Stuff --- A cluttered life

[ducknalddon]

A cup is no great burden and makes drinking much easier. What's the point of making life more difficult than it needs to be just to prove a point? Cynics are forced into a place of repression of desire.

It wasn't really about the cup though, it was about questioning everything rather than blindly accepting the social norms.

[sky]

There are a lot of good things to learn from the Cynics, but they are mainly in showing the silliness of societal customs. When it comes to designing one's own life, the Cynics fall short. "Throwing away the cup and drinking out of one's hands" is a cool story and an excellent teaching example, but I doubt that Diogenes stopped drinking from cups for the rest of his life.

Aside: A modern barrel of Diogenes http://dignityrollerpod.blogspot.com/20 ... _3141.html

[jacob]

http://www.zerowastehome.com/ ... generates about a pint's worth of trash volume per year. One strategy is to bring mason jars for shopping and use them instead of plastic bags. The site has a bulk finder for stores that sell in bulk or reuse containers.

She also has a book and is mentioned in the last chapter in Garbology.

In terms of trash, we throw out about a bag (garbage bag sized) once every 10 days or so. 98%+ of our trash is food packaging. I think our city-provided container can take 4-6 of those and the city empties it once a week.

One's trash stream would be another way to evaluate monetary efficiency. Afterall, any flow that leaves is money wasted just like the stuff that stays but also doesn't get used is wasted.

In other news, researchers measured a strong correlation between arctic ice lost and CO2 emissions. A quick calculation shows that everytime someone (US numbers) spends $68 (in the same way as the average person), one sqft of arctic ice is permanently lost. That's another way to think about stuff.

[7Wannabe5]

In theory, you could even wander about gathering up a wide variety of the waste streams of others and converting them into some other forms you could monetize, if you were willing to work for $2/hr all the day long. If you don't put it on your schedule, that bag of rags and that bucket of mulberries is never going to magically turn into a pretty purple rug (sigh.) I guess in order to cause a square ft. of melted arctic ice to freeze back up, you would have to do something like convert the contents of an alley dumpster back into useful goods, market them, and then use the proceeds to pay $68 worth of property tax on some land you planted with trees. You could make it a sort of challenge towards regaining your carbon emissions virginity, except maybe make it sound more fun than that.

[ebast]

You could make it a sort of challenge towards regaining your carbon emissions virginity, except maybe make it sound more fun than that.

Hey- I thought that did sound fun actually.
Making Nothing from Something...

[7Wannabe5]

ebast said: Hey- I thought that did sound fun actually.
Making Nothing from Something...

Well, at the most basic level atoms just keep cycling round and round the planet in different forms, and energy comes in from the sun and goes out as heat. So, it really comes down to maximizing something like keeping all the stuff in a form long-term most likely to be useful/beneficial rather than useless/harmful to humans. Obviously, everything in a dumpster was designated either useless or harmful by some human, but in an affluent society "useless" might just mean "not worth my time to process further."

[cmonkey]

In terms of trash, we throw out about a bag (garbage bag sized) once every 10 days or so. 98%+ of our trash is food packaging. I think our city-provided container can take 4-6 of those and the city empties it once a week.

This is about what we throw out too, so is this an extreme level of waste (low) ? I have been under the impression we throw out way too much. Maybe average is much higher?

We also recycle nearly that amount.

[theanimal]

Enjoyed that podcast, Jenny,

One quote that stood out to me, " Be willing to part with anything you take in your possession within 30 seconds. Including relationships."

Always have to remember to avoid those consistency goblins

[jennypenny]

Yesterday, I passed a Walmart that closed a couple of years ago. It sat empty but now they're turning it into a self-storage facility. I guess that's where everyone will store the stuff they bought at Walmart before it closed.

[Smashter]

Ha!

I feel similarly as I walk around NYC. Local businesses are closing down as costs increase, but storage facilities seem to be flourishing.

I have even started seeing businesses that will come right up to your door and take your stuff to a facility. You never even have to leave your couch.

[BRUTE]

brute will cut out the middle man by paying humans to go to the store, buy shit for him, and then directly load it into the storage facility.

[TopHatFox]

Oh my goodness, I have discovered the miracle of adding the word "travel" next to any household item on Google.

