Yes, I’m Still Meditating On Materialism
I was bragging the other day to a co-worker about how much I take pride in my minimalistic nature. The conversation began with the premise of working for a company that supplies over-priced furniture to people with far too much money (or far too much credit as the situation may be). I remarked at how this employment experience has made me feel even more secure about my convictions to live simply and within my means.
And then he said to me, “You know you can’t live on your college milk crates forever.”
I said to him, “Why not?”, and laughed.
But here I am laying in bed with my laptop writing about it. It doesn’t seem all that funny anymore. This can only mean that the words are lingering for more reasons than to have an extended laugh. On the one hand is my opinion that I’m actually freeing myself from being bound to a place or a time. On the other hand, to not have this aspiration of collecting things can seem childish and it could be viewed as the final stand against the big “A” word (adulthood.)
But really I think it’s so I can sing, “Na na na na nah. No sore back or credit card debt for me!”
Seriously though, I’ll sleep well tonight because I’m confident that I’ll know when the time is right to settle. I know there will be a day that I’ll want a place to call my own that’s comfortable and suited to my taste and, most importantly, all mine. It just isn’t today. There are far too many things to see and do yet.
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Thank you for those words, Erik. Sometimes having our thoughts confirmed by someone else makes them feel all the more valid.
After 20 years of marriage, your Uncle Scott and I finally have a completely furnished house. All of our furniture was paid in full when we bought it. Some rooms were done in stages as opposed to all at once. Some items cost more than others, but all are things that we feel we can be happy with for a long time and that are of a quality that will last a long time. Other than our mortgage, we were able to do this without going into debt and while saving enough money that J & H will leave college without having student loans to pay back. This meant taking our time and not trying to furnish the entire home the moment we moved in, and always living within our means. Of course both of us have always been homebodies. That was a good thing since we had a lot of responsibility at a young age.
But wanting and having possessions does not have to be a bad thing. It all depends on how you go about it. Too many people nowadays spend beyond their means, and that is never good. If it is more about having the best and accumulating more and more, rather than the idea of creating a comfortable space for yourself, then things aren’t right. My guess is you are often dealing with more of the former in your job.
At some point, when you decide you want the stability of a home of your own and furniture you enjoy and are comfortable with, take your time choosing both. For now, weigh your priorities and put your money towards the things that are most important to you now, but try to save some for the future when you may want your own place. In the meantime, take advantage of your youth and enjoy the things that make you happy.
That is definitely the ideal way of going about it, Aunt Susan. Piece by piece. I’m just amazed at how impatient many people are and really screw themselves and their futures over things that, essentially, have little bearing on their lives.
These same thoughts run through my head all the time, like when I look over and realize that I’m 35 and I’ve still never purchased a sofa. Every one I’ve had has been inherited snatched from the alley. But there was a time in my life when I had 8 credit cards, all maxed out and finally I filed for bankruptcy.
Trust me, you are SMART not to get sucked into the debt trap. I’d rather live the rest of my life with a milk-crate bookshelf than find myself paying interest on some snazzy furniture that I can’t really afford. 
betsy on 
Adulthood isn’t about possessions, working for a corporation, having the right credit score or voting Republican. Having a place of our own is not a necessity, staying true to our hearts is.
Enjoy your childhood and your adulthood (may they overlap indefinitely). Be indebted to no one and let none of your possessions be your slave master.