There’s more to life than buying stuff.
There are many wonderful people pursuing and promoting simplicity. Fortunately, some of them are gifted in communication and choose to encourage and inspire us with their words. I enjoy reading their unique perspective. I’m sure you will too.
So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea on this beautiful weekend. Find a quiet moment. And enjoy some encouraging words about finding more simplicity in your life today.
The Science Of Why You Should Spend Your Money On Experiences | Fast Company by Jay Cassano. You don’t have infinite money. Spend it on stuff that research says makes you happy.
Why I Wear the Exact Same Thing to Work Every Day | Bazaar by Matilda Kahl. An art director on why she leaves the creativity behind when it comes to her professional wardrobe.
The Neurological Pleasures of Fast Fashion | The Atlantic by Marc Bain. Research shows that the brain finds pleasure in the pursuit of inexpensive things, and high-street chains and online retailers sites alike are cashing in.
Simplify—It’s Not Just a Nice Idea | Q Ideas by Nancy Sleeth. “Simplify your life.” “De-clutter.” These are not just trendy self-help phrases, these are Gospel ideas and key to living a sustainable, abundant life.
Stuff it: Millennials Have No Room for Their Parents’ Treasures | Washington Post by Jura Koncius. A seismic shift of stuff is underway in homes all over America.
Thanks so much for these readings. They are so good. Your selection of articles is superb. Best wishes,
People confuse price and cost. Price is just the starting point of cost. Cost continues to increase forever – e.g. price, lost earnings on the price, maintenance price, lost earnings on maintenance price etc. etc. etc. It would be useful to have a phone app that would take price and buyer’s age and give a true cost estimate.
Thank you for this Weekend Simplicity Reads feature on your website. I look forward to reading these every weekend!
Thanks so much for sharing these. :-)
I think the boomer vs. millennial article left out an important point: Some boomers upgrade their stuff a lot! So, as a young person, you’re being offered your parents’ unwanted stuff all the time. You get their “starter” stuff when you move out on your own. Then you’re being offered your grandparents’ stuff when they move into assisted living or pass away, or you’re being offered your parents’ old stuff because they’ve upgraded to grandma’s old stuff. Then, you’re being offered your parent’s old stuff yet again when they decide they want something new.
My grandmother would keep a set of furniture for 30 years or more. My parents and parents-in-law upgrade much more often! They think we’re ungrateful because they remember being happy to get grandma’s old stuff– but they weren’t getting these offers every five years! Add in the fact that millennials move more frequently and live farther away from their parents (we often have to to chase down a living ), and those offers really can be burdensome.
I think we’re on the verge of a major shift. The etiquette of gift-giving and handing down is so very different when consumer goods are cheap and abundant, but housing is expensive!
Thank you so much for sharing those! I am not a Millenial, but I can relate to the last link (parents’ treasure). As I get rid of stuff I realize a lot of it came from a well-intentioned grandmother to whom I could never say no. :-)
I definitely agree…there is way much more to life than buying stuff!
The article about wearing the same thing every day reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where George and Jerry see a woman wear the same thing twice, and wonder if she was simply at the end of a laundry cycle, or if she was a superhero with a closet full of the same uniform.
Your blogging guide post sparked my interest in looking into the scientific benefits of writing:
http://truthenamel.com/2015/04/11/scientific-health-benefits-of-writing/
A key point left out from the WP article is how smaller family sizes and divorce impact/dramatically increase the volume of stuff to be passed along. One set of my grandparents divorced, so my Dad had to deal with two full households of stuff (he’s also the last surviving child, so it aaaaalllllll went to him). So my parents have items from Mom’s parents and both of Dad’s parents, plus their own stuff. Will there be 4 or 5 kids splitting it up with a modest amount for each? No. There’s me and my one sibling who will need to figure out what the heck to do with all this STUFF.
Writing from Illinois, we had some tornadoes pass through here Thursday. Locally, we had severe weather, but no touchdowns. It was my day off and I cancelled my appointments to stay home. Yesterday, I asked my coworkers if it was busy ( I work for a major retailer ). It was! You would think people would stay home and bunker down! No…they shopped…and shopped…and shopped. I am so glad not to be a part of that madness. I am there to make money, not to spend it. Also, how easily all their junk could be destroyed in an instant. It’s just not worth it. I never want to be in debt because my clothing! Unreal. Maybe because I see it firsthand everyday, I am always amazed at how much money people waste on…stuff. Just stuff. @@
I understand – experientially – what you shared. I used to work in luxury retail. It was apparent to me that some folks ‘shop’ to fill up the empty space within … to escape – to self medicate due to loneliness and depression … as well as for all the good reasons.
So who knows what the weather stirred up for those shoppers. Emotional ‘weather’ perhaps?
Fascinating comments – thanks for sharing – it really makes one think about how people use shopping as a distraction and how it is, for some people, basically an addiction.
Joshua, thanks for the links. I found the article about having a work “uniform” very interesting. While I was in university, I had a job for which I had to wear a uniform. Unlike some people who thought it was restrictive, I felt like the author of the article: I loved the fact that it was one thing I didn’t have to worry about. Also, it saved me so much money. Now I am a professional, and I keep my wardrobe quite simple, but in some ways I miss the “uniform”. I love dressing expressively for get-togethers and in my personal time, but for work, I guess I am just very, very practical! I am not judging those who love mixing fashion into their work lives – honestly, good for them. I was just happy to read an article that expressed my rather unique perspective on this topic! :-)