May I rant about too much "stuff"?

[adoxograph]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

...We both have instruments him a guitar, me a psaltry...

You have a psaltry on a yacht? Really?

Photos please

[Sandero]

There's lots of interesting stuff to acquire... and we're tempted by media and other influences around us. We believe lots of these things are useful, practical and many are just because they are nice, or "feel good" promotors. We fill our living space real estate... because we can... some have more real estate, and more money to fill it... and some just stuff their spaces to the over flowing. We also tend no to want to or know how to get rid of things we no longer use which are in "good repair". Putting them in the trash seems and is wasteful. We give at time to charity, friends, relatives...or just put the stuff in storage warehouses. He have clothing drops, places like Salvation Army and good will who take in old stuff and sell it cheap to less fortunate... or anyone who wants a good buy.

People who work and don't wear a uniform feel the need to look "sharp" at work. Youngsters feel the need to look trendy. We are a society of conspicuous consumption. People have multiple cars, trucks, motor cycles and even boats!.. that is some people.

And too others struggle and barely have anything... the homeless and the poor. And there are millions like that as well.

We tout recycling but way too many want NEW... We don't repair much and dispose because there are no professional repair facilities and corporations want you to buy new and plan obsolescence.

All of this "sickness" is there in plain sight and few manage to live free of this paradigm of waste and conspicuous consumption. Females are notorious clothes and shoe horses with closets as large as small apartments to store clothes they buy, may where once or maybe even not at all. There are even companies which "design and fit out closets"

As a society we don't do recycling very well, but the concept exists and some people make an attempt to do it.

Growth is the cause and it's what's in business' DNA. Without growing they are dying. But we now know BECAUSE of growth we are starving ourselves and our environment. Thinking people understand this... few manage to alter their behavior.

++++

Some go off the grid rejecting the consumption paradigm even the notion of a "built" society. Sailors are an interesting lot... part off and part in. They need stuff... the factories which create the stuff they need... but they are forced to carry it all in a very small volume of space which is presumed to be almost self sufficient. Energy drives all but free energy can't suffice for everything... such a heat and cooling.

Many people will transition from being part of the wasteful consumer paradigm to the very much less wasteful one of the live aboard off the grid sailor. But the sailor needs energy and food of course, and those are products of a somewhat industrialized society. Transport of things is an industrial product / process and an environmentally destructive one.

When you pare down to sail off for a few years you are forced to learn how much waste our lives involve and how little "things" we actually need to live a rewarding life. It's hard to do and returning back when it happens probably sees people who are measurably less involved with the consumption society. But it's so tempting that they often get on the conveyor belt of consumption and waste.

Even the most prudent and careful have too many things most of which they do not need.

This is "sickness" not something to celebrate about industrialized modern "advanced" society. This is an addiction... and the impact is to destroy our habitat.

[Teknishn]

Seadreaming...I love a good rant, Thank you! Sometimes one needs to rant, or hear a good rant only to take a look at one's self. Besides...it's a nice break from the Trump/Hillary fiasco....er, sorry, election, and the BLM crap.

Downsizing is a non-stop process, been working on it myself for years (Might almost be there....might) . My philosophy now is that if I buy something, I get rid of something, maybe two somethings. (Food and beverages are exempt)

I lived out of my old Landcruiser on-and-off for a couple of years in Egypt's Eastern Desert doing archaeological work on Roman remains. Forced to downsize in order carry water, food, beer (important stuff), minimal camping gear, tools, spares, and reference materials....all this plus my desert dog. You'd be surprised at how little one needs to get by on comfortably and happily.

I move onboard my little boat next April. Ohhhh the stuff I've sold or tossed out to date! 2 of 3 guitars (keep your instruments ), books galore, cooking utensils and dishware, a few clothes (never had many anyway) and....Gulp! all of my power tools and half of my handtools!

Am down to living in an unfurnished apartment living and sleeping in the living room that is not much larger than the salon on my boat, using a 2-burner propane stove, mini-bar for refrigeration, washing clothes by hand (have done so for years) and everything else fits into two plastic boxes with the exception of the guitar.

