Fighting Consumerism

It feels like that time of year is creeping up again—the season where everyone just starts burning through cash like there's no tomorrow. We’ve got Black Friday turning into this month-long marathon, and then it just rolls straight into the holiday shopping madness. Honestly, consumerism has become its own kind of psychological beast.
People use it as a sort of therapy, I guess, but at the same time, they're just fueling an addiction.
What do you all think about this whole frenzy? And how do you manage to hold back when you see those endless "limited time" deals staring you in the face?

I’m actually doing a pretty decent job of holding back here. Mostly because I’m just straight-up cheap 😬

I usually just ask myself, "Do I actually need this?" Since the answer is "No" about 99.9% of the time, I just move on. 🙂

The trick is staying away from all those flashy ads and only hitting up the stores when there’s something genuinely essential on the list.

I picked up some new sneakers and a hat... 😁

I suppose I truly deserve this, after all, you only live once.

I’ve honestly never run into that particular issue myself.

It’s pretty straightforward, really—I just take a second to actually think about whether I truly need the item before I hit "buy."😁

Robin Foster7 said:It feels like that time of year is creeping up again—the season where everyone just starts burning through cash like there's no tomorrow. We’ve got Black Friday turning into this month-long marathon, and then it just rolls straight into the holiday shopping madness. Honestly, consumerism has become its own kind of psychological beast.
People use it as a sort of therapy, I guess, but at the same time, they're just fueling an addiction.
What do you all think about this whole frenzy? And how do you manage to hold back when you see those endless "limited time" deals staring you in the face?

If you ask me... I really think most people don't need much more than good health, enough food to stay full, some clothes to wear, and maybe a decent little apartment to cook, clean, and sleep in. Everything else is just... well, it's just extra stuff. A bonus, if you can call it that...

I’m not slowing down—why would I even bother? We should all be able to treat ourselves whenever we want, regardless of Black Friday or Christmas. Honestly, I wouldn't want to live a life where I only grab the bare essentials when I actually have the means to go after what I want. People really need to stop pushing those intense myths about what actually makes a person happy; friendships, relationships, family—that stuff is fleeting, but things? Things are what last.

Jamie Adams6 said:I’m not slowing down—why would I even bother? We should all be able to treat ourselves whenever we want, regardless of Black Friday or Christmas. Honestly, I wouldn't want to live a life where I only grab the bare essentials when I actually have the means to go after what I want. People really need to stop pushing those intense myths about what actually makes a person happy; friendships, relationships, family—that stuff is fleeting, but things? Things are what last.

Everything passes—relationships, friends, time, years... even most stuff.
Everything we buy today probably won't even matter to us by tomorrow...
Same goes for houses, apartments, wealth... it all loses value over time, gets old, needs repairs, maintenance, and constant upkeep.
Then a recession hits and everything you poured your life into just vanishes...
The less stuff a person owns, the freer they are—you aren't tied down by things. You're at your most free when you just have cash in your pocket and can go wherever the hell you want...

Then you've got those pure consumers who just buy things and toss them, over and over... it’s pretty depressing to think about putting all that work and energy into a pile of cheap junk just to make it our whole purpose in life... honestly, might as well just lounge around than work ourselves to death for nothing...

It’s a bit of a catch-22, isn't it? On one hand, you've got the reality that everything eventually ends up sitting in a landfill somewhere, which is definitely not ideal for the environment. But then again, if people stop buying things altogether, those jobs just vanish overnight. I remember my cousin used to work at a local manufacturing plant in Ohio, and when things slowed down there, you could really feel the tension in the whole community. There has to be some kind of middle ground where we find a balance—ideally finding ways to keep consumption steady without absolutely burying the planet in trash.

I guess what radical is saying is true; there’s a certain sense of freedom that comes when you aren't constantly tripping over a mountain of stuff.
For the last month, I’ve definitely been on a bit of a spending spree—just one of those phases, I suppose. Maybe I needed it, maybe not. Either way, I’m now stumbling over piles of shoes every time I walk into my apartment, and honestly, it feels a little embarrassing looking at these ten jackets when I probably only ever wear two.
But, well, I do like to look put together... so there's a jacket for the park, one for warmer days, one for those weird transitional seasons, a fancy one, a sporty one, and so on.

I'm trying to clear out the excess now. I've actually set a goal for myself to buy absolutely nothing for the next three months.

Ever thought about trying minimalism?

I’ve just got this massive aversion to consumerism lately. All this mindless shopping frenzy, those constant discount ads popping up everywhere, and honestly? People falling for it all. It’s exhausting.

Look, I don't mind if someone wants to grab a Roomba or some other high-end gadget where waiting for a sale actually makes sense. But most people? They're just trying to fill a void by grabbing cheap clothes at Target or H&M. They think a new outfit is going to boost their self-esteem or add actual value to who they are. I just don't get it.

This song has been stuck in my head: Lana Del Rey - Diet Mountain Dew

"I bought the ride and the fancy lifestyle
just to sit on the floor and be alone"

casualtiger2 said:I usually just ask myself, "Do I actually need this?" Since the answer is "No" about 99.9% of the time, I just move on. 🙂

The trick is staying away from all those flashy ads and only hitting up the stores when there’s something genuinely essential on the list.

