Counteracting Consumerism

Over the years you've heard me talk about getting the impulse monkey off your back. Sometimes I talk about The Gremlins and how hard they work to convince you to spend money you really, really shouldn't. So today I'm going to give it to you short and sweet and then I want you to give it back: share your ideas on how you keep consumerism at bay.

Me first. Here goes.

The biggest and bestest tip I have for keeping your shopping on track is to use a list. Whether you use a Grocery List to stop you from impulse buying a bunch of stuff you really don't need, or you use a Wants List to prioritize the things you'd like to buy yourself, a list is gold. The rules are simple. If what you want to buy isn't on the list, you can't buy it. You can put it on the list and go home, and then go back out again, assuming you have the money to pay for it. But you've got to wait a specific amount of time – 48 hours, 2 weeks, a month – so that the purchase becomes one that has been planned and isn't simply reactive.

Right behind the list comes the One-in-one-out Rule.  You really want new wine glasses since you're down to an amalgamation of vessels you've collected over the years. This one is easy. You buy yourself new glasses and get rid of the old stuff. But the rule also applies to shoes, dresses, books, DVDs, EVERYTHING! So before you can bring something new into the house, you have to figure out what you're going to get rid of. No cheating: you're not allowed to buy a big-screen TV and get rid of that horrible picture your SIL bought you. It has to be a comparable thing you choose to part with. Hey, that'll give you pause to think, won't it?

Ultimately I've found over time that the things that have brought me the most pleasure aren't the things I've bought – though I have a few things I like a lot – but the things I've done. Sharing an experience with a friend or with one of my kids brings me far greater joy than picking up yet one more thing I'm gonna have to dust. (I hate dusting!) And doing things – learning to knit, cooking dinner with friends, sitting on a beach with Alex or Malcolm watching the little kids dig in the sand – brings me far more pleasure than shopping.

Okay, those are my three: the list, the one-in-one-out rule and prioritizing experiences over stuff. Now it's your turn.  How do you counteract consumerism? Do you miss shopping? And how do you find living in a world that still loves to shop when you're trying not to?

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