Parting Thoughts
Well, darn. We hoped you had learned you don't need that junk. Perhaps we need to share a few last ideas on how to resist buying.
- Get angry. We're manipulating you all the time, with promotions and pricing schemes and grandiose text. Merchants may pretend they're doing you a favor, but that's just a pretense—would they be there to "help" if people weren't spending their money? No. It's all about making you feel okay about giving up your hard earned money. What kind of relationship is that? The harder merchants manipulate you, the angrier you should get. Use that anger to counteract whatever story they're telling you.
- Change the way you think about stuff. If you like buzzwords, call it "neurolinguistic program"; if you're a dystopian Sci-Fi type, call it "self-brainwashing"; if you're a Subgenius, "pull the wool over your own eyes." Whatever you call it, the task is to start thinking about merchandise as "crap," "junk," or "clutter". Think about the troubles of those new things: you'll have to force your drawers closed, or there will be added frustration of searching through more stuff in the closet. And do you need more crap collecting dust on that shelf, or more friggin' junk to work around on the kitchen countertop?
- Love your things. While countering all the junk you covet, really appreciate the things you have. It comes naturally when you slow down spending; you eventually end up with items of value, rather than a lot of crap.
- Commit to saving up and buy with cash rather than quick purchasing with credit. It saves money (no interest), but it also forces you to bide your time and overcome impulse shopping. Use the interim to shop around and for the right deal, and educate yourself about what you're getting. Make sure it's the one you really want. And when the time comes, savor the acquisition, appreciate the thing for the trouble you had to go through to possess it, revel in finally owning it.
- Name things of value. Computers, phones, cars—they're always trying to sell us a new one. So when you get something, name it, think of it as a friend, companion, collaborator in your life. It'll increase your resistance to "perceived obsolescence."
In the mean while, please share our products and ideas that you enjoy. Share it with friends so they can innoculate themselves too. Like us, pin us, tweet us, recommend us, whatever. Just get the word out.
Thanks, and best wishes.
—Perette