Judging by what we buy today, times change. Life is less formal and simpler in many ways. I'm a different kind of consumer than my mother was, and I bet you are too.
Instead of fine china for 12, I bought sturdy place settings for 8 from Pottery Barn (when PB sold dishes in the 1990s). I remember selecting dishes I could use for everyday, as well as, a dinner party. I didn't want to buy 2 sets of dishes for different purposes. One set does it all, and no guest has ever batted an eye.
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| Nice enough, right? Goes upright or lateral. |
Now I buy Timex watches ... and organizer cubes from Walmart. As long as the cube is strong enough to serve its purpose and looks decent, I don't care if it is made of inexpensive pressed wood. Paying hundreds of dollars to store one's stuff makes no sense to me. When I think about it ... perhaps I could get rid of all the stuff that hides behind other stuff in a closet. Tell me why we hold on to things we rarely use, since it seems like too much trouble to get up on a ladder to rearrange stuff in order to get to other stuff?
As I get older, I'm becoming something of an under buyer. I think more about the world as a whole and my carbon footprint in it, and I can live with less. I only want stuff I actually use.
Don't get me wrong. I want to live well, have fashionable clothes and own everything I need to live a comfortable and purposeful life. But I don't mind wearing garments I like over again. I don't need to replace a computer or car the year a newer version comes out, and I don't want tons of extras (clothes, shoes, appliances, bedding, bath towels) I never use. Ideally, belongings shouldn't sit around idly ... collecting dust.
The stuff we buy should make our lives better, easier or more fun. Don't bring anything into your home without a clear function.
Space is valuable. Clutter looks bad. Be sure you won't mind losing your empty space to any merchandise that will occupy it.
Moreover, know when to pay top dollar, or not. When a similar item is ten times more expensive, ask yourself -- if you will get ten times more value or enjoyment out of it. When the answer is "yes," splurge. If "no," save.
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