This morning I have seen at least three stories about how Americans caught in the current economic crunch are being forced to sell family heirlooms to make ends meet. I feel sorry for those people and I know what hard economic times are about. But one thought keeps occurring to me as a result of this study: we Americans have a LOT of junk!

The stuff (junk) people in the stories are getting rid of is stuff that—were I in their particular shoes—I’m sure I’d hate to get rid of. Grampa’s favorite lamp. Mom’s table. The eight-year-old’s baby clothes.

I am not quite a packrat, but I’ve got a lot of stuff (junk) like this myself. I don’t want to part with any of it, but if I had to for some reason my life’s quality wouldn’t really be devalued in any way. I have a bunch of Snoopy and Peanuts stuff in my office. I don’t want to part with any of it if I don’t have to, but if I have to, oh well.

It’s been said that the best place to count your money—and for the sake of this blog I would say “possessions”—is in a graveyard because you’re not going to take them with you.

And another thing about most of these things that are being sold, there’s an undercurrent to the story that, if only these people could hold onto these things, they would eventually be worth more. That’s never a given. Collectible things may sometimes have a book value that's quite high, but that’s only so long as you can find someone who will pay you for it. What with inflation, most of the stuff (junk) that most of us hold on to, if we can get anything for it today … that’s about as much as we’ll get for it later. (Oh, there are exceptions. The little thing someone held onto and then suddenly sold it on eBay for a gazillion dollars happens, but it’s the exception.]

The reality is that all of us could probably live happier if we lived with less. And as I pick up the Snoopy in a tuxedo that was on top of my wedding cake, let me also add, “You first.”