Do we really need all the 'stuff' we have in life?

[lipschitz]

Having recently spent a very relaxing week in a B&B in cornwall I have returned with a different perspective on life. While I have nothing against people who want to surround themselves with expensive household items, cars, jewellery etc, I wonder is it really necessary?

The couple who ran the B&B have a very simple outlook on life. They run their business, they don't charge the earth and are happy to live near the coast. They don't want or have any need for huge plasma TV's, an expensive car etc. They get their enjoyment from spending time in the afternoons after they have cleaned up sitting on the beach, walking round the town or travelling to other places along the coast. Simple enjoyment which doesn't cost a fortune. They joke they have been on a working holiday for the past 30 years.

This lead me to think about how most people work all year to enjoy a week or two of what this couple have enjoyed every summer for the past 30 years. The endless pursuit of enough money to pay for their house, car and a couple of holidays if they are lucky each year.

I have been guilty of this too. But, I have come to the decision that my mortgage is finished in 2 years and if I were to sell up I could now afford to buy a little place by the sea outright which means work would not be an issue(part time would suffice) and I could escape the rat race.

So.....that is what my intention is. I don't need fancy cars or anything expensive in my house, just the basics and the chance to walk on the beach daily will keep me happy.

[Behemoth]

But, I have come to the decision that my mortgage is finished in 2 years and if I were to sell up I could now afford to buy a little place by the sea outright

 

If your mortgage is paid up in 2 years, you could have bought a place by the sea more than a decade ago. You can certainly do it now, just release equity, buy the new place, rent out your old place, keep both, house prices rising soon, nice capital appreciation on both places, nice glass of wine by the sea. Lovely stuff.

[geared]

Yes thats the conclusion most people come to when they retire.

 

because it's easy to say "I'll move to the coast and live a modest life" when you've paid off your mortgage and don't have much outgoings.

[Halibut]

Good luck to the OP, I hope you make it happen for yourself.

 

The answer to the question 'Do we really need all the 'stuff' we have?' is, of course, a resounding 'no'.

[Staunton]

We all of us need less than we believe, and most folk are having to come to terms with having less as the economy lurches ever closer to catastrophe.

 

However, we really do need friends and family, so it is important to bear that in mind when contemplating a move.

 

A nice place near the sea looks appealing when the sun shines and the evenings are warm, but in the long winter nights we soon miss those friends, so please do bear that in mind.

 

Maybe we all need to think how we can cut our consumption for environmental reasons, and I am sure we would be happier with less racing around, fewer hours of feverish work to pay for all those things that do not ultimately satisfy.

 

Follow your dream, but do so with eyes open.

 

Good luck.

[Behemoth]

Some luxury items become a need, for example, I wouldn't be able to live without designer clothes, my smart phone, my computer and especially my expensive aftershave, which when I splash it on makes me smell of rich mahogany. That smell is a reminder that I am a big deal and better than other people.

[Anna B]

Ah yes, the simple life.

 

I have no quarrel with a bit of luxury, but I do feel sorry for people who need to 'keep up the Joneses'.

[Cyclone]

Of course we don't need consumer goods, we all make choices about what we want though and what we are prepared to do to have those things.

 

It's neither right nor wrong to want any of things you listed, so long as people are doing whatever makes them happiest then that's probably all that matters.

[melthebell]

im simple

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[carosio]

Good luck to the OP, I hope you make it happen for yourself.

 

The answer to the question 'Do we really need all the 'stuff' we have?' is, of course, a resounding 'no'.

 

Ok, give us a list of all the stuff you think you ought to dispose of (if you think you don't need it), plus the stuff you intend to keep.