BUY! BUY! BUY!

A year and a half ago, my mother passed away, and shortly before that, she had relocated from California to Georgia. Once I pulled myself together (sort of), I boarded a plane and traveled to her new house just north of Atlanta where I began trying to settle her estate.

After arriving, I walked through her house, doing a quick mental inventory of what my mother had chosen to bring from her old place to the new one. Many of her personal effects held sentimental value for me. There was a stained glass cat that was very kitsch by today’s standards, but it had been around since before I could remember. It may have even predated me. At the end of my walk-through, I immediately began feeling overwhelmed. Dozens of pieces of artwork covered the walls. All of the rooms were quite well furnished, and the master bedroom led to a huge walk in closet that was packed with clothes. In addition to the master closet, there was another room where a ten-foot closet was filled with suits and coats. Although she had been living in this house for nearly a year and a half, there were at least four large boxes in the garage that were full of unpacked clothes. It was a lifetime full of things, and for the first time I questioned “Why do we accumulate so much?”

Coincidentally, my mother and I had moved during the same week a few years before. I thought of all the things I had chosen to take with me to my new place. Because I was only moving across town (and not out-of-state), I transported many of my clothes in large trash bags. There were at least 24 bags full of clothes! Slowly, I began opening my eyes to my own behavior. Having grown up in a consumer society, I had been well trained to believe I was supposed to “want” things. Trust me, this programming was successful. I can only estimate that I transported nearly forty pairs of shoes. Some of them I would never wear again, but because they were in such good condition, I couldn’t bear to throw them out. I had not only become a serial consumer, I was displaying pack-rat behavior as well. Suddenly, I envied my favorite cousin who had a rack of clothes in his room. He never accumulated more than his rack could hold. When it began to get tight, he would do a large throw out to make space. Each time I tried to throw things out, I met myself with reluctance, thus twenty-four trash bags of clothes!

Slowly, I have opened my eyes to my shameless consumption. So many of us are guilty of it. Each time we buy a magazine, there are more advertisements than there are articles. Purses, watches, colognes, perfumes, clothing, electronics, and the list goes on. And truthfully, I don’t mind admitting sometimes the advertisements are more clever and interesting than the articles. And if I close the magazine and by chance turn on the television, I am bombarded with commercials. Hair dyes, skin care products, cosmetics, beer, household cleaners, and again the list goes on. Each time I open my mailbox, I have a stack of mailers and advertisements even if I don’t have mail! Each time I enter a freeway, billboards keep me company. Nowadays, many of those billboards are huge flat screens so different sellers can share their time on display. I began to realize I am being marketed to no matter where I go. Sometimes public restrooms have tiny billboards or television screens at the urinals, so I can be marketed to while I urinate. And even though I have added my phone number to the “Do Not Call List,” I still incur the occasional telemarketer who reaches me at home. And so begins the accumulation of stuff, most of which I do not need.

Thankfully, I believe the current financial crisis stems from us beginning to change our behavior. Instead of focusing on our wants, there has been a shift. We are now beginning to think more about our needs. This shift has not grown out of choice as much as it has necessity. We have to change if we are to survive ourselves. A few weeks ago, I went to Target and saw a complete display of recyclable batteries. This brought a smile to my face. Having been a marketer myself, I knew it was a no-no to market a product that didn’t bring the buyer back to purchase more. For a marketer, “recyclable” is counter-intuitive, but our thinking has evolved.

Moving forward, my plan is to simplify. I don’t have to shop for gifts when I have a surplus of things already in my house that would be much better utilized by someone else. I am happy to report I haven’t shopped for clothes at all this year. My goal is not to add anything to my wardrobe without sending something I have back out into the market. It is easy to find resell shops where clothes can be recycled into the system. The last few times I bought clothes, I used money made by selling some of my old things! Although it goes against everything I’ve been taught, the less I have, the simpler I find life. And from now on, simplicity is the key!