20 ms·

Why I don't want stuff

339 points by wallflower 11y ago

austinjp 11y ago
I don't live quite like this, but I feel similarly about gifts: I far prefer them to be practical rather than decorative or frivolous. I've realised that people can get slightly upset when I explain it to them. They want to buy me something fun, something I'll "enjoy". Chances are I won't, although I do of course appreciate the sentiment. Equally, I find it more satisfying to buy a "useful" gift for others. And of course people don't always appreciate this, and some prefer a trinket instead of a practical item. There's emotional context imbued in the act of giving, and some people embed that in the object itself. So I'm learning to allow people to express their feelings toward me by letting them buy me whatever they want, although I will still hint at my preference if given a choice. This can lead to clutter, which I hate, but I've realised some people love. I don't know the solution to this yet, but I suspect it's a combination of out-of-site storage and in-view display cabinet type arrangements. I have disposed of truly unwanted gifts, but I realise that's potentially hurtful so I don't enjoy doing it.
- RealityVoid 11y ago
  While I like the ideea of this lifestyle, I can't do it. I simply love my tools too much. And I have a lot of them. And lopts of parts. At a first look, some might looks superfulous, for example, I have this wierd star-shaped screwdriver. Most of the time, I don't use it, but boy, when I use it, does it save me a lot of time.
  - noir_lord 11y ago
    Nothing wrong with that, I'm fairly minimal in the stuff I own but I have a tonne of cycling stuff (all of which is used, UK climate means you have to change up gear a lot) and tools since it's just not practical to buy those when I need them.
  - NovaS1X 11y ago
    Tools and parts. One of my weak points too. There's not much I don't fix myself. I understand.
  - marincounty 11y ago
    I want to live like this too, but I need tools. I need automotive tools. I can't afford mechanics bills, nor trust the workmanship. I need tools to repair watches--which turned into a side business. Plus I have home contractor tools. It's the tools that has me waited down. I have a library I can thin down, but it's hard. It's 99 percent refrence. And the first editions--well I like them more than some people. I wouldn't have ever started the library, but didn't think books would be so digitally available. I have a couple of vaccumes I could get rid of, but who would cut my hair? Flobee--and they do work, if you have a little bit of coordination. I hated going to the hair salon. That said--if I had to go leave real quick, I would take all my watches, and jeweler's tools. I could fit everything in three legal sized boxes. I would take another three legal sized boxes of books. I would leave my tool chest, and put all tools in six legal sized boxes. I might need to move quick in the future. I'm not sure where I will go. I won't pay Bay Area rents again. I go out at night, and the people I would interact with moved away. The Bay Area is just not that fun anymore. Never thought I would say that, but then again couldn't imagine living in the Midwest. I am greatful I never had a kid. Never thought I would say that. I like them, but I never thought life in America would be this ruthless. I gave away my inheritance, from a pretty brutal father. At the time, I didn't think I would ever need it, nor wanted anything from the man. I gave it all to a family member. I should have kept some of it. It was a lot too. On the positive side, when I'm dying, I won't need to make to many amends. I haven't screwed over anyone--I can recall. My exes don't want to keep in touch. One told me, "You can be really hurtful. You have hurt my feelings more than any other person." She's now seeing women. I knew I was kinda a handful, but I didn't intentionally want to hurt her feelings. I just couldn't continually agree. Got off track.
    - magic_beans 11y ago
      I don't know why but this was really moving. Upsetting, a little, maybe, but so moving.
      - luxpir 11y ago
        I thought I was reading an excerpt from some cult book of some kind. I think it's the honesty that resonates for me. Thanks for sharing, marincounty, and keep it coming. Edit - just realised mc has been behind many of the most interesting comments I've read over the last few months. Might not agree with it all, but enjoy reading them!
- Joof 11y ago
  I've come to prefer giving (often cheap) gifts that are intended to be disposed of, but lead to a bit of fun. Quick example: I got my family (parents, sister, cousins, etc; no kids right now) a bunch of santa hats from the doller store for christmas that were each a little different and one was technically a chair cover (but looked like an incredibly oversized hat). Then I let them duke it out over who got which hat. Also shutter shades. They still talk about that Christmas. Experiences are something worthwhile.
- VLM 11y ago
  Refrigerator door culture. At some point in life you will no longer be permitted not to have magnets on your fridge. I made it until I got married. Weaponized clothes are a thing too. Everyone knows nobody likes getting someone elses choice of clothes as a gift, especially not kids, but it is a socially acceptable weapon to kinda "get" the recipient. More a slap to the face than a punch to the face, but none the less kinda an aggressive act.
  - rubiquity 11y ago
    Hah, same here. We made it until friends started having children. I think there's still a refrigerator door somewhere underneath all the cute pictures.
    - idoh 11y ago
      Yeah me too. I had to make a rule where if it was over a year old then we could take it down.
  - chc 11y ago
    I don't know, I've gotten lots of clothes I liked. I don't much enjoy going clothes shopping, so I appreciate other people putting in the effort as long as their impression of the things I'd wear is reasonably accurate.
    - theandrewbailey 11y ago
      I don't enjoy clothes shopping either, but Mom and I hit the stores soon after Christmas and take massive advantage of the sales.
  - bbarn 11y ago
    My father hated fridge magnets and resisted for years. Then he remarried, and it started happening, slowly. One year, he bought a very nice refrigerator for xmas. It's completely non-magnetic. I couldn't help but ask, and yes.. it was intentional.
- vram22 11y ago
  Does anyone use Amazon wish lists to solve this sort of issue? Do they even exist? Asking both out of interest of this thread's topic, and because some time back I consulted to a dot com startup where the product was to be a gift related site. Startup was executed very poorly so I left (and it shut down soon after). But the idea may have had merit.
  - BorgHunter 11y ago
    My family all has Amazon wish lists for exactly this issue, in fact. Before Amazon was popular, we all posted wish lists on a closet door in my grandmother's house, and we either went in the den to look at them or called her and asked her what was on the lists. My girlfriend's family doesn't do any of this stuff, and so I've had to do "educated guess"-type gifting, which I'm usually somewhat decent at. They tend to get me clothes, which is fine, everyone's gotta wear clothes.
  - 0xffff2 11y ago
    I do. I've trained nearly everyone in my life to accept that I'm happy receiving nothing for my birthday and Christmas, but my dad refuses to get on board. I always have a list of stuff saved in my Amazon cart that I want eventually, but not enough to buy it right now. So every time a holiday rolls around and he wants to buy me something, I just chuck all of that stuff into a wish list and send it to him.
- jimbokun 11y ago
  Cash is an under rated gift. Can get creative with different denominations and presentations. For example, my in laws will give a jar of Nutella as a Christmas gift, with some bills taped to the bottom. Always a little bit of surprise as to where the cash will be. Kids especially love this! One Christmas, had the grand kids sing a silly song in order to get a dollar or two. Lots of ways to turn giving cash from an impersonal gift, into something fun and creative!
- sliverstorm 11y ago
  I assume you've tried to explain that you enjoy practical things? How 20 years from now you will pull out the old battered screwdriver they gave you (assuming it was a good screwdriver), put together some furniture, and think of them? One of the best gifts I ever got was a Craftsman hand tool set from my father. (Caveat, of course, is I was a raging petrol-head and kept swiping his tools, so he knew I would use it)
  - austinjp 11y ago
    Yup. This risks my receiving cheap screwdrivers that get chewed up on first use. But hey, it's the thought that counts :)
grecy 11y ago
My family has taken to giving "expereiences" rather than "stuff" because we prefer to live with less stuff. So we'll get each other cooking classes, surfing lessons, bungee jumping, skydiving, etc. etc.
- VLM 11y ago
  Birthday Dinner. Either very fancy home cooked, or go out to a very nice restaurant. Its fun.
  - grecy 11y ago
    Home cooked every time - everyone in the kitchen pitching in - best family time there is!
noir_lord 11y ago
I'm somewhat similar to this except furnished flats are rare where I live so I have some furniture. That said my bedroom has a bed and a side table, my living room a sofa, computer desk and TV. Spare bedroom has my road bike and my cycling gear (as a hobby it's unavoidable). I have a (somewhat) strict 1 closet policy for clothing, once I fill it for each item in something has to go (easy this year as I dropped nearly 70lbs, virtually nothing I had fits). I could pack and move my entire possessions in a day and with the exception of my computer gear/bike stuff replace everything for under a 1000 quid. I can't even claim any asceticism or anything for this, I just don't buy stuff I don't need and get rid of stuff I don't use because if I don't use it why have to clean around it.
- NovaS1X 11y ago
  >(easy this year as I dropped nearly 70lbs, virtually nothing I had fits). Good job. That must feel good.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - noir_lord 11y ago
    Dropped the first 60 in 4 months, that didn't feel great, 1500 calories a day for 4 months got old really fast but yeah physically I feel better than I have in a long time. Also according to NHS guidelines as of a few weeks ago I'm no longer even overweight I'm in the healthy range (not that I entirely trust their crude BMI stuff) which is a nice place to be.
    - whitegrape 11y ago
      Nice. Did you just do it with strict calorie watching or some other diet? My friend lost his 100lbs in about 5-6 months on Keto, I've used it to lose 50lbs quickly myself, I think it makes the lower calorie count hard to notice... In his case he avoided the clothing problem by wearing all his old clothes he's had in storage boxes for years since they no longer fit.
ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago
Every time I have a birthday I am terribly worried about receiving some gift that I won't like from people who don't know me good enough but want to give me some present. Receiving a gift that I don't like and having to avoid showing that I don't really like it is worse than receiving nothing. In fact I have enough money to buy anything I want myself, so there is really nothing I would like to receive as a gift.
- Scarbutt 11y ago
  In fact I have enough money to buy anything I want myself, so there is really nothing I would like to receive as a gift. That sounds like a closed mentality to me, you never know really, someone might just surprise you.
  - jrs235 11y ago
    Give me the gift of recognizing my preference for no material gifts. EDIT: Or toilet paper. I'll eventually make use of and need TP.
    - Scarbutt 11y ago
      So my point was that unless you know everything about life and the universe you might not know what your preferences are (and preferences change) ;) And not all gifts are material. But sure, there's nothing wrong in not wanting anything from someone else if that is your thing.
    - magic_beans 11y ago
      I get the impression going through this gift that people don't actually know how to give gifts. I LOVE giving gifts. No, I don't go through someone's Amazon wish-list or buy them something they could buy themselves. I usually make people things, and it usually takes 2-6 months of work. I might spend a month on an embroidered pocket square, or a handmade notebook, or a handmade piece of jewelry or carving, or an elaborate 6-course meal and paired wines. If I can't dedicate at LEAST few weeks to constructing the perfect gift/experience for someone, I won't give anything at all. Better nothing than a bad gift...
