Aibu to think everything is such a waste?

[AlpineButterfly]

I went into a home type shop this morning. There were fluffy blankets, ugly mirrors, elephant pictures,.dancing Santa's, colourful rugs, word signs. So much stuff. So much tat.

I'm right now babysitting a friend's boy. The telly is on. My god, the rubbish. Adverts, trashy tv. What a waste of time.

How much of life is a waste of time and materials? I'm right now on MN, also a.waste of time.

I wouldn't even know what to do to stop the waste of time and materials. We do buy mostly second hand but... I don't know. I'm not even able to articulate myself properly right that second

I hope the whole world awakes up to this.

sniv you are so right about the mugs! I work from home and love my coffee but I have as you say, enough mugs to last a lifetime. I noticed in the charity shop a bunch of those crappy Cadbury's ones you get with Easter eggs - I have some of those myself. When I replace the crockery... When you much gets broken - new mugs... Which I don't like. The mugs I like to use are the quirky ones I've picked up special to me.

So I suppose from what I've written about above I need to buy a crockery set without bloody mugs! Do visitors even give a toss?

After you have passed on from this life, do you wish to be known as the woman who always had a set of matching crockery, even down to coffee mugs? It's just stuff. Your visitors are coming to see you not your Denby!

There are a couple of women at work that never seem to wear the same thing twice. It is clearly cheap clothing. I have enough clothing to not wear the same thing in one week but that is it. I'd rather spend a bit more money on each item so that it lasts longer. I couldn't give a stuff if people notice. I have plenty of money, just don't get any joy out of buying stuff I don't need.

I'm on the PTA at school and they always buy a load of cheap plastic crap for the lucky dip at the school fair. They say they're not on an environmental crusade and that they just want to make money for the school. And yet all this stuff will still be lying around in landfill when the children have long gone.

I agree there is so much pointless tat around and it's often extremely attractive for children. I'm trying to cut down and not listen to my daughter's pleading for more plastic toys. We got a dog recently and it's almost as bad in the pet shop - advent calendars for cats and dogs!

great thread- this has been ticking in my brain for a while now.

I used to really enjoy watching vloggers then one day it hit me- they are literally just buying, buying, buying
Then had a bereavement and had to clear a house and you realise just how much stuff there is

I can think of far better uses of my time. But I don't action it.
The TV program was the worst last night. Utter pointless drivel
This is what I am struggling with at the moment- I want to do things, but I cannot seem to find the motivation - it's like total overwhelm

I've just remembered a saying - can't remember where it's from though, maybe to do with WW1 or WW2?

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

I think that sums up how I feel. I am totally post-stuff.

mirri that is interesting. I deeply regret having my children as I have given one of them a genetic chronic condition that means her life is pretty much ruined even though she is only 2. I feel so selfish as I wish my parents hadn’t had me - and certainly if they’d known there was a risk I’d have it (they didn’t) I would have been annoyed they’d gone ahead anyway.
We thought the risks were low - however statistics don’t matter when your child is the one affected - and I fully expect dd to be angry with me as she gets older.

Why are our lives pointless Mirri ?

You need to explain that. And forget the link because linking is pointless. In your own words.

Bread you have no mirror into the future. Your daughter may be cured of her genetic disease in the very near future. In fact she may be a pioneer in that treatment in many ways. You cannot assess the future today.

No - but it was selfish. I don’t want to live like this and now I’ve inflicted that on someone I really love. I have caused them great harm.

It's simply back to basics isn't it. I have the last few weeks searched gumtree for a sideboard for my TV because there is enough furniture out there that I don't need to buy new. Plus I paid £150 for it and they are sold new for £1600.
My children will
This year just be getting what they really want and it won't be subsidised with more presents just to make it look more. They are compelled fine with this too - 7 and 9 hear old.
I work in retail and they are starting to act on this especially the plastics packaging. Also we are aware of consumers feeling like this.

Yes - but if I had infliceted the level of harm I have on her I’d be in prison.
In my mind having had her and taking that risk amounts to gbh.

I think that more and more people are waking up to this kind of realisation. That there seems to be so much 'stuff' in our lives that really doesn't matter, and definitely doesn't bring us happiness or fulfilment.

In the search for more to life, we fill it up with more stuff, more things and when that doesn't work, we numb our emotions with distractions like food, mindless tv, drink, drugs, busyness, playing games on a phone - anything rather than feel the difficult emotions that come along every day. The more disconnected from ourselves we become, the unhappier we become. It ends up a self-fulfilling cycle.

We know this stuff really. Real lasting happiness can never come from buying more things or from anything that is outside of ourselves - it can only come from within. From real connection, real meaning.

As the song says, the best things in life are free and they really are. I want the world my children grow up in to be one where we value each other, spend time with the ones we love not time on our phones or staring mindlessly at the t.v. Buy experiences, not things. Spend time with each other not spend money on more stuff that we don't need. I want real, honest conversations where we share our feelings and thoughts.

I think we are losing our real selves in all the distractions, losing touch with who we really are and drowning under all the 'rubbish' out there. Perhaps if more of us start noticing this, then we can decide to change it?

Bluewidow Good to hear that retailers are starting to take notice. If customers all start to make a point about excess packaging and waste then maybe things will start to change for the better.

My small thing today was asking the supermarket assistant to fetch a supply of paper mushroom bags rather than me using a plastic bag or worse still, buying the ones in a plastic tray with clingfilm.

We've just done a huge declutter of the house and the amount of crap we had that we never used made me angry and sad. We have made a decision not to buy anything for Christmas and to just use it as a time to spend together - not on our phones, just enjoying each other's company. I'm going to be a minimalist from now on, there's so much waste in the world and I hate that I've contributed to it!

Mirri I didn’t have intent but I was stupidly optimistic that the supposed 1% risk wouldn’t be us. What an idiot.

I absolutely feel this way about the excess of "stuff". Luckily my DC are totally disinterested in acquiring things - just PS4 and a football goal in the garden - and DH isn't fussed either.

Christmas though. FFS, I dread the present giving and receiving.

I've sorted it for myself. Everyone now knows that I don't want anything other than houseplants, chocolate (nice ones!) or charity gifts. Or nothing is genuinely fine too. Preferably charity contributions but people seem insistent on adding 'something little' for me to unwrap too...

Harder with DC, but I've persevered with the message - and perhaps seeing all the unopened toys months after Christmas has also helped people (MIL especially) get the message that it's a waste of her money, our space and the planet's resources.

I sadly think it's a minority view though

Can we keep the disease and death chat down to a minimum? Start a new thread if that's what you want to chat about.

The most depressing derail ever!