On stuff and status

The hidden costs of too much stuff (via) -

... "We did a focus group on why people renovated their kitchens," he says. "They said it was because their friends had done it."...

On Choosing the Right Pond -

"Perhaps those high-income readers who do not consider their current high relative standing that important will find it illuminating to consider a simple thought experiment..."

A tiny rammed-earth house -

In a sense, the overheated real estate market and the passion for all things domestic have spawned two distinctly different construction extremes, like siblings destined to be forever at odds. One is the proverbial monster house, a creature suckled on the principle that bigger is better, no matter how far the commute, no matter how lackluster the design. The other might be called the infill infant, a quieter creature we need to embrace more often.

Owning a home changes you -

...being a property owner ... claims our inner real estate and begins to define who we are, what we think about and how we see the world.