moonlighter 11y ago
I can very much relate to this; my motto is "you don't own stuff; the stuff owns you". And every time I've moved, I was amazed at just how much stuff one (even unwillingly) accumulates, and how liberating it feels to get rid of it. I also prefer to own just a few high quality and/or useful things over having a 'ton of crap'.
- jrs235 11y ago
  Yup. Which is why as I said elsewhere: Give me the gift of recognizing my preference for no material gifts. Or toilet paper. I'll eventually make use of and need TP. (It helps remove crap! ;)
- majewsky 11y ago
  I've recently started building an actual database of my physical inventory, and have already found multiple items which I needlessly own twice because when I bought the second one, I didn't realize I had one already.
  - artursapek 11y ago
    That's awesome. You just have a sql database of your physical possessions?
    - mbrock 11y ago
      One time I took square photos of all my things and put them in CouchDB with just a label. It was pretty fun to see an alphabetical list of photos of nearly everything I owned. Like an RPG inventory.
      - solotronics 11y ago
        This is an amazing idea. First thing that comes to mind is a process to automate labeling like with google images. Is there anything open source that fits this?
Xcelerate 11y ago
I relate to this guy so much. > It makes me really happy when another Christmas or birthday has passed and I didn’t receive anything. It makes me feel understood. My sister and I have this arrangement. I tell her every Christmas that her gift (nothing) is the best one, because I don't have to figure out where to store more junk until enough time has passed that I don't feel guilty throwing it away. She's even more of a clean freak than I am — I believe she actually gets a thrill out of throwing stuff away. If I want some object, I will buy that object myself. I don't want someone's semi-educated guess (that's most likely wrong) cluttering up my apartment. What I find particularly strange is that people consistently give me things that I explicitly tell them I don't want — they buy me stuff that they want for Christmas or that they think I "need". The only gifts I like are the ones that have strong sentimental value — something that shows a lot of thought went into it — perhaps a handmade photo book or a good meal. For me, an object will never be as valuable as quality time spent with family.
- majewsky 11y ago
  > If I want some object, I will buy that object myself. I can so relate. "What can I get you for birthday?" - "Nothing, mum. I got all I need." - "How about we go buy some new shoes for you?" - "sigh I already have a pair of shoes." :)
  - de_Selby 11y ago
    Sounds like you need new shoes ;)
  - theandrewbailey 11y ago
    For the past three or so years, my mom's Christmas gift to me has been shoes, which I've enjoyed and appreciate every day.
- serg_chernata 11y ago
  Between my wife and I, the policy has been to go out and spend time together instead of buying gifts. I don't try to push this onto others but it does work with most of my close friends as well.
ck2 11y ago
Not wanting "stuff" is a gamble that your present and future is secure and safe. Having been homeless at one point, I've become a bit of a hoarder, because you never know when things will go south and you are one month away from being homeless (again). Also we'll see how often you keep erasing things and starting from scratch as you get older and find that remembering things is a lot harder and takes a lot longer to rebuild. Youth can cause foolishness.
- castis 11y ago
  How would having "stuff" benefit the scenario of becoming homeless?
  - lfowles 11y ago
    More float time before becoming homeless. You already have the toiletries and food staples for the next 3 months, so you can focus money towards that rent payment and job interviews. Not sure what "stuff" the parent was referring too though..
- lfowles 11y ago
  > Having been homeless at one point, I've become a bit of a hoarder, because you never know when things will go south and you are one month away from being homeless (again). It goes both ways, though, doesn't it? Now you need to find a larger apartment to keep around your dining table, toilet paper collection, books. Was that worth keeping them around? Some things yes, other things no.
- adevine 11y ago
  I take the opposite conclusion. If god forbid things do go south and you become homeless, it's much worse having to figure out what to do with a lot of stuff, than if you have minimal stuff to begin with. There was recently a story in the Austin subreddit about a guy who was evicted, and all of his furniture and other stuff was put out on the apartment complex lawn, to be quickly picked up and carted off by his neighbors...
  - 11y ago
jarjoura 11y ago
I looooove purging stuff from my life. I'm about to move again in a couple months and will sell, donate and throw away pretty much most of my current possessions. It's a great freeing feeling, and I'm not one that gets sentimental over inanimate objects.
DubiousPusher 11y ago
I allow myself a single medium size box of sentimental items. If the box should become full, I select some things to photograph and pass them on (though that seldom happens.) Everything else I own must be useful. That is not to say my home is spartan. Art, decor, etc are useful but they must be employed to that prupose. No stashing such things away for future use.
lifeformed 11y ago
I used to do this, but then I started to really get into cooking, which makes you end up with a ton of stuff! Pots and pans, tools, utensils, appliances, etc.
- lfowles 11y ago
  Bowls bowls bowls and tiny bowls. I'm sure I could make do with much less in the kitchen but that wouldn't be very satisfying to the functional programmer in me.
ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago
This newsitem reminds me of times whan HN had that news about people traveling with just a backpack, 100-thing challenge and other minimalism-related news. I discovered http://zenhabits.net/ http://zenhabits.net/ and /r/minimalism. The idea of selecting 1 or 2 Most Important Tasks for the next day really worked for me, for example. Anyone care to share some good minimalism-related resources?
colmvp 11y ago
People have good criticisms about e-readers like the Kindle. It's not great for technical books. It can be a little laggy and not as sensory compared to paper books. That said, the ability to retake space is soooooo worth it. My Kindle has dozens of books, magazines, and long form articles. Over the long term, I have saved volumes of physical space and pounds of weight. While I miss the physical look of having rows of beautiful books decorate a place, I don't mind having more open space for my psyche and other activities (music).
- puzzlingcaptcha 11y ago
  I give away physical books I liked to friends, and those that I didn't like to Books for Amnesty. While you can email someone the .epub, it's not quite the same. A scribbled dedication will persist longer and be more evocative that an email too. Technical books I tend to keep as ebooks on my desktop where I work anyway.
  - colmvp 11y ago
    While I have friends who read, they admit they don't read as much as they used to. So giving books or even games to them often results in an expensive dust collector. And while I admire the act of giving books away, either to BoA or one's local library, I like to go back to my book every once in a while to recall a specific section that resonated. E-readers allows me to save highlights in the cloud, where I can go back to find particular interesting tidbits and find the fuller section if need be. This is helpful complicated concepts that often require multiple reads over time to sink in.
- nextos 11y ago
  This Spring, some cheap 13 inch ereaders are to be released.
- sivers 11y ago
  Yes! Well-put! Thanks for bringing this up. I'm Kindle-only these days, and people ask if I miss books. I might, in theory, but you're right besides the convenience, it's the advantage of NOT having all that paper that is so worth it.
NovaS1X 11y ago
I feel so close to this guy; I can relate to him so much. I don't think I've lived in a house for longer than two years in my entire life. I've lived in different cities, provinces, and even countries. I naturally keep the amount of "stuff" that I own down to an amount that can be packed up into one car/truck load. I love the sense of freedom that comes with being able to pick up and go somewhere else in a day. I also share the thoughts on gifts. Christmas time a Birthdays I always tell people to not get me anything and I their gift to me is a good dinner and time spent with each-other. If they have to get me something then it's the essentials like clothing or consumables. I like having a small set of core, quality items such as my clothing, cameras, and laptop/phone. Everything else is temporary. Come family time this will change, but for now I'm happy living simply.
- deleted 11y ago
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swah 11y ago
Acquire stuff, give unwanted stuff to people who want it.. its really not that hard.
markmontymark 11y ago
I don't really enjoy getting presents all that much because I've attained a certain comfort in life. But, it doesn't seem to me that I had to consider much or stress a lot about where I could donate gifts or items I don't want. There's Baras Foundation, Goodwill, AmVets, shelters, schools, so so many people happily ready to receive anything you give them. Ok, you don't want stuff, but spare me the stress you feel around your family/others not understanding you. Use your energy in a more friendly and giving way and maybe you'll find that it's a bonus to receive the chance to get out in your community, meet and share and give to those that could use a leg up. I bet once you cycle back and tell your family and friends about the people and places and experiences you now have after donating things, they'll understand. Some will have a hard time with it, but I doubt for long. I get a bonus item every 5 yrs at my company. Couple years ago received a 60" TV, took me all of a minute and one email to a local school in need and they drove over and picked it up.
- philh 11y ago
  I don't like having obligations thrust upon me without my consent. A gift is an obligation: I need to find a use for it, or at least find somewhere out of the way to keep it until I can get rid of it. The way I read your comment, you're trying to replace one obligation with another (find somewhere to give it away). You're telling me that this absolves the first obligation ("they'll understand"), and that I'll enjoy the second one ("it's a bonus to..."). I'm skeptical of both of those things: you don't know me and you don't know my family and friends. But even if you're right, I don't want the second obligation. If I want to get out in the community, I can do that without waiting for someone to give me a gift I don't want. (As it happens, in my case, I often like the gift more than I dislike the obligation. Maintaining an amazon wishlist is helpful for this. But not everyone is the same, and "spare me" is an unkind reaction to them.)
  - markmontymark 11y ago
    You are filled with what emotions when you: - donate - after talking to a friend you realize you have something you don't want you can give them - talk to a neighbor and realize you can clear out space in a garage or house or shed by giving them something - just throw something in an alley and someone comes by within the hour and happily loads it up in a truck for use or selling elsewhere Sorry if you can't see the positive in the effort expended. Yes, I should not assume much about you. I am optimistic that people don't feel WORSE during the act of giving.
mathattack 11y ago
I agree. My brother keeps wanting to send massive toys for our kids, and we have to finesse out of it. "We have a small space..."
- nkrisc 11y ago
  This is one of my biggest anticipated headaches for when we have kids. One of the hypothetical future grandparents likes to spoil...
  - mathattack 11y ago
    Just have the kids, and don't let them catch you throwing out their old artwork from school.
xyzzy4 11y ago
The last time before I moved, I took a bunch of perfectly good furniture and other stuff I didn't want anymore and put it on my street corner. Within a day, it was gone. There was low income housing nearby so maybe one of those people took it.
- bstamour 11y ago
  You don't need to be low-income to appreciate free, perfectly good stuff.
branchless 11y ago
