The Materialism Trap

in #life7 years ago (edited)

Consumerism-low-res.jpg

Does buying things make you happy? I mean, really?

For a period of time I used to be one of those impulse buyers, what a costly mistake, I spent money on things that really I didn't need, some didn't use AT ALL to the day. Lucky me I didn't go out of my way to get in debt. I didn't use credit cards unless I had to, and I was always paying them back immediately, but I did spend a lot of my own money that I was working hard for. One day I realized that all the things I am buying just keep pilling up, and have no use of them. Then I stopped buying, I've seen that my actions were irrational, but always had to watch myself, so I wasn't falling into that trap again.

I was buying things just to have the best there is/was, even tough the things I had were in perfect working order/shape. It was just a senseless waste of money. When a new thing that I had ordered on the internet would come, I would just open the package, inspect it, make sure is in perfect working order, and guess what, I was just putting it away to use it later, and kept using the things that I already had.
I was blowing money, but was not making me happy in any way what-so-ever, and I was working only a low paying job, but because I knew how to make my money last, I was able to buy those things.

Now, because of personal reasons, I must sell everything that I had previously spent money on, and of course what I am getting is pennies on the dollar. What a deal! Well, this is an experience to learn from, and personal mistakes are stepping stones, if you do not repeat them.
Society wants us to keep wasting our resources, and supposedly this keeps the economy going, but that is not the case, it only puts power into the hands of a few, while the rest of us keep running the rat wheel, mindlessly buying into all the lies that were sold to us.

Nobody needs to have the latest and the greatest of everything there is out there, that is just a gimmick to keep you in the loop. Take this for example, many years ago a new camera from a given manufacturer was released about once every several years. Nowadays every year there is a new camera, in a given category of the same manufacturer. This is just an example, but it applies to a broad range of making money industries out there... and from one product release to the next there is nothing spectacular, only small increments. However people are conditioned to think that they gotta have the latest, otherwise are left behind somehow.

Do yourself a favour and stop wasting your money on all the gizmos, and the latest fashion that is pushed on us. We don't need all that fad. Put your money to good use, whatever you really need, buy one quality item that will be of use for years to come, the longer the better. Make your purchases wisely, quality is what you need to go for, that will save you money in the long run, but do not get into thinking that you need to have an entire collection of high grade items, keep it simple, only acquire things that you would use regularly. Thinking that you might have some use for this or that at some point is just a sure way to waste your resources, hoarding doesn't do any good.

Only make well thought and useful purchases, invest in your future.

16 July 2017
Marius

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