
How to get the most out of your life’s most valuable possessions, by collecting them all
From the top of a tall building, to a rooftop in the center of a city, to the most precious object on earth, you can’t go wrong when you get the best out of every item you own.
And there’s a good reason why.
“It’s a very good idea to have all the most valuable things, and then to have a few items that are not necessarily useful to you,” says Richard W. Stearns, a professor of business at the University of Maryland who studies the psychology of possessions.
“The more valuable things are, the more you’re likely to keep them.”
Here are 10 items that have a lot to do with your life that you should consider collecting before you die.
1.
Your phone and keys: A recent study from the University in Bristol found that people who own smartphones and tablets have a better sense of personal security than those who don’t.
That’s because phones are used to store personal information and often don’t have the ability to be easily lost.
They also allow you to keep tabs on your surroundings, even when you’re away from them.
They’re also great for keeping track of what you’ve bought in the past.
“A lot of people have their phones in their pocket,” says Dr. Stenstrom.
“They don’t really have a way to take their phone out of it.”
The researchers tested whether people who owned smartphones and had smartphones stored in their pockets felt less secure, but the findings weren’t statistically significant.
2.
A house or apartment: A few years ago, a couple from Colorado named Mark and Sarah Loehlin decided to buy a house in a suburb of Denver.
Mark had previously worked at a home improvement company, and Sarah was a home inspector.
The couple didn’t want to move into a new house in their old town, so they decided to rent a new one.
Mark was a bit worried about the new house’s security.
“We didn’t think it was going to be as bad as our previous house,” he says.
But once he got into the apartment, everything went south.
He had to put the locks on the door, and he couldn’t even get in to get his mail.
After two weeks of waiting for a response from the city, Mark called the police.
They said they couldn’t help him because the locks were too hard.
“I thought it was a waste of money,” Mark says.
3.
A car: When a car’s owner is out of the house, it’s important that they have a car for the occasional errand.
It’s also a good idea if the owner has a spare bedroom for the family to go out on a Saturday or Sunday.
It could be a spare car that they can drive around with the family.
It also helps to have one with a spare tire, or a spare key for the car to unlock if you forget it.
It might also be a good time to pick up a used vehicle.
4.
A painting: The owner of the painting or the person who has a key to the home might not have any money to buy it, but they do have an idea of how valuable the item might be.
“One person’s painting might be another’s,” says Wanda O. Smith, a sociology professor at the Wharton School at the City University of New York.
“So if you have that idea in your mind, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time and money finding a buyer.”
If you have a good memory, you might even be able to piece together some sort of a bargain on the auction house.
“You’ll have to think about the price of the item and the value of the paint,” says Smith.
“What would you be willing to pay for it?”
5.
Your pet’s bed: It’s a common misconception that pet owners often keep their pets in their rooms and don’t even consider them a family member.
“But people will spend more money on their pets if they can keep them in a private room,” says Stenstein.
“And that means they will also spend a much greater amount of time thinking about them and how they’re feeling.”
And, for pet owners, that’s when the price for a pet bed really starts to drop.
“If you’re pet-sitting, you have to consider the comfort level of your pet,” says Tricia G. Krieger, an associate professor of sociology at the State University of San Francisco.
“Pet owners spend a large amount of money on pet care and other costs that can be included in the price they pay.”
Pets can be very good for you.
They provide an outlet for your emotions and help you cope with the stress of a busy life.
“Even if they aren’t your favorite pet, you need to have pets in your life,” says Kriege.
“For the majority of people, pets are a part of their everyday lives.”
6.
A ring: When you