I fight against this all the time. It's simply impossible due to all the guilt involved. I do not want anything for xmas/birthday. My wife always wants to get me something and makes me feel like a killjoy. This is perhaps manageable. Bigger problem is I have 2 kids who get invited to parties. I have to take the birthday boy/girl something. Fine - but this means it's reciprocated. Valentines day recently. Used to be for asking a new girl out - now you have to gift something to your wife of 20 years. I have successfully vanquished this one. Coming over for dinner? They bring a (bad) bottle of wine that I now have to get rid of. On and on the waste goes. It just goes on and on.
- ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago
  Those thoughts sometimes lead me to conclusion that "gift" tradition is invented or supported by marketing. It sounds like conspiracy theory, but it is partially true: take for example valentines day that is exploited by advertisement industry each year. I wonder if that gift tradition would be nearly dead were it not for aggressive advertising.
  - hyperpape 11y ago
    Of course it isn't. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gift_(book) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gift_(book)
  - mixmastamyk 11y ago
    True, look no further than the diamond ring "tradition."
  - ZeroFries 11y ago
    Doesn't require conspiracy. It's in the best interests of retailers to peddle gift-giving, so they do. This peddling increases gift-giving, or the retailers would stop doing it. Therefore it's safe to assume that gift-giving rates would be lower if the retailers did not peddle it.
- venomsnake 11y ago
  Bad wine makes terrific vinegar :)
draw_down 11y ago
Getting rid of stuff feels great, but I think we have a cultural thing where we equate it with some sort of higher virtue. That's a mistake, but sure, get rid of all your stuff. Like I said, feels great.
phat4life 11y ago
this is why when i give gifts, i give something edible, or consumable, like nice chocolate, wine, coffee, etc, usually something gourmet or something that the person wouldn't normally buy.
jrs235 11y ago
My number one wish/want/desire for my birthday (which happens to be today!) is no gifts. I prefer no one make a big deal either. One year my parents didn't send me a card or anything. It was soooo sweet! They finally listened and respected my desire(s). Then I found out they actually forgot. Which was bittersweet because that's sad to many but awesome because they made my birthday a non issue. Anyways, for my birthday... I want to celebrate my parents for giving me the greatest gift of all, life. I'm ordering flowers for them right now. Edit: changed "a catch 22" to "bittersweet" and "mother" to "parents".
carsongross 11y ago
I very much appreciate the sentiment, particularly in todays marketing-saturated environment. However, I can say from personal experience that having a few nice or meaningful things can lead to some happiness, given the appropriate relationship with them. This book has quite a bit of silliness in it (I found it charming, you may not) but it has been very good for my mental health: http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering/dp/1607747308 http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Declut...
UncleSam 11y ago
I grew up with my parents getting us lots of gifts for Christmas and birthdays, but now I realize that I don't enjoy that. I much prefer that they don't send us lots of small gifts that I will have to find a 'spot' for in the house. I understand how someone can choose to live a very minimalist life. I'm not there yet, but I'm working my way towards having less stuff.
mhurron 11y ago
Not having any friends is a really easy way to deal with this.
waynecochran 11y ago
In grad school I could fit everything I owned into my small pickup. Now that I am married w/ 3 kids, it would take a semi truck to move. I long for those simpler days. sigh.
- magic_beans 11y ago
  It's not like someone forced you to marry and have three kids ;)
forinti 11y ago
I really wish we only gave gifts to children and that between adults people would exchange just edibles (wine, chocolates, or some really nice home baked bread) if they exchanged anything at all.
mstade 11y ago
Every time I read anything from Derek Sivers, or see him give a talk, I feel happy and inspired – regardless of whether I agree with what he's actually saying. I like that.
- sivers 11y ago
  Thanks! That's a wonderful compliment. Email & introduce yourself sometime.
0xffff2 11y ago
I can appreciate the sentiment, but I actually like doing things. Don't get me wrong, I probably spend much more time than most in front of my computer, but even so. I'm a photographer -> Two bags full of camera gear, tripod... I'm a hiker/backpacker -> Backpack, tent, sleeping bag, hiking boots... I'm a cyclist -> Bike, helmet, gloves, pump... I'm a computer engineer -> Solder station, wire cutters, crimping tools... I'm a DIYer -> Saws, hammers, screwdrivers... I would love to have less stuff, but the amount of myself that I would have to strip away for it to make sense is mind boggling to me. I go looking to get rid of stuff all the time, but even though I have a lot of things, I use all of them. I truly can't wrap my head around the idea of living a fulfilling life with only a laptop and whatever furnishings came with my apartment.
- graeme 11y ago
  That's a good point, though the article addresses it explicitly. >I’m not saying anyone else should be this way. Back when I was a full-time musician, I had a whole recording studio full of stuff. But these days, everything I want to do is on my laptop. If I had a different hobby, I’d have a different situation.
  - ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago
    And even if you have a hobby that requires things, receiving them as gifts is not a good idea. Can you imagine musician who received his musical instruments as gifts instead of carefully choosing them himself?
    - falcolas 11y ago
      Yup. Wishlists are a wonderful solution to this problem. You indicate which specific item you want, perhaps with a justification for why, and someone has the option of getting it for you, or not. Or just giving you some cash to go towards getting that one particular item. Of course, gifts in the $300+ range are relatively rare, so most musicians won't usually have to worry about someone getting them the wrong, but high enough quality you can't return it, item.
danans 11y ago
Like so many things, minimizing "stuff" falls on a spectrum, and your ability to minimize depends a lot on your status in life (kids, family, wealth). It seems like what the author is talking about here is stuff that gives you neither basic utility nor inspiration, but that you have accepted as part of a social custom that is disconnected from both utility and inspiration. A beautiful-to-you piece of artwork (or 10) could be worth keeping if provides you inspiration. A really nice chair or couch, or a plant could do the same, as do your family heirlooms. These are examples of stuff that it probably is worth keeping. Things that do little to nothing to sustain or inspire you, but whose primary purpose is social status signaling are good candidates for stuff reduction.
grownseed 11y ago
This is something I've written about before, at least indirectly, but I believe not owning much at all has deep therapeutical value. Until recently, I was in a very similar situation to the author, I sold and gave away nearly all of my stuff (an apartment full of it) years ago, to only be left with a backpack and a suitcase worth of stuff. It was extremely liberating, I didn't have things to look at making me wonder whether I used them enough or unfolding years of history associated to it that would burden my mind. By the time I'd gotten accustomed to this lifestyle, the only thing that mattered to me was my passport, and only because I wanted to keep travelling. The rest of my stuff could have been stolen and I would have shrugged at it. After a while, that made me realize that the problem wasn't so much with the belongings themselves, but rather the attachment we develop towards things, sometimes to unhealthy degrees. My finger in the air theory is, we teach kids to value the things they have, because as adults we work to pay for most things and we know what it's like to not be able to afford something, particularly when it comes to providing for your close ones. Children's concept of money is rather simplistic (or even non-existent), so I believe the value is more emotionally based (there have been studies showing that children ascribe human emotions to inanimate things, among other things). I think this emotional bond with objects remains, to a certain extent, as we grow older, which would also emphasize the idea of owning as a social signal (i.e. "that person has many [friends|things]"). The idea that we should be thankful for the things we have, not the things we might get, is great in theory, but explaining to a small child that they should be thankful for their very life is a bit brutal to say the least. Not completely sure where I'm going with this. I suppose attachment is something for which you have to both program and de-program yourself to appreciate without being dependent. But even that is made more complicated as soon as another person enters the picture (partner, child, etc.). The way I try to make it work is to offer people tangible signs of affection, such as cooking a nice meal, playing some music, help out with a problem and so on, things that can be valued in and of themselves, but that carry little or no baggage. Likewise, I tend to ask close ones to give me something from themselves, rather than buy things. As the giver, you get to do something you're passionate about and share it with the person you care for. As the receiver, you value the sentiment more profoundly and you learn a little bit more about the other. Anywho, it works for me, YMMV :)
- chipsy 11y ago
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
sridca 11y ago
I have a similar arrangement (live in a furnished apartment, don't own stuff, etc) except there is no gift problem - as in my culture (India) reunions are more common than gift-giving. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal#Kaanum_Pongal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal#Kaanum_Pongal
fs111 11y ago
I don't get it. His website says he reads quite a few books. Why can't he just create an amazon wishlist full of books he wants to read and refer to that? Problem solved. Nobody likes getting random stuff, but getting things you would have gotten yourself anyway is not a problem, I'd argue.
- obsurveyor 11y ago
  I assume he reads digital books based on his uncluttered nature and gifting Kindle books is a pain because you can't schedule when it's delivered or create a redemption code. It's just immediately sent to that person's Kindle library.
  - fs111 11y ago
    fair, but not all books exist in kindle form.
suyash 11y ago
My rule is: Only keep stuff that gives you a lot of joy or makes you money. Everything else must go! Read this book if you want to clean up your junk: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo or atleast watch her talk on YouTube - very inspiring.
seansmccullough 11y ago
Best thing about not having a lot of stuff (if you live alone) - studio apartments. Easier to clean, lower rent/utilities, and easy to move whenever you want.
AstroJetson 11y ago
We agreed one year of no Christmas Gifts. I brought a $100 bill. Gave it to my brother who passed it on to my sister who gave it to me, I gave it back to her, she gave it to my brother and he gave it back to me. Next work day "Hey for Christmas both my brother and sister gave me $100 each!" So it works out ;-) I'm like 0xffff2 I have a ton of things that makes house stuff go better like a ladder, hand tools I like electronics, bench full of parts and different tools. My partner is a quilter, so tons of fabric fills that space. There are two shelves with 4 totes of holiday decorations. And so it goes. I have divested of lots of stuff, like paper books now reside as digital ones on a file server, a book case of movies and music are now stored on a few TB drives. We are pretty much devoid of small decorations that need to be dusted. But unlike the University me that could move to my first few places with all I owned in my VW bus, the last move took most of a Mayflower truck. Not sure how all of the things I like to do are going to fit into the Old Folks Home in a few years.
NEDM64 11y ago
