There are a lot of things in life that seem conflicting, like wanting a college education but not wanting to pay thousands of dollars for it, or like wanting a second scoop of ice cream, but not wanting the added calories. But there is no greater conflict in my life than my shopping addiction and my desire to consume less, in order to save the environment by not wasting resources and save money. I also think there is a lot to say about living a life with fewer things. With fewer things in my life, I could focus more on what is important vs. "OMG, I need a jean skirt" (when in reality I'd be just fine without one).
In order to break down my addiction, versus what I know to be better for me, here are 5 ways I could benefit from cutting down on my consumerism:
1. I Could Save Money for Traveling and Bills.
If I skipped out on random online shopping I could probably save enough in a year to go on a trip to Colorado or road trip across the country for a couple weeks. I could also save more money to put towards my college loans and other bills.
2. It Would De-Clutter My Room and Life.
The less random stuff I buy, the less stuff I would have crammed in my closet or on my book shelves. This may not be a problem for everyone but I hate having a cluttered room. I frequently go through and throw out or donate things that I have no use for anymore.
3. It Would Be Better For The Environment.
If I cut back my consumption it would reduce how much waste I produce, which is a pretty big deal. The less stuff I'm throwing out, the less resources I am wasting and the less space in a landfill I'm taking up.
4. It Would Help Me Focus on What's Important.
It is easy to get distracted by things when they are surrounding you. I know so many people who say they cannot hang out because they have no money, but they spend tons of money on things they do not really need. When you are strapped for money but find yourself wearing new clothes every day, or new shoes, or playing a new video game you're not really living your life to its fullest potential.
5. It *Might* Make the Lady at the Post Office Like Me Again.
This is a stretch because I have already done a quite a bit of damage to our relationship. It has come to the point where around the holidays especially she has to reserve a corner of the post office for boxes for me. I have noticed recently she has worked at stuffing packages that are borderline too big for my regular post office box in until it is smashed up and my mail is all bent, but I don't really blame her. I'm surprised she hasn't just required us to buy a big package box yet.
Here though, are a list of reasons why it is easy to fall in the over-consumption trap:
1. MARKETING IS EVERYWHERE!!
Our parents might have had TV ads or radio ads, but we have them everywhere! Ads on the side of our Facebook accounts, ads on Spotify, ads on buses, and almost everything else you can think of. You open your email and see coupons to "save you money" but in reality, if you never got the coupon you wouldn't have bought stuff from them anyway because you did not actually need anything. And it's not like you're getting it for a steal price anyway-- companies almost never take hits on their clothing. They overprice their merchandise so they can sell it to you at a "great discount" for the amount of money they wanted from you. We have also been marketed to want everything our friends have, and to want even more than that so our friends think we are "cool." For example the jean skirt I mentioned earlier: I've seen pictures of my friends wearing them on Instagram and thought to myself, "I need a jean skirt!" Not, "Maybe, I want a jean skirt. I'll think about it for a little while though." If the day I first thought about buying a jean skirt was payday, I would probably have bought one right away-- and that's just so bad.
2. There Are New Things Made Every Day, New Trends, New Products, All Better Than the Last!
Here we go again with the jean skirt reference. The thing is it's just a new trend and after about 3 wears I'll probably be over it. But as I write this have I decided I'm not going to buy it? No. I probably still will. Maybe I just have no self-control-- that's probably it-- but there has to be something else pulling me to go buy one. It's like iPhones; usually, the one you have is fine, until you hear about the new one. It really only has a couple small differences, but somehow those couple small things make it worth dropping hundreds of dollars on the newest phone.
3. FOMO
FOMO-- or fear of missing out-- is real. This is not to say I think I'll be really missing out if I don't get a jean skirt, but some people live for trends. They like to be up to date with everything. They are probably that person you know who bought a fidget spinner and used it for 2 days. Not a regular one either, they found a "top of the line spinner" to show off. That's because these people do not want to miss out on one trend, because who are they if they do?
4. Hobbies and Interests
I will give myself a break because part of my addiction has to do with my love for fashion. This could coincidentally have a lot to do with marketing and ads I saw as a kid, but regardless my love for fashion is real. This type of thing is true for a lot of people I know. Some people collect cameras, or shoes, or guns or whatever... the point is if it is something you absolutely love and enjoy, I wouldn't say adding to your collection is a complete waste. As long as you can actually utilize what you have and get use out of what you buy you're okay. Maybe consider getting rid of some of the older ones, and definitely donate it if you can so other people can get some value from it!
5. Desire to be Prepared
This is a weird argument, but hear me out. If you ever lived in a dorm you'll most likely know what I am talking about here. Sometimes you buy something and think, "I could need this, and if I do, I would rather be prepared than be scrambling to find this." For example, for my freshman dorm, I bought a ton of random things I would think I need, like hand soap, only to find out that they provided us with some, but if they did not have it I would have really needed it.
As you can see, despite all the reasons why I and anyone else should cut back on consumption, there are factors that pull us back in. I will probably never get my consumption down to an astonishingly low level, but if I can cut back about a 1/3 I know I would benefit greatly from it.
