I find this study fascinating and revealing. Definitely worth reading. My wife and I have been decluttering our house recently. We're not ones to store things up, but it's amazing how much crap even we have. [Full article here]
Excerpts:
"The Center on Everyday Lives of Families at the University of California, Los Angeles, recently released a study on the home lives of 32 middle-class, dual-income families in L.A. For four years, a team of archeologists, anthropologists and other scientists observed these families and their "material culture"—that is, how they related to all of their stuff.
The goal: to better understand the priorities and rhythms of American family life. The researchers made catalogs of every visible possession in each house, took 20,000 pictures and videotaped 1,500 hours of family activities."
"Most time at home was spent indoors, despite a profusion of backyard pools, hot tubs, swing sets and outdoor furniture.
Less than 40 minutes a week: Average backyard use by children
Less than 15 minutes a week: Average backyard use by parents"
The stuff of families