I own two fully furnished apartments in Alexandria, Egypt (I'm in Hurghada) and if I can't sell them by next year, I just walk away from them.

Call me in-training for being a liveaboard LOL You'll get there, or back to there, I'm sure.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

So the question is, how to reign in a pack rat?

Designate PR's (pack rat's) storage space. Separate from storage space dedicated to food, spares, etc. Allow PR whatever will fit in PR's designated space. Period. PR will figure it out.

Works the same for "shared" space designated for common-use stuff like galley ware. Designate GW space. Period. Involved PRs will figure it out.

-Chris

[Tayana42]

Sea Dreaming, try thinking about this the other way around. Instead of looking at what you have and what to keep start thinking in the boat.

Think about what you need in the boat. What do you need and where will you put the things you need? What supplies, tools, spares, table ware, pots and pans, first aide supplies, small hobbies (you won't have much time for them anyway), toiletries, clothing, weather gear">foul weather gear, bedding, etc. do you think you actually need to live on the boat?

If you already own some of this stuff so much the better. Much of it you'll have to buy. Everything else is surplus. This requires a mental and emotional change of paradigm. It is surplus. You have to choose to give it away or pay to store it.


S/V B'Shert

[zeehag]

sea dreaming--- when i left san diego, i still had a car, albeit small, and a storage-- when i went into storage to ditch the burden, i went thru the **** i had stored.... what an enlightenment. i didnt need 40 pair scrubsuits, 5 pr shoes, wtf books!!!!!! tons of books, and some other broken stuff..at least i dubbed it broken so i could easily shut my eyes and toss... one for me one for thee--all for the homeless who dive that dumpster. what a maahhvelous adventure someone had going thru that stuff that is still useless to me--altho i could use some scrub pants...ha h aha ha ha ha ha .
then we go sailing for a few years, and low and behold--what am i finding in my boat-- sameshitdifferent day--ok so --OUT it goes.. yeah but what goes and what stays..h ah ah aha ha ha ha
oh yeah--car-- was a pos breater, so i gave it to my neighbors.. 3 days later it was towed away. oops..h ah aha ha ha mebbe today it is beer cans.....

we only need spares and clothing to cover our butts when public sees... ok and what is that, i may ask me...ha h aha ha

[DeepFrz]

Vacuum bagging is the answer to a lot of it.

Don't get rid of your art supplies.

Quietly donate a few items at a time to Sally Ann (Salvation Army).

[Sea Dreaming]

40 pair scrubsuits

Zee- this made my day! If you really want scrub pants send me a pm and I'll bring some down. How is the postal system? Serious offer! Take me up on it before you are we x posing your backside!

Ironically, though I do have stuff, just not a lot compared to many, I think my habits partially derive from knowing so many over stuffed folk. For example: my mom has 3 full sized closets, one is 9 feet. ALL are full of clothing she won't part with. One six foot closet has two rows of bars, the top row is ONLY a rainbow of fleece jackets. AND she has a smallish coat closet too....I am not sure just how many shoes she owns!

I've been thinking about all the pencils. To store them as I have been for a studio won't work. But if I store them in a box that is just big enough, I probably can keep them all. Yarn, that was vacuum packed a while ago. But I think I will repackage it all into smaller bundles that can be "scattered", if need be, around the boat.

And for the guy who asked for a pic of my psaltry...don't get too excited! It's about 8" at its widest, by 12" long. It's a keeper! I have played in quite some time. I am confident it will attract dophins. Maybe angry dolphins scolding me for disturbing their peace!

[Sea Dreaming]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Quietly donate a few items at a time to Sally Ann (Salvation Army).

Why you, sir, are nothing but a dirty rotten scoundrel! - Road Island Red

I like it, but I'm going to, diplomatically, all him to discover his own petard.

[Mike OReilly]

You're moving onto a 38 foot boat, right? Simple. After all the essentials have been loaded (sails, tools, spares, food, etc.), divide the personal space equally between the two of you. Then fill it with whatever each of you thinks they need.