+1

I’m trying to save a significant amount.
I'm planning to pick up some electronics soon, so I'm holding out for Black Friday.

My boyfriend's family has this tradition where everyone swaps gifts every Christmas. It puts a lot of pressure on me since money is tight right now. He told me today that I could just bake them a few batches of cookies instead. Honestly, I think I'll just stick to that...

Honestly, I’m really trying to be super disciplined lately and only buy stuff if I actually need it—like, if I need new clothes, I'll just wait for a massive sale on things like sneakers or whatever. I was never really the type to go on crazy shopping sprees just to feel better about myself, but lately, the whole idea of consumerism has just felt totally gross to me. I try my best to ignore all those annoying targeted ads for sales, though I still have this one weakness for book deals that I just can't seem to shake (even though even that's starting to weigh on me, because honestly, seeing all that clutter piling up in my house is starting to feel like actual physical weight on my chest... ;-)).

mistydrifter55 said:

Ever thought about trying minimalism?

Hell yeah! Minimalism is definitely worth a look... But you gotta do it.

So I’m sitting here listening to Nevermind when I stumble upon this thread, and honestly? It just hits home. This whole modern, consumerist, capitalist lifestyle is total garbage—and I’ve definitely become part of that garbage, whether I’m doing it consciously or subconsciously... probably a 50-50 split at this point.

I’ve always had this thing about shopping—especially clothes, perfumes, skincare—you know, especially since I started earning my own paycheck.
Plus, I totally tie my spending to my mood. If I’m feeling low, I start clicking "add to cart." During this whole pandemic mess, I’ve been buying way too much; I even picked up stuff over the summer that I haven't even touched once.🤦
Now we’ve got Black Friday coming up, and I am obsessively tracking sales. I’m crunching the numbers, trying to be smart about it. I actually need some specific tech gear and furniture right now, but I’m also just waiting for those boots to go on sale—boots I probably won't even wear this winter given how things are going, but hey, why not just have them sitting at home?

At the start of this crisis, I actually had a goal: save up for next year—festivals, concerts, trips, all that good stuff. But now that it feels like this pandemic is never going to end? I’m slowly giving up on that dream. Instead, I’m frantically spending while I still have the cash. I mean, who knows what’s coming? If things get even worse soon, I might be broke anyway, so you might as well buy it while you can, right?🤦

Look, I know my behavior makes zero sense from a rational standpoint, but when I’m in a depressive funk, buying a new pair of socks is legitimately one of the few things that brings me joy. And if I don't splurge on physical stuff, I end up blowing money on food—mostly sweets—so it’s just this endless, vicious cycle.🙂

On the flip side, back when I was actually feeling fulfilled and productive, I barely had the time to even walk into a store. So, I really agree with the idea that we use shopping to fill these internal voids. We get stuck in this loop where we just pile up new stuff, and then we don't even have the energy to get rid of the old junk. At least, that's my experience.

Robin Foster7 said:It feels like that time of year is creeping up again—the season where everyone just starts burning through cash like there's no tomorrow. We’ve got Black Friday turning into this month-long marathon, and then it just rolls straight into the holiday shopping madness. Honestly, consumerism has become its own kind of psychological beast.
People use it as a sort of therapy, I guess, but at the same time, they're just fueling an addiction.
What do you all think about this whole frenzy? And how do you manage to hold back when you see those endless "limited time" deals staring you in the face?

The approach is the same as any other addiction.

If you don't shut it down in your mind first, nothing else matters.

Laura Castillo6 said:It’s a bit of a catch-22, isn't it? On one hand, you've got the reality that everything eventually ends up sitting in a landfill somewhere, which is definitely not ideal for the environment. But then again, if people stop buying things altogether, those jobs just vanish overnight. I remember my cousin used to work at a local manufacturing plant in Ohio, and when things slowed down there, you could really feel the tension in the whole community. There has to be some kind of middle ground where we find a balance—ideally finding ways to keep consumption steady without absolutely burying the planet in trash.

The thing is, this isn't just "consumption" for the sake of it—it actually creates jobs. But before that happens, you have to realize people have desires beyond just survival, and those little extras are what spice up our lives! That's basically all consumerism needs to thrive and stay perfectly in sync with the masses. If we didn't want those "spices," the economy wouldn't even exist as we know it. It doesn't matter if things like high-end perfume, flowers, designer shoes, jewelry, books, music, movies, cable packages, tech, vacations, or even stuff like fireworks and alcohol aren't strictly "necessary"—what matters is that people *want* them, and they aren't planning on giving them up.

Robin Foster7 said:It feels like that time of year is creeping up again—the season where everyone just starts burning through cash like there's no tomorrow. We’ve got Black Friday turning into this month-long marathon, and then it just rolls straight into the holiday shopping madness. Honestly, consumerism has become its own kind of psychological beast.
People use it as a sort of therapy, I guess, but at the same time, they're just fueling an addiction.
What do you all think about this whole frenzy? And how do you manage to hold back when you see those endless "limited time" deals staring you in the face?

If you look closely, there’s a sale popping up everywhere, but the real question is whether they’re actually legitimate. Honestly, Black Friday or any of those 😁 weekend blowout sales... I don't really care for the hype. If I actually need something, I'll just check a few different sites online and buy it then.
There will always be things on sale looking pretty and inviting, but if I don't need it, I'm not buying it.