Blunt Money

My son recently got a new cell phone, and while I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, I wondered why he wanted a new one. He explained that the newer phones look nicer, have more features, and work better. I pointed out that there will always be a nicer-looking phone with more features available. Especially where technology is concerned, you just can’t keep up.

So how can we declare independence from discontent? What can help prevent us from constantly wanting the latest and (supposedly) greatest? It’s a combination of things:

Limit your media exposure. If you watch TV or listen to the radio, skip the commercials. If you don’t even hear about the latest and greatest, how can you want them? The same goes for browsing through catalogs and magazines. I send catalogs straight to the recycling bin after calling to be removed from their mailing lists. If I do see something that I’d like, I ask myself “Would I have wanted this if I hadn’t seen the ad?”. If the answer is no, I know it’s almost certainly not something that I really want.

Get critical. In America at least, it’s impossible to avoid being exposed to advertising altogether. So the next best defense is to learn to analyze the advertisements with a critical eye. It’s too easy to take the advertisements literally otherwise. (Especially for kids.) If you see an ad on the bus driving by that shows a beautiful woman spraying on expensive perfume while men compete for her attention, chances are it’s not because of the perfume. You can make a game of this too. For example, I’ve heard there are commercials where people get irritated because the person in line ahead of them pays in cash. You could compete with family members to make up new, more realistic sayings about the situation instead. Or you could test it out — do people really get irritated if you use cash? I have yet to see anyone even notice when I use cash, let alone comment or get irritated.

Really enjoy what you do have already. I find that telling myself “oh I love this phone” or “oh I’m so happy I have my car” really makes me FEEL that way about the item. It can even work with items that I’m not 100% thrilled about, so long as I keep my self-talk realistic. (Like, “This carpet is a big improvement over the multi-colored shag that came with this house.”) Focusing on and appreciating the things you already have makes you grateful. Grateful people are usually happy, satisfied people. Also, many times “new and improved” really just means “different and more expensive”. Notice the features that you enjoy on the items that you already have, which may not even be available any longer on the newer models.

Make satisfaction and “enoughness” one of your goals, and chances are you’ll feel a lot happier (while saving money in the process.)

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