Darksamurai

I'm not talkin' about the holidays. I'm not talking about buying computer parts and blowing your paycheck on performance car parts (for a car that could probably use snow tires more than a high-flow exhuast).

I'm talking about the cult of gratification through spending.

We're upset, we spend money. We're bored, we spend money. We're hungry, cooking isn't that much fun, so we go out. We spend money to solve every problem. Hell, we even buy identities these days. They're available at most mall locations, and can help you successfully become a goth, a preppy, a stoner, a jock, an artistic bohemian, or whatever else you may want to be.

So, where does that leave us?

Does buying a $18.00 CD make us feel better? No, it doesn't. The high of ownership is only a few minutes it seems, at the most a few days.

Buying a new car used to give a guy a warm feeling for years. Now, that high doesn't last months.

So what is the solution?

I could just say, "Hey, be happy with what you have!" but that's like saying, "Diabetes? Just eat less sugar!"
It's hard to stop consoling one's self with items. It's easy to have a "feel good" moment when you buy something new. It's like a half-assed exploration in a way. It's new and interesting.

I'm not immune. I had a bad day at work and I know I have hours worth of classwork left to look forward to, I buy a Coke, a candy bar and probably a movie or a video game. I have four video games still living in their original wrappers (admittingly, they were cheap... but still). I haven't had time to play them. I've got seven movies I haven't watched yet. I switched out my '95 3000GT for a '99 Honda Civic and the only "high" of ownership was being out from under the repairs on my old car.

So, it's not hard to spend money. It's even easy if you don't have the money. It used to be really easy for me to just pay off my bills and then buy something. These days, I've become so used to being in debt, I don't hardly think about it, as long as I can make the payments. It's not about getting ahead, it's about maintaining.

Several articles have mentioned that people are living at their income. This means that we're spending pretty much the entire wad when we get paid. It's hard to live cheap when you don't have to. We all watch the clocks for when this or that payment expires, and THEN we'll have money! When the time comes, we realize that the item we bought is probably either obsolete or in need of replacement, so the cycle restarts. Then it's "only five more years!"

So, what do we do? Here's a few suggestions.

1. Think before you spend. Do you need it? Do you really want it? Why are you buying it now? How much could you save by delaying the purchase. How much use are you really going to get out of this item? Could this item be found cheaper if you have the patience to hunt it down on the internet or another store?

2. Try to limit your purchases to one or two "fun" things per check. Go to the movies OR buy a video game.

3. Fast Food is easy, but it's probably one of the worst things you can do to your health. I've survived off of fast food for literally weeks at a time, and I shouldn't be proud of that. Fast food takes a horrible toll on your health and your wallet (especially if you like fine dining). My girlfriend and I went to an Italian restuarant and we walked out with 50 bucks less to our names for mediocre food.

4. Learn to fix things. Sometimes fixing something makes it worth more. Cars and computers are good examples, but basically anything you don't have to pay someone else to fix is a plus. Still, be aware of impulse "upgrade" shopping. Computers and cars are expensive hobbies!

5. Put a little into savings, and don't freakin' touch it. Don't think about using it unless you're in the hospital and they're going to pull the plug if you don't pony up some dough.

6. Realize that entertainment is widely available for free, or just very cheaply. Happy memories usually aren't built on the triumph of purchase. It's usually acheiving something, or spending a memorable moment with someone.

7. Try to step off buying expensive things. Living at your income is a bad way to live. If, for any reason, you
have to change jobs, or your significant other quits, or you have a kid, your life isn't going to be the same.
It's better to have money and not need it than to need money and not have it!

8. New isn't always better. The cars I've always had the most fun driving are the old POS that I can feel comfortable with. I have a truck that if it explodes, I'm not out that much. I put a little money into it here and there in repairs, and it provides me transportation. I'm parking it for the winter, so it's costing me nothing. It's not a snowmobile that I bought new that I can only use here and there, but have to make payments on every month regardless. Try to figure out the monthly cost of something's ownership.

