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Do more. Work harder. Jump higher. Go faster. Phrases like these illustrate just how obsessed with increase our culture has become. Holiday spending, Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and overall consumption in general prove that we are a culture primarily focused on material possessions. If you’ve bought into the hype and spend your time and money striving to accumulate more and more, you need to know the truth: Buying more stuff won’t make you happy.
I’ll be the first to admit that happiness is one of the greatest mysterious of life. It comes and goes seemingly as it pleases, often without any obvious reason. And when it inevitably goes, human nature leads me to medicate the pain with stuff. But I’ll also be quick to admit that my human nature has led me down the wrong path many times in life, so it probably shouldn’t be trusted.
Take a moment and think back on some of the birthday gifts you desperately wanted as a kid. I’m talking about the gifts that you truly thought would change your life forever, like a new bike, video game system, or special toy.
Do you still have that item today? I didn’t think so.
Logically, it follows that your happiness wasn’t really dependent on that one special thing after all.
So why do we buy more and more even though stuff won’t us happy?
The short answer: we’re looking for the quick fix of adrenaline that buying things provides.
The long answer: we don’t understand the true nature of what makes us happy.
When you buy that new car, trendy pair of imported shoes, or new house, it is often for the wrong reasons: making a statement, impressing others, trying to fill an emotional void, or suppressing other feelings.
On the other hand, if you’ve planned ahead, spent within your budget and means, and truly value the items you’ve purchased, then that is a wise purchase. The difference lies in self-understanding and developing an accurate picture of what you value most.
Why Buying More Stuff Won’t Make You Happy
The bottom line is that more often than not buying more stuff won’t make you happy. Check out the following reasons to see for yourself why this is true.
More stuff leads to more responsibility
Sometimes my wife and I like to walk our dogs along a trail near some of the largest homes in our neighborhood. It usually leads to a discussion about what it must be like to live in such a large home.
Not everyone will share our viewpoint, but it is undeniable that living in a larger home and having more possessions leads to more responsibility. Psychology shows us that people thrive when their responsibilities provide them with purpose in life, but the opposite is true when too many responsibilities make people overwhelmed.
Buying more stuff can lead to debt
Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m so happy to be drowning in so much credit card and student loan debt! At least I’ve got this sweet pair of Jimmy Choos!”?
No? I haven’t either.
The truth is that many people buy stuff they can’t afford to buy and end up deep in debt. Once the adrenaline rush of that new purchases feds, stress and regret move in quickly.
I like to think that it’s not a coincidence that debt and regret rhyme so nicely.
You are not your possessions
My wife and I watch Friends re-runs now and then, and one of my favorite show moments involves a conversation between Monica and Roger, a psychiatrist. After a long conversation, Roger leaves Monica and Ross, who are sitting at the table eating cookies.
“Mon, um, easy on those cookies, okay? Remember they’
We laugh, but the same can be said of the stuff we buy. Remember, they’re just things.
They’re not happiness.
And they certainly don’t define you in any way.
Your stuff won’t make you happy because happiness is deeper.
Your stuff is costly
While a lot of items we buy are expensive, that’s not what I mean by the heading above. Your stuff is truly costing you in more ways than you realize.
For example, if you bought a boat and financed the purchase, the cost goes beyond just the principle and interest payments you make each month. Your time spent earning money to make the payments, missed opportunities to do other things because you have a boat that needs to be used every weekend, and lost time and money to maintenance and repairs are additional costs.
Stuff ties us down
The above example of the boat also illustrates another way stuff won’t make you happy: it leads to obligations and limitations on your life.
I’ve watched friends and family buy campers, motor homes, recreational vehicles, bigger houses, new cars, and yes, boats, only to see the initial euphoria replaced by the sinking feeling of a boat anchor firmly resting at the bottom of a lake.
Put simply, if you buy the wrong stuff, your still will have you.
Emotions change
It is true even for the most-stoic of people – emotions change.
All. The. Time.
This is precisely why it is dangerous to allow your emotions to be dependent on the presence of physical items. Every time the initial rush of a new purchase wears off, you’ll be desperate to replace that feeling.
Too many possessions are not healthy
When you have too many possessions, you cannot possibly use them all. Even if you’re not a hoarder, keeping too many things around starts to affect their utilitarian value.
Many experts recommend getting rid of one or two items for every new item purchased. My wife and I follow this guideline when buying new clothing. We also clean out our closets a few times each year and purge clothes that we haven’t worn in over a year. This decision has made both laundry and planning our clothing choices much easier.
Focusing on possessions leads us to miss out on what is most important
At the end your life, do you think you’ll rest in your final moments and recall the experiences you had with your favorite possessions? Or will you cling to your loved ones, recall special memories with them, and cherish your relationships?
Personally, I don’t fear death, but I do fear reaching the finish line of life and realizing that I lived by the wrong values and priorities. Living a life that worships stuff is a sure-fire way to one day end up old, tired, and full of regret.
If you take away one thing from this article, it should be this: stuff won’t make you happy.
Please don’t wait until your deathbed to discover that this is true.
What choice will you make?
When it comes down to it, each of us has a choice to make: will we live a life focused on accumulating more possessions with the goal of increasing our happiness, or will we learn to find authentic happiness in other places?
Mrs. Picky Pincher says
April 26, 2017 at 8:30 AMAgreed! Nobody’s perfect, though; I still catch myself wanting to do some impulse shopping when I’m depressed or upset. For me, the key has been to find free or incredibly cheap ways to treat myself, like taking a fancy bath or going for a walk.
Hero says
April 26, 2017 at 9:59 AMOoh, good tips! Cheap treats like those, along with frugal hobbies, tend to keep me and my wife away from too much retail therapy.
Kim says
May 12, 2017 at 11:15 AMI just wrote an article on the same topic on my own blog! I agree with this whole-heartedly! But it’s my spouse that has the “buying” “owning things” problem. I’d be content to sell it all and set sail… Thanks for reminding me (& him) that I’m not crazy thinking Doing is more important than Having…
Hero says
May 12, 2017 at 11:56 AMThanks for the comment, Kim. I will have to check out your article this weekend!
It can be a big challenge to get on the same page with your spouse, but working through those issues and merging your values and goals is well worth the effort and patience required.
Kim says
May 12, 2017 at 12:29 PMWe’ve been married a really long time and plan to stay that way. I manage to deal with it… I shared your post on my blog’s FB page – maybe he’ll read it and see my viewpoint is NOT ridiculous. (I AM planning to sell most of MY stuff and head out on the road when I retire in another year or two. – Maybe he’ll decide he’d like to come with me)
Hero says
May 12, 2017 at 12:59 PMThank you for sharing, Kim – much appreciated!