Spending: A Central Human Impulse

You’re More Ambivalent About Your Big Ticket Item Than You Realize

A Tale of Two Buyers

The modern era is one of consumerism. For many, it’s hard to imagine a lifestyle that does not involve the purchase of at least one big-ticket item.

Cars, houses, furniture — these are just a few examples of how consumerism influences our lives and shapes our decisions.

The two individuals represented in this post could not be more different:

One is wealthy and prestigious with little regard for material goods; the other is poor and struggling to survive.

Despite their contrasting lifestyles, both find themselves making choices influenced by consumerism — but they do so for different reasons.

The wealthy man chooses his item based on his desires or accomplishments, not the status it will give him.

The poor man buys a similar item to make himself feel better about his own life.

Both illustrate how consumerism influences both rich and poor, but for different reasons. The wealthy are concerned with getting the most bang for their buck; the poor are concerned with creating a decent life for themselves and avoiding feelings of inadequacy.

In the end, both are influenced by the pull of consumerism. They both make choices that revolve around the idea of ownership over material goods — an idea that they cannot escape in modern society.

Don’t feel bad if you have trouble telling these two stories apart — as it turns out, most people can’t.

The Price Of Approval

Consumerism is a powerful force in our society, and it influences both decision-makers and regular people alike. While everyone is consumed by consumerism, not everyone has all the same motivations.

The rich man spends his life enriching himself; the poor man merely tries to make his life a little less difficult.

But both are influenced by consumerism — it’s just that the poor man is more tied to his dissatisfaction and the rich man is more tied to his desires and needs.

The two characters in the example above illustrate the ways in which consumerism can influence someone. The first man is wealthy, high-status, and has no need for a particular item. If he wants something, he acquires it.

The second man is poor, low-status, and does not have the same luxury. He must make do with what he can afford, and his situation prevents him from getting the most out of life.

But both men are affected by consumerism — the difference is their specific motivations for buying a particular item.

The Urge to Splurge

People who don’t have enough money are more motivated by their desire to avoid feelings of inadequacy.

People who have a lot of money are more motivated by their desire to get the most out of life and accumulate as many resources as possible.

This is still a simplified version of how consumerism affects consumers, but it’s not bad for an overview.

If you have more than enough money, you might be more motivated by your desire to improve your own quality of life.

Of course, context is everything and it’s certainly possible for someone in either group to be motivated by both of these ideas. Regardless, the idea behind consumerism is that money can buy happiness. It allows people to buy out their negative thoughts and feelings with material goods.

For example, consumerism might make someone feel better about their own life if they have too much money. Buying a new car or a nice house might make someone feel as though they’re showing the world how successful they are.

When consumerism makes people feel better about themselves, it’s often because they’re buying something that boosts their confidence.

Now, back to the two men — our rich man and poor man — in the example above.

Both are obviously influenced by consumerism and both enjoy the benefits that come with it. But the poor man feels bad about himself because he doesn’t have enough money. The rich man feels bad about himself because he doesn’t have enough stuff.

In a modern society where consumerism is so prevalent, both men are affected by this idea and it does influence their lives. They both need money and both need stuff.

But because our poor man does not have enough money and our rich man does not have enough stuff, these two men face very different problems.

Raw Materials For Making Money

The rich man still has all the benefits of consumerism. This means that he still has access to all the material items he desires. He can make use of his resources and doesn’t feel bad about himself.

The poor man also still has access to consumerism — but this time, it’s because he’s a part of that system as well. He is a consumer just like the rest of us, and he buys things with his hard-earned money.

But notice that his motivations are a little different.

Summarize

The poor man buys things to make himself feel better about his own life, but he can’t afford to buy what he wants because he doesn’t have enough money.

The rich man buys things because of his desires or accomplishments, not the status it will give him.

This is why it’s so important to understand why you want to buy something. Your motivations for buying a particular item can completely change your relationship with that item. And as we’ve seen, this can vary depending on who you are and how much money you have.

But this example does not apply to everybody. There are many people who don’t buy anything for themselves — and if you’re one of them, there’s no reason you should feel bad about it.

There are many reasons why people choose not to buy things: they might have everything they need, or they might be worried about their future and don’t want to worry about bills.

Either way, there’s no reason to feel bad depending on who you are and what you feel your personal needs and goals are. Everything depends on your situation. But what you do with the resources at your disposal is completely up to you.

When things are free, they have no value associated with them — which means they have no power over you.

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J.D Rehbein-Wrightstein founder of The Savytech articles is a writer who loves to help people discover their hidden potential as well as their true purpose in life. He inspires and educates people on living an awesome life with inspiring articles. Connect with him on Twitter for more!