9. Check the insurance rates of a car before buying it. I know a gal who's spending her entire paycheck between her car and the insurance because she didn't think a Mitsubishi "Galant" was a sports car. The insurance thinks that it is and so she's living with her mom.

10. Try to take pleasure in what you have. Brush off the old 8-bit Nintendo and play a round of Zelda. Download a free game on the internet. Read a book you haven't read in awhile. Play with the pets/ kids. Appreciating what you have can keep you well occupied.


Peace out. Happy holidays!

__________________

j-dogg

Or you can **** all that and spend time with someone special instead of spending money to feel better.

Money is at the root of all evil, but love is the root of all relationships. The amount of each is detrimental of the end result.

__________________

Nerdz

What are you talking about? Cooking Is Fun. The only bad part is you get dirty, but Ive started to wear an apron.

So if things cost too much that when piracy comes in!...Of course you can pirate everything...(and um no, I dont mean that literally)

__________________

Master Yunk

Quote: Originally Posted by Nerdz What are you talking about? Cooking Is Fun. The only bad part is you get dirty, but Ive started to wear an apron. So if things cost too much that when piracy comes in!...Of course you can pirate everything...(and um no, I dont mean that literally)

I wonder what Nerdz has been cooking

Great article! With my last 2 games I bought, I barely play them now.. its kind of sad.

Though I get plenty of use out of my HL2

__________________

Wordbiker

Another tactic that I just finished employing over this entire weekend is: Getting rid of useless crap.

After carrying the monthly payment for a storage unit going on three years now, my wife and I finally decided to take some action and purchased a steel shipping container to drop on our property. While the cost of the container was no small sum, this allowed us to hold a sale this weekend to empty the storage unit out as completely as possible. The end result was that we made over $600 on the sale, got rid of an $85/mo payment, and invested in storage that we actually own. The container can be sold at a later date, moved around on the property, and incurs no monthly maintenance fees. Sometimes downsizing is the way to avoid spending that money to keep items that may be dragging you down much more than any value they may potentially hold.

__________________

Red02

Yeah, I just bought BF 2142 and havent played it much.

Dude DS I know how it is on the resturnat scene, thats why you go to the mom and pop operations. It's cheaper and usually tastes better.

__________________

joecoin

Quote: Originally Posted by Wordbiker Another tactic that I just finished employing over this entire weekend is: Getting rid of useless crap. After carrying the monthly payment for a storage unit going on three years now, my wife and I finally decided to take some action and purchased a steel shipping container to drop on our property. While the cost of the container was no small sum, this allowed us to hold a sale this weekend to empty the storage unit out as completely as possible. The end result was that we made over $600 on the sale, got rid of an $85/mo payment, and invested in storage that we actually own. The container can be sold at a later date, moved around on the property, and incurs no monthly maintenance fees. Sometimes downsizing is the way to avoid spending that money to keep items that may be dragging you down much more than any value they may potentially hold.

This is the sort of logical thinking that can save you a bunch of money. You should investigate your monthly spending habits and see where you can change them to save abuck. Review your phone bill, your insurance, your rent/mortgage payment. It can be a pain in the azz to do, but it will probably be worth it.

Another way to combat your membership in the "cult of gratification through spending" is to join the cult of gratificaton through making money. Sell something on eBay, have a garage sale, work at a temporary part time job. There is so much money out there, all you gotta do is go get some of it.

__________________

raptor87

must buy next unit of happiness.

my econ professor says we have unlimited wants and only limited means of acquiring them

__________________

Darksamurai

Quote: Originally Posted by raptor87 must buy next unit of happiness.

Yeah, my college calls them "Credits".

__________________

SexyPants

This article is soooo true.

Before you buy, ask yourself "why?". It's why I stopped drinking Coke. I looked at it one day and thought "I don't even like this stuff"

__________________

thedemonxanth

I just sold a bunch of my old crap on ebay, enough to afford the pda I wanted for work. Getting rid of stuff is fun.

__________________