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NEW STUFF SUCKS

Intimate stories (and tips!) from the life
of one of America’s worst consumers

by Kay Sather

New stuff sucks?

What a strange thing to say. I mean, who doesn’t appreciate new things? Who doesn’t like to shop—in stores, online, however? And doesn’t shopping help the economy? You probably know someone who buys new stuff just to get a lift, or to feel better about something.

Fixed plant pot

So you’re curious about who would say that, and why. Well, your curiosity has brought you to a good place. New stuff sucks for a lot of reasons, and the ones I talk about include entertaining stories, helpful ideas, humor, and different ways to look at life—based on facts, of course, not fantasies. If you keep reading, you might begin to agree that new stuff really can get in the way of happiness—your own, and the world’s. I’ve found it’s a lot of fun to get around it. And it’s not that hard.

So check out my blog posts and subscribe to get notified when I post more. My intent is to post something—long or short, with fun photos—each week. Welcome!

Latest from the Blog

15. It’s Only Natural

I couldn’t click the mouse anymore. My arm hurt too much. There was nothing I could do but try switching to my left hand. It was awkward at first. But it wasn’t like I was trying to write with the left hand—just click. Soon I was clicking along. And my right arm was having aContinue reading “15. It’s Only Natural”

Post 14. Garbage In, Beauty Out

This week is mainly visual, what you might faddishly call “eye candy,” in that it’s colorful and fun. But it’s more than that. It’s political, it’s salvaged, it’s desert-based, and it’s witty. I’ve known Royce, the artist, for more than 35 years. We met when he was art director at the Tucson Weekly, and IContinue reading “Post 14. Garbage In, Beauty Out”

13. Why I Write This #@!$% Blog

I have to spend fifteen to twenty hours at the computer instead of being outside, feeling happy and healthy. I don’t get paid. I’m involved in the horrible world of internet popularity frenzy—“likes,” subscriptions, self-promotion. I’m no good at any of this. But I do have a rationale, of sorts. This: In recent years I’veContinue reading “13. Why I Write This #@!$% Blog”

KAY’S PICK of the WEEK

The book Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress, by Christopher Ryan. I haven’t read his other book, Sex at Dawn, but I bet it’s good. (It was a New York Times bestseller.) Learn a little more about it in my 15th post.

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Older Posts

  1. Personal Confessions
  2. So What is New Stuff, Exactly?
  3. Warning! New Stuff Ahead!
  4. What I Did on my COVID Vacation, Pt. 1
  5. What I Did on my COVID Vacation, Pt. 2: Building Like an Animal
  6. What I Did on my COVID Vacation, Pt. 3
  7. How I Got This Way
  8. 8. Wabi Sabi, Maybe?
  9. 9. Minimalism. And Nuffi Stuffi.
  10. 10. To See the World in a Plastic Cap*
  11. 11. Free Drinks!!!
  12. 12. Old Dog Learns New Tricks

    Kay Sather is the coauthor (with Marge Pellegrino) of Neon Words, a writing book for teens and young adults. She was named Illustrator of the Year in 1995 by the Arizona Library Association. She has illustrated many children’s books, included the award-winning Soft Child, by Joe Hayes. Her articles and stories have appeared in the Mississippi Review, Edible Baja Arizona, The Santa Fe Reporter, Counterpunch, the Tucson Weekly, the Tucson Guide Quarterly, and many others. She has worked in publishing as a graphic designer, illustrator, and writer for more than thirty years. She has been the subject of a documentary titled Mud (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c3TF45M8j0&t=11s)
    and is currently finishing a book detailing her experiences building a house by hand. Kay has a B.A. in German Language and Literature and an M.A. in teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Minnesota.