The Story of Stuff & its Impact on your Personal Finances

The Story of Stuff

I just watched “The Story of Stuff” for the first time on YouTube. I have always been very motivated to reduce my energy usage, minimize my consumption, and live a life that is more harmonious with the planet for financial and ethical reasons. This video shows me that I’m probably not doing nearly enough. The video attacks the linear economic model that our economy is currently based on. Some of the info. presented is new, a lot is repeat, but it’s brought together in a very clear and compelling way.

If you haven’t seen The Story of Stuff before, I’d recommend giving it a watch. It is enlightening, frightening, and motivating all at the same time. For those who are in debt or have simply come to the conclusion that you can’t buy happiness via ‘stuff’, it will probably be a real eye opener. Why share this on a personal finance blog? Well, you can make a strong argument that reducing consumption could be the #1 contributor to the building of wealth.

If you are particularly interested in simplifying your life, reducing your consumption, getting out of debt, and becoming financially free, here are some posts I’ve written around these topics:

My Series: Green Matters: Eco Friendly Cost Savings

Can Money Buy Happiness? 5 Arguments for and Against

Environmentally Friendly Products that Save you Money

3 Simplistic Strategies for Getting Rid of Clutter

My Personal Quest to De-Commercialize the Holidays

The 5 Best Places to Sell your Stuff

Consumers Need a 12-Step Program Too

And finally, if you liked the video enough, thestoryofstuff.com has a new video ‘The Story of Cap and Trade’ and a few others on the way.

Stuff Discussion:

• Did you watch the video? Thoughts?
• What have you done to cut back your consumption of stuff?
• What do we need to do to change or reverse the linear economic model, or are we all screwed?