that some day" when really, I won't.
We are panning to full-time RV when the kids go to college. At the very minimum we might buy a small condo to establish a home base and give the kids some place to crash during the summers and holidays. Either way, we will need to down size seriously, but even then I'm sure a lot of stuff will end up in storage. We may not be able to take it with us, but we don't want to give it up.

When we cleaned out my DW's grandmothers house it was just packed with stuff. There was so much furniture and the garage was full of he grandfather's stuff. And I mean full, to the rafters! Mostly tools, work benches, stuff like that. We took what we needed and the valuable stuff, but I know a guy that is the same way. Just collects tools and old cars. He took most of it. Now his kids will need to deal with it someday.
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Old 08-19-2010, 06:14 PM   #60
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I can't even begin to imagine how much stuff a person would accumulate who lives in the same house for 40+ years. What a nightmare for the heirs to sort out later on. It is really easy to squirrel things away, thinking "I might want that some day" when really, I won't.
3 yrs ago my mother moved out of the house she had lived in for 45 years. She had filled the huge house that previously housed a minimum of 9 people with things "someone could use someday." For two years before the move we decluttered. Nonetheless, the downsizing was wrenching for her and us. As a child of the Depression, she just couldn't part with anything that someone might find useful someday.

On the bright side, she saved things that have been so much fun to find amid the junk:
1. Receipts from the birth of each of her children. It was fun to know I cost $51 to be born at the "Women's Lying In Hospital" in New York.
2. Tax returns from the 40s and 50s. Just fun to see the numbers and the forms.
3. Every condolence letter and telegram from my father's premature death in the early 70s. A number of us read them and reminisced.
4. Pay stubs from all the kids' first jobs. I cleared $19.80 in my very first pay check. I remember thinking I was rich.
5. Beautiful sappy poems and love letters my father had written to my mother over many years.

All of this made/makes it well worth the effort to clear out the tons of junk.
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