We’ve all been there. Spending big bucks on stuff we don’t necessarily for no reason other than we can. It’s a whole new generation of spending and splurging. I like to call it ‘subconscious consumerism’ (I wanted to call it mindless consumerism but that sounds a little targeted).
I was watching this George Carlin bit recently and it struck me how much I agreed with him on this. Most of us are guilty of it and I’m no exception. In fact, I’m probably the worst offender. It's truly mind-blowing how we ‘spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need.’
But this, along with some introspection and observation of recent trends, got me thinking. There’s a bigger picture we’re not seeing. There’s something else to this whole phenomenon than just being able to spend. And I’m going to attempt to break it down.
I must preface this by saying that this is simply my personal observation and conjecture, not scientific fact.
Why Do We Splurge So Much?
Stress Relief
There’s a deep-rooted, psychological reason we choose to indulge ourselves in such manners of consumerism. Most of us spend an overwhelming majority of our days at a corporate job slaving away for 9 hours a day, 5 days a week, leaving disproportionately little time for our friends, family and ourselves. I don’t know about you, but for me, my job is merely a means to an end. It’s all for that paycheck. And slaving away for that money makes me want to treat myself every now and then.
Considering the sheer number of people working regular, corporate jobs, I can’t imagine that I’m the only person this is true for.
Furthermore, while slaving away most of our lives for that paycheck, the only outlet we have to blow of steam and disconnect from our corporate lives is to spend that paycheck, even if we don’t have anything to spend it on. It’s like a circle of life. Because we dedicate our lives to making money, it’s fitting for us to spend that money for catharsis. Which is ironic, because soon after we spend our money on useless commodities, we feel instant regret over our purchases.
The stress that we endure at work makes us indulge in endless consumerism, which stresses us out more and in turn makes us spend more money. It’s a vicious cycle.
Convenience
The most obvious reason for our indulgence is that it’s just that easy. Literally everything you can think of is available online. You don’t even have to put on shoes and get out of your house to buy stuff. The products come to you.
There are times when we don’t even need anything but we scroll through our choice of online stores to see what they have to offer. And before you know it, you have 15 items in your cart that you’re checking out.
And this is further exacerbated by the same stores listing items as ‘limited edition’ or ‘only 5 left’ or ’50% off for 29 minutes,’ tricking you into thinking you really need it sooner than later. It’s a psychological gamble that sellers make and the odds are in their favor.
This convenience combined with the lack of a better outlet for us to release our stress is the perfect recipe for businesses and companies to get us to spend our money for no reason.
How Do I Stop?
You may be asking ‘Ok, but what’s the big deal? Who is it hurting? It’s just some harmless indulgence.’
Well, it’s hurting you. All that money you harmlessly spend could really come in handy some time in the future when you really need it. Talking from experience here.
If you save that money you spent on Amazon or Door Dash for a month, you would start seeing how much it adds up to. Over a period of several months, you would notice it really starts to make a difference. And at that point you would really thank yourself for not splurging on unnecessary items.’
It’s not that hard to control your impulses either. Any time you see something you’re about to put in your cart, just ask yourself: do I really need this? And then go do some other stuff, go for a run, cook a meal, watch Netflix, just distract yourself. Finally, sleep on it and then the next day, if you still want to buy that thing, go for it. More often than not, you won’t.
So, instead of using subconscious consumerism as an outlet, find other ways to blow off steam. Hang out with your friends, spend time with your family, explore your creative side, find an art form to express yourself. And if you do want to spend money, spend it on experiences instead of products. It won’t be easy but it would take deliberate, conscious decisions to control your impulses and find other outlets for yourself. In the end, it will be worth it.
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