Stuff and Stuff

[BarTopDancer]

Something reminded me of a thread CP started a looong time ago (maybe back on the Pad) about stuff. We all have stuff, we love stuff and we seem to keep buying more stuff. I used to be good at storing my stuff but now my stuff just seems to multiply. Part of my stuff is clothes. I have 3 bags sitting on the floor in my room ready to donate. Yet my closet seems just as full. Of stuff.

What do you do with all your stuff? How do you keep it to a minimum? Or at least look like it is kept to a minimum? Maybe when I get my own place again I'll have more room to hide stuff. Then again most of my stuff is in storage.

Does anyone else think the word "stuff" is starting to look and sound funny?

[Capt Jack]

while Im surely still in process of eliminating a huge pile of 'stuff' from my living space, the rule I want to try and use to clear it out is

"if I havent seen, worn or used it in 2 years, its gone."

that should effectively leave me with just what I need. as far as where it goes. goodwill if its viable. city landfill for all else.

[Scrooge McSam]

I've just never been a "stuff" guy.

Moving so frequently kept me relatively "stuff" free for years. I had to go buy "stuff" when I moved up from the condo to the house.

Plus, as the nick implies, I can be pretty tight with a buck.

Example... Paris... Mom bought 3 scarves, various and sundry knick knacks, perfume, art books... I could go on. I packed them.

I got a mousepad with a map of the metro. I love it.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I need to get rid of a lot of stuff. We used to move frequently, which kept the accumulation to a minimum. We've been here since 1998. That implies a collection of a lot of crap.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I have to get rid of a lot of stuff, too. My personal nemesis is paper. It's even taken over the space under the coffee table!

I don't know what to do with all the non-paper stuff, and I feel wasteful putting it in the dumpster.

[Gemini Cricket]

Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there. That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time.

A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff!

Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore. Did you ever notice when you go to somebody else's house, you never quite feel a hundred percent at home? You know why? No room for your stuff. Somebody else's stuff is all over the goddamn place! And if you stay overnight, unexpectedly, they give you a little bedroom to sleep in. Bedroom they haven't used in about eleven years. Someone died in it, eleven years ago. And they haven't moved any of his stuff! Right next to the bed there's usually a dresser or a bureau of some kind, and there's NO ROOM for your stuff on it. Somebody else's sh!t is on the dresser.

Have you noticed that their stuff is sh!t and your sh!t is stuff? God! And you say, "Get that sh!t offa there and let me put my stuff down!"

Sometimes you leave your house to go on vacation. And you gotta take some of your stuff with you. Gotta take about two big suitcases full of stuff, when you go on vacation. You gotta take a smaller version of your house. It's the second version of your stuff. And you're gonna fly all the way to Honolulu. Gonna go across the continent, across half an ocean to Honolulu. You get down to the hotel room in Honolulu and you open up your suitcase and you put away all your stuff. "Here's a place here, put a little bit of stuff there, put some stuff here, put some stuff--you put your stuff there, I'll put some stuff--here's another place for stuff, look at this, I'll put some stuff here..." And even though you're far away from home, you start to get used to it, you start to feel okay, because after all, you do have some of your stuff with you. That's when your friend calls up from Maui, and says, "Hey, why don'tchya come over to Maui for the weekend and spend a couple of nights over here."

Oh, no! Now what do I pack? Right, you've gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The third version of your house. Just enough stuff to take to Maui for a coupla days. You get over to Maui--I mean you're really getting extended now, when you think about it. You got stuff ALL the way back on the mainland, you got stuff on another island, you got stuff on this island. I mean, supply lines are getting longer and harder to maintain. You get over to your friend's house on Maui and he gives you a little place to sleep, a little bed right next to his windowsill or something. You put some of your stuff up there. You put your stuff up there. You got your Visine, you got your nail clippers, and you put everything up. It takes about an hour and a half, but after a while you finally feel okay, say, "All right, I got my nail clippers, I must be okay." That's when your friend says, "Aaaaay, I think tonight we'll go over the other side of the island, visit a pal of mine and maybe stay over."

Aww, no. NOW what do you pack? Right--you gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The fourth version of your house. Only the stuff you know you're gonna need. Money, keys, comb, wallet, lighter, hanky, pen, smokes, rubber and change. Well, only the stuff you HOPE you're gonna need.

[MouseWife]

We used to also get rid of stuff by moving every couple of years {that wasn't our intention, it just worked out that way}.

We've lived here since '96. Yikes!!!

And, like you, Matterhorn Fan, I love paper~ in magazine form, book form, letters, cards, work from the kids, etc. The other stuff, I feel that it has some purpose but what???

I am trying to get rid of some books~ I told my sis this and that I wanted to take some to the homeschool library {this is how I got rid of, er, donated a bunch a few years back} and she mentioned doctors offices, other waiting rooms.

Talking to someone else, they reminded me that our local church has a 'bank' of stuff...food, clothing and household items. They take things to T.J. for the orphanages as well as have things for people in need of stuff {who in the world needs more stuff???}.

GC~ when the Hubster and I start to complain about the messy house and tell each other it's his stuff or mine, we always end up laughing because we start our best George Carlin impressions.

And yes, stuff stuff stuff....it does start to sound funny after a while.

Should we have a stuff trade center???

[Betty]

There is stuff everywhere. EVERYWHERE! I need to clean my stuff up and get rid of a bunch of it. I'm sentimental though - and not very good at getting rid of stuff.

Other people get rid of stuff and I say - Hey - that's good stuff you're getting rid of. Maybe I'll take some of your stuff and make it my stuff.

I keep thinking - I'll have a garage sale and get rid of alot of this stuff - but it's been years and still no sale. Sigh.

Stuff. Does sound funny doesn't it?

[lizziebith]

Gosh, I love my stuff. I'm not going to try to get rid of it! I bought it because I wanted it. I always feel like the world is anti-packrat. Harumph. Well, I'm a packrat and I'm proud!

And I'm going to need a new storage unit soon!

ETA: I have a pair of socks I bought in 1979! Yes, I still wear them...

[blueerica]

I have lots of stuff. I haven't been able to afford to get new stuff, and somehow, it's caused a slow-down of the "getting rid of stuff."