A house, a car, or even 2 or 3 cars!
A riding mower.
Stainless steel appliances.
Flat screen TV, Wii gaming system.
Swimming pool, designer landscaping.
Four wheelers, dirt bikes.
Guns, paintball, airsoft.
Boat, jetskis.
Dinner out several times a week.
Karate, baseball.
Cheerleading, softball.
PTA, homework.
Checkups, sick days.
Vacations in high gear.
Portable DVD player, iPad.
Paying bills, balancing checkbook.
High speed DSL, HiDef TV.
Doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom.
Taking care of pets, taking care of parents.
Shopping for Christmas, paying taxes.
Non-stop weekends.
Smart phones, Skype.
X-box 360, Sony Playstation.
Fixing cars, fixing washers.
Painting walls, leaky plumbing.
iTunes, Starbucks.
300 channels, nothing to watch.
Closet full, nothing to wear.
3 laptops, 4 iPods.
100’s of friends, no one to talk to.
3 college degrees, no job to be found.
Great paying job, miserable life.
Waiting for someday to finally come.
Is this what you signed up for?
A little different post for me, just overwhelmed by all the things that seem to crowd our lives. Are they things we really need, or even want? Do you have time to just BE?
If you’d like to know an alternative, read my post, the Cure for the American Dream
My goal is to help as many women as possible with these issues we all deal with! Be sure to subscribe via email or RSS so you don’t miss any posts! If you know of someone who would benefit from the info in this post and in my blog and you would like to share with them, please click on the appropriate link below!
Love this post. So often I have felt overwhelmed by those wonderful things in my life that are supposed to be conveniences and bring joy and entertainment. A little less entertainment would be nice. A little slowing down.
I have whittled many of them out of my life. It helps. But I still need to get rid of more.
But I do feel your struggle. Thank you for the list — it will help me see better what I need to get rid of.
Can relate so much. For quite some time I de-clutter my life. Finding myself somewhere between flat screens and piles of clothes….
As I am moving to the USA in a few weeks time I truly hope I wont be overwhelmed knowing that this American way of life will be hard on me. Thanks for being out there. Thanks for sharing. Gives me hope.
Not sure where you are moving from, but the materialism here is unreal. There is a big movement called voluntary simplicity that is becoming more and more popular!
What part of US are you moving to?
Bernice
there is not one thing on that list i want. even with being brainwashed to some extent, i never had an interest in the same stuff the world wants (other than significant relationships). it is all so unappealing that i dont get why everyone cant see it or figure it out sooner.
It would be better if young people figure it out sooner. Thankfully, WE don’t have half that stuff and we tried to give our kids more ‘experiences’ rather than things. They are young adults now and not near as materialistic as some of their peers.
Unfortunately, it won’t be happening anytime soon. They need this illusion to keep their world in the safe zones and a lot of them are brainwashed by school, parents, other people, etc. Even I am finding it hard to escape my eventual fate, the prison I was condemned to be sent to even before my birth.
I don’t exactly know how to escape or where to start, but I am going to do my best to leave. If I fail, then at least I tried. Wish me luck!
Also, you have to take into consideration that they may not have that many opportunities to get to their goal (while having plenty of roads that all lead to Hell) and even if they do have good paths, they may not know how to get there.
I agree……………….nobody needs this crap.
You choose to have it in your life.
Your life is empty because you fill the empty-ness with crap. Stop buy stuff and listen to yourself.
I really like your blog. I can relate to so much that I read here. I hope your return home is good after the time you have had to refresh.
I have definitely gained a new perspective. Thanks for dropping by!
Bernice
Stopping by from SITS…. have a great weekend!
I love this post..we have been working very hard this past year on letting go STUFF that was STRESS..we are much happier..
I came home from my trip ready to start boxing up and throwing out! Craigslist, eBay and Goodwill are gonna be my new best friends! Lol! Less stuff to have to take care of, can’t wait! 🙂
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ramblings of a Woman, Ramblings of a Woman. Ramblings of a Woman said: Ahh, the American dream: http://wp.me/pW2ff-gj […]
i have to say that I occasionally get overwhelmed by the stuff in my life… so I turn to freecycle and work to declutter… we’re a one car family, and we have eliminated a lot of the unnecessary clutter from our lives… but it seems to want to creep back in…
great post – found you from SITS btw 🙂
I am definitely going on the rampage this week! I am tired of all the ‘stuff’ that clutters our house. I will be selling some things on Amazon or ebay, but the rest I will freecycle or goodwill. So much are just papers, etc. that I have hesitated to make a decision about. Not anymore, I need to lighten the load! Thanks for coming by!
Bernice
OH! This has been on my mind alot lately! One of the reasons I want a tiny house!
Great list of overwhelming things!!!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
We have mid-size house that once held 4 kids, now we’re down to 2 and they’ll be gone within a few years. I am starting to clean out and pare down, the purging feels so good! I will sell some of it, give away what I can and throw away what I have to, but it feels great to see those bags of stuff leave the house!