I'm not that extreme, but I'm always postponing the day I finally get a trash bag and fill it with everything I don't want or don't need and put it in the trash or sell it on eBay/give it to goodwill. The favorite part of my house, is the micro studio in my apartment where I keep my electronics stuff (workbench with instruments) and various components like resistors, transistors, caps, inductors, switches, LEDs, glue logic, mcu's soldering stuff. Because I arranged it like it should be, with everything in it's own place.
jrs235 11y ago
It's my birthday today. This is the gift I would like: The gift of not having to expend energy over the issue of gifts and social reactions to them. Thank you.
- gknoy 11y ago
  Happy birthday! Best of all, since it's not my birthday you don't have to worry about reciprocation! :D
andrewjl 11y ago
I grew up in a house with lots of stuff and share Derek's aversion to clutter. My solution is to aim for quality over quantity. I think there's still a case for keeping a good set of tools around. For us software engineers, most tools are virtual with the exception of our computers and / or writing utensils. I don't view it as any different from someone mechanically inclined keeping their physical tools around. Same deal with hiking or camping gear. I still find it hard to dispose of books. Not so much because I want to keep the physical book but because the book is a physical manifestation of an idea I respect and want to keep a physical record of it in my life. (I even own both physical and electronic versions of some of my favorites to re-read when traveling.)
- cfallin 11y ago
  Books and tools are my two vices as well. Books especially -- there's something to be said for the user-interface both of an individual paper book, and of a whole bookshelf, in terms of ease of navigation. PDFs allow you to grep but spatial memory is much better suited to physical things. And I'm much more likely to pick up a paperback from my bookshelf when I'm looking for something to read than I am to go find a PDF and sit in front of my laptop/tablet. And finally I really like the social aspect of physical books. "Hey, we were just talking about X, and you might like this book!" works way better with paper than with a PDF.
mattbettinson 11y ago
I like when people buy me nice film.
greggman 11y ago
I do want stuff but ... about 30 months ago I got rid of everything and started traveling. I've been living out of a large suitcase and backpack for that entire time, staying at hotels or renting AirBnBs a month at a time. Because I'm living out of my suitcase I can't buy anything without throwing something away. I have 2 pairs of shoes, dress and non-dress. When I've gone to some place tropical I've had to buy sandals and then throw them away when I get on the next plane because there's no room in my suitcase. It also means I can't really go shopping. Some of you might think that's a good thing but many people enjoy shopping while traveling. I'm in a cold place now. A couple of days ago I spilt something on my one heavy jacket. While it's in the cleaners I had to buy another which I'll have to discard one way or another before I get on the next plane. For me personally yea, I miss having a TV to chill at. I miss video games and PC games (carrying a mac which few games run on and can't have a console). Wish I had a desktop PC for higher end graphics. Wish I could play with VR but can't carry that equipment. (well except for a Google Cardboard) I'm ready to go back to living somewhere though being un-rooted I'm finding it extremely hard to decide where I should plant roots again.
- DaveSapien 11y ago
  So much this! I am in the exact position and facing the same issue. For me going back full time to my homeland and buying a ps4 seems like a good idea, but I have to keep reminding myself that these comfortable things ultimately just drag you down and end up owning you. I too will plant roots 'somewhere' someday, and that to will be an adventure. Good luck in finding your home!
- kinai 11y ago
  I am in the same spot, but I got cloth for all climates with me, 1x65l and 1x45l backpacks. Also 3 pair of shoes and even 1 pair boots. ;)
AndrewKemendo 11y ago
Our family has taken this philosophy as well and you wouldn't believe the animosity we have gotten from it. People calling us selfish for asking for no gifts, or getting upset when we get rid of the stuff they do send even after we asked them not to send anything. Quite baffling till you understand that giving gifts is the only way some people know how to express themselves.
SCdF 11y ago
Fascinating post. Parallel thought: should he be deleting old blog posts to keep his online collection of things decluttered?
KineticLensman 11y ago
Perhaps this is a generational thing. When I was much younger, I was also minimalist. My key possessions were the things I could carry to a new apartment, plus a massive stash of books at my parent's house. Nowadays, I have a house myself, and have spent >15 years converting bare terrain into a garden. I still enjoy travel, but enjoy being grounded in a space I've created myself. Now, my key possessions are good tools: a beefy rig for 3D rendering, a pro-quality camera, some essential garden kit including BBQ, log splitter, leaf blowers, lawn mower, etc and some good general purpose cooking gear (e.g pans and knives). This is my 'essential' toolkit of stuff. Ironically, I would now find it much easier to part with the majority of my physical book collection, since apart from a few nostalgic items (first hardback edition of The Lord of the Rings, etc) most of this stuff is in the cloud. Your mileage may vary, young grasshopper.
BinaryResult 11y ago
My daughter just had a birthday and we got a "Frozen" themed waffle maker. It's tiny, cheap, ugly and we already have a waffle maker. Now I have to figure out what to do with it because it's brand new in the box. Unfortunately every day that passes increases the likelihood that it just ends up in the garbage =P
- whitegrape 11y ago
  Sounds like it's more for your daughter to experiment with cooking waffles on than to be of practical use? Kind of like an easy-bake-oven. Though if I had a kid I'd just encourage them to use the full appliances to start with. ;) Hopefully you'll take it to Goodwill/equivalent instead. Maybe it'll end up in a landfill after that, but I always feel like I should give people a shot at finding my junk to be their treasure.
RikNieu 11y ago
Well, I certainly want stuff for my birthday. But only chocolate stuff. All the chocolate I can stuff in my belly.
msluyter 11y ago
Related, the notion of "peak stuff:" http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/31/consumerism-reached-peak-stuff-search-for-happiness http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/31/consume...
hack_mmmm 11y ago
"Living minimalistic" - life connects you more to the present. In the end, this is what matters most. But having memories makes us more empathetic by virtue of emotions. If you know yourself and connect with humanity no matter what, then living minimalistic could be great! Otherwise not!
paddy_m 11y ago
I feel similarly about wedding registries, for myself emphatically and for others slightly less. I'm fortunate to have everything material possession that I want, asking for more seems wrong to me. I feel incredibly grateful, and couldn't imagine asking anyone, much less people who have less to give material possessions that I don't need. I don't need them, nor would my partner, because we have managed to live to this point without them. If it comes time to register for a wedding, I would only request that donations be given to select charities. </end rant>
mdni007 11y ago
If you don't want it send it to me.
juniorplenty 11y ago
"So when I receive something in the mail, no matter how thoughtful it is, it kinda sucks because now I have to figure out how to get rid of it. I feel really wasteful if I just throw it in the trash, so I have to figure out who to give it to. Then I feel bad for whoever spent a bunch of money and time to get and send me something." Hey Derek - you might find Yerdle a useful outlet for this stuff. It's not selling for USD (so you don't feel bad,) and it's not donation - you swap these things that you don't need for YRD (Yerdle Re-use Dollars) and if you ever do want something you redeem your YRD. Meanwhile, your unwanted gift goes to someone who actually wants it, and who either can't afford it, or has simply decided not to participate in a consumerist economy. The YRD they spend was earned through a similar give. On Yerdle, our community shops with what they already own, instead of creating more waste through more consumption. Anyway - way to commit to decluttering, and try that next time, see if it feels better...
jmzbond 11y ago
Love this discussion! I’m currently running Last Minute Gear: www.lastmingear.com which rents outdoors gear for camping/ snowsports in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that though, the concept was called www.projectborrow.com, very much borrowing! I want to address why there aren’t “successful” startups here in my experience and my outlook on the future. The 2 dominant forces governing buy vs not-buy behavior for anyone are price & convenience. For example, if a tent costs $200 to buy and $100 to rent, you’re obviously going to buy it, since as long as you get 2 uses out of that tent, it’s financially more worthwhile to buy. If a tent costs $200 to buy and $1 to rent, you’re obviously never going to buy it since you’ll probably never camp 200 times in your life. In the real world, though, the rental price is fixed and retail prices move. Let’s say the rental price is $20. A nice tent is $200 and a crappy tent is $40. If you’re like most people, you’re going to decide to buy the $40 tent, reasoning that as long as you get 2 uses out of it, you win. But this is actually very irrational, because it doesn’t account for the fact that: - that crappy tent may break your 1st trip - even if not, you’d have to make sure you maintain it well enough such that it’s still usable the 2nd trip (i.e., did you know storing a wet tent can lead to mildew growth?) - and the psychological/ spatial burden cited elsewhere in this discussion $40 may be too much of a low ball, but the reasoning above is why people persistently choose to buy instead of rent even though rationally, renting is almost always better. It’s irrational, but such is the amazing magnetic power of the low price. (Should prices be so low in the first place, aka should a bag of chips be cheaper than a bag of carrots, is a-whole-nother debate!) Borrowing is just like renting, except that the cost is the value of your time in finding a lender and sorting out all the logistics. This has its own set of complications, because what I found is that different people place different premiums on non-monetary values (aka convenience). In other words, some people would rather pay a taxi back and forth $40 to get a tent for free, while others would rather rent a tent at a store for $40. Same cash outflow, but vastly different user beliefs about which is more “worth it.” Here’s an extreme example: if I told you that the building you lived in would stock a mini “toolbox” on every floor so residents could share things like drills, and the building would cover all costs, you can bet that plenty of people are still going to buy their own things. Your closet is 10 feet closer, and therefore, to some people, a million bucks more worth it. (Consider the startup service provider Alfred.) Because people are so different in how they perceive the value of not buying, I think it’s improbable to have a product that works for even 50% of the market. In fact, I’d venture that stuff-sharing startups will continue, but you’ll see a lot of smaller players rather than large. But that of course limits investment, which further limits the appeal of this space.
anuj_nm 11y ago
My girlfriend lives this philosophy of minimalism, and I try to follow it as well. She's had to move at least once a year every year for the past 8 years, and she brings her stuff down to two suitcases each time (with no storage anywhere else). I'm not as regular at it as she is, but I go through 'stuff cleansings' about once a year. I probably have 4 suitcases/boxes, along with some stuff stored at my parents's place in India. Living minimally is very freeing. It allows you have to a low maintenance lifestyle, while giving you a sense of security. On the other hand, getting into any hobby becomes a trade ofd between buying and maintaining the equipment, or paying absurd amounts to rent it.
collinmanderson 11y ago
After reading this article, I had the thought to view the html source. I wasn't disappointed. :) Very clean and minimal. Very little html, very little css, very little javascript.

