"It's not bad to own fine things that you like. What you need are things that you GENUINELY like. Things that you cherish, that enhance your existence in the world. The rest is dross..."
"...do not 'economize.' Please. That is not the point. The economy is clearly insane. Even its champions are terrified by it now. It's melting the North Pole. So 'economization' is not your friend. Cheapness can be value-less. Voluntary simplicity is, furthermore, boring. Less can become too much work.
"The items that you use incessantly, the items you employ every day, the normal, boring goods that don't seem luxurious or romantic: these are the critical ones. They are truly central. The everyday object is the monarch of all objects. It's in your time most, it's in your space most. It is 'where it is at,' and it is 'what is going on.'"
The Last Viridian Note
Via: Boing Boing
Image: Northwest Cure participant Wig3000
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic 
The World's Ugliest Condo: The Big Bathroom Reveal 
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Homesteaders' Cocktail Recipe: Lovage Simple Syrup
Comments (6)
It really all comes down to value. If something works wonderfully for its' intended purpose and it's a good buy for its' expected lifetime, then it's a good value. Otherwise it's clutter. This is a great time to embrace minimalism.
Sounds stupid, but one of my happiest investments is in high quality sheets and a linen duvet with shams for my down pillows. Bed time is a welcome nest and I often snuggle there while reading a books. Expensive initial outlay but well worth the expense because they make me both feel good and happy.
My other major expenses are computers and art work; the rest I could leave tomorrow (would need the sheets/duvet and pillows though) and live happy where ever I go.
I spent time deployed in Saudi and in Baghdad so trust me, the bedding is important and the art feeds the soul!
"economization"? Not a word.
Also, buying cheap dreck that you'll need to replace immediately isn't thrifty, frugal, or economical by anyone's definition.
Registered just to quote another great one:
I call it "Kipple."
From P. K. Dick:
"Kipple is useless objects, like junk mail or match folders after you use the last match or gum wrappers or yesterday's homeopape. When nobody's around, kipple reproduces itself ... the entire universe is moving towards a final state of total, absolute kipple-ization."
"The items that you use incessantly, the items you employ every day, the normal, boring goods that don't seem luxurious or romantic: these are the critical ones."
I couldn't agree more. This is why I obssess over trash cans and doormats. An attractive rubbish bin can be hard to find.
It's fun to see our Expedit-scape here on AT too!
Please read the rest of this manifesto. Cleary Sterling is a techno geek and an elitist. Reading it several days ago had me frothing.
While the quote above seems enlightened and intelligent, the rest of his writing is based on purging items and then accumulating again by purchasing expensive items justified on our "needs."