The Burden of Ownership

Lately I’ve felt overwhelmed by the burden of new things. Getting new stuff seems fun and exciting until you face the reality of it. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Things are in the saddle, and ride mankind.”

Buying stuff online is so simple and seductive. You decide that you want to own something, you do some browsing, and a few days later it arrives at your home. That’s when you actually have to deal with this new item.

You’ve got to unpackage the item but hold on to the packaging until you figure out if you want to keep it. If it’s clothing, you need to try it on. If it’s an appliance or an electronic gadget, you’ve got to figure out if it works. If you decide to keep the item, you have to find a place to store it. If it is replacing something,  you need to figure out what to do with the old one. And if you decide not to keep the item, you’ve got to package it up again and figure out the best way to send it back.

Buying things in person is even more exhausting. I rarely shop for things in stores anymore. Sometimes I’ll make a trip to a store only to be told that they have a larger selection on the store’s website and I should go home and shop for it online. This literally happened to me in the luggage department at Bloomingdale’s just last week, and also a few years ago when I went to Macy’s to look at petite coats, only to find out that they only sell petites online.

But sometimes I want to shop in person because I want to try things on — such as a recent excursion to find some boots because the Uggs I wore for the last 9 winters had sprung a leak. I tried on a lot of boots and did bring home a comfy pair, which I then spent weeks breaking in at home and then wearing around the neighborhood until I felt confident enough to wear them on longer excursions. I hope these boots last another 9 years because it’s not a process I want to repeat anytime soon.

I find it frustrating that when I need to replace basics like socks and underwear, I reorder my usual items only to find that the styling is different or the fabric has changed. Then I’ve got to search the internet looking for a suitable replacement, which may or may not solve the problem.

Occasionally there is a bright spot, such as when I recently replaced my Apple TV box and discovered that it is superior to the older version, including ease of use. But that is a rarity. Usually new devices are more complex and have a steep learning curve.

I’m not surprised when I go to a client’s home and find clothing with the tags still on, or new devices still in their boxes. It’s exhausting making decisions about the items that have taken up residence in your home. Sometimes it’s easier to just ignore them.

I don’t have a good solution for this dilemma, other than to buy things only when you absolutely need them. And be sure to get the items that are no longer usable out of your home as quickly as possible to avoid clutter, which only adds to the stress of ownership.