Comments on: The Less You Need, the More You Have

By: Paula

Paula — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:10:25 +0000

Gratitude. What a beautiful word.

By: Pattie, RN

Pattie, RN — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 11:31:51 +0000

I find that if I look to the media to set the bar for contentment, it is easy to feel deprived. I am not a shoes/handbags/autos sort of girl, but I do LOVE the idea of granite and stainless steel. whirlpool tubs and rain-shower heads…and balconies, lots and lots of balconies!

But…when I see the pictures that our church group took at our “twin-sister” parish in Haiti, the perspective changes 180 degrees. The wealthy folks in the village have a clean water pump RIGHT OUTSIDE THE KITCHEN DOOR, a sturey roof, and enough room in the house to leave sleeping cots down all day and not have to roll them up to walk around the house. (Large houses are about 600 sf for families of 6-7.)

When I am living a very average middle class life in the USA, I am living better than 80% of humans on earth by every measurable standard. I work really hard to remember that, and look not to half-mil houses with envy but rather to Haitian shacks and Appalchian trailers (within 10 miles of my 1950′s tract home) with GRATITUDE.

By: *pol

*pol — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:54:41 +0000

I like this post.
I never had a name for it… scarcity/abundance mentality. I always wondered in my line of work why some people were so COMPETITIVE to the point of wanting to eliminate the competition! I always saw it as: if I fit for my client then I am the right choice, if the other guy is a better fit, then that’s good too because there is lots to go around.
I feel that way about most things, so I am certainly the abundance mentality type.
I’m also sure that there is NO RUSH to make decisions… adundance in time mentality? It’s a great mindset for car or gadget shopping, but bad for some other life applications!
Both mindsets have their place, but I’m quite happy watching, waiting and savouring what beautiful life is all around.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:16:16 +0000

Great article. One of the best i have come across on the finance topic. I prefer to live more simply with very little wants. I focus only on needs. Now when i was young, I was a bit backwards with my thinking. In my late 30′s and now in my early 40′s I have changed that. In the past technology was my want, and it is quite different today as I have been getting rid of it, including my cell phone.

By: AniVee

AniVee — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:05:27 +0000

#6 Eric is correct that health must also be in there somewhere on the NEEDS list – for those of us who are, alas, no longer young whipper-snappers like Trent, certain medicines for chronic conditions really are needs, not wants … but I agree with everything else said.

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:45:26 +0000

Yep. I can never find the original quote, but paraphrased is…

“There are two ways to make someone wealthy; increase their income or decrease their wants”

For me taking control and securing those things that really matter have gone a long way to curbing my old impulsive nature. The house, my family, my friends, and recently my health. I’m on track to pay off the house, I have a wonderful family, I have a few close friends, and I’ve lost 1/3 of my bodyweight and feel great.

There are still lots of things that I want, but then I balance them against what I and my family need and pass on most of it. Extending what we have, adapting, and abandoning the popular trends has been amazing for us.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:06:26 +0000

I’ve always disagreed somewhat with the scarcity/abundance mentality ideas. By the initial definition given above I have a scarcity mentality. I know there is only so much “stuff” out there, whether that be resources, money, prestige, etc. I fit Trent’s later definition of the abundance mentality, however, because I am happy with what I have. For this reason the scarcity of stuff doesn’t matter to me, since I am not seeking an accumulation of those things.

I do like Trent’s new definition of the abundance mentality more than most I’ve seen. It seems that many people try to use the abundance mentality as an excuse for trying to gain more wealth, while claiming that it isn’t preventing others from also gaining wealth.

By: krantcents

krantcents — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:29:12 +0000

I agree! Although I have felt this way for a while, a near tragedy made it crystal clear. We lived in a fire area where we were told to be ready to evacuate. At that moment you realize what is really important! Life, pictures, some clothes and a few special things and it is amazing how little room it takes.

By: David

David — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:18:43 +0000

At what point does food goes from necessity to wants? Obviously a 20 buck steak is want and just plain bread is food. But what about say getting organic milk vs regular milk? Buying seafood, when there are cheaper poultry choices? Where is the line drawn?

By: Todd

Todd — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:06:43 +0000

Happiness consists of three things only: food, warmth, sleep. I can prove this is an irrefutable truth of the human condition simply by taking those three things away from someone long enough and then giving them back.

By: Money Beagle

Money Beagle — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 20:19:59 +0000

Well said. At the end of ones life, the regrets that people express often focus around wishing that they had better and more interactions with people close to them. Nobody ever says, as they’re looking back on their life for the final time, that they wish they had been able to buy more DVDs or a bigger TV. When you shed everything that’s unimportant, there are few things left that warrant focusing on and material things are simply not there when it’s all said and done.