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[Ernest]

American families are overwhelmed by clutter, rarely eat together and are generally stressed out about all.

American families are overwhelmed by clutter, too busy to go in their own backyards, rarely eat dinner together even though they claim family meals as a goal, and can't park their cars in the garage because they're crammed with non-vehicular stuff.

The team of anthropologists and archeologists spent four years studying 32 middle-class Los Angeles families in their natural habitat — their toy-littered homes — and came to conclusions so grim that the lead researcher used the word ”disheartening" to describe the situation we have gotten ourselves
in­to.

Among the findings detailed:

• The rise of Costco and similar stores has prompted so much stockpiling — you never know when you'll need 600 Dixie cups or a 50-pound bag of sugar — that three out of four garages are too full to hold cars.
  
• Managing the volume of possessions is such a crushing problem in many homes that it elevates levels of stress hormones for mothers.

Even families who invested in outdoor décor and improvements were too busy to go outside and enjoy their new decks.

Most families rely heavily on convenience foods even though all those frozen stir-frys and pot stickers saved them only about 11 minutes per meal.

A refrigerator door cluttered with magnets, calendars, family photos, phone numbers, and sports schedules generally indicates the rest of the home will be in a similarly chaotic state.

Arnold said she admired the way the families coped with their busy lives, but even so, the $24.95 book (available on Amazon) presents a frightening picture of life in a consumer-driven society, with researchers documenting expensive but virtually unused ”master suites," children who rarely go outside, stacks of clutter, and entire walls devoted to displays of Beanie Babies and other toys.

Arnold said she was bothered most by the lack of time study subjects spent enjoying the outdoors.

”Something like 50 of the 64 parents in our study never stepped outside in the course of about a week," she said. ”When they gave us tours of their house they'd say, ‘Here's the backyard, I don't have time to go there.' They were working a lot at home. Leisure time was spent in front of the TV or at the computer."

The researchers, working with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, were struck by the number of toys American children have managed to score from parents, grandparents, and friends. In the ”Material Saturation: Mountains of Possessions" chapter, they report that our country has 3.1 percent of the world's kids — and 40 percent of its Little Tikes EasyScore basketball hoops and other toys.

Many of them belong to 2-year-old Anjellisa Redfern. Her Newton bedroom is full of Dora-themed puzzles and dolls, and a kitchen set with 400 accessories. ”But she doesn't want to play with them," said her mother, Anjelica. ”She wants to be on the couch watching TV," where she sees commercials for more toys to eventually ignore.

But sometimes the little girl does play with her toys, her mom added with a smile. ”When I put her in a time out and send her to her room."

In Weston, Jessica Pohl, a stay-at-home mother, is also being overtaken by inanimate objects.

I bolded the part that made me laugh - an article decrying consumerism that is basically an ad for a book. LOL

Anyways, at risk of sounding like "old man yelling at cloud", back in my day, all my toys fit into one little 3'x2' chest, and we were more than encouraged to get the fuck out of the house and play outside. Of course being 44, when I was a kid, we didn't have internet, and only a single TV in our house to share, so there wasn't much choice BUT to play outside. I'm not saying that makes us better, just different? But I'm interested in knowing what those differences might be between one generation who grew up playing outside most of the day, vs another with more regimented/structured play, who didn't play outside nearly as much.

Then there's the clutter - we weren't poor by any means, but we never got a constant stream of toys either. Again, I'm not sure what the impact of this, but would be interesting to contrast. I don't have kids, but when I go to my friends' homes, I'm always amazed by the amount of toys their children have. Maybe these parents are compensating for not getting the toys they wanted when they were kids? I have no idea.

 

[Darth Karja]

I remember what it was like to be able to park in my garage. I should really clean it out. Too much junk.

 

[ZOONAMI]

Ridiculous. So everyone is a hoarder huh.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Guilty as charged.

 

[ponpo]

Go visit national parks more you slobs.

Arnold said she admired the way the families coped with their busy lives, but even so, the $24.95 book (available on Amazon) presents a frightening picture of life in a consumer-driven society, with researchers documenting expensive but virtually unused “master suites,” children who rarely go outside, stacks of clutter, and entire walls devoted to displays of Beanie Babies and other toys.

Figure GAF exposed for buying garbage.

 

[Astral/H3X]

My girlfriend gets annoyed with me because I'm constantly cleaning out crap and discarding things, and refusing to get new stuff that doesn't meet a threshold of "value" to us. This annoys her because she kinda likes collecting trinkets, but, I think she's starting to realize that some things are, literally, just not worth having.