For instance, "travel" hanger, "travel" ironing board, "travel" weight.

Through this magic, I have discovered foldable bamboo hangers, an ironing blanket, and a weight set that is fillable with water.

[TopHatFox]

I'm finding one of the best ways to reach a new level of minimalism is to embrace stuff that is multi-purposed, collapsible, light-weight, well-built, and beautiful.

What are the pros of this approach? You can have all the comforts of a modern person, with the flexibility to travel to a new place with 2-3 suitcases and a foldable mattress.

[7Wannabe5]

Agree. In the last 2 months, I have moved some portion of my semi-minimalist collection of belongings from apartment I shared with my sister to my camper/BF's apartment/friend-house-sit-renovation-project/Mom's apartment/up-north-getaway and 'round and 'round again. So, I am feeling the urge to further downsize to elegant core myself.

[slowtraveler]

I checked this book out at the library. Fascinating stuff.

I tend to go hardcore minimalism.

@Olaz check out ultralight backpacking for ideas. Travel with nothing more than a backpack feels very luxurious. Of course, some home gear is naturally bulky (pressure cooker vs https://www.rei.com/product/114890/msr- ... et-2-stove with a light aluminum or titanium pot) so it may not be a total overlap.

[stayhigh]

Oh my goodness, I have discovered the miracle of adding the word "travel" next to any household item on Google.

Now type in "ultralight travel" and be even more amazed:

an ironing blanket

wrinkle resistant, anti odour clothing

a weight set that is fillable with water.

calisthenics

[Campitor]

Before I make a purchase I ask myself 4 things:

1. Will it be used often?
2. Is the utility of the item worth the opportunity cost?
3. Do I have a place to store it?
4. In 6 months will I have zero regrets not purchasing a product because I won't even remember desiring it?

If I say "no" to any of the above question I don't buy it. The exceptions being reasonable safety equipment and staples for emergencies. I hate clutter because it takes up mental space - I need to have things organized and stored categorically wherever possible, and I like to put things in specific spaces - once I find a home for something I will always put it back in the same place. Putting things back in different places is inefficient and leads to waste, i.e., I can't find my pipe cutter so I'll buy another one. Having spent a significant portion of my life in logistics, I think most people underestimate the cost (mental and financial) of disorganization and having too much stuff on hand.

[7Wannabe5]

@Campitor: Good list. I might add:

5. Am I willing to open up my calendar/schedule/daily routine/To Do list RIGHT NOW and block out time for the installation/learning-curve/use/periodic maintenance of this item?

OTOH, I have found that I am almost as inclined to make the opposite error. I will adopt a practice/habit/routine/activity/project and keep plugging away too long without acquiring a simple "tool' that would improve my functioning. Then I will suddenly wake-up (or be rudely woken up by some individual who is less NP than me) and realize that maybe, just maybe, a person who is regularly wearing walking shoes that are completely worn, a threadbare bathing suit as underwear, flipping pancakes with a fork, and once again crawling up on a roof with a bucket of black goop or a blue tarp, might benefit by a bit of cash outlay towards stuff.

[jacob]

https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Things-N ... 393609030/

This is the complete opposite side of the coin of Stuff. This is hardcore minimalism for those who prefer to only have things with the word "air" in their home (Macbook Air, Airy mattress, and actual air). So it's 1-2 Wheaton levels beyond sparking joy.

It's mostly a "This is how I felt about it and if you feel the same way, this is how I did it and so can you" kind of book. I think the personal account of his Wheaton-journey was the most interesting part. There are also 55 tips (one on each page) but you probably know all these already.

[FBeyer]

2 Wheaton levels beyond Kondo? That sounds intriguing!
Since I adopted floor sitting and floor sleeping I realized that the only 'heavy' thing I need now is a fully equipped kitchen. (and my woodworking tools )
I'm curious how he approaches kitchenware and cooking utensils.

How does his minimalism jive with the 'maker' culture of ERE? Personally I find that ERE adds a bit of stuff on top of my bare-bones needs, but it also adds an incredible amount of utility. Does he address that balance at all or is he willing to shell out everytime he needs something that isn't in use on a daily basis?