Most people consider me a simple, frugal tightwad. Be warned, beneath this nice-guy frugal tightwad exterior, I have a darker side. Inside, I am a ranting, raving, proselytizing Anti-Materialist. Not only do I want to buy necessary things cheaply, but I would not take much of society’s “stuff” if they gave it to me. Often I consider material goods as so much litter to clutter up my life.
In my retirement, I am trying to follow three basic rules: (1) when it stops being fun, stop doing it. (2) Simplify, simplify, simplify. Order is important; a place for everything and everything in its place. (3) Downsize, downsize, downsize. My goal this winter is go through my files and drawers and garage and throw out a lifetime buildup of paper and clutter.
For me unneeded material possessions are life-junk which add extra complexity, tenseness and expense to life. If it is nutritious food, I’ll buy some. If it warms me in winter, OK I’ll buy. If it is broken and needs to be replaced, OK. If it would prove useful in an emergency, then OK. Otherwise, I worry that things own me more than I own them.
What do you pay for when you buy a material product? You pay for the container it comes in. What do you think costs more, the green beans or the steel can they come in? You (or someone) will pay for the disposal of the container and eventually the product itself. You also pay for the transport of the product, more and more from farther and farther away. Ocean freighters, freight trains and semis are not free goods, nor is fuel and labor. The buyer also pays for all the advertisement used to convince him to buy the product. More and more advertisement is to convince people that shopping itself is entertainment and needed therapy for any blue funk. Ads are full of over-smiling, happy, cool, hip buying people, so if you are not happy (or cool, hip or smart), this can be cured by hitting the malls.
Of course, if you own anything of worth, then you are also going to pay to insure it. Aren’t we all getting insurance poor? Do you want an extended warranty with that? If it’s out of warranty, you will have to pay for repairs. (Oh No! There is no such thing as “planned obsolescence”…all products are built to last.) Then there is the cost of storing it. Many domestic arguments develop along the lines, “This house is too small, and we need to buy a bigger one.” “No, the house is not too small; we just have too much stuff in it.” Did I mention taxes…like sales taxes? My attitude is, if I don’t own it, I don’t insure it; I don’t repair it; I don’t store it and I don’t donate 6% of my income to the state.
Obviously, this is a rant and I could go on for pages. I pretty well have the tirade out of my system now, so I’d best stop before I offend or bore any more politically correct shopaholics. Suffice to say, if I could take the beard itch, I’d probably be Amish.
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