Purchasing our happiness is coming to an end.
North Americans seem to have a love affair with status and with purchasing items to create that status. So is this status really worth it and what can we do individually to change our view of and how we as a society see status?
I will be the first one to admit that I’m susceptible to advertising; I though have tried to slowly wean myself off consumerism and the incessant marketing of new goods that come along so frequently. Does this mean that I don’t have my gadgets and toys? No, it means that I have started to think more about what I have and how to shop for and get good items that are multi-functional. Take for example the iPod Touch (first generation, 8GB) that I have, it does the following things:
- it is an MP3 player
- it’s a video player
- it’s a notepad, addressbook, calendar, email and web browser all in one
- it’s a cheque book
- it’s a mobile book reader (or document reader)
- it’s a thumb drive
- it’s a calculator (both simple as well as scientific and also a conversion tool (for metric to imperial or whatever I need (in the kitchen, it’s great to have)
- a currency converter
- it’s got Google Maps (great for trip planning)
Did I need it when I got it as a Christmas present last year, no; it was though a replacement for a dying 1st generation iPod nano and for the price increase, it’s brought in a lot of functionality that I both needed and wanted in order to help simplify things (by decluttering) my gadgets. I didn’t need the iPhone as my current cell phone works well enough.
Simplification of our lives and the gadgets/tools/toys we have will not only help with overall costs and saving money (as you won’t spend money getting new containers to store them in or organize all them in); it will allow you to know what you have and learn what you actually need. If you find stuff you don’t need (whether it be toys, gadgets or furniture/clothing), you could use FreeCycle or CraigsList as a way to clean things out either for free or maybe to make a little of the money back on all those purchases.
Getting rid of your unused/old gadgets/stuff not only is liberating and stress relieving, it also re-acquaints you with what you do have (so you might find clothing/gadgets that you can use instead of that new one you were looking for) and save spending your hard earned money on more stuff. This all being said, you have to be honest and hard with yourself about what you really need versus what you want and then stick to it. Reducing clutter in your life (whether in your home, computer or whatever) will also help you have a more meaningful interaction with those things you keep and might open up some creative uses for those things you do keep (repurposing an old PC into a NAS/server/webserver possibly).
Beyond all this cleaning out and repurposing, the real question we should ask ourselves is “do I really need that new {whatever the item is} and why do I want/need it?” We have to think about how merchandise is marketed to us and why; it’s generally not for our happiness and well being; it’s for the benefit of the company selling the item and to make the purchaser feel like they are special for one reason or other (whether it be that new skirt or pair of shoes, pants or that new console game), we buy un-needed items because we want it to be part of the in-crowd (or whatever you want to call it).
I am not advocating to stop buying new items, simply that you should really think if you need it. Stop impulse purchasing and instead, note the item(s) you want to buy, go home and think about it for a week or so; if you still want it, then go get it as you’ve thought about it. But don’t just buy the items simply because there’s a special on it or it’s something that you like at the moment (but in six months you’re asking yourself why you bought it and wasted good money on it (whether that be $10 or $300)). You want to become a discriminating buyer, to buy the best quality item(s) you can so you spend your money well and don’t regret it. Also, try to pay cash for the item(s), not credit; the advantage of doing this will be a) you might (if the item is a lot of money and considered a major purchase (dishwasher, stereo, etc.)) be able to get it for a better price (the store (go to non-chain stores if possible, as they will be more apt to do this for you)) and/or b) you know you have a specific amount of money to spend and can’t go above that (though the shop might try to up-sell you). As well, think about things like extended warranties, are they really worth it? From various reports/articles CBC article “Extended Warranties”, Consumer Reports “Resist the Pitch” or Smart Money’s “Extended Warranty Rip-off”, often they (extended warranties) are not worth it, as the manufacturer provides a warranty that covers the same items as part of the purchase cost.
So, in the end, think about why and what you buy and try to read through the marketing of an item, look for real quality (the item might cost more; but it will last longer, be more likely to be used by you for years and less likely to break down) and be willing to put off a purchase and give it a week or so to think about it (or save the money up as cash and then go buy it when you have the cash available).
So, should our consumption be an indication of status, no; is it though marketed as such in an effort by advertisers to get us to purchase the latest and greatest items, yes (I would suggest).
If you’re interested, here are a couple of sites you might find of interest in both reading about (a warning, some of the sites have very political undertones):
- Simple Living - this site has stopped being updated; but it’s a handy read