339 points by wallflower 11y ago

I don't live quite like this, but I feel similarly about gifts: I far prefer them to be practical rather than decorative or frivolous. I've realised that people can get slightly upset when I explain it to them. They want to buy me something fun, something I'll "enjoy". Chances are I won't, although I do of course appreciate the sentiment. Equally, I find it more satisfying to buy a "useful" gift for others. And of course people don't always appreciate this, and some prefer a trinket instead of a practical item. There's emotional context imbued in the act of giving, and some people embed that in the object itself. So I'm learning to allow people to express their feelings toward me by letting them buy me whatever they want, although I will still hint at my preference if given a choice. This can lead to clutter, which I hate, but I've realised some people love. I don't know the solution to this yet, but I suspect it's a combination of out-of-site storage and in-view display cabinet type arrangements. I have disposed of truly unwanted gifts, but I realise that's potentially hurtful so I don't enjoy doing it.

RealityVoid 11y ago
While I like the ideea of this lifestyle, I can't do it. I simply love my tools too much. And I have a lot of them. And lopts of parts. At a first look, some might looks superfulous, for example, I have this wierd star-shaped screwdriver. Most of the time, I don't use it, but boy, when I use it, does it save me a lot of time.
- noir_lord 11y ago
  Nothing wrong with that, I'm fairly minimal in the stuff I own but I have a tonne of cycling stuff (all of which is used, UK climate means you have to change up gear a lot) and tools since it's just not practical to buy those when I need them.
- NovaS1X 11y ago
  Tools and parts. One of my weak points too. There's not much I don't fix myself. I understand.
- marincounty 11y ago
  I want to live like this too, but I need tools. I need automotive tools. I can't afford mechanics bills, nor trust the workmanship. I need tools to repair watches--which turned into a side business. Plus I have home contractor tools. It's the tools that has me waited down. I have a library I can thin down, but it's hard. It's 99 percent refrence. And the first editions--well I like them more than some people. I wouldn't have ever started the library, but didn't think books would be so digitally available. I have a couple of vaccumes I could get rid of, but who would cut my hair? Flobee--and they do work, if you have a little bit of coordination. I hated going to the hair salon. That said--if I had to go leave real quick, I would take all my watches, and jeweler's tools. I could fit everything in three legal sized boxes. I would take another three legal sized boxes of books. I would leave my tool chest, and put all tools in six legal sized boxes. I might need to move quick in the future. I'm not sure where I will go. I won't pay Bay Area rents again. I go out at night, and the people I would interact with moved away. The Bay Area is just not that fun anymore. Never thought I would say that, but then again couldn't imagine living in the Midwest. I am greatful I never had a kid. Never thought I would say that. I like them, but I never thought life in America would be this ruthless. I gave away my inheritance, from a pretty brutal father. At the time, I didn't think I would ever need it, nor wanted anything from the man. I gave it all to a family member. I should have kept some of it. It was a lot too. On the positive side, when I'm dying, I won't need to make to many amends. I haven't screwed over anyone--I can recall. My exes don't want to keep in touch. One told me, "You can be really hurtful. You have hurt my feelings more than any other person." She's now seeing women. I knew I was kinda a handful, but I didn't intentionally want to hurt her feelings. I just couldn't continually agree. Got off track.
  - magic_beans 11y ago
    I don't know why but this was really moving. Upsetting, a little, maybe, but so moving.
    - luxpir 11y ago
      I thought I was reading an excerpt from some cult book of some kind. I think it's the honesty that resonates for me. Thanks for sharing, marincounty, and keep it coming. Edit - just realised mc has been behind many of the most interesting comments I've read over the last few months. Might not agree with it all, but enjoy reading them!
Joof 11y ago
I've come to prefer giving (often cheap) gifts that are intended to be disposed of, but lead to a bit of fun. Quick example: I got my family (parents, sister, cousins, etc; no kids right now) a bunch of santa hats from the doller store for christmas that were each a little different and one was technically a chair cover (but looked like an incredibly oversized hat). Then I let them duke it out over who got which hat. Also shutter shades. They still talk about that Christmas. Experiences are something worthwhile.
VLM 11y ago
Refrigerator door culture. At some point in life you will no longer be permitted not to have magnets on your fridge. I made it until I got married. Weaponized clothes are a thing too. Everyone knows nobody likes getting someone elses choice of clothes as a gift, especially not kids, but it is a socially acceptable weapon to kinda "get" the recipient. More a slap to the face than a punch to the face, but none the less kinda an aggressive act.
- rubiquity 11y ago
  Hah, same here. We made it until friends started having children. I think there's still a refrigerator door somewhere underneath all the cute pictures.
  - idoh 11y ago
    Yeah me too. I had to make a rule where if it was over a year old then we could take it down.
- chc 11y ago
  I don't know, I've gotten lots of clothes I liked. I don't much enjoy going clothes shopping, so I appreciate other people putting in the effort as long as their impression of the things I'd wear is reasonably accurate.
  - theandrewbailey 11y ago
    I don't enjoy clothes shopping either, but Mom and I hit the stores soon after Christmas and take massive advantage of the sales.
- bbarn 11y ago
  My father hated fridge magnets and resisted for years. Then he remarried, and it started happening, slowly. One year, he bought a very nice refrigerator for xmas. It's completely non-magnetic. I couldn't help but ask, and yes.. it was intentional.
vram22 11y ago
Does anyone use Amazon wish lists to solve this sort of issue? Do they even exist? Asking both out of interest of this thread's topic, and because some time back I consulted to a dot com startup where the product was to be a gift related site. Startup was executed very poorly so I left (and it shut down soon after). But the idea may have had merit.
- BorgHunter 11y ago
  My family all has Amazon wish lists for exactly this issue, in fact. Before Amazon was popular, we all posted wish lists on a closet door in my grandmother's house, and we either went in the den to look at them or called her and asked her what was on the lists. My girlfriend's family doesn't do any of this stuff, and so I've had to do "educated guess"-type gifting, which I'm usually somewhat decent at. They tend to get me clothes, which is fine, everyone's gotta wear clothes.
- 0xffff2 11y ago
  I do. I've trained nearly everyone in my life to accept that I'm happy receiving nothing for my birthday and Christmas, but my dad refuses to get on board. I always have a list of stuff saved in my Amazon cart that I want eventually, but not enough to buy it right now. So every time a holiday rolls around and he wants to buy me something, I just chuck all of that stuff into a wish list and send it to him.
jimbokun 11y ago
Cash is an under rated gift. Can get creative with different denominations and presentations. For example, my in laws will give a jar of Nutella as a Christmas gift, with some bills taped to the bottom. Always a little bit of surprise as to where the cash will be. Kids especially love this! One Christmas, had the grand kids sing a silly song in order to get a dollar or two. Lots of ways to turn giving cash from an impersonal gift, into something fun and creative!
sliverstorm 11y ago
I assume you've tried to explain that you enjoy practical things? How 20 years from now you will pull out the old battered screwdriver they gave you (assuming it was a good screwdriver), put together some furniture, and think of them? One of the best gifts I ever got was a Craftsman hand tool set from my father. (Caveat, of course, is I was a raging petrol-head and kept swiping his tools, so he knew I would use it)
- austinjp 11y ago
  Yup. This risks my receiving cheap screwdrivers that get chewed up on first use. But hey, it's the thought that counts :)

grecy 11y ago

My family has taken to giving "expereiences" rather than "stuff" because we prefer to live with less stuff. So we'll get each other cooking classes, surfing lessons, bungee jumping, skydiving, etc. etc.

VLM 11y ago
Birthday Dinner. Either very fancy home cooked, or go out to a very nice restaurant. Its fun.
- grecy 11y ago
  Home cooked every time - everyone in the kitchen pitching in - best family time there is!

noir_lord 11y ago

I'm somewhat similar to this except furnished flats are rare where I live so I have some furniture. That said my bedroom has a bed and a side table, my living room a sofa, computer desk and TV. Spare bedroom has my road bike and my cycling gear (as a hobby it's unavoidable). I have a (somewhat) strict 1 closet policy for clothing, once I fill it for each item in something has to go (easy this year as I dropped nearly 70lbs, virtually nothing I had fits). I could pack and move my entire possessions in a day and with the exception of my computer gear/bike stuff replace everything for under a 1000 quid. I can't even claim any asceticism or anything for this, I just don't buy stuff I don't need and get rid of stuff I don't use because if I don't use it why have to clean around it.

NovaS1X 11y ago
>(easy this year as I dropped nearly 70lbs, virtually nothing I had fits). Good job. That must feel good.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- noir_lord 11y ago
  Dropped the first 60 in 4 months, that didn't feel great, 1500 calories a day for 4 months got old really fast but yeah physically I feel better than I have in a long time. Also according to NHS guidelines as of a few weeks ago I'm no longer even overweight I'm in the healthy range (not that I entirely trust their crude BMI stuff) which is a nice place to be.
  - whitegrape 11y ago
    Nice. Did you just do it with strict calorie watching or some other diet? My friend lost his 100lbs in about 5-6 months on Keto, I've used it to lose 50lbs quickly myself, I think it makes the lower calorie count hard to notice... In his case he avoided the clothing problem by wearing all his old clothes he's had in storage boxes for years since they no longer fit.

ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago

Every time I have a birthday I am terribly worried about receiving some gift that I won't like from people who don't know me good enough but want to give me some present. Receiving a gift that I don't like and having to avoid showing that I don't really like it is worse than receiving nothing. In fact I have enough money to buy anything I want myself, so there is really nothing I would like to receive as a gift.

