When I see something I want to buy, I ask myself if I really need it. This is a good practice for me, because as it turns out much of the time I just want to buy it, I don’t really need it. In the US we are immersed in rampant out-of-control consumerism. Advertising leads us to believe that we must have the latest or most fashionable whatever-it-is. It tells us that if we don’t buy the newest technology toy or this year’s fashions, if our appliances are avocado green and not stainless steel, or our countertops tile and not granite, that we are losers. This is all smoke and mirrors. It’s some kind of “group think” technique invented by the advertisers. Who can afford all these latest things? Only the rich and those willing to go deeply into debt. I suppose the rich can keep on going the way they are, but something tells me that for the rest of us going deeply into debt is not the most brilliant path to take. This is hard to digest because the rich, the greedy and the bankrupt seem to have a good thing going. In this economy they have made out like bandits. Why not say “screw it”, charge up a storm and go bankrupt or make a deal with your creditors so you don’t have to pay full price for what you have already “bought”?
The only reason I can come up with is that this is insane. If your financial life is insane, it seems like the rest of your life will quickly follow. I suggest that we not participate. Let’s stay sane. Let’s use our common sense and get our own individual acts together. Daily life has to make more sense – be more in our control – than buying everything the advertisers lure us into buying. Let’s separate ourselves from the masses flocking to buy. Let them all trample each other and crash and burn if that is their choice. We are smarter than that.
So here’s an example. I am fascinated by technology. I think I would love to have all the latest technology, mostly just to play around with. As you know, new technologies come out every day. In fact, many of the technology-based toys we buy are obsolete by the time we buy them. For instance, I have a beautiful red iPod nano that meets all my iPod-related needs. It is a 2008 model. Now there is an iPod that takes videos. Wouldn’t that be cool to have? But do I need it? No. I’m happy with the iPod I have. How easy was that?
I struggle with this all the time. Some urges are harder to resist than others. For instance, I have a book addiction that still gets the best of me. Even though I usually buy books with coupons or on sale, I have a hard time convincing myself that I don’t really need many of them. I work on this constantly, but first asking myself, “Do I really need it?” is a good practice in any case. I can now resist buying every book I want – I only buy some of them.
The next time you want to buy something, first ask yourself if you really need it. Be honest with yourself. This is only going on in your brain, so no one is watching or listening. Have a little mental conversation with yourself. It is probably your brain chemistry, an old behavioral pattern, or some childhood disappointment that makes you want to buy something you don’t really need. Take the upper hand over these limbic urges and do the right thing.
