Unfortunately, it is a disease that we are encouraged to have every day from every side. TV, magazines, billboards, ads everywhere tell us THIS is what we want. We DESERVE it. An article I read some time ago mentioned that walk-in closets are a fairly American concept. Many "average" Europeans do well with fewer and higher quality clothes. I personally have a serious love affair with boots, but I do not own 50 pairs. In fact, I've been holding on to a gift card with plans to buy what would be my 3rd pair, replacing another pair that are more utility than dress. I can't seem to pull the trigger on purchasing them. Surely there is something else more practical I can buy! Even my husband says, nearly daily, "Did you order your boots yet? Why not?" (I love him!) While the message out there is to have more buy more trash more, I'm cool with keeping things simple.
Why the American obsession with having more more more bigger bigger better? Why the walk-in closets that are bigger than some apartments? My husband and I like to dream of our own home, so we go to open houses on the weekends in our favorite little town. Most every place we look at has huge closets. Sure, I love them, but they make me laugh, because I know how empty ours would be. Room for all the towels and linens, for sure. Then what would be in the linen closets? We laugh. And yet there has been, as you have noticed, such a growing abundance of storage rental facilities. Seriously??? No, I can see the need for those when you are moving and need to stash your stuff for a month. Tops. But keeping a storage unit for months and months and years?? I don't get it. First, our garages are too full for our cars because we have too much stuff, and now we overflow into storage units. Why? Safety in stuff? Longevity through belongings? We moved from a one-bedroom to a larger 2-bedroom, and actually, we got RID of stuff. I have empty cupboards. It's a nice problem; I like it. I feel no need to stuff them to overflowing.
Gross and unnecessary consumerism should not be written off as a personal choice for some few sick people. It's dangerous and it's a drain on everyone's resources. It affects you, it affects me. We need to make better choices, we need to stop being slaves to the whims of ad agencies and big corporations who say buy more more more or you're a loser, and we need to instill better values in the next generation. I get the feeling they are going to look back on us and say, "What were you thinking???"
We weren't. But we can start now.
I used to have kind of a shoe thing, but then I realized that I bought them 1) when I was having a lousy day, 2) because they were cheap, or 3) because they looked like something else I had and liked. I've replaced shopping with more creative hobbies. Unfortunately, my current hobby is pottery, which results in lots and lots of ceramics, so instead of crowded closets, I have crowded cupboards. :( Hmm...suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI never understood the shoe thing - I actually have probably 15 pairs, which I consider excessive. A couple sandals for summer (which are in a box most of the year), a pair of rain boots, three pairs of "nice" boots (and I'd be fine with just the one pair I've had for 10 years - the other two, I almost never wear), and three pairs of sneakers (one for athletics and two for everyday use). I only wear five pairs of shoes on a regular basis, and I only keep the others because it is nice to have something to wear in the summer that isn't too hot, and something for a special night out. But I fantasize about tossing some of them into the Goodwill bin....
ReplyDeleteWe actually have a HUGE walk-in closet. Like seriously, if it had a window, I'd use it as my office. And we love it. Why? Because it is only 1/4 of the way full of our stuff - the other 3/4 I use to hang dry my laundry! It's awesome!
Pottery and ceramics... ahhhh... now THERE'S an obsession of mine! I CANNOT walk into a pottery store. I love bowls and mugs and all of that. At least with that as a hobby, you have plenty of nice gifts all the time! Shoes... I too have very few pairs, and I am loathe to spend a lot of $$$ on them. Heck I have a pair of those $5 white canvas junk things that have NO tread left and are sprouting holes because they are 5 years old and I still wear them. Can't bring myself to replace them.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I still have not ordered the boots.
My daughter loves shoes. I hope she never gets that bad. That picture is too many shoes.
ReplyDelete