I do this, because I sort of know the sort of conclusion that the paper came to.

Go visit national parks more you slobs.



Figure GAF exposed for buying garbage.

u wanna fite

 

[The Technomancer]

I felt myself on the precipice of this when I first got significant disposable income and I had to actively step back and say "I don't need stuff"

 

[Viewt]

I definitely have too much shit. I sometimes miss my old minimalist lifestyle - being able to pack everything I own into a few suitcases was really freeing. But you put down roots somewhere, you move in with someone, you stick around the same place for 3-4 years, and you find that you just have a ton of shit you don't really need.

 

[kaioshade]

I can see it. My house is pretty crammed with stuff. And i am actively working on getting rid of some of it as well. It is fun to collect things in the moment, but at the end, its just "stuff".

Everytime i feel like i should just get rid of half of my things, especially the video games, i always feel like i am going to "miss" it and hesitate. Prisoner of my own possessions.

 

[Paches]

American families are overwhelmed by clutter, too busy to go in their own backyards, rarely eat dinner together even though they claim family meals as a goal, and can’t park their cars in the garage because they’re crammed with non-vehicular stuff.

I see this a lot in my neighborhood. People's garages are packed to the brim with boxes and shit, it is pretty wild.

 

[LegendofLex]

Too busy to go in backyards is true, as I'm learning more and more now that I'm a homeowner.

Prisoners of stuff is also true. Our "office" is really just a storage room for all the crap we really have no need to unpack that my wife insisted on bringing. And we still have lots of other unpacked crap in the downstairs living room.

I draw the line at not being able to park in the garage, though.

I'd totally be happy with just purging at least 50% of the stuff we currently have in boxes (our closet space is pretty pathetic outside of our master bedroom which will make it nigh impossible to store most of what's clogging our office right now), but my wife won't go for it.

 

[EVOL 100%]

One of the only things that Iearned during my military service was that you don't really need much - I had a locker of some clothes, some books and toiletries and a snack or two and didn't really need much else.

After I got discharged I threw out mountains of junk, and buy stuff sparingly and more smartly. I could probably cut down on buying clothes and music stuff, but even then I pretty much wait a couple of months before buying something. Most of the stuff that I thought I needed turned out to be completely inconsequential to my life.

 

[captive]

and can’t park their cars in the garage because they’re crammed with non-vehicular stuff.

OMG so true.
At my old suburban neighborhood outside Houston i would walk the neighborhood for exercise, so many people leave their cars on the driveway because they're garage is filled with shit.

I'm very thankful for my wife, she demands a clutter free home. We take stuff to donate if we dont need or it want it, or we sell it.

 

[sooperkool]

I made a decision a few years ago to restrict TV to only a few hours a day, no more TV on as backgrounds nose and to spend more time out and about as well as enjoying my space. Best decision I ever made

 

[Pau]

My mom is a hyper consumer and yet her house looks like it's a model home for show. But she spends pretty much all her time (when she's not buying stuff) cleaning. I was never allowed to leave clutter around anywhere in the house.

 

[Prez]

"Actually, this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all; a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there. That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff.
That's all your house is- a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time. A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff. And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff! Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore."

 

[Extollere]

One of the best feelings in the world is going through all your shit and tossing out things you really don't need. Having less (or at least, just having what you need) feels pretty amazing.

 

[shandy706]

I'm keeping all my collectibles and you can't do anything about it

I do know I don't need more crap though...sigh. Probably could sell my Amiibos and other figures/books/statues for thousands of dollars, lol.

Heck, just my Red Dead Redemption and other LP/Vinyls are probably worth a couple grand.

One of the best feelings in the world is going through all your shit and tossing out things you really don't need. Having less (or at least, just having what you need) feels pretty amazing.

I have a co-worker that feels this way. I think it's darn near sex levels of elation for him to go through and clean out everything from his home to his office.

I, on the other-hand, don't enjoy one second of it. I like my collections of memorabilia.

 

[djplaeskool]

Figure GAF exposed for buying garbage.

Ride til I die

Spoiler

under a pile of broken glass, resin, and pvc

 

[FreezeSSC]

Article has a point, I keep by garage clean enough to park in but managing clutter can lead to a lot of stress if I let it mount to high, I dont have children I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to keep the house tidy.

