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12/20/2007 03:09:31 PM · #1 |
For the last few months, I've felt like I'm happier when I own fewer things. Anything that I had hoarded before is going away and it feels good to not be tied down by bunches of junk. Even switching to a notebook computer (as my only machine) was part of this effort.
Anyone else ever go through this? Doesn't it feel kind of liberating to have LESS stuff?
BTW, my camera bag has immunity, so no you can't have my glass. lol Although there may be an XT thrown out in the near future.
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12/20/2007 03:12:29 PM · #2 |
Yes, and I seem to want to do this every year around the holidays. Some people Spring clean. I Christmas clean. :)
If it ain't tied down, or attached somewhere, it could fall victim to my simplification plans.
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12/20/2007 03:16:20 PM · #3 |
I am leaning this way as well. Separating from my wife this year has caused me to take stalk of what I truly value. I have stuff, but I am not that attached to it and maybe it is time to separate from some of it as well.
Thanks for the post. |
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12/20/2007 03:22:09 PM · #4 |
Living on a 31' sailboat for 6 months and then in an efficiency apartment for another 6 months last year brought home the simplicity ideal. Although I have spread from that a little recently, I'm about ready for another stint on the boat.
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12/20/2007 03:29:17 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by karmat:
If it ain't tied down, or attached somewhere, it could fall victim to my simplification plans. |
That's the way I am. If I can't sell it, it has a good chance of ending up at Goodwill or the Salvation Army. I seriously think I could live in a tent, if it had WiFi access.
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12/20/2007 03:40:28 PM · #6 |
| You know what, I know a place that has tents with WiFi access. :) I work at Duke and so that the students can continue working themselves into the ground while tenting for basketball tickets they have full WiFi up and down the area where they tent. I will have to get some shots for you this year and send them to you :) |
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12/20/2007 03:51:19 PM · #7 |
When I left San Diego and moved to Cape Cod half a dozen years ago, I packed everything I took with me in two duffel bags, and brought my golf clubs. A couple boxes of computer stuff and a few books were shipped surface and met me here a month later. That's all I carried with me of my "former life". I have no old pictures of me, no cherished objets d'art, nothing but memories and my too-tired flesh...
Clutter is building up here, though. I gotta do something...
R.
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12/20/2007 03:58:55 PM · #8 |
I've always tended toward simplicity. I enjoy Veggie Tales story of Madame Blueberry (and the StuffMart). Sometimes in this world of stuff my wife and I have moments of weakness (her with shoes and bags, me with computer/camera toys), but we remind each other with the mantra "stuff, stuff, stuff!"
A popular technology columnist (blanking on his name) suggests that humans (adults specifically) mentally map their surroundings, and therefore become mentally and physically drained when their surroundings are too cluttered. Thus, cleaning out is in fact refreshing for your health. |
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12/20/2007 04:18:08 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by smurfguy:
A popular technology columnist (blanking on his name) suggests that humans (adults specifically) mentally map their surroundings, and therefore become mentally and physically drained when their surroundings are too cluttered. |
Damn, I must be a mental giant. I'm not even tired. I really need to clean up some of this junk. I've got six different versions of a flash trigger project on 5 different prototype boards on the table in front of me.
Wires, IC's, caps, resistors, laying around.
Woah. 4 light stands, I tripod, 2 cameras, 5 lenses, 5 flashes, on and on. Can't hardly move without trippin. |
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12/20/2007 04:37:12 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by fir3bird:
Damn, I must be a mental giant. I'm not even tired. I really need to clean up some of this junk. I've got six different versions of a flash trigger project on 5 different prototype boards on the table in front of me.
Wires, IC's, caps, resistors, laying around.
Woah. 4 light stands, I tripod, 2 cameras, 5 lenses, 5 flashes, on and on. Can't hardly move without trippin. |
I was just like that. Had a bunch of amateur radio gear (most needed fixing) and broke down computers and radio control parts ... and 10,000 hobbies.
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12/20/2007 05:51:11 PM · #11 |
| Yep. My life is extremely minimalistic and I just purged my storage unit two weeks ago. Now, if I could only convince my family to forgo gift-giving during the holidays I'd be thrilled! |
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12/20/2007 06:13:37 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
I have no old pictures of me |
All the pictures of you are old pictures.
