Sucked in to buy? Stop it!
Awhile back, the Seattle Times ran an article that caught my eye. Titled, Like that smell? It’s one of retail’s bag of tricks, it confirmed for me the lengths to which stores (in this case) go to get us to buy.
We like to believe that we buy because we want or need an item. Not true! We are led by our noses and eyes (and in the case of TV, ears), into purchasing things we certainly don’t need and may not even want!
Check out your closet. Are there dresses you bought but never wear and never will? I rest my case.
The growth of the storage industry is another sure sign that we buy so much more than we need. And on the food front, depending on which source you’re quoting, Americans toss up to 40% of the food we spend good money on!
I can’t begin to scratch the surface of the psychological reasons for our spending habits. But I do know this. While marketers are hell bent on getting us to spend, we can choose not to.
I’m reminded of my mother’s question when I wanted to wear tennis shoes to school—a scandalous teen fad at the time which tells you how old I am— “If all your friends jumped off the Empire State Building, would you do it too?”
I was not brave enough to mouth an honest answer: “Maybe.”
But then I was a teen and now I’m an adult and beyond my grown-up disinclination to go along with the crowd, is the responsibility I feel for the planet and the way in which my consumption plays a role
The first step toward solving any personal challenge is to become aware. So the point of this post is to ask you to think about how you spend. Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I buy “stuff” I don’t need? If so, why?
- Do I buy food, then toss it? What can I do about this?
- How do I feel after I’ve spent money?
- How do I feel if I don’t spend money?
- Why do I need a new X? What need is having that going to fill for me?
Once you realize what you’re doing and why, you can take steps to change. It’s not easy. Confronted hours every day by messages to buy, buy, buy, we need to develop personalized strategies to help us change our habits.
As much as I dislike shopping for clothes and accessories, it’s not hard for me to lose myself for an afternoon at a hardware store. So unless I truly need something, I stay away. And when I do go, just like grocery shopping, I take a list and stick to it.
Whether we want to save money or save the planet, exploring our personal feelings toward and views of consumption can provide groundwork for buying less.
And if you’re interested in this topic and haven’t already seen it, don’t miss The Story of Stuff.
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.
