Consumerism: The Velvet Prison Keeping You Stuck in a Life You Hate
Being trapped by consumerism is like voluntarily locking yourself in prison cell made of Amazon boxes--you hate it in there, but you keeping hitting "add to cart" for more bricks, making it harder and harder to get out. As Americans, we love to spend money. We are surrounded with marketing telling us to buy more and you will be happier. Buy more and you will be sexier. Buy more and you will get more attention. More, more, and more. That message has led to a country that is unhappy, physically and mentally sick and strapped to a white walled cubicle buried in debt popping Xanax like tic tacs.
The U.S. was recently knocked out of the top 20 happiest countries for the first time since 2012 due to staggeringly low happiness rates in people under 30 years old. Why are these young folks unhappy? I do have my opinions, which I won't dive into in this article, but I do know that poor spending habits = you have less money = you are poorer = less options in life = less freedom = more mandatory unfulfilling work = being a slave. Not fun.
Let's look at some statistics:
83% of Americans say they overspend and exceed their budget
84% of shoppers made impulse purchases in 2024
48% of social media users say they have impulsively bought something online based on influencer usage.
69% of Americans admit to emotional spending and 39% of those people say that it has pushed them into debt
71% of Americans report having regrets about their spending
You were sold a lie. Buying more shit does not equal a better quality of life. I can argue though that buying more shit = a lower quality of life. (unless you are financially free, in which case buying cool stuff does increase the quality of life, up to a certain point). Driving a 1999 Ford Escort with 340k miles that breaks every other week, making you late to work, compared to driving a 2021 Toyota Corolla with 32k miles. The latter person has a better quality of life.
Now that we have cracked the top-secret code that more shit sitting in your closet does not equal a better life, let's look at ways to divert our Amazon purchasing energy to more productive forms of energy. (all of which are free)
Apply to new jobs. If you are truly engaged and love your work, the chance of buying dumb stuff drops dramatically.
Workout. After running 10 miles, you will be happier, have increased self-esteem and will not look at buying the new facial cream for $89 that is "guaranteed" to remove wrinkles.
Spend time in nature unplugged. Nature heals, and pulls you away from screen time, which pulls you away from crappy marketing ads.
Visit a loved one. Genuine conversation rarely leads to purchasing orgies.
Map out a hard adventure. Planning and research take energy and creative thought. It takes you out of your element and brings excitement to a dull life.
Make a budget and investment plan. After you hit your aggressive monthly investment goal, feel free to spend the extra. As your net worth grows your interest will shift from consumerism to growing wealth. We are not against spending on fun items; but we are against spending on fun items when you are one bill away from being homeless.
If your addicted to making Jeff Bezos richer, ask yourself why? In most cases you will find it's due to lack of fulfillment in life. A job you dislike, a relationship you need to end, lack of purpose or faith, or poor health. Divert your energy to improving these areas and you'll be flexing a bigger bank account and a bright smile.