You had that coming for dissing my car :)
HoHoHo |
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12/20/2007 06:40:14 PM · #13 |
Always feel like that. The problem is getting the gf to cooperate.
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12/20/2007 08:00:18 PM · #14 |
It is interesting to note that most of the people in this thread are male. Women don't (generally) have these feelings?
Message edited by author 2007-12-21 19:59:18. |
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12/20/2007 08:03:56 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by agrimace:
It is interesting to note that all (but one) of the people in this thread are male. WTF? Women don't (generally) have these feelings? |
Sure you don't want to do a recount? |
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12/20/2007 08:31:58 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
I was just like that. Had a bunch of amateur radio gear (most needed fixing) and broke down computers and radio control parts ... and 10,000 hobbies. |
I've tried just about every hobby that dissipates money. ;) My call letters are K4WDE. I've got one rig with a faulty RX audio out jack I need to change so I can sell it while it still might be worth 1500 bucks. sigh. Think of the lens I could buy with that. LOL |
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12/20/2007 08:42:25 PM · #17 |
Try hobby robotics, that one is a wallet killer too :-D
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12/20/2007 09:23:43 PM · #18 |
Are you nesting Leroy?! ;)
WE have moved 2x across country in the past year, so we really downsized. When we left Montana in July, I donated 25 medium size boxes of books to the public library, 14 bags of clothing to the Goodwill, etc.
I cant stand clutter anymore so I am constantly trying to get rid of things... ebay is my friend... |
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12/20/2007 09:44:56 PM · #19 |
| So let's put it this way...if my wife suddenly decided to say 'I've had enough' and left tomorrow, I would have a laptop, a camera bag, some clothes and a dog and that is literally all. No furniture but maybe a box or two of books and a kaleidoscope collection. |
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12/20/2007 10:06:54 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by fir3bird:
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
I was just like that. Had a bunch of amateur radio gear (most needed fixing) and broke down computers and radio control parts ... and 10,000 hobbies. |
I've tried just about every hobby that dissipates money. ;) My call letters are K4WDE. I've got one rig with a faulty RX audio out jack I need to change so I can sell it while it still might be worth 1500 bucks. sigh. Think of the lens I could buy with that. LOL |
I'm KE4QZK, and  nards656 is KE4OIW. :)
We weren't "in" it for long, so we didn't accumulate a bunch of stuff. We do, however, still have a couple of handheld units lying around somewhere. |
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12/20/2007 10:10:37 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by gwe21:
I cant stand clutter anymore so I am constantly trying to get rid of things... ebay is my friend... |
I've got half my material items listed on Amazon... LOL. I think wanting to move/change my life has a lot to do with the minimalist activities.
BTW, Karma and Walt... I was KF4EXB, but my license has expired and the Internet has replaced that activity in my life.
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12/20/2007 10:13:54 PM · #22 |
| I remember when I was 19 leaving an apartment and throwing out everything but some clothes and my bass guitars. It was one of the most liberating feelings of my life. Certainly an appealing idea...... |
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12/20/2007 10:22:23 PM · #23 |
I just deleted 2 GB of pics - mostly outtakes I realized I'm never going to go back and edit. Does that count?
A friend recently lost everything but a ring, her cell phone, and her cat in a fire. Made me think. The only things I'd want to grab would be photo albums and my computer, and that'd be just for the pics since I went digital.
But if all 4 of us got out and lost everything else, we'd make more pics. :)
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12/21/2007 02:34:08 AM · #24 |
Oh, I completely understand... when my home gets too full of junk, I find it frustrating and I find I have no attention span. I'm always trying to find a way to downsize/reorganize. It's a little tough since I'm the family 'historian/librarian' - I have photos from so many generations ago that I'm still trying to research who they are!
I'm about at that place again and if I can get a few days to recover from work, I'm prolly gonna start tossing stuff again. |
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12/21/2007 02:40:02 AM · #25 |
| My little sojourn to the Middle East has definitely taught me that all I really need are my cats (and the necessary accessories), my camera stuff, and a computer. I can do without everything else. Definitely several trips to the thrift store when I get back, and I have stuff in storage in Texas I could probably sell outright without even unpacking. 'Cept for some heirloom quilts from my grandmother - those I will keep. |
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