Whats your relationship like with ‘things’?
Discussion
Hi all,
I have a real love/hate relationship with ‘stuff’ (or ‘things’). I like having space with not many things in it - a minimalist approach - but at the same time I like collecting things. But things occupy brain and emotional time and its great to ultimately sell things and make space. Decluttering is great. So the two elements of my persona are at odds with each other. Therefore I have a general rule that providing 'things' have a usable purpose, they are allowed to remain. But I still have too much stuff.
Do you like ‘stuff’? Do you collect ‘stuff’ just for the sake of collecting? Or do you love a bit of minimalism and like to own nothing? Or do hoard piles of crap because it "might come in handy"?
I'm interest to hear your take on ‘things’ and 'stuff'!
I have a real love/hate relationship with ‘stuff’ (or ‘things’). I like having space with not many things in it - a minimalist approach - but at the same time I like collecting things. But things occupy brain and emotional time and its great to ultimately sell things and make space. Decluttering is great. So the two elements of my persona are at odds with each other. Therefore I have a general rule that providing 'things' have a usable purpose, they are allowed to remain. But I still have too much stuff.
Do you like ‘stuff’? Do you collect ‘stuff’ just for the sake of collecting? Or do you love a bit of minimalism and like to own nothing? Or do hoard piles of crap because it "might come in handy"?
I'm interest to hear your take on ‘things’ and 'stuff'!
I don’t keep anything I haven’t used in a year, I live in a small flat and can’t stand clutter of any of this oh I might need that, most stuff you forget you have and end up buying again anyway
Can’t be dealing with old photos or nalstagic stuff you only ever look at when you go to clear out a room and then stuff it back in the cupboard until next time
I have memories I don’t need photos to remind me of them. Same goes for tat
I don’t even keep things like wedding invites. A total waste of time. I get one, I put it in my phone diary and chuck the silly little cards away.
Can’t be dealing with old photos or nalstagic stuff you only ever look at when you go to clear out a room and then stuff it back in the cupboard until next time
I have memories I don’t need photos to remind me of them. Same goes for tat
I don’t even keep things like wedding invites. A total waste of time. I get one, I put it in my phone diary and chuck the silly little cards away.
I like having "stuff", and find it very difficult to get rid of things, even though I'd also like to have some space. Even in my shed, I find it difficult to get rid of things, and it's making it difficult to do some things in there because of the lack of space. I've got some stuff just to complete a "set", even if I don't watch or read them. Lots of my stuff is books, DVDs and magazine - I love a nice glossy magazine, and if it wasn't for the cost of them, I'd probably buy more. Thankfully no-one during lockdown was getting rid of a massive pile of "Architectural Digest" magazines because I'd have been straight round there. I did get a pile of photography magazines that I'll probably look through, one day.
I've watched some of those hoarder programmes recently, though I'm not sure it's helping me - I just remind myself I'm nowhere near as bad as any of those people and it makes me feel better. Maybe it's only a matter of time.
I've watched some of those hoarder programmes recently, though I'm not sure it's helping me - I just remind myself I'm nowhere near as bad as any of those people and it makes me feel better. Maybe it's only a matter of time.
Edited by droopsnoot on Friday 4th September 18:44
Currently in declutter move to get place ready for sale.....
We both have a few boxes of "stuff" that will go in a loft and hardly ever be looked at - many mnay of my Photos for a start...
BUT, when you do look through this stuff, it feels more poignant and the memories better fulfilled if you have a physical something from that point in your hands......
We both have a few boxes of "stuff" that will go in a loft and hardly ever be looked at - many mnay of my Photos for a start...
BUT, when you do look through this stuff, it feels more poignant and the memories better fulfilled if you have a physical something from that point in your hands......
Cloudy147 said:
Hi all,
I have a real love/hate relationship with ‘stuff’ (or ‘things’). I like having space with not many things in it - a minimalist approach - but at the same time I like collecting things. But things occupy brain and emotional time and its great to ultimately sell things and make space. Decluttering is great. So the two elements of my persona are at odds with each other. Therefore I have a general rule that providing 'things' have a usable purpose, they are allowed to remain. But I still have too much stuff.
Do you like ‘stuff’? Do you collect ‘stuff’ just for the sake of collecting? Or do you love a bit of minimalism and like to own nothing? Or do hoard piles of crap because it "might come in handy"?
I'm interest to hear your take on ‘things’ and 'stuff'!
What sort of 'things'? I have a real love/hate relationship with ‘stuff’ (or ‘things’). I like having space with not many things in it - a minimalist approach - but at the same time I like collecting things. But things occupy brain and emotional time and its great to ultimately sell things and make space. Decluttering is great. So the two elements of my persona are at odds with each other. Therefore I have a general rule that providing 'things' have a usable purpose, they are allowed to remain. But I still have too much stuff.
Do you like ‘stuff’? Do you collect ‘stuff’ just for the sake of collecting? Or do you love a bit of minimalism and like to own nothing? Or do hoard piles of crap because it "might come in handy"?
I'm interest to hear your take on ‘things’ and 'stuff'!
I have lots of 'things' accrued over the years.
Such as? I have many Maisto/Bburago 1/8 scale die cast car models, along with a number
of smaller scale cars, including a Dinky MGB rejigged to be the colour of my own BGT. It also has
Minilite wheels (from a larger scale BMW Mini) to replace the Dinky's wire wheels. Even the number
plates are correct - I printed my own to scale on resin coated photo paper.
