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How Many THINGS
Does One Guy Need?
August
19, 2010
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How
Many THINGS Does One Guy Need?
I
think of myself as a minimalist. You know, buy just what
you need. No foo-foo. No clutter. No unnecessary frills
and flourishes. But then I started looking around at all
the THINGS I'd accumulated over the years. Ugh. Reminded
me of when, as a small boy, I'd go to Grandpa's garage
and wander around the vast piles of disassembled car and
truck parts, boards and wood scraps, stacks of half used
paint cans, oily tarps, tomato stakes and garden tools,
brushes and turpentine rags, glass jars of home canned
vegetables, rusty cans of bolts and nails, unused brooms,
old magazines, and unwanted chairs and dressers. Grandpa
kept everything he ever owned. I do not.
As far as THINGS are concerned, my aim is to live the
uncluttered life. My wife agrees. And from time to time
we debulk. Bags of good clothing, household decorations,
toys, kitchen wares and other THINGS we have neither used
nor touched in the past year or two go to Goodwill.
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We've
replaced Caesar's,
"I came. I saw. I conquered" with
"I saw. I wanted. I purchased."
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Good
intentions should always be checked against facts. My
hope was that I would find that I was living well with
100 THINGS or less. In my mind I began this way: Two cars,
one cell phone, one computer, one printer, two TVs. Etc.
Feeling good - that is until I opened my eyes and started
actually counting. 50 shelves full of books averaging
40 books per shelf and I already was up to 2000 THINGS
- books, half of them novels. Maybe I should count "books"
as one THING.
And if there are 2000 books, along with a more than ample
number of magazines and manila folders full of papers,
what will I find when I stroll into the kitchen? How many
cups, glasses, dishes, pots, pans, forks, spoons, bowls,
cooking utensils, cans and boxes of food, dish towels,
seasonings, dressings, fruits, cheeses, beverages and
vegetables will I find? All totaled, the number will run
well into the hundreds of THINGS. A peek at the linen
closet will generate another bunch: sheets, towels, spare
light bulbs, unused blankets, table cloths, etc. And there
are my framed photos on the walls - my hobby is outdoor
photography and we have poster sized prints from some
of the beautiful cities, national parks and gardens we've
been fortunate enough to have visited over the years.
I don't dare look in the closet at all the shoes, ties,
shirts, jackets, etc.!
"OK, critical thinker person," I'm thinking
to myself, "how much is needed and how much is too
much?" You can only sit in one chair at a time, only
listen to one radio at a time, only sleep in one bed at
a time, only ware one tie and jacket at a time. How many
of those kinds of THINGS do you really need?
What really got me going on this was a visit to the Stanford
Mall. Near the university, this particular mall caters
to the very wealthy residences of towns like Palo Alto,
Atherton, Burlingame and other peninsula cities south
of San Francisco. We happened to be visiting a patient
at the Stanford Hospital, which is adjacent to the mall.
We had some time to kill and so we decided to stroll around
and window shop a bit.
And, wow, what windows!
The Ralph Lauren store was loaded with white orchids,
splendid furniture, and every possible accessory that
someone hurrying from their morning visit to tennis club
to their afternoon polo practice might need before returning
home to dress for dinner and the symphony. THINGS! There
was a bed with so many pillows, sheets, blankets, comforters,
throws, and shams that it was not clear how a person could
sleep there too. Another display featured a banquet table
fully set for six. Each place setting included 20 things:
place mat, charger, 3 plates, soup bowl, cup, saucer,
five pieces of silverware, napkin, napkin holder, water
glass, two wine classes, bread dish and butter knife.
With the place settings, candles, flower centerpieces
(plural), and baskets for breads and fruits, there was
no room on that table to serve the meal. THINGS!
The mall, lavish with flowering plants, was crowded. You
couldn't get near an i-phone at the Apple store because
of all the people. There were lines at Starbucks. And
there were people grazing through all the specialty shop.
Do we really need all those specialty shops? Peer1 for
toddlers? Banana Republic for middle school kids? A store
that sells only candles? Another that sells only scented
soap? Sports memorabilia for overweight ex-jocks? Do I
really have to spend money to own a jersey signed by Joe
Montana? Is that an "investment," or just plain
silliness? What am I thinking as I pull my VISA card out
of my pocket - is this THING really going to bring me
happiness?
I'm no monk. No vows of poverty here, I assure you. But
if critical thinking is about reflective judgment, then
it must be the antithesis of impulse buying. We've replaced
Caesar's, "I came. I saw. I conquered" with
"I saw. I wanted. I purchased." Beef jerky at
the checkout counter? When I stopped to put gas in my
car was I really thinking, "Hum, I guess I'm hungry
but just didn't know it. And, aha! - a Union 76 station
- a great place to eat." In California we have great
drinking water, fed by the snows in the Sierra Nevada's.
