Comments on: Stuff = Stress

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 18:58:27 +0000

Hey.. its nice to see soemone in the same boat as me. Funny thing is that I was reading the article thinking.. there was going to be some awesome resolution but alas I think you were just venting. I was married in June and still have closets and floor space covered with wedding gifts. Living in an apartment with the possibility of getting a house in a year or so.. has us rethinking the gifts we asked for. We will probably be heading over to Crate and Barrel soon enough and returning some of the gifts and saving the money for the “house fund”.

By: Jennifer Grucza

Jennifer Grucza — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 15:40:11 +0000

I think the tradition probably started back when people were living with their parents until getting married, and didn’t have any of their own household items yet. Now that people live on their own for quite a while before getting married, it doesn’t really make as much sense.

Anyway, didn’t you register for just the things you wanted? Did people get you stuff that you hadn’t registered for? I agree with Jeff’s idea of a polite request for only items on the registry or cash – I don’t think people would really like their gifts to go to waste, after all, and that would let them know ahead of time that they would if they got them for you.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 17:35:56 +0000

Yet another reason I’m glad I eloped 5 yrs ago. ;)

I totally hear you about the peanuts, though. I finally broke down with my mother, whose every Xmas/bday gift box was half packing foams, and begged her to do something else. Last time, it was extra quilt batting, which made a great insta-pillow for the cats.

and FYI, you can recycle the peanuts at any UPS store.

By: Phil Rodgers

Phil Rodgers — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 15:53:02 +0000

When we got married it took us two days to open all the gifts. The living area of our small apartment was knee deep in them. The very last ones we opened were from my parents’ neighbour. We took off the outer wrapping to find two boxes, a toaster and a kettle. We thought this was a slightly strange choice, as we already had both a kettle and a toaster, but after two days of gift-opening we were ready to quit, so we just put the boxes unopened in a cupboard. Later we wrote to thank her for them.

Some months later, our toaster caught fire – quite dramatically, too, with flames leaping out. Fortunately a damp cloth put them out quickly enough, but the toaster was a write-off. We then remembered the toaster we’d received as a wedding gift, and got it out of the cupboard. However, on opening the box we found not the toaster we had expected, but six rather nice highball glasses. With something of a sinking feeling, we opened the kettle box as well. A fine glass jug. Rather a shame, then, that our thank you letter had mentioned a kettle and a toaster.

The moral of the story: Open all the boxes!

By: Ericka Menchen Trevino

Ericka Menchen Trevino — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 18:43:00 +0000

I just got married too and we’re still trying to dig out from under the stuff. We’re to the stage of needing to buy lots of storage stuff to put our new stuff in. It’s almost as bad as moving really; we’re reorganizing everything. Good luck & congrats.

By: patRice

patRice — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 12:58:50 +0000

Britt. Good idea re the kid’s toys. My friends have since day one involved their kids in this process (because the latter hated any of their stuff being thrown away). There is a fixed appointment every month when they all go through toys, drawings, etc. together & decide what will be thrown and/or given away. By now all threed daughters are pretty good at letting go of things!

On the general subject: I am from Europe, but now living in Asia. Maybe I’ll soon have to move house, and it is mad to see just how much stuff I’ve accumulated over the past 24 months! (Thinking of all my possesions back “home”, in several storage places, makes me want to cry…)

Anybody need anything? ;-)

By: Julie

Julie — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 21:00:57 +0000

As the Buddha says… possessions cause pain.

By: inkling

inkling — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 16:36:30 +0000

I agree with everything being said. Now how do I convince my wife to think the same way? About a year ago I proposed a rule that every time we buy or are given something we have to get rid of something else. She looked at me like I punched her in the gut! And she still gets nervous whenever I walk near her Boyd’s Bears collectibles…

I do agree about stuff owning you. I have a friend with a boat, a dirt bike, an ATV, etc. Of course he never hangs out with us because he’s too busy tinkering with them in every free moment.

By: Mark Sicignano

Mark Sicignano — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 15:40:17 +0000

As Tyler Durden said in “Fight Club”:

“The things you own end up owning you.”

It’s definately true…

Like you said, you need a bigger place, more debt, more things to repair, more clutter, more stress when you can’t find something amongst the clutter.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 01:07:06 +0000

I can help you get rid of the popcorn if you want!