Anonymous wrote:No. We don't have a lot of stuff. We have a lot of money in the bank instead.

Well do you ever think of the poor people and what they could do with the money that you are hoarding?

No. We don't have a lot of stuff. We have a lot of money in the bank instead.

Yes, and no. When it comes to food, I think we have too much food (we waste a lot), and think about third world countries. I think that is because when it comes to material possessions, it doesn't truly make me happy nor would it make someone (poor or not) really happy. Food is an essential, and it is sad to think about those who really know what hunger feels like.

Yes, I think we have too much stuff but DH thinks our house is too sparse

I think we go on vacation to get away from our stuff.

Between college and law school and the first few years of working, we moved on average about once every 1.5 years for 10-12 years. That's a LOT of moving and moving really helps you purge! We're moving again (buying, finally!) so I'm doing a big purge to make sure that the stuff we don't need doesn't come with us.

A good rule of thumb - if I haven't used it since the last move (2.5 years ago), I am NOT moving it again!

Yes, often. It's depressing.

The amount of food that gets thrown away really gets to us sometimes. It is crazy. I clean out the fridge before trash night and I am always in awe of what we waste. The kids are small now....I will relish when they eat everything in sight.

I think about it fleetingly, but then realize that with more economic mobility comes more conspicious consumption. Just look at the markets. China's appetite for "shit" is surpassing even ours.

For me, I'm a minimalist anyways. My house looks hardly lived in. I hate crap on surfaces and I'm not a big shopper. I think it is a personality thing. I drive my DH nuts because I sometimes throw useful stuff away, I hate when I do that!

No. I'm kind of obsessed with not getting too much clutter, and mostly just have basic necessities in my house.

My partner used to have periodic We-Have-Too-Much Crap Freak Outs -- so she'd haul everything to the curb (we lived on the Hill) Sunday morning and sell it to the passing church ladies.

I do. OP, get rid of the useless shit in your garage. It will make you feel SO much better. I promise. Have a Garage Sale, sell it on Craigslist, or just donate it. You're better off without it.

2 different thoughts. Yes, I need to get rid of a lot of shit, but no, I don't think about third world country citizens. I'm just not that deep (I guess that's why I bought all the shit in the first place)

I spend an inordinate amount of my time contemplating how to get rid of material possessions. I feel like most of it is a stain on my character somehow--cameras and stereo equipment in our house is at the point where it looks like I'm running a fencing operation.

YES!!! And I think I am actually REALLY (comparatively) good at keeping clutter away, but I still am always thinking about: "How can I eliminate clutter and get rid of stuff stuff stuff?"

Why do I have all this crap and think about how people in third world countries get by without the dumb "As Seen On TV" shit that we waste our money on? I want to burn all this useless shit in our garage.