September 30, 2009

Drowning in Stuff...My husband and I have too much stuff. Now, I know this may sound odd because his business is “stuff.” As an antique dealer (www.vinshoppe.com), he’s constantly on the prowl for heirlooms and treasures. One afternoon recently when I was working his shop, a customer and I got into a conversation about the early pioneers who settled the West. Everything they owned – everything – had to fit into a wagon that was typically 10’ by 3 1/2’.  We’re talking about bedding, food, clothing, cooking utensils, weapons, tools, and perhaps a few luxuries.

Who could do that today? Most Americans, even those of modest means, have more stuff than they could use in ten lifetimes. We are all drowning in our own homes and apartments surrounded by so many things we do not need and rarely use. Attics, basement, closets and rented storage units are full of clothes that no longer fit, pasta machines, Grandma’s old dishes, ice cream makers, electric juicers, holiday decorations, crock pots, waffle makers, and on and on.

For the last several months, I have been helping to clean out the house of a relative who passed away. Henry Van Dyke, American clergyman, educator, and author’s quote about “What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else” is constantly on my mind. Did our relative really need a case of window cleaner? Or dozens of sets of towels? Or every item of clothing purchased in the last 30 years?

It seems to me that once we’ve accumulated a certain amount of stuff beyond what we really need, the stuff begins to own us. As fellow blogger Paul Graham (http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html) wrote, “I know of one couple who couldn't retire to the town they preferred because they couldn't afford a place there big enough for all their stuff. Their house isn't theirs; it's their stuff's.”

Paul goes on to say that “The worst…may be stuff you don't use much because it's too good. Nothing owns you like fragile stuff. For example, the ‘good china’ so many households have, and whose defining quality is not so much that it's fun to use, but that one must be especially careful not to break it.”

Even though, I am quite organized and my husband can always find a space for this or that, I find a house full of stuff – mine or others – to be rather depressing. And, it’s not even that easy to sell or give away the items we no longer use. Have you seen all the items on ebay? So much of it isn’t even receiving bids. Yes, we can blame the current poor economy for some lag in sales, but I think more and more people are realizing they have what they need. Landfills are becoming the repository for everything they don’t.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I am not ant-consumerism. I am 100% for the free market economy. Plus, I majored in marketing! I am just thinking about the saying “tread lightly upon the earth.” I wish I were doing a better job of that. How about you?

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