When we first came to Canada when I was but a few months old, we were poor. Slowly, I watched my parents go from poor to middle class via the procuration of a diploma. We used to move a lot - once a year was considered the norm. We packed our few belonging into a 9mx9m truck and moved to the next house. Most of our boxes were books that my father simply couldn't leave behind.
I must say that most of my upbringing, at least the part that I remember, was during a period of lower-end middle class living style. What that means is that two young adults that have seen misery are earning a higher income and are thus compelled in this capitalistic society to consume more. We got our first car, that was big. Time passed and we got our second car - even better. More time passed and we bought a condo, a house, another house... A 9mX9m truck could hardly fit all the belonging of a single room.
The biggest difference between to poor and the rich is within their way of thinking. Rich people don't buy things they know they won't need. As someone said "one must be very rich to own that much nothing". I believe that was said about empty spaces and desks. That is not to say rich people don't buy things, they do, and a lot but it's how they dispose of them that sets them apart.
For the past 10 years, my little sister and I have accumulated dozens of objects that brought us only temporary joy. I'm speaking of the Wii fit that nobody uses, the electric piano that I wanted so much, the 3 old computers, the ping pong table, the massive amount of fancy tea, the numerous books, the foldable bucket I got at one of my birthdays (damn that was a strange gift) and the list goes on forever. Sadly, I've come to the realization that we don't use most of these things. They just sit there, in the unlikely event that one day we will use them for a few seconds. We have clothes in our wardrobes that we would never wear in public. Most of these things could be given away or even sold if it wasn't this guilt, this torturous attachment that we have to those objects.
Minimalism could theoretically help but for each discarded object, another is bought or gifted. It is a cycle that is impossible to flee from and it leaves us quite dissatisfied. What's alarming is that we even obtain extra furniture to store those unneeded items. Furniture that often doesn't match. Perhaps I'm a perfectionist. Perhaps I'm crazy for wanting all my Tupperware, silverware, dishes and other kitchen items to be of the same style. It bothers me that our plates are all different in size and shape. That it's not all from the same set...
I came across a good idea "get rid of one thing per day until you're happy". That's a good idea, but how do you discipline yourself into doing that? How do you stop yourself from buying more crap that you clearly don't need? The idea should be "stop buying things you don't need with money you don't have and get rid of one thing per day until you're happy". I'm pretty sure that if we, as a family, did that for a year we would live a fuller life - and we'd have 1424 useless items out of the house.
I must say that most of my upbringing, at least the part that I remember, was during a period of lower-end middle class living style. What that means is that two young adults that have seen misery are earning a higher income and are thus compelled in this capitalistic society to consume more. We got our first car, that was big. Time passed and we got our second car - even better. More time passed and we bought a condo, a house, another house... A 9mX9m truck could hardly fit all the belonging of a single room.
The biggest difference between to poor and the rich is within their way of thinking. Rich people don't buy things they know they won't need. As someone said "one must be very rich to own that much nothing". I believe that was said about empty spaces and desks. That is not to say rich people don't buy things, they do, and a lot but it's how they dispose of them that sets them apart.
For the past 10 years, my little sister and I have accumulated dozens of objects that brought us only temporary joy. I'm speaking of the Wii fit that nobody uses, the electric piano that I wanted so much, the 3 old computers, the ping pong table, the massive amount of fancy tea, the numerous books, the foldable bucket I got at one of my birthdays (damn that was a strange gift) and the list goes on forever. Sadly, I've come to the realization that we don't use most of these things. They just sit there, in the unlikely event that one day we will use them for a few seconds. We have clothes in our wardrobes that we would never wear in public. Most of these things could be given away or even sold if it wasn't this guilt, this torturous attachment that we have to those objects.
Minimalism could theoretically help but for each discarded object, another is bought or gifted. It is a cycle that is impossible to flee from and it leaves us quite dissatisfied. What's alarming is that we even obtain extra furniture to store those unneeded items. Furniture that often doesn't match. Perhaps I'm a perfectionist. Perhaps I'm crazy for wanting all my Tupperware, silverware, dishes and other kitchen items to be of the same style. It bothers me that our plates are all different in size and shape. That it's not all from the same set...
I came across a good idea "get rid of one thing per day until you're happy". That's a good idea, but how do you discipline yourself into doing that? How do you stop yourself from buying more crap that you clearly don't need? The idea should be "stop buying things you don't need with money you don't have and get rid of one thing per day until you're happy". I'm pretty sure that if we, as a family, did that for a year we would live a fuller life - and we'd have 1424 useless items out of the house.
