America’s number one leisure is shopping. We like to go to the mall at the weekend, browse, and come home with purchases. Every time there is a major holiday, the stores have sales, and that just tempts us to buy more.
Credit cards are easy to use, we can buy today and think about paying the bills tomorrow. In the years before credit cards, people had to have the money in their bank account before they purchased something, but this is no longer the case.
Then there is the opportunity to buy online, 24 hours a day. So the mall doesn’t even have to be open for us to buy stuff to bring home.
When once we have all this stuff at home, we need somewhere to store it and that leads to buying storage solutions. In fact, some times our homes just feel like a place to store our stuff.
Why have we become a nation of ravenous consumers? There are just so many fascinating things that we want to own, to possess. We are often excited by our purchases. It is the act of buying more than the thing itself that we are seeking. Advertisers play to this fact and encourage us that when we are feeling down, the answer to feeling better is to buy something. They can get you to believe your life will improve if only you will buy their product.
The problem is that although the new things seem exciting at first, buying too much only adds to what you already own and soon becomes clutter.
Many compulsive buyers are people who feel unhappy and the purchase is a way to ease the pain. Don’t buy something because it makes you feel good today, buy things that will forever make you feel good. Retail therapy really is no good solution to your problems as it only adds to them.
Ask yourself what you are looking for when you buy too much and if you can replace it with something that doesn’t cost quite as much. Maybe learn a new skill, join a social group or do something different in your routine.
Commit to living simply and discover that less stuff leads to a more peaceful life.
The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need