Do I really need to buy bottled water when my tap water
tastes as good or better?
You have to tip your hat to the power of clever marketing.
Those visual merchandising, sales and design people are
masters of getting us consumers to look right past the
price. The consistent message is that whatever we already
own isn't good enough. Get rid of that nasty thing you
already have and spend some of your hard earned money
to buy the same thing - water - back again.
Our clothing isn't stylish enough, you need this year's
look. Ordinary fruits and vegetables aren't nutritious
enough, you have to buy organic. Your car is so old it's
a museum piece. The game will look so much better on your
new HD TV. (By the way, it does.) Your body doesn't work,
so you need pharmaceuticals and appliances to improve
your digestion, sleeping, weight, blood pressure, strength,
hair color, complexion, muscle tone, hearing, vision,
breathing, sexual endurance, etc.
THINGS!
Would it destroy the economy and ruin the nation if we
did not buy so many THINGS?
Do I need another newer … ?
Blog by Peter A. Facione, August 19, 2010.
Comments
and Posts
Ryan
Roth, allso a self-identified minimalists, writes:
Pete-
I've been both fortunate and unfortunate enough, depends
on how you look at it, to have moved three times in the
last four years. With each move I use the same approach
when packing. I walk through the apartment asking myself,
"Have you used this in the last six months? Will
you use it in the next six months?" (This approach
does not apply to item of sentimental worth.) When the
answer is "No", I set the item aside for either
donation or for the dumpster. This has definitely alleviated
some of the clutter, and I have yet to look back with
regret over a discarded item.
I
too consider myself a minimalist -a minimalist in pursuit
of maximizing utility. I am mostly a t-shirt and jeans
type of guy (and thanks to Levi's clever marketing that
will never go out of style…). Beyond that, I own
a few plain or striped, button-down shirts, two pairs
of dress pants (one gray, one black), and two suits (one
gray, one black). My theory on clothing is that buying
a timeless t-shirt or dress shirt (ones without patterns
or flare) will allow me to span several fashion seasons
without having to rush out and buy something new.
Between
me and my roommate we have: 3 forks, 5 spoons, 5 knives,
and a handful of cups, plates, and bowls -thankfully we
have a dishwasher. We are both living a post-collegiate,
bachelor lifestyle that doesn't concern itself much with
hosting dinner parties and/or holiday gatherings. So I
do understand that the contents of my cabinets (and wardrobe)
will likely change/expand with time and as I "mature";
but for the time being, our limited amount of kitchenware
is the perfect fit.
I
think the number of THINGS a person "should"
own is dictated by their place in life and their economic
abilities. I like to believe I keep it simple in the world
of consumerism, but I'm fairly certain that if I won the
lottery today I would be out tonight on a shopping spree
that would put Puff Daddy and Oprah to shame. This doesn't
mean I NEED these THINGS, but it sure would be fun pretending
I need a brand new Jaguar XK or an 81" flat panel
HD TV.
-Ryan W. Roth
Oh, and this is a pretty funny quote:
"What is this obsession people have with books? They
put them in their house - like they're trophies. What
do you need it for after you read it?" - Jerry Seinfeld
Check
out this blog and feel free to offer responses. click
the blog link on the home page. dr. facione was one of
the best professors i ever had. (ugh, hope he doesn't
read this. that will be embarrassing). thanks.
Oops!
Read it. Flattered and humbled too. Thanks, RR.
SC
sent me this email:
HaHa,
Thank you so much for writing this Dr. Facione. As I reflect
on my own THINGS and how cluttered my two bedroom house
is between me, my partner, and our 4 year old, I start
thinking how much of these THINGS do we really need? And
why do we always want more? More often than not I don't
find reasonable answers to keep so many THINGS, (aside
from some minimal sentimental value). Or finding a good
reason to buy something new other than, "I liked
it". Which really isn't a good reason at all.
At
the end of the day I realize I came into this world stark
naked and screaming with my fist balled EMPTY HANDED.
And although ill probably leave this world much different
than that, I probably wont be taking any of those THINGS!
And yet again will leave this world EMPTY HANDED!
Was
it really necessary to keep all those things through the
years? Probably not. Sad part about it is I'm not even
that old to have accumulated the amount of THINGS I have
already. And between my clutter in 23 years of life, and
the other random things my partner has collected in 30
years, and our 4 year olds amazing 100+ Thomas the train
collection, I think we are in over our heads for MORE
THINGS!
Now
that it's Friday, when 430 hits and my weekend starts
I just want to go home and throw THINGS away! Thanks for
making me think about all the THINGS I wish I had, and
realizing, why do I even need them when I have enough
THINGS already just collecting dust and looking irrelevant.
-SC
Thanks,
SC. And I love the image of the infant entering this world
"fist balled yet empty handed."
Click to go back to the blog itself, "How
Many THINGS Does One Guy Need?"
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