Part Seven--Cures for Materialism: Budget

In previous articles, I have discussed setting limits through shopping less and devoting time to religion and volunteering. Another way of setting personal limits is to become aware of where your money is going. One way to do that is budgeting. Budgeting is a very useful task to become aware of your wealth. If you are aware of what you can afford or how much you’d have to stretch your money to buy something, then in all likelihood, you won’t buy or will wait until you have more saved up.  It can help you get a spending plan, and if you stick to it, can help you find out what you can and cannot afford. Budgeting is relatively easy, too. You don't have to be an accountant or even know much more than basic math. You simply take how much money you make and break it down into different categories, such as giving, saving, food, transportation, pocket money, and entertainment. If you correctly disperse all the money in those categories, you should have no 'extra' money not put anywhere. Dave Ramsey's budgeting method is one of the best out there and is the one I personally use. It has helped me stop spending every dime I earn and figure out how much I spend where. Along with that, it has also helped me to save significant amounts of money.

Dave Ramsey's budget form available here.

In conclusion, materialism is a very common social disease. It can sneak up on its victims and can cause dramatic side effects. However, through the methods I have discussed, most people should be able to pull themselves out the pit. The methods, while relatively simple, do require patience and self control to work. Stick to it, and you will be living a new, improved life before long.

Part Six--Cures for Materialism: Shop Less

Setting limits is a relatively easy way to heal materialism. One obviously simple solution to set limits for yourself is to simply shop less. “Don’t get me wrong, it is fun to go shopping, but I found that the fun wore off quickly and was back to shopping for more. Now it seems, I buy less and actually want less” (Lee and Ahn 39). This particular person they interviewed was a former materialist who had found the cure by theirself. They were shocked by the amount of things they had. They also point out that there is nothing wrong with shopping, but everything has its limits. They continued on to say that since they started shopping less, they started to realize all that they had. “I’ve realised that having everything I want is within my reach. I don’t need more money; I just need to want less. Living with less is about deciding what you really want and foregoing the rest. In the wise words of Henry David Thoreau, ‘I make myself rich by making my wants few’” (Lee and Ahn 40). Curing materialism takes patience and self control but is not impossible to do.

In my next article I will discuss the last cure for materialism.

Works Cited

Lee, Michael S. W., and Christie Seo Youn Ahn. “Anti-Consumption, Materialism, and Consumer Well-Being.” J Consum Aff Journal of Consumer Affairs, vol. 50, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 18–47. Academic Search Complete [EBSCO], doi:10.1111/joca.12089.

Part Five--Cures For Materialism: Religion and Volunteering

Curing materialism is not a simple, one solution fix. There are many solutions, because their are many reasons as to what causes materialism. However, religion and volunteering are both very satisfying ways to heal materialism. Both work for similar reasons, but both might not be the best fit for all people.

A source of satisfaction that is found as one advances in age is religion. Regardless of the religion, many people find contentment in religion, whether it be the beliefs disapproving of excess consumption or the person feels achievement from being part of a larger group. Religion helps materialistic people find who they are, and it gives them that happiness they are searching for. They no longer wish to fill that empty feeling with material things that won’t give them lasting pleasure.

Another way to remedy materialism is to take part in volunteer work. Whether helping with the Red Cross, the local homeless shelter, or at a food bank, it can give you something to do other than work and shop. It may also open your eyes to see how well off you are compared to others, which can cause you to stop spending on frivolous things. Volunteering also helps you to feel that you are part of larger world and you can help others. According to a study by United Health Group, 94% of those who have volunteered say that it improved their mood substantially. Additionally, 96% of those who have volunteered say it has enriched their sense of purpose in life.

Here's some links for useful websites for finding volunteering opportunities near you:

Idealist

Volunteer Match

Points of Light

In coming articles, I will continue discussing cures for materialism.

Works Cited

“The Healthy Benefits of Volunteering | