Throw That Junk Away Man It's An Antique

I just ordered a book from Amazon called Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. The theme of the book is the discussion of "pack rats" and how keeping useless possessions around the house can have an effect on your behavior. It's part of a philosophy I happen to personally subscribe to, probably one I am near obsessed with so I wanted to get the author's take on it to see what I agree or disagree with on certain points.

What struck me as funny, for those of you who are familiar with Amazon's Free Super Shipping Savings policy, (if your order is over $25, shipping is free), the book only cost $8. I happen to have another personal philosophy where I do not like to pay for something if there is an option out of it, even if it means buying more items to avoid the "fee." It's more about getting value and not so much about minimal spending. So after shopping for about an hour, I threw the Terminator 3 movie into my virtual cart to get my total above $25 to avoid the $3 shipping fee on the $8 book that talks about not buying stuff you don't need. Oh well.

Some personal examples of me throwing away stuff I don't need: I cancelled my phone line; cancelled my digital cable (although kept basic); paid my electric bill off for the year to avoid monthly bills; I avoid buying too many movies and video games only getting what I really really REALLY want; my wardrobe is minimal; bought a Tivo DVR to replace my VCR so I didn't have to keep tapes around. Consolidation is an important aspect for clearing your clutter, I'm sure it will be a major theme in the book. I subscribed to a monthly service that lets me download and play many video game titles without having to buy the box. Yahoo Games On Demand lets you play titles like Splinter Cell, Age of Wonders and Freelancer completely online. You don't need the CD or any license keys. That's right up my alley to support my consolidation moods.

There's a great line in the Simpsons where Homer gets upset at Marge for making him buy all those fire detectors for the house even though "we never needed them!"