Thanks for dropping by!
Bernice
Yeah, I know someone who could benefit from reading your blog….me and so:
Hello, I’m your newest follower. You’ve already visited my blog (thanks) letting me know you had written a blog about that popular book, Love, Eat, and Pray..or something like that and your trip to Italy. I guess maybe that’s where I should start. I’m glad I found this blog. Smiles
Haupi
So much of that reminds me of my life. Thanks for the reminder to slow down.
I too can relate. I’ve come to the understanding that less is more…and I started making that mantra a part of my every day life. Stopping by from SITS.
Opps, I wanted to follow you so pushed the RSS feed and I had started a comment and lost that somewhere. Oh well, I’ll just start over.
I love this post and I love your blog. We need to learn how to set our priorities, God, family and then stuff. For the past two years we’ve been working on dematerializing. It’s not as easy as it seems but it is bringing us closer as a family. Oh we still get this and that but now look at it as a family thing instead of a personal one.
Keep up the great work on your blog. I do so love it.
Take care and God Bless!!
Bernice, you’re putting some important stuff out into the blogosphere! The American Dream. More like The American Nightmare, if you ask me. Most Americans are no longer “consumers.” They are consumed! Come on over to my blog and cook a simple meal and sit down at the dinner table with your family or friends–no cell phones or other electronic devices allowed!
Definitely trying to get back to that! Never loved to cook, but did so for years until going back to work 2 years ago.
Hubby has been cooking some, not a bad cook. But I want to cook ‘wonderful’ food with lots of flavor once I feel a little better. Had a great family gathering last week, but ordered in pizza!
And tonight we are headed out to a great little Italian place!
I will give you blog a visit for sure this weekend! Thanks for dropping by!
Bernice
[…] can be ridiculously complicated, if you let it. We fall prey to the American Dream as I posted about last week, which has become more of a nightmare. One solution is to simplifyour […]
Simplicity is a beautiful thing! Christmas is a perfect example, isn’t it? I remember when it was practically all about food and family. Sure there would be a few presents exchanged, but the most important things were seeing family you hadn’t seen in awhile, eating divinity, fudge, cookies, ham, casseroles, and homemade bread.
Somewhere along the way it became about getting this many things for that person and that many things for this person… It became about money, outside decorations (and how they compare to the neighbors), and so forth.
Things were simpler “back then,” no doubt about it. The encouraging thin is that a lot of people realize it and many are creating a stir to get back to those simpler days.
I’m on board!
[…] Americans, we live a fast-paced, hectic lifestyle, that for many has become a rut that you can’t seem to get out of. I have been struggling […]
37 yrs of marriage, 2 kids, 2 grandkids, my mother passed away making me question if MY kids would want even half the “stuff” we’ve accumulated. Things aren’t the people we loved and memories should be spoken aloud and shared, not hidden in the mind. We didn’t sell anything, but made car load donations to the hospice resale shop. It was hard at first – that was $75 new or whatever price in my mind and I’d total mentally the $$ as the donation pile grew, scaring me to death with the “waste” on one hand while on the other hand loving the simplicity that was developing in our home. Also being aware of that “waste” cemented the decision to do with less when shopping. Many times I questioned donating, but knew if I made purging too complicated it would never get done. Hospice was a great cause so I looked at it as my donation to helping others. In the beginning I found it hard to make a decision so would keep a few things and donate the rest. Now I find myself going through things I kept and have donated some of those items as I’ve become more comfortable with the new way of thinking. I also realized along the way it is not up to us to live our lives for those who have passed by keeping things that had value to THEIR lives, but don’t really have a place in ours. For us simplicity doesn’t create negative feelings, but rather frees us to enjoy the moment. One thing to remember is sometimes it is a process that evolves. We didn’t “undo” 37 years of a way of living quickly.
[…] Ahh, the American Dream. A very simple, yet very powerful, post from Bernice. How many of these things can you relate to? (@Ramblings of a Woman) […]
[…] Ahh, the American Dream. A very simple, yet very powerful, post from Bernice. How many of these things can you relate to? (@Ramblings of a Woman) […]
Wow! Spot on! This is what we call the dream life!
[…] This is a very convicting post from Ramblings of a Woman about the the good ol’ American Dream! […]
I was overwhelmed reading your post. Phew! I don’t consider having all these things the American Dream. The love from my family, a warm cozy place to live and food of course 🙂 is all that I ask for. I hope my children will never think material things the a person.
Make the person. Oops –
[…] our pursuit of the American Dream, we race around trying to “buy up” on everything. Luxury isn’t a bad thing, but […]
I love your blog! Let me know if you need any writers I can work for free.
[…] Ahh, the American Dream […]
[…] Ramblings Living the Balanced Life, Perfectly ImbalancedIs simplifying your life too complicated?Ahh, the American dreamHow to finally eat the elephantSomeday is a dangerous wordA season of change for me, and for my blog […]
I like your “brief guide” and the simple life. I could totally do without the cell phones, less tv and more reading.