Rick Jelliffe’s Year of Living Smaller
Rick Jelliffe is a C.T.O. who spent a year not buying things. He’s now attracted to the idea of living in a micro-sized house.
I like what he discovered, but I feel like there are some problems with what he says about quality. Without refining his idea that quality is to be valued, it easily leads to the idea that one should spend more on the things one buys. This is a lot like buying a Rolex because it’ll last forever (sorry, Dan). This just isn’t so. The quality of that watch is to be admired, but it’s unnecessary as a tool. Rick’s example of quality knives (that he inherited from his grandparents) is the mentality that leads many to spend ridiculous amounts on kitchen knives that they often don’t know how to use. Though I’m no professional chef, my experience has shown me that an inexpensive chef’s knife from SYSCO and a knife sharpener is all you need. Quality is to be sought, but I think there’s a function that can show there’s a limit on what quality can do for you.
Still, the guy’s brave to live this way for a year. It’s definitely in the spirit of the lifestyle I’m trying to create for myself.
Read and consider…
2008: my year of living smaller