The Money Mustache Community
Around the Internet => Antimustachian Wall of Shame and Comedy => Topic started by: Nidiyao on March 17, 2015, 02:28:16 PM
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Saw an article in this week's Time which made we want to punch the author in the face. Instead of actually writing about the true joy of less, it was an article about a family therapist who "practices another kind of therapy - retail". This person's house was so full of stuff she was ashamed to have anyone come over. The article wrapped up by explaining how the therapist had a good recovery because she was now so organized she could see her dining room table again.
It was the perfect set up to talk about the bankrupt philosophy of trying to buy happiness through consumption, but instead the author used it to extol a book about the "life-changing magic of tidying up" and professional organizers.
There was one paragraph about having experiences vs. stuff. But the only discussion of having less stuff focused on changing analog technology for digital. She also mentioned that young Americans relocating to urban areas appear more inclined to shed consumerist tendencies. I just think she missed the boat here completely which is a shame. This could have been a great article. A shame.
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Many authors and speakers come right up to the edge - they're so close - but they just can't see beyond. It's like there's a thick veil preventing true vision. I think actual mustachians are pretty rare.
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I haven't read the article but The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo is actually pretty good insofar as that author advocates chucking crap you don't need as a prerequisite.
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Many authors and speakers come right up to the edge - they're so close - but they just can't see beyond. It's like there's a thick veil preventing true vision. I think actual mustachians are pretty rare.
They can see. But how many magazines would Time actually sell if they wrote an article that said "don't buy stuff (such as Time magazine), it will only clutter your home"?
It's just commercial reality
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Eric, thanks for that comment. It encouraged me to get the book from the library and read it and I actually really like it. I have a huge garbage back of clothes for goodwill because "they don't give me joy".
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You are welcome. You aren't the only fan:
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachian-book-club/the-life-changing-art-of-tidying-up/ (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachian-book-club/the-life-changing-art-of-tidying-up/)
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I haven't read the article but The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo is actually pretty good insofar as that author advocates chucking crap you don't need as a prerequisite.
I tried it but couldn't get more than $40 pages in. You can get her method for free (I guess I did since I got it from the library) but the writing was brutal. Good idea though and I love her method for folding clothes (it's on youtube).
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I used to love buying things, thankfully now I don't. I've noticed how often so many of the things purchased lose their allure after a little while, even big ticket items. My parents are starting to get on my case about buying a new car, whereas it's only 10 years old and has only 150,000 miles and it's a Camry, it should last another 100,000 miles at least!
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Mustachianism is kind of opposed to the entire American way of life, so of course magazines like Time are going to reject it. They want you to buy more, not less.
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I just read this article and realized the same thing - the author came soooooo close, but missed it.
OTOH, I found the accompanying table, which shows that the cost of non-discretionary goods and services as risen, whereas the cost of discretionary goods & services such as consumer electronics has fallen, most interesting.
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I also enjoyed the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and it fits quite well into a Mustachian lifestyle. If you lived in a way that your purchasing decisions and life-arranging came out of a source of control and joy, the level of consumption relative to happiness would become much more balanced.