Excessive Consumerism: A Tale of One Too Many Scarves

I stumbled upon Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic when I was 17 years old and fell in love with the protagonist, Becky Bloomwood. The book follows Becky’s antics of shopping the sales around London and rationalizing her purchases by considering them necessities or investments. I laughed at her attempt to save money by cooking at home, by first buying all pots and pans, a fancy cook book, and exotic ingredients. I celebrated with her when she finds a beautiful silk scarf on sale and makes the purchase. While quirky and endearing, Becky is not the greatest role model; she lacks self control, is clearly delusional, and acts irresponsibly, but I saw past her faults because I identified with her. I understood the thrill of being at a mall and the rush of adrenaline at the sight of “sale”.

I love shopping. In my younger years, I considered it a past time and frequented the mall regularly. My commute home from school included a stop at the mall (central bus hub) and because the connecting bus came every forty-five minutes, I’d take a quick stroll around the shops until the bus arrived. Often, I’d find myself going home with a new shirt or accessory.

My shopping wasn’t limited to clothes. In university, I spent my money on books and craft supplies. As an adult with a disposable income, I purchased products for my home. When I discovered a love for cooking, I also developed a love for grocery shopping. There is little that I don’t like to shop for.

Unlike Becky Bloomwood, fortunately, my shopping didn’t create a money issue. Expenses never exceeded income and savings were always a higher priority. Nonetheless, there was a problem: too much time and money was focussed on the acting of buying things. In fact, I couldn’t making purchases.

While travelling in south east Asia, there was personal goal to bring home a scarf from every country we stopped in. Five countries and seven scarves (I obviously bought more than one scarf in some countries) later, it got difficult to find something different from what I had already purchased. Instead of feeling silly, I felt panic. I was convinced I needed yet another scarf.

It wasn’t till much (much) later, I realized I buy lot of things. My tiny condo closet was overflowing with scarves from around the world. What was the purpose of these scarves, I asked myself. I was constantly making purchases merely for the sake of owning things. That is excessive consumerism

Consumerism becomes excessive when it blurs focus by redirecting our dreams. We aim to drive fancier cars and own the latest gadgets instead of living a life of purpose and passion. It eats at our savings, even puts some in debt, and prevents us from financial freedom. It leads to desire for more- a paradoxical void that grows bigger with more consumption.

How do we avoid the void?

Here are three ways I am trying to escape an excessive consumer lifestyle:

1. Be Aware
The key to redemption is self-awareness. Exercising the ability to identify and acknowledge the issue at hand opens a door for change and leads to a path to improvement.

2. Keep an Eye on the Prize
Rather than be bogged down by short-term wants, I am focusing on bigger ambitions. When I find myself wanting to make a purchase, I stop and take a moment to ask myself two things: what value does the material good bring and would this purchase deter me from achieving my goals of financial freedom. When it comes down to it, I want freedom, and even $20 saved here and there will bring me closer to it.

3. Avoid Triggers
I am easily visually stimulated, meaning, if I see something, it triggers a particular behaviour. Case and point: when I see something I want, I buy it. To minimize the buying, I steer away from shops and avoid sales. This brings two benefits: it prevents me from making unnecessary purchases and frees up time for my hobbies and my family.

Have you ever come to the realization that you’re consuming too much?