Scarbutt 11y ago
In fact I have enough money to buy anything I want myself, so there is really nothing I would like to receive as a gift. That sounds like a closed mentality to me, you never know really, someone might just surprise you.
- jrs235 11y ago
  Give me the gift of recognizing my preference for no material gifts. EDIT: Or toilet paper. I'll eventually make use of and need TP.
  - Scarbutt 11y ago
    So my point was that unless you know everything about life and the universe you might not know what your preferences are (and preferences change) ;) And not all gifts are material. But sure, there's nothing wrong in not wanting anything from someone else if that is your thing.
  - magic_beans 11y ago
    I get the impression going through this gift that people don't actually know how to give gifts. I LOVE giving gifts. No, I don't go through someone's Amazon wish-list or buy them something they could buy themselves. I usually make people things, and it usually takes 2-6 months of work. I might spend a month on an embroidered pocket square, or a handmade notebook, or a handmade piece of jewelry or carving, or an elaborate 6-course meal and paired wines. If I can't dedicate at LEAST few weeks to constructing the perfect gift/experience for someone, I won't give anything at all. Better nothing than a bad gift...

moonlighter 11y ago

I can very much relate to this; my motto is "you don't own stuff; the stuff owns you". And every time I've moved, I was amazed at just how much stuff one (even unwillingly) accumulates, and how liberating it feels to get rid of it. I also prefer to own just a few high quality and/or useful things over having a 'ton of crap'.

jrs235 11y ago
Yup. Which is why as I said elsewhere: Give me the gift of recognizing my preference for no material gifts. Or toilet paper. I'll eventually make use of and need TP. (It helps remove crap! ;)
majewsky 11y ago
I've recently started building an actual database of my physical inventory, and have already found multiple items which I needlessly own twice because when I bought the second one, I didn't realize I had one already.
- artursapek 11y ago
  That's awesome. You just have a sql database of your physical possessions?
  - mbrock 11y ago
    One time I took square photos of all my things and put them in CouchDB with just a label. It was pretty fun to see an alphabetical list of photos of nearly everything I owned. Like an RPG inventory.
    - solotronics 11y ago
      This is an amazing idea. First thing that comes to mind is a process to automate labeling like with google images. Is there anything open source that fits this?

Xcelerate 11y ago

I relate to this guy so much. > It makes me really happy when another Christmas or birthday has passed and I didn’t receive anything. It makes me feel understood. My sister and I have this arrangement. I tell her every Christmas that her gift (nothing) is the best one, because I don't have to figure out where to store more junk until enough time has passed that I don't feel guilty throwing it away. She's even more of a clean freak than I am — I believe she actually gets a thrill out of throwing stuff away. If I want some object, I will buy that object myself. I don't want someone's semi-educated guess (that's most likely wrong) cluttering up my apartment. What I find particularly strange is that people consistently give me things that I explicitly tell them I don't want — they buy me stuff that they want for Christmas or that they think I "need". The only gifts I like are the ones that have strong sentimental value — something that shows a lot of thought went into it — perhaps a handmade photo book or a good meal. For me, an object will never be as valuable as quality time spent with family.

majewsky 11y ago
> If I want some object, I will buy that object myself. I can so relate. "What can I get you for birthday?" - "Nothing, mum. I got all I need." - "How about we go buy some new shoes for you?" - "sigh I already have a pair of shoes." :)
- de_Selby 11y ago
  Sounds like you need new shoes ;)
- theandrewbailey 11y ago
  For the past three or so years, my mom's Christmas gift to me has been shoes, which I've enjoyed and appreciate every day.
serg_chernata 11y ago
Between my wife and I, the policy has been to go out and spend time together instead of buying gifts. I don't try to push this onto others but it does work with most of my close friends as well.

ck2 11y ago

Not wanting "stuff" is a gamble that your present and future is secure and safe. Having been homeless at one point, I've become a bit of a hoarder, because you never know when things will go south and you are one month away from being homeless (again). Also we'll see how often you keep erasing things and starting from scratch as you get older and find that remembering things is a lot harder and takes a lot longer to rebuild. Youth can cause foolishness.

castis 11y ago
How would having "stuff" benefit the scenario of becoming homeless?
- lfowles 11y ago
  More float time before becoming homeless. You already have the toiletries and food staples for the next 3 months, so you can focus money towards that rent payment and job interviews. Not sure what "stuff" the parent was referring too though..
lfowles 11y ago
> Having been homeless at one point, I've become a bit of a hoarder, because you never know when things will go south and you are one month away from being homeless (again). It goes both ways, though, doesn't it? Now you need to find a larger apartment to keep around your dining table, toilet paper collection, books. Was that worth keeping them around? Some things yes, other things no.
adevine 11y ago
I take the opposite conclusion. If god forbid things do go south and you become homeless, it's much worse having to figure out what to do with a lot of stuff, than if you have minimal stuff to begin with. There was recently a story in the Austin subreddit about a guy who was evicted, and all of his furniture and other stuff was put out on the apartment complex lawn, to be quickly picked up and carted off by his neighbors...
- 11y ago

jarjoura 11y ago

I looooove purging stuff from my life. I'm about to move again in a couple months and will sell, donate and throw away pretty much most of my current possessions. It's a great freeing feeling, and I'm not one that gets sentimental over inanimate objects.

DubiousPusher 11y ago

I allow myself a single medium size box of sentimental items. If the box should become full, I select some things to photograph and pass them on (though that seldom happens.) Everything else I own must be useful. That is not to say my home is spartan. Art, decor, etc are useful but they must be employed to that prupose. No stashing such things away for future use.

lifeformed 11y ago

I used to do this, but then I started to really get into cooking, which makes you end up with a ton of stuff! Pots and pans, tools, utensils, appliances, etc.

lfowles 11y ago
Bowls bowls bowls and tiny bowls. I'm sure I could make do with much less in the kitchen but that wouldn't be very satisfying to the functional programmer in me.

ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago

This newsitem reminds me of times whan HN had that news about people traveling with just a backpack, 100-thing challenge and other minimalism-related news. I discovered http://zenhabits.net/ http://zenhabits.net/ and /r/minimalism. The idea of selecting 1 or 2 Most Important Tasks for the next day really worked for me, for example. Anyone care to share some good minimalism-related resources?

colmvp 11y ago

People have good criticisms about e-readers like the Kindle. It's not great for technical books. It can be a little laggy and not as sensory compared to paper books. That said, the ability to retake space is soooooo worth it. My Kindle has dozens of books, magazines, and long form articles. Over the long term, I have saved volumes of physical space and pounds of weight. While I miss the physical look of having rows of beautiful books decorate a place, I don't mind having more open space for my psyche and other activities (music).

puzzlingcaptcha 11y ago
I give away physical books I liked to friends, and those that I didn't like to Books for Amnesty. While you can email someone the .epub, it's not quite the same. A scribbled dedication will persist longer and be more evocative that an email too. Technical books I tend to keep as ebooks on my desktop where I work anyway.
- colmvp 11y ago
  While I have friends who read, they admit they don't read as much as they used to. So giving books or even games to them often results in an expensive dust collector. And while I admire the act of giving books away, either to BoA or one's local library, I like to go back to my book every once in a while to recall a specific section that resonated. E-readers allows me to save highlights in the cloud, where I can go back to find particular interesting tidbits and find the fuller section if need be. This is helpful complicated concepts that often require multiple reads over time to sink in.
nextos 11y ago
This Spring, some cheap 13 inch ereaders are to be released.
sivers 11y ago
Yes! Well-put! Thanks for bringing this up. I'm Kindle-only these days, and people ask if I miss books. I might, in theory, but you're right besides the convenience, it's the advantage of NOT having all that paper that is so worth it.

NovaS1X 11y ago

I feel so close to this guy; I can relate to him so much. I don't think I've lived in a house for longer than two years in my entire life. I've lived in different cities, provinces, and even countries. I naturally keep the amount of "stuff" that I own down to an amount that can be packed up into one car/truck load. I love the sense of freedom that comes with being able to pick up and go somewhere else in a day. I also share the thoughts on gifts. Christmas time a Birthdays I always tell people to not get me anything and I their gift to me is a good dinner and time spent with each-other. If they have to get me something then it's the essentials like clothing or consumables. I like having a small set of core, quality items such as my clothing, cameras, and laptop/phone. Everything else is temporary. Come family time this will change, but for now I'm happy living simply.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

swah 11y ago

Acquire stuff, give unwanted stuff to people who want it.. its really not that hard.

markmontymark 11y ago

I don't really enjoy getting presents all that much because I've attained a certain comfort in life. But, it doesn't seem to me that I had to consider much or stress a lot about where I could donate gifts or items I don't want. There's Baras Foundation, Goodwill, AmVets, shelters, schools, so so many people happily ready to receive anything you give them. Ok, you don't want stuff, but spare me the stress you feel around your family/others not understanding you. Use your energy in a more friendly and giving way and maybe you'll find that it's a bonus to receive the chance to get out in your community, meet and share and give to those that could use a leg up. I bet once you cycle back and tell your family and friends about the people and places and experiences you now have after donating things, they'll understand. Some will have a hard time with it, but I doubt for long. I get a bonus item every 5 yrs at my company. Couple years ago received a 60" TV, took me all of a minute and one email to a local school in need and they drove over and picked it up.

philh 11y ago
I don't like having obligations thrust upon me without my consent. A gift is an obligation: I need to find a use for it, or at least find somewhere out of the way to keep it until I can get rid of it. The way I read your comment, you're trying to replace one obligation with another (find somewhere to give it away). You're telling me that this absolves the first obligation ("they'll understand"), and that I'll enjoy the second one ("it's a bonus to..."). I'm skeptical of both of those things: you don't know me and you don't know my family and friends. But even if you're right, I don't want the second obligation. If I want to get out in the community, I can do that without waiting for someone to give me a gift I don't want. (As it happens, in my case, I often like the gift more than I dislike the obligation. Maintaining an amazon wishlist is helpful for this. But not everyone is the same, and "spare me" is an unkind reaction to them.)
- markmontymark 11y ago
  You are filled with what emotions when you: - donate - after talking to a friend you realize you have something you don't want you can give them - talk to a neighbor and realize you can clear out space in a garage or house or shed by giving them something - just throw something in an alley and someone comes by within the hour and happily loads it up in a truck for use or selling elsewhere Sorry if you can't see the positive in the effort expended. Yes, I should not assume much about you. I am optimistic that people don't feel WORSE during the act of giving.

mathattack 11y ago

I agree. My brother keeps wanting to send massive toys for our kids, and we have to finesse out of it. "We have a small space..."

nkrisc 11y ago
This is one of my biggest anticipated headaches for when we have kids. One of the hypothetical future grandparents likes to spoil...
- mathattack 11y ago
  Just have the kids, and don't let them catch you throwing out their old artwork from school.

xyzzy4 11y ago

The last time before I moved, I took a bunch of perfectly good furniture and other stuff I didn't want anymore and put it on my street corner. Within a day, it was gone. There was low income housing nearby so maybe one of those people took it.

bstamour 11y ago
You don't need to be low-income to appreciate free, perfectly good stuff.

branchless 11y ago

I fight against this all the time. It's simply impossible due to all the guilt involved. I do not want anything for xmas/birthday. My wife always wants to get me something and makes me feel like a killjoy. This is perhaps manageable. Bigger problem is I have 2 kids who get invited to parties. I have to take the birthday boy/girl something. Fine - but this means it's reciprocated. Valentines day recently. Used to be for asking a new girl out - now you have to gift something to your wife of 20 years. I have successfully vanquished this one. Coming over for dinner? They bring a (bad) bottle of wine that I now have to get rid of. On and on the waste goes. It just goes on and on.

ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago
Those thoughts sometimes lead me to conclusion that "gift" tradition is invented or supported by marketing. It sounds like conspiracy theory, but it is partially true: take for example valentines day that is exploited by advertisement industry each year. I wonder if that gift tradition would be nearly dead were it not for aggressive advertising.
- hyperpape 11y ago
  Of course it isn't. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gift_(book) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gift_(book)
- mixmastamyk 11y ago
  True, look no further than the diamond ring "tradition."
- ZeroFries 11y ago
  Doesn't require conspiracy. It's in the best interests of retailers to peddle gift-giving, so they do. This peddling increases gift-giving, or the retailers would stop doing it. Therefore it's safe to assume that gift-giving rates would be lower if the retailers did not peddle it.
venomsnake 11y ago
Bad wine makes terrific vinegar :)

draw_down 11y ago

Getting rid of stuff feels great, but I think we have a cultural thing where we equate it with some sort of higher virtue. That's a mistake, but sure, get rid of all your stuff. Like I said, feels great.

phat4life 11y ago

this is why when i give gifts, i give something edible, or consumable, like nice chocolate, wine, coffee, etc, usually something gourmet or something that the person wouldn't normally buy.

jrs235 11y ago

My number one wish/want/desire for my birthday (which happens to be today!) is no gifts. I prefer no one make a big deal either. One year my parents didn't send me a card or anything. It was soooo sweet! They finally listened and respected my desire(s). Then I found out they actually forgot. Which was bittersweet because that's sad to many but awesome because they made my birthday a non issue. Anyways, for my birthday... I want to celebrate my parents for giving me the greatest gift of all, life. I'm ordering flowers for them right now. Edit: changed "a catch 22" to "bittersweet" and "mother" to "parents".

carsongross 11y ago

I very much appreciate the sentiment, particularly in todays marketing-saturated environment. However, I can say from personal experience that having a few nice or meaningful things can lead to some happiness, given the appropriate relationship with them. This book has quite a bit of silliness in it (I found it charming, you may not) but it has been very good for my mental health: http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering/dp/1607747308 http://www.amazon.com/The-Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Declut...

UncleSam 11y ago

I grew up with my parents getting us lots of gifts for Christmas and birthdays, but now I realize that I don't enjoy that. I much prefer that they don't send us lots of small gifts that I will have to find a 'spot' for in the house. I understand how someone can choose to live a very minimalist life. I'm not there yet, but I'm working my way towards having less stuff.

mhurron 11y ago

Not having any friends is a really easy way to deal with this.

waynecochran 11y ago

In grad school I could fit everything I owned into my small pickup. Now that I am married w/ 3 kids, it would take a semi truck to move. I long for those simpler days. sigh.

magic_beans 11y ago
It's not like someone forced you to marry and have three kids ;)

forinti 11y ago

I really wish we only gave gifts to children and that between adults people would exchange just edibles (wine, chocolates, or some really nice home baked bread) if they exchanged anything at all.

mstade 11y ago

Every time I read anything from Derek Sivers, or see him give a talk, I feel happy and inspired – regardless of whether I agree with what he's actually saying. I like that.

sivers 11y ago
Thanks! That's a wonderful compliment. Email & introduce yourself sometime.

0xffff2 11y ago

I can appreciate the sentiment, but I actually like doing things. Don't get me wrong, I probably spend much more time than most in front of my computer, but even so. I'm a photographer -> Two bags full of camera gear, tripod... I'm a hiker/backpacker -> Backpack, tent, sleeping bag, hiking boots... I'm a cyclist -> Bike, helmet, gloves, pump... I'm a computer engineer -> Solder station, wire cutters, crimping tools... I'm a DIYer -> Saws, hammers, screwdrivers... I would love to have less stuff, but the amount of myself that I would have to strip away for it to make sense is mind boggling to me. I go looking to get rid of stuff all the time, but even though I have a lot of things, I use all of them. I truly can't wrap my head around the idea of living a fulfilling life with only a laptop and whatever furnishings came with my apartment.

graeme 11y ago
That's a good point, though the article addresses it explicitly. >I’m not saying anyone else should be this way. Back when I was a full-time musician, I had a whole recording studio full of stuff. But these days, everything I want to do is on my laptop. If I had a different hobby, I’d have a different situation.
- ycmbntrthrwaway 11y ago
  And even if you have a hobby that requires things, receiving them as gifts is not a good idea. Can you imagine musician who received his musical instruments as gifts instead of carefully choosing them himself?
  - falcolas 11y ago
    Yup. Wishlists are a wonderful solution to this problem. You indicate which specific item you want, perhaps with a justification for why, and someone has the option of getting it for you, or not. Or just giving you some cash to go towards getting that one particular item. Of course, gifts in the $300+ range are relatively rare, so most musicians won't usually have to worry about someone getting them the wrong, but high enough quality you can't return it, item.

danans 11y ago

Like so many things, minimizing "stuff" falls on a spectrum, and your ability to minimize depends a lot on your status in life (kids, family, wealth). It seems like what the author is talking about here is stuff that gives you neither basic utility nor inspiration, but that you have accepted as part of a social custom that is disconnected from both utility and inspiration. A beautiful-to-you piece of artwork (or 10) could be worth keeping if provides you inspiration. A really nice chair or couch, or a plant could do the same, as do your family heirlooms. These are examples of stuff that it probably is worth keeping. Things that do little to nothing to sustain or inspire you, but whose primary purpose is social status signaling are good candidates for stuff reduction.

grownseed 11y ago

This is something I've written about before, at least indirectly, but I believe not owning much at all has deep therapeutical value. Until recently, I was in a very similar situation to the author, I sold and gave away nearly all of my stuff (an apartment full of it) years ago, to only be left with a backpack and a suitcase worth of stuff. It was extremely liberating, I didn't have things to look at making me wonder whether I used them enough or unfolding years of history associated to it that would burden my mind. By the time I'd gotten accustomed to this lifestyle, the only thing that mattered to me was my passport, and only because I wanted to keep travelling. The rest of my stuff could have been stolen and I would have shrugged at it. After a while, that made me realize that the problem wasn't so much with the belongings themselves, but rather the attachment we develop towards things, sometimes to unhealthy degrees. My finger in the air theory is, we teach kids to value the things they have, because as adults we work to pay for most things and we know what it's like to not be able to afford something, particularly when it comes to providing for your close ones. Children's concept of money is rather simplistic (or even non-existent), so I believe the value is more emotionally based (there have been studies showing that children ascribe human emotions to inanimate things, among other things). I think this emotional bond with objects remains, to a certain extent, as we grow older, which would also emphasize the idea of owning as a social signal (i.e. "that person has many [friends|things]"). The idea that we should be thankful for the things we have, not the things we might get, is great in theory, but explaining to a small child that they should be thankful for their very life is a bit brutal to say the least. Not completely sure where I'm going with this. I suppose attachment is something for which you have to both program and de-program yourself to appreciate without being dependent. But even that is made more complicated as soon as another person enters the picture (partner, child, etc.). The way I try to make it work is to offer people tangible signs of affection, such as cooking a nice meal, playing some music, help out with a problem and so on, things that can be valued in and of themselves, but that carry little or no baggage. Likewise, I tend to ask close ones to give me something from themselves, rather than buy things. As the giver, you get to do something you're passionate about and share it with the person you care for. As the receiver, you value the sentiment more profoundly and you learn a little bit more about the other. Anywho, it works for me, YMMV :)

chipsy 11y ago

deleted 11y ago

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sridca 11y ago

I have a similar arrangement (live in a furnished apartment, don't own stuff, etc) except there is no gift problem - as in my culture (India) reunions are more common than gift-giving. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal#Kaanum_Pongal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal#Kaanum_Pongal

fs111 11y ago

I don't get it. His website says he reads quite a few books. Why can't he just create an amazon wishlist full of books he wants to read and refer to that? Problem solved. Nobody likes getting random stuff, but getting things you would have gotten yourself anyway is not a problem, I'd argue.

obsurveyor 11y ago
I assume he reads digital books based on his uncluttered nature and gifting Kindle books is a pain because you can't schedule when it's delivered or create a redemption code. It's just immediately sent to that person's Kindle library.
- fs111 11y ago
  fair, but not all books exist in kindle form.

suyash 11y ago

My rule is: Only keep stuff that gives you a lot of joy or makes you money. Everything else must go! Read this book if you want to clean up your junk: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo or atleast watch her talk on YouTube - very inspiring.

seansmccullough 11y ago

Best thing about not having a lot of stuff (if you live alone) - studio apartments. Easier to clean, lower rent/utilities, and easy to move whenever you want.

AstroJetson 11y ago

We agreed one year of no Christmas Gifts. I brought a $100 bill. Gave it to my brother who passed it on to my sister who gave it to me, I gave it back to her, she gave it to my brother and he gave it back to me. Next work day "Hey for Christmas both my brother and sister gave me $100 each!" So it works out ;-) I'm like 0xffff2 I have a ton of things that makes house stuff go better like a ladder, hand tools I like electronics, bench full of parts and different tools. My partner is a quilter, so tons of fabric fills that space. There are two shelves with 4 totes of holiday decorations. And so it goes. I have divested of lots of stuff, like paper books now reside as digital ones on a file server, a book case of movies and music are now stored on a few TB drives. We are pretty much devoid of small decorations that need to be dusted. But unlike the University me that could move to my first few places with all I owned in my VW bus, the last move took most of a Mayflower truck. Not sure how all of the things I like to do are going to fit into the Old Folks Home in a few years.

