You never see an armored car in a funeral procession because no one has figured out how to take it with them.

Most people accumulate things when they get married and raise a family and that is good. Kids like to sleep in beds and watch television. It is a necessity to have furniture and appliances in a house whether a person is married or single and has children or doesn't have any. Most people have work clothes and dress up clothes and jewelry. Having a car to drive to work is convenient.

As people get more successful in life they add to their possessions. There is a larger house, better furniture, artwork, a SUV to go with the van, a home-theater system, snow blower, a camper and a boat. Finally the kids are grown, educated and moved away. These people are in their prime years of earning and decide to buy more stuff which means they need a yard sale to get rid of old stuff so the new stuff will have a place.

Linda and I know very well about accumulating stuff. We ended up with a large three story house, a Ford van and Ford Thunderbird, a Camaro T-top and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. We had enough computer equipment to network a business and three cell phones, three pagers and three telephone lines in the house. Our family room contained a large screen Sony theater surround sound system that we seldom watched.

We realized our stuff had become a burden and we began to hate the house and most of the stuff we owned. We worked long hours to pay taxes and insurance and opened doors to rooms we never used to dust stuff we did not want any more. We decided to get rid of everything whether we could sell it or give it away. Other people told us we were crazy to quit our jobs and dispose of all possessions because they felt a need to accumulate more.

That was three years ago and we have never regretted our decision for a minute. Now we have very little stuff and our money is dwindling with the stock market decline but we are happier than ever. Some people have a need to have lots of possessions and they call it security. Our only need is to travel and have fun. A few months ago I had cancer and I got to thinking about money. Linda and I could have worked these last three years and saved more money, but money could not buy the fun we have had and the things we have done.

One friend told us he wants to spend all of his money and his final check will be for his funeral. He wants that check to bounce for insufficient funds. Remember, you never see an armored car in a funeral procession.