[gottorf]

> the middle class “American Dream” honestly it’s too much stuff

On one hand, this is absolutely true, where people living in houses with many thousands of square feet still rent storage units to store their extra stuff. On the other, having minimal possessions is in some ways a sign of the luxury of the times; it's a vote of confidence in the status quo, that no substantial decrease in the availability of stuff in the future (corollarily, no substantial decrease in your future purchasing power) will take place.

For people whose expectations are different, it makes sense to convert some of their purchasing power into stuff now, in case stuff becomes scarcer in the future.

[tmarsden]

I totally agree with you, it is a luxury to be able to live minimally knowing you can afford to just buy/rent/hire for a need when it comes up. On the other hand having less money means you might need to keep more tools or spare parts around just in case which means more clutter.