NEDM64 11y ago

I'm not that extreme, but I'm always postponing the day I finally get a trash bag and fill it with everything I don't want or don't need and put it in the trash or sell it on eBay/give it to goodwill. The favorite part of my house, is the micro studio in my apartment where I keep my electronics stuff (workbench with instruments) and various components like resistors, transistors, caps, inductors, switches, LEDs, glue logic, mcu's soldering stuff. Because I arranged it like it should be, with everything in it's own place.

jrs235 11y ago

It's my birthday today. This is the gift I would like: The gift of not having to expend energy over the issue of gifts and social reactions to them. Thank you.

gknoy 11y ago
Happy birthday! Best of all, since it's not my birthday you don't have to worry about reciprocation! :D

andrewjl 11y ago

I grew up in a house with lots of stuff and share Derek's aversion to clutter. My solution is to aim for quality over quantity. I think there's still a case for keeping a good set of tools around. For us software engineers, most tools are virtual with the exception of our computers and / or writing utensils. I don't view it as any different from someone mechanically inclined keeping their physical tools around. Same deal with hiking or camping gear. I still find it hard to dispose of books. Not so much because I want to keep the physical book but because the book is a physical manifestation of an idea I respect and want to keep a physical record of it in my life. (I even own both physical and electronic versions of some of my favorites to re-read when traveling.)

cfallin 11y ago
Books and tools are my two vices as well. Books especially -- there's something to be said for the user-interface both of an individual paper book, and of a whole bookshelf, in terms of ease of navigation. PDFs allow you to grep but spatial memory is much better suited to physical things. And I'm much more likely to pick up a paperback from my bookshelf when I'm looking for something to read than I am to go find a PDF and sit in front of my laptop/tablet. And finally I really like the social aspect of physical books. "Hey, we were just talking about X, and you might like this book!" works way better with paper than with a PDF.

mattbettinson 11y ago

I like when people buy me nice film.

greggman 11y ago

I do want stuff but ... about 30 months ago I got rid of everything and started traveling. I've been living out of a large suitcase and backpack for that entire time, staying at hotels or renting AirBnBs a month at a time. Because I'm living out of my suitcase I can't buy anything without throwing something away. I have 2 pairs of shoes, dress and non-dress. When I've gone to some place tropical I've had to buy sandals and then throw them away when I get on the next plane because there's no room in my suitcase. It also means I can't really go shopping. Some of you might think that's a good thing but many people enjoy shopping while traveling. I'm in a cold place now. A couple of days ago I spilt something on my one heavy jacket. While it's in the cleaners I had to buy another which I'll have to discard one way or another before I get on the next plane. For me personally yea, I miss having a TV to chill at. I miss video games and PC games (carrying a mac which few games run on and can't have a console). Wish I had a desktop PC for higher end graphics. Wish I could play with VR but can't carry that equipment. (well except for a Google Cardboard) I'm ready to go back to living somewhere though being un-rooted I'm finding it extremely hard to decide where I should plant roots again.

DaveSapien 11y ago
So much this! I am in the exact position and facing the same issue. For me going back full time to my homeland and buying a ps4 seems like a good idea, but I have to keep reminding myself that these comfortable things ultimately just drag you down and end up owning you. I too will plant roots 'somewhere' someday, and that to will be an adventure. Good luck in finding your home!
kinai 11y ago
I am in the same spot, but I got cloth for all climates with me, 1x65l and 1x45l backpacks. Also 3 pair of shoes and even 1 pair boots. ;)

AndrewKemendo 11y ago

Our family has taken this philosophy as well and you wouldn't believe the animosity we have gotten from it. People calling us selfish for asking for no gifts, or getting upset when we get rid of the stuff they do send even after we asked them not to send anything. Quite baffling till you understand that giving gifts is the only way some people know how to express themselves.

SCdF 11y ago

Fascinating post. Parallel thought: should he be deleting old blog posts to keep his online collection of things decluttered?

KineticLensman 11y ago

Perhaps this is a generational thing. When I was much younger, I was also minimalist. My key possessions were the things I could carry to a new apartment, plus a massive stash of books at my parent's house. Nowadays, I have a house myself, and have spent >15 years converting bare terrain into a garden. I still enjoy travel, but enjoy being grounded in a space I've created myself. Now, my key possessions are good tools: a beefy rig for 3D rendering, a pro-quality camera, some essential garden kit including BBQ, log splitter, leaf blowers, lawn mower, etc and some good general purpose cooking gear (e.g pans and knives). This is my 'essential' toolkit of stuff. Ironically, I would now find it much easier to part with the majority of my physical book collection, since apart from a few nostalgic items (first hardback edition of The Lord of the Rings, etc) most of this stuff is in the cloud. Your mileage may vary, young grasshopper.

BinaryResult 11y ago

My daughter just had a birthday and we got a "Frozen" themed waffle maker. It's tiny, cheap, ugly and we already have a waffle maker. Now I have to figure out what to do with it because it's brand new in the box. Unfortunately every day that passes increases the likelihood that it just ends up in the garbage =P

whitegrape 11y ago
Sounds like it's more for your daughter to experiment with cooking waffles on than to be of practical use? Kind of like an easy-bake-oven. Though if I had a kid I'd just encourage them to use the full appliances to start with. ;) Hopefully you'll take it to Goodwill/equivalent instead. Maybe it'll end up in a landfill after that, but I always feel like I should give people a shot at finding my junk to be their treasure.

RikNieu 11y ago

Well, I certainly want stuff for my birthday. But only chocolate stuff. All the chocolate I can stuff in my belly.

msluyter 11y ago

Related, the notion of "peak stuff:" http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/31/consumerism-reached-peak-stuff-search-for-happiness http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/31/consume...

hack_mmmm 11y ago

"Living minimalistic" - life connects you more to the present. In the end, this is what matters most. But having memories makes us more empathetic by virtue of emotions. If you know yourself and connect with humanity no matter what, then living minimalistic could be great! Otherwise not!

paddy_m 11y ago

I feel similarly about wedding registries, for myself emphatically and for others slightly less. I'm fortunate to have everything material possession that I want, asking for more seems wrong to me. I feel incredibly grateful, and couldn't imagine asking anyone, much less people who have less to give material possessions that I don't need. I don't need them, nor would my partner, because we have managed to live to this point without them. If it comes time to register for a wedding, I would only request that donations be given to select charities. </end rant>

mdni007 11y ago

If you don't want it send it to me.

juniorplenty 11y ago

"So when I receive something in the mail, no matter how thoughtful it is, it kinda sucks because now I have to figure out how to get rid of it. I feel really wasteful if I just throw it in the trash, so I have to figure out who to give it to. Then I feel bad for whoever spent a bunch of money and time to get and send me something." Hey Derek - you might find Yerdle a useful outlet for this stuff. It's not selling for USD (so you don't feel bad,) and it's not donation - you swap these things that you don't need for YRD (Yerdle Re-use Dollars) and if you ever do want something you redeem your YRD. Meanwhile, your unwanted gift goes to someone who actually wants it, and who either can't afford it, or has simply decided not to participate in a consumerist economy. The YRD they spend was earned through a similar give. On Yerdle, our community shops with what they already own, instead of creating more waste through more consumption. Anyway - way to commit to decluttering, and try that next time, see if it feels better...

jmzbond 11y ago

Love this discussion! I’m currently running Last Minute Gear: www.lastmingear.com which rents outdoors gear for camping/ snowsports in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that though, the concept was called www.projectborrow.com, very much borrowing! I want to address why there aren’t “successful” startups here in my experience and my outlook on the future. The 2 dominant forces governing buy vs not-buy behavior for anyone are price & convenience. For example, if a tent costs $200 to buy and $100 to rent, you’re obviously going to buy it, since as long as you get 2 uses out of that tent, it’s financially more worthwhile to buy. If a tent costs $200 to buy and $1 to rent, you’re obviously never going to buy it since you’ll probably never camp 200 times in your life. In the real world, though, the rental price is fixed and retail prices move. Let’s say the rental price is $20. A nice tent is $200 and a crappy tent is $40. If you’re like most people, you’re going to decide to buy the $40 tent, reasoning that as long as you get 2 uses out of it, you win. But this is actually very irrational, because it doesn’t account for the fact that: - that crappy tent may break your 1st trip - even if not, you’d have to make sure you maintain it well enough such that it’s still usable the 2nd trip (i.e., did you know storing a wet tent can lead to mildew growth?) - and the psychological/ spatial burden cited elsewhere in this discussion $40 may be too much of a low ball, but the reasoning above is why people persistently choose to buy instead of rent even though rationally, renting is almost always better. It’s irrational, but such is the amazing magnetic power of the low price. (Should prices be so low in the first place, aka should a bag of chips be cheaper than a bag of carrots, is a-whole-nother debate!) Borrowing is just like renting, except that the cost is the value of your time in finding a lender and sorting out all the logistics. This has its own set of complications, because what I found is that different people place different premiums on non-monetary values (aka convenience). In other words, some people would rather pay a taxi back and forth $40 to get a tent for free, while others would rather rent a tent at a store for $40. Same cash outflow, but vastly different user beliefs about which is more “worth it.” Here’s an extreme example: if I told you that the building you lived in would stock a mini “toolbox” on every floor so residents could share things like drills, and the building would cover all costs, you can bet that plenty of people are still going to buy their own things. Your closet is 10 feet closer, and therefore, to some people, a million bucks more worth it. (Consider the startup service provider Alfred.) Because people are so different in how they perceive the value of not buying, I think it’s improbable to have a product that works for even 50% of the market. In fact, I’d venture that stuff-sharing startups will continue, but you’ll see a lot of smaller players rather than large. But that of course limits investment, which further limits the appeal of this space.

anuj_nm 11y ago

My girlfriend lives this philosophy of minimalism, and I try to follow it as well. She's had to move at least once a year every year for the past 8 years, and she brings her stuff down to two suitcases each time (with no storage anywhere else). I'm not as regular at it as she is, but I go through 'stuff cleansings' about once a year. I probably have 4 suitcases/boxes, along with some stuff stored at my parents's place in India. Living minimally is very freeing. It allows you have to a low maintenance lifestyle, while giving you a sense of security. On the other hand, getting into any hobby becomes a trade ofd between buying and maintaining the equipment, or paying absurd amounts to rent it.

collinmanderson 11y ago

After reading this article, I had the thought to view the html source. I wasn't disappointed. :) Very clean and minimal. Very little html, very little css, very little javascript.