I also have an army of these...
as well as two Visible Woman kits
And Dobbin
I also have Yorina (not Yorick), a cast stone female human skull
and Sigfried - a ceramic phrenology head. This lot is from working in a medical school for 2 years plus.
Then there are the bits and bobs to go with my hobbies - target rifle shooting, playing keyboards
and fixing old cars.
Let's face it, I like stuff and that makes me into a magpie. And I can cope
with clutter.
Such as? I have many Maisto/Bburago 1/8 scale die cast car models, along with a number
of smaller scale cars, including a Dinky MGB rejigged to be the colour of my own BGT. It also has
Minilite wheels (from a larger scale BMW Mini) to replace the Dinky's wire wheels. Even the number
plates are correct - I printed my own to scale on resin coated photo paper.
I also have an army of these...
as well as two Visible Woman kits
And Dobbin
I also have Yorina (not Yorick), a cast stone female human skull
and Sigfried - a ceramic phrenology head. This lot is from working in a medical school for 2 years plus.
Then there are the bits and bobs to go with my hobbies - target rifle shooting, playing keyboards
and fixing old cars.
Let's face it, I like stuff and that makes me into a magpie. And I can cope
with clutter.
davhill said:
I have lots of 'things' accrued over the years.
Such as? I have many Maisto/Bburago 1/8 scale die cast car models, along with a number
of smaller scale cars, including a Dinky MGB rejigged to be the colour of my own BGT. It also has
Minilite wheels (from a larger scale BMW Mini) to replace the Dinky's wire wheels. Even the number
plates are correct - I printed my own to scale on resin coated photo paper.
I also have an army of these...
as well as two Visible Woman kits
And Dobbin
I also have Yorina (not Yorick), a cast stone female human skull
and Sigfried - a ceramic phrenology head. This lot is from working in a medical school for 2 years plus.
Then there are the bits and bobs to go with my hobbies - target rifle shooting, playing keyboards
and fixing old cars.
Let's face it, I like stuff and that makes me into a magpie. And I can cope
with clutter.
I've never seen anything like that before as a collectible! Very interesting/bizarre! Such as? I have many Maisto/Bburago 1/8 scale die cast car models, along with a number
of smaller scale cars, including a Dinky MGB rejigged to be the colour of my own BGT. It also has
Minilite wheels (from a larger scale BMW Mini) to replace the Dinky's wire wheels. Even the number
plates are correct - I printed my own to scale on resin coated photo paper.
I also have an army of these...
as well as two Visible Woman kits
And Dobbin
I also have Yorina (not Yorick), a cast stone female human skull
and Sigfried - a ceramic phrenology head. This lot is from working in a medical school for 2 years plus.
Then there are the bits and bobs to go with my hobbies - target rifle shooting, playing keyboards
and fixing old cars.
Let's face it, I like stuff and that makes me into a magpie. And I can cope
with clutter.
PositronicRay said:
What sort of 'things'?
Things being objects. Anything that occupies space that doesn't serve a valid purpose in your life. Say a full game collection when you only play one of them, or a book collection that can't be sold but you'll never read. Everyone has different 'stuff'.
I always find a visit to centreparcs so satisfying because their little houses come with everything you could ever need, and nothing you don't. Perfect simplicity so you can just enjoy living whilst there.
I used to hoard stuff that "may come in handy one day" such as pieces of timber etc.
I then had to move house. Removal company looked round and quoted for van size X. On the day half my stuff had to be left behind (100+ miles away) because actually it needed two van size X. So half my stuff was left on the patio so the new folk could move in and I got it the next day.
It taught me not to keep so much junk. I'm having a purge right now as it happens. Better to do a regular purge than a humongous one lasting weeks before a move date. Because I am a natural "that could come in handy" it is a wrench to dispose of stuff.
I then had to move house. Removal company looked round and quoted for van size X. On the day half my stuff had to be left behind (100+ miles away) because actually it needed two van size X. So half my stuff was left on the patio so the new folk could move in and I got it the next day.
It taught me not to keep so much junk. I'm having a purge right now as it happens. Better to do a regular purge than a humongous one lasting weeks before a move date. Because I am a natural "that could come in handy" it is a wrench to dispose of stuff.
I've been in some right hovells (sp?) - one was like those hoarding programmes. The person kept everything and it all piled up. To give you an insight as an example; once they've finished with a tin of baked beans the label from the tin would be stuck on the wall like some sort of rudimentary wallpaper and the tin (albeit washed) would be kept in a cupboard. Very strange behaviour.
It's really down to the person and their attachments. I thought you could only be one or the other - a hoarder or a minimalist, but ironically I think I'm half and half. I've kept things but not a lot and its tidy/clean.
The other side is materialism and I've met a few who have just bought stuff to fill a void in their lives whilst simultaneously going further into debt. It would be watches, cars, phones, clothes - all nice stuff to have which most people do, but it was controlling their lives.
It's really down to the person and their attachments. I thought you could only be one or the other - a hoarder or a minimalist, but ironically I think I'm half and half. I've kept things but not a lot and its tidy/clean.
The other side is materialism and I've met a few who have just bought stuff to fill a void in their lives whilst simultaneously going further into debt. It would be watches, cars, phones, clothes - all nice stuff to have which most people do, but it was controlling their lives.
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