DO NOT ALLOW PERSONAL STUFF TO OVERFLOW INTO THE GENERAL SPACE! (Salon, berths, storage areas, etc).

Reality regarding how many shirts, or how much yarn one needs, will hit very quickly .

It took us a while to get rid of all the unnecessary land junk. In reality, we still have a bunch in a storage trailer, but that is come-back-to-land stuff which doesn't matter in our boat life.

Here's something we did (not by design, it just happened): We spent seven months living out of our two small motorcycles. We carried all we needed, including camping gear and all the clothes and extra stuff. After that, moving onto our boat seemed downright luxurious.

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

You're moving onto a 38 foot boat, right? Simple. After all the essentials have been loaded (sails, tools, spares, food, etc.), divide the personal space equally between the two of you. Then fill it with whatever each of you thinks they need.

DO NOT ALLOW PERSONAL STUFF TO OVERFLOW INTO THE GENERAL SPACE! (Salon, berths, storage areas, etc).

Reality regarding how many shirts, or how much yarn one needs, will hit very quickly .

It took us a while to get rid of all the unnecessary land junk. In reality, we still have a bunch in a storage trailer, but that is come-back-to-land stuff which doesn't matter in our boat life.

Here's something we did (not by design, it just happened): We spent seven months living out of our two small motorcycles. We carried all we needed, including camping gear and all the clothes and extra stuff. After that, moving onto our boat seemed downright luxurious.

Exactly, available space aboard dictates what does not go. and weight.
The two motorcycle story sound's very interesting, bet there's a good story there, no? My last bike is going up for sale, it's feeling more like an anchor these days, after riding more than 50 years, it's odd to hear myself say that. But a 900lb motorcycle just won't fit on the boat. LOL

[redhead]

Mike and Uncle Bob hit it on the head. We made the jump 2 years ago and came across country with all our stuff. Once on the boat and living our new lives, the things that are necessary became apparent, as well as the unnecessary. .. the boat will only accommodate so much stuff and no more, so your choices are to ditch it now, feeling all the time that you're making a mistake or take it with you and donate it to some locals when you get down there. Either way is perfectly acceptable

Sent from my SM-G900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[redhead]

Also, vacuum bags have saved my marriage.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Tayana42]

Sea Dreaming, re pencils, they don't take up much space and you may want to draw or sketch. I understand the reluctance to give up art supplies. I am a painter. My web site is at www.michaelwitenstein.com.

When we moved aboard I brought a stripped down studio with me...table easel, canvases, stretcher bars, acrylic and oil paints in a pretty good selection of colors, charcoal, pastels, pencils and markers. I had most of it in plastic boxes stuffed in various places around the boat where room could be found. Two years later I took most of it off the boat unused.

I still have a few pencils and sketchbooks in case I feel the creative mood strike. One can do a lot artistically with limited supplies. It can even be freeing. But truly, boat maintenance, exploring, shopping for groceries, laundry, walking, paddling, visiting, sleeping take up most of my time and energy. I know I'll get back to painting one day but for now I'm "on sabbatical".


S/V B'Shert

[landlockedsquid]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

It's not a harp. It's actually much simpler aND easier to play. So, no, harp would be deceptive!

I understand what your saying.
Its like me trying to figure out how I can go about getting a Tele.
You see honey, The strat has single coils so it has a different sound than the Les Paul, and the tele is a little different because it only has two single coils and is thicker............
Wife- "I like the sound of the gold one."
But the PRS SE AL15 was easy, you see its thinner than the dreadnaught so it won't take up as much space on the boat.
Wife- gives me that evil eye.
But honey, the blues deluxe has a different tone with the strat. The Marshall and the Les Paul is like a marriage made in heaven, and ya, the strat sounds awesome through the Marshall, but the blues deluxe is a sweeter tone.
Wife- gives me that evil eye.
So ya, I get that it isn't a harp......................
But I like the sound of the gold one.