Overconsumption culture

Health is not only what you eat or how much exercise you get. It’s who and what you surround yourself with. We live in a time where overconsumption is encouraged, even celebrated. Social media is flooded with influencers pushing more “stuff” on us, convincing us that we need this item and it will change our lives.. The reality is that most of us are buying too much, filling our homes with clutter, feeling overwhelmed financially and with the space in our homes. A bigger house won’t solve the problem of over consuming. Buying 10 cheap items instead of one high quality item won’t make us feel better financially. And if your home is messy or cluttered, your mind will be too. It is easy to get comfortable in our homes and not even realize how much stuff we physically have. The average American home has 300,000 items in it. Now, if you have to make a big move (like I do in a few weeks) you become forced to face your stuff and get rid of the things that are not worth moving. I personally love doing this. If I forgot I had it, haven’t used it/needed it in over a year then I probably won’t miss it. Time to go. Most of us don’t move very often so we avoid a full house clean up project. Of course there will always be space for a few sentimental items. I’m talking more about the junk, closets full of clothes and shoes we don’t even wear, every gadget from Amazon that we think we need because our friend has it. When I moved to California, I noticed how many homes use their garages only for storage. Without winter weather, there isn’t much incentive to actually park in the garage. But I remember going for walks and seeing these huge houses with the garage door open and nowhere to put a car if you tried. I thought to myself, how could you not have enough space in that house that you need to take over the entire two car garage for storage?? How much stuff are you holding onto that you really don’t need? Overeating can wreak havoc on our bodies. Overspending is terrible for our financial health. And I believe holding on to too much stuff is harmful to our minds. Think about the waste this creates too. According to Popular Science, 300 million pairs of shoes end up in the landfills each year in the US. That’s just one example of one item! It is responsible to consider the type of environment we are creating for ourselves, our children, their children, and so on. The habits we create and teach others will be passed on too. Here are some tips to consider: Wait before you buy- Add items to a wishlist, think about it for a few days before purchasing. Or maybe wait until a birthday or Christmas and if you still feel that you “need it”, ask for it as a gift. Check thrift stores and antique shops before immediately buying new. As I mentioned above, quality is more important than quantity. For myself, I have been buying less and less clothing in general, but when I do buy, I try to buy less from some of the fast fashion brands for a few reasons. One being the ethical considerations (that’s a whole other issue). But another reason is the quality. If it’s not going to last, and I’ll be getting rid of this item in the next year then maybe it’s a better decision to research and find a better quality item that even though it will be more expensive, it will last many years. Shop for timeless instead of trendy. If you do impulse buy, don’t take the tags off right away and keep the receipt. Wait a few days and truly see if you still want that item taking up space in your home. If not, return it. If you’re not sure where to start, pick one closet or drawer this weekend and clean it out! You might find that it feels good to clear the clutter and this will motivate you to clear out more :). And if you don’t already, create a budget and follow it. Track exactly what you are spending your money on and this can help us see where all of the stuff is coming from because it can be too easy to “buy with 1 click” and then forget about it. -CS

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