One of the things I have to remind myself of is that wanting more “stuff” does not validate my existence. Owning lots of things does not make me a better person. I am in danger of getting trapped in the cycle of more.
The trap of more is dangerous. The trap of having to keep up with the “more” aspect is even worse. And, at the moment, I’m definitely feeling the pressure. I’ll admit, I like bags. I own quite a few of them. Lately, I’ve found myself looking at quite expensive bags online (think £1,000 plus) and choosing shades and all sorts. Why? Why do I feel that buying things will make me more successful? Will having expensive things make me more liked by others?
Of course they won’t. This is how adverts make us feel. That is how celebrity endorsements make us feel. And, they are supposed to. Who doesn’t want to look like those celebrities, with their seemingly perfect lives, perfect bodies and beautiful outfits? I know I do. There are people who are paid a lot of money to make adverts that make you want the product. They make you desire the lifestyle that you cannot afford.
I do not need more things. Having more material possessions does not make me a better person. If I think my friends will be impressed by my excessive material possessions, I need to get new friends. The pressure to impress is less when you are free from the trap of more. This can lead to feeling more content with what you have, rather than sad about what you don’t.
And, of course, having more material possessions means spending more. Spending more means coming closer to not living within your means. Consumer debt can start of small but snowball out of control. Avoiding the trap of more means that debt is less likely.
So, do I need that expensive designer bag? No! I just need to remind myself of that at times.
Do you agree? Have you bought something expensive then regretted it? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
P.S do you have twitter? Follow me here!
Now that I’ve turned into a frugalista, I’m actually looking forward to wearing out all my bags until I have none left and have to buy a new one. I may die before I run out of bags though (egads!)
Haha, good luck with that! The bag I’m currently using is holding up well – wonder how long it will last? 🙂
Excellent point- owning more stuff doesn’t validate my existence. Well said! I occasionally struggle with the stuff. Last winter I purchased myself a $400 designer handbag. Immediately after purchasing the bag I felt unhappy about all the money I was spending. So I returned it! I find that the best remedy for breaking away from all the “wants” is getting away from advertisements, malls, etc. I try not to look at all the emails from various retailers. This really seems to help .
I agree with not looking at the advertisements – I get so many emails from companies but I just delete them now 🙂
I don’t really fall into the trap of more these days, but I definitely have in the past. Now I see stuff for what it really is- a pain in the ass! =)
It really is! 🙂
I don’t fall into the more trap now, but I probably did before, mostly with clothes!
I wasn’t too bad with clothes, but bags and accessories definitely!
I am a spender that I have to use credit cards just to get what I want like shoes, watches, and caps. Even though I have many still unused, I still buy more. The thought of trap of more is teaching me to spend it smarter. Don’t fall to “buying the wants”.
I think using your credit cards for this is good, as that would be me off buying things. It is hard sometimes when there are lovely things on sale!
Ahh, a terrible trap to be in. I used to have an infatuation with purses/shoes. But I slowly started to realize that whenever I bought a new pair, I would love it for a little bit, and all of a sudden would want something new almost immediately. More begets more.
You are right – the novelty of the new item soon vanishes and it’s onto the next thing.