 

[Krakatoa]

That's why I got a 3 car garage. So I can park two cars, and use the third for my hording

Spoiler

I mean kids stuff

 

[Linkura]

My parents are like this, have been since I was born, and it's fucking gross. My husband doesn't like clutter in the house (Japanese mom) and I'm right on board with him.

 

[Trail Guide]

I don't like how this study was from one city ( or area since "LA" is large) and applied as all Anerica is like this. Where I live outdoor recreation is a big part of life.

Edit: That's not to say people don't have a lot of clutter, but we do actually use our yards and get outside.

 

[Pau]

One of the best feelings in the world is going through all your shit and tossing out things you really don't need. Having less (or at least, just having what you need) feels pretty amazing.

Knowing that it's just gonna add to landfills kind of kills that feeling. I use it to motivate me to not buy stuff in the first place, but a lot of it is stuff I didn't even buy.

 

[Koomaster]

Yeah as a kid I was showered in toys/clothes, anything I wanted. My bedroom looked like one of those houses from Hoarders; no exaggeration. There was a path from the door to my couch/tv. I had a bunk bed that you couldn't access the bottom bunk. I would climb on top of the couch and up to the top bunk to go to sleep. When my room became too full my parents bought me a tent/sleeping bag and set it up in the living room - which I then filled with more toys.

Favorite toy - tv & video games.

The absolute glut of things in the home starts in childhood. Every time I go to a house with kids, it's crazy just how much they have to play with that they don't care about. Then of course the toys spill out into the living room and other areas of the house.

 

[gutter_trash]

oh it's true, clutter makes me reluctant to relocate, move, or do anything at home.

clutter even makes household chorse more dreadful.

I decided to start with Baby Steps and declutter the Bed Room first. Phase 1 is going well and I feel more alive now in my Bed Room.

The Living Room however is Nightmare; too many books, CDs, DVDs, Games, Old Games of Old Consoles that I haven't touched in Over a Decade.

I'm going to go 90% digital only for gaming and stop buying BluRays altoghther.

 

[friskykillface]

It's true , my parents have a lot of shit, my brother had a lot of shit and I have a lot of shit. Do we need all of it? Nope but we just keep it

It's been hell trying to move , lots of arguments on what to keep and throw away

 

[Prez]

Knowing that it's just gonna add to landfills kind of kills that feeling. I use it to motivate me to not buy stuff in the first place, but a lot of it is stuff I didn't even buy.

I either sell or donate most of my stuff to thrift stores.

 

[FinKL]

Funny I see this article as I'm actually reading Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and it's changing my life. Bought on a whim at Target and offered as a free audiobook (its not free anymore) on Amazon, listening to it at work, there are LOTS of good tips here and gives you a method to evaluate stuff you should toss/keep which is always the hardest part.

Obviously, as gamers we keep a lot of stuff and huge bulky boxes, but I'm learning to part ways with many things and the boxes were the first to go. Kinda sad I just got a Switch and threw that box out lol

 

[TheBryanJZX90]

Uh maybe examine somewhere other than LA with all the shitty small houses here no fucking kidding there's clutter

 

[Sotha_Sil]

I try to be as minimalist as possible and donate as many unused items as possible. It helps when moving, and I appreciate a well-organized house to come back to after spending weeks in the field.

 

[benicillin]

I'll never get over the irony of shaming families for being participants in a hypercapitalist society that is designed to encourage people to do this.

 

[Nista]

The HOA around here fines people for not using their garages for parking. I still see some of our neighbors basically use the garages as toy filled playrooms for the kids. To be fair, many newer houses in Socal don't really have enough yard space for kids to enjoy. It's all taken up by house.

I really should go through our clutter, we don't even have kids and it's taking up the extra bedrooms. Maybe when I finally get the motivation to take an inventory and write a will. But that's tough without external pressures.

 

[louiedog]

The best thing about moving is being able to purge all of that stuff you discover you have and don't need.

I know someone who recently moved from a one bedroom apartment to a three bedroom house without throwing anything out and after unpacking you would have no idea they hadn't lived there for 20 years. It's incredible how much some people hoard. I was finding things they had three of and didn't need because they'd just buy when unsure if they already had one.

I try to make myself wait on purchases and really think about what I bring in but some of it just seems inevitable and happens whether I want it to or not.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

Downsized my house for a better school district and a bigger yard. We weren't great at keeping a non-cluttered house to begin with, but now it's even worse with all of the same crap in a smaller home. I can't even bring myself to get rid of stuff because we want to put an addition on in the near future, and the stuff we have stored in the basement would be awesome to use when we do the addition thing.

