The best things in life are not things at all

I saw this on a bumper sticker on a car in front of me. This was on the way to work this morning and I completely agree with it. I have realized that material things are just that. In the end they mostly mean nothing. Some of them you need to survive but the majority of the crap we have is not necessary.

The things I value the most:

• People: friends, acquaintances, family, and so on. People are what make life what it is.
• Experiences: All of my best memories are from travel. I will continue to travel for as long as I can.
• Food & Drink: This brings people together. The food itself is not as important as the company that comes with it. It is a tool to bring us together
• History/Culture: Another reason I travel. I read about all sorts of interesting history and places to visit. When I actually get there it definitely adds to the experience to know the background behind it.
• Freedom: without it we cannot do as we please. I will viciously fight anything that tries to impede it.

Remember all of this the next time you think about buying more clothes, a new car, or an expensive "toy" that you want because of some marketing you were subjected too.  Does that object have more importance than the above? My guess is no.

My Take on Minimalization: Do What Works for You!

I have come across a lot of blogs and even financial blog posts on decluttering, being a minimalist, and getting rid of stuff. These are all good things. On the other hand a few have taken it to the extreme which tends to backfire for a lot of people (including me!).

Personally I am a huge fun of only having what I need around. I am the type of person who doesn't need 800 pictures on the wall, 300 owl trinkets on shelves, and 1000 books on the shelf. I simply don't see the value in it. I suppose one could call me practical.

I found that after I returned from 18 months abroad having only what was in my backpack was a lifestyle I liked. The problem is that this doesn't translate to a more "normal" life with a full time job, a house, a car, etc. I slowly started to amass more stuff and I was pretty against it in the beginning. I now realize that some of it is necessary to live more comfortably. I am not longer "roughing it" and living with 4 t-shirts.

When I finished remodeling my new (to me) house I had a fair bit of family and friends asking me when I was going to buy furniture, decorate, etc. My answer to them was "probably never" since that stuff was not important to me. Eventually I got free or nearly free furniture, kitchen supplies, and so on. I refused to spend money on this stuff and it has paid off!

Overall I am still anti-stuff. I don't buy anything that doesn't have a specific purpose. I don't keep anything that doesn't have some sort of special meaning to me. Examples of what I do keep: quilts my grandma made, my grandfather's coin collection, family photos (in a box), journals, etc. All of these have memories associated with them. They are things I truly value. For me to keep an item long term it either has to be useful, sentimental, or both. I am not a collector!

I keep my amount of stuff under control by purging. Each year I will pick a room and start clearing out stuff I don't need or use anymore. I sell anything of value and donate or recycle/trash the rest. I believe I am winning the "war on stuff" since I have it under control. Starting with a clean slate after traveling long term certainly gave me a leg up. The moral of the story: Keep what you truly value (not simply "like") and get rid of the rest, slowly.

It's okay to splurge on Stuff: If you can afford it.

I read this post over at Get Rich Slowly and it got me thinking. Even on my blog I am a big proponent of experiences, especially travel, as well as great ethnic food and being super frugal. That article allowed me to a step back and realize that sometimes we want to splurge on stuff (such as an LCD TV).

I began thinking of my own habits and find that I do tend to use most of my splurge money on travel. That is my choice as that is what I enjoy. I tend to shy away from buying more stuff as it adds clutter to my house, is not that important to me, and I am working hard to reach lofty savings goals. Stuff just takes a very low priority in my life.

I also realized that given the above goals I still splurge on stuff from time to time. I recently ordered a new GPS system for my car. My iPhone works fine for navigation but I like the ease of use, the ability to stay on the low data plan, and my battery doesn't die as fast. The GPS System has more advanced navigation features that I also really like.

Personally when I am buying stuff I try to direct my money to things that I need now but can also help me in travel later. The iPhone is a great example as I can get a lot of things done from anywhere and it will also prove useful on the road later. I am trying to mold my buying habits in such a way where I think to myself: If I buy this item today I will have to carry it around with me all the time. This cuts out a lot of fluff and I end up with things that are mobile.

I realize that even though travel is very important to me someone else may value a 7,000 inch plasma TV more. Once we make sure we are on track for our goals it's ok to spend some money any way you see fit. I may say that travel and experiences are much more important but that is my opinion. Do what you want with your money! (Assuming all of your vital goals are on track first!)

Craigslist: A short success story

Craigslist.org has gotten a lot of good and a lot of bad press. Being a completely open, unregulated advertising and buy/sell classified ads site has it's drawbacks and it's advantages. In my personal experience I have had mixed experiences but largely a successful endeavor.

This past weekend I sold a stove on craigslist. I listed it almost 3 weeks before hand and got a few responses. Some didn't write back a second time and others changed their minds. I finally got a nice lady truly interested in the stove and she came with family to pick it up Sunday. That put me $350 ahead!

Before this past weekend I had success selling and iPod touch that I got as gift. I didn't really want or need it and decided to try local to avoid ebay fees and shipping hassles. It worked out well and I sold to a guy who really wanted it at a fair price. We both won!

I also would like to add that my current job of 3+ years I landed off of craigslist in 2007. In fact when I was job searching in 2007 I had 2 job offers and they were both from craigslist. I never got any other offers or even contact from any of the other job sites I used.

The downside of craigslist is the hordes of scammers, cheapskates, and all out spam that comes with being an open site. It is pretty easy to see and filter out most of the junk. I usually stick to the job boards and classifieds to sell stuff every now and then. It also happens to be a good place to find focus groups if you live in a large metro area. The best rule for craigslist applies to everything: If it sounds to good to be true then it probably is.