Comments on: Are You a Stuff Junkie or an Experience Junkie?

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:24:51 +0000

@Will: It’s interesting to hear of your experiences going from one extreme to another. I do believe that when you get used to something, it feels comfortable…even if it is less than what you had before. Like you, we also need some stuff and equipment that help us enjoy and share our experiences. It’s all a balance…

By: Will - Gap Daemon

Will - Gap Daemon — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:30:45 +0000

Interesting post! I think we definitely need a mix of both in order to remain healthy. I’ve been through both extremes of owning nothing and owning lots of things – generally owning nothing has felt just as comfortable.

I’m firmly in the experience camp but with a few things to support us along the way.

By: The Time I Moved to Chicago with One Bag « nomaddict

The Time I Moved to Chicago with One Bag « nomaddict — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 05:45:03 +0000

[...] the way and maintain Uncornered Market. I still think about a post that I read over a year ago, Are You a Stuff Junkie or an Experience Junkie. I’ll summarize: stuff are the tangible things in life, ‘an easy way to demonstrate [...]

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:01:27 +0000

@Veneta: Welcome! And glad you’re enjoying our site. Like us, you’re a hybrid. The experiences are super important to you, but you also want a physical memory from that experience so you can easily be reminded of it. The trick for all of us is finding the right balance.

By: Veneta

Veneta — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:09:45 +0000

Discovered this site today and I love it. I don’t know how I ended up in this post exactly, but it resonated. My boyfriend is all about more travel and less stuff, and in general I agree. At the same time the stuff that he thinks we don’t have enough space for, for me it is all about experience: hiking backpacks, tent, garden/picnic/camping chairs, my sports and dance gear; or it is all about memories of experience: shells form that camping trip a few summers back when we stuffed three girls in a small glacier tent, present from my sister when she went to Spain, mementos from my friend’s bachelorette party in Vegas where we walked our feet off and turned heads all around, etc. I love keeping something from each place I traveled so as I use it I would remember the place, the people I was with, the crazy things we did. Due to space limitations I tend to do earrings since they are small and easy to transport, but that doesn’t always work out or a different item resonates. I try to get objects that I would use vs. ones that I would only display. So am I a stuff junky or an experience junky?

By: Blogger Tag and My Seven (Just Seven?) Links | Cachando Chile: Reflections on Chilean Culture

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:10:53 +0000

[...] Books & Cameras started with a post that Dan & Audrey wrote on Uncornered Market about “Stuff Junky or Experience Junky,” and it really gave me pause. The topic went round and round all day, until it finally came [...]

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:28:17 +0000

I remember being asked something similar a few years ago. Then the question was “do you like stuff or do you like things?”
The rules were that the person asking the question was not allowed to explain the meaning until after you had answered the question.
So I thought about this for a few moments and answered ‘things’. Stuff to me was akin to junk. Stuff is what we own but don’t treasure. My reasoning was if I was going out to spend money on a new purchase, a ‘thing’ would bring me more joy then new ‘stuff’ as I would take the stuff for granted. This drew an interesting response as everyone else decided that they were most definitely a ‘stuff’ person.
The most telling difference between me and the stuff people was that I had spent every single spare dollar and spare money travelling or planning trips overseas. Where as they all owned their own cars, homes, flat screen TVs (which I didn’t and still don’t!).
So in answer to your question, I am 100% an experience person.
The stuff ends up needing to be replaced, upgraded, renewed or repaired over time.
The experiences grow richer and more rewarding with time.

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:38:24 +0000

@Helene: Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. I understand that sometimes it can be difficult to have access to technology to read it regularly, but we’re glad you enjoy it when you are online.

I’m impressed with the size of your backpack – mine isn’t that small yet, but I have hopes to downsize a bit more before we go to Africa. There is something freeing to be able to go anywhere with all the stuff you need on your back.

We did end up getting a used iPhone recently and I’m still amazed by its mapping functionality. Really amazing. I’m still not using it to its full potential, but it’s so nice to be able to use it for checking email or skype like you mentioned. Safe travels!

By: Helene

Helene — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:04:57 +0000

Audrey, what an inspiring post! The comments on your articles are always thought-provoking too. Yours has to be my absolute favorite travel blog! I don’t read it often enough (lack of technological stuff? lol) but when i do, i binge! I agree with everyone who said that after a long trip, you don’t even remember why you kept all those boxes of STUFF, and wish they’d just disappear… And traveling with a small (40 liter) backpack for 9 months sure cured me of my shopping addiction! All that inexpensive and beautiful stuff in those markets and souks… But i didn’t want to carry them for months, and didn’t have room anyway. And carrying less stuff meant my backpack was small enough to be kept as carry-on on all 12 flights of the trip – and not too heavy or cumbersome for the train, rickshaws, walks, etc. By the way, i recommend the iPhone: I absolutely love mine! It’s old, second-hand, and jail-broken, and it means I don’t need to carry a camera (Dan has a nice one anyway) and I can easily check my email and talk on Skype, providing there’s free wifi (and put in a local sim card, of course). An iPod Touch with a headset would do too, i guess… But it’s so nice to be able to quickly take out my phone to catch a fleeting moment! (not in people’s face, but that’s another story…) Cheers!

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:42:20 +0000

@Imelda: Great to see your name pop up! I’m so glad you found this post helpful and that it helped put some things in perspective. I hope all is going well with you and your little one.