 

[Skinpop]

can't stand to have lots of stuff, doesn't matter if it's sentimental or valuable stuff I get rid of almost everything that I don't need or use. Having a ton of stuff is an emotional burden, it's amazing how much lighter and more fresh I feel just by not owning a lot of shit. The rest of my family are pretty much the opposite. They have rooms full of cardboard boxes packed with old clothes, ancient note books and all kinds of shit that they evidently don't care enough about to keep around them. Just the thought of that disgusts me. Whenever I'm cleaning, I know I'm doing something wrong unless I'm throwing away magazines, clothes, birthday cards, stuff that I've been given but don't use and so on. Learning to throw away will make you happier.

Funny I see this article as I'm actually reading Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and it's changing my life. Bought on a whim at Target and offered as a free audiobook (its not free anymore) on Amazon, listening to it at work, there are LOTS of good tips here and gives you a method to evaluate stuff you should toss/keep which is always the hardest part.

Obviously, as gamers we keep a lot of stuff and huge bulky boxes, but I'm learning to part ways with many things and the boxes were the first to go. Kinda sad I just got a Switch and threw that box out lol

yeah I have looked into her method, it's basically what I'm already doing. I know some think it's silly with the whole "spark"-thing touching your stuff but it's important because it gets you thinking about the stuff you actually need and want to have around you. Highly recommended.

 

[BareKnuckle]

me and my gf moved in together, I had one suitcase and one box + a TV she had a moving van and two cars worth of stuff.

Does my fucking head in honestly. I am constantly stepping around and over things.

 

[Ernest]

My mom is a hyper consumer and yet her house looks like it's a model home for show. But she spends pretty much all her time (when she's not buying stuff) cleaning. I was never allowed to leave clutter around anywhere in the house.

Same!

I have a ton of shit (guitars, amps, records, books, movies, etc), but it's all nicely organized and mostly tucked away because that's just how I was brought up.

I do like the concept of going through your shit, and if you haven't used, or looked at it in a year or more, you toss it (or sell it). I have done that somewhat, and I honestly never miss what I've gotten rid of. Need to do it more though. Cuts down on unwanted shit.

Tyler Durden was right, the shit you own ends up owning YOU.

 

[Glass Shark]

I grew up in a house that was chronically cluttered and filled with tons of junk we didn't need. My wife grew up in a similar situation. We both vowed never to be that way in our adult lives. Every 2 months or so we go through the house and get rid of absolutely anything we can, to the point that we have literally run out of stuff to get rid of at some points. It's been really great for our daughter, she doesn't feel attachment to goods and when we're in a store or something we can go to the toy section and leave without her ever asking if she can have something.

 

[jond76]

Eh, only thing that fits for me is stuff in the garage. But its gym equipment so I don't think is a big deal.

 

[buttery fistful]

So many unhappy people, it really is sad

 

[hipbabboom]

Just moving into a new home recently and also moving my parents in at the same time, the potential for this has increased dramatically. While I try to leverage the transactional value of money when buying household commodities, I make it a point to know what I have and how much space I have to store it. I enforce the no-tacky house rule which prevents storage of boxes or anything that "may" be used "someday."

Coming from a poor background, its hard to convince parents to let go of any worldly possession because they know what its like to go without and there's this deeply ingrained sense that things could get tight at any moment so you better have spares on hand.

 

[gutter_trash]

Going paperless (mail) also helps keeping tidiness.

Paper should be exclusively for important documents, deeds and stuff like that

 

[moeman]

The irony of a book criticizing consumerism and clutter being sold for $25 and in print.

 

[Rockandrollclown]

Seems bad for people who have kids. Anecdotally watching youtube and crap you see people with bins and toys like lining the walls. Like they don't have a permanent place for it. I'd be embarrassed to show off my house like that. When you have run out of space for your shit its time to do inventory and get rid of it.

 

[Pau]

I either sell or donate most of my stuff to thrift stores.

I try to but a lot of it isn't taken in by thrift stores or donation agencies and would be probably impossible to sell.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

Go visit national parks more you slobs.



Figure GAF exposed for buying garbage.

Yea but my garbage love me.

 

[Poppy]

i dont think i have ever known anyone who actually has space to park in their garage

 

[bachikarn]

It blows my mind how many people in my neighborhood park outside despite have two car garage. They are just full of other crap.

 

[fuzzyset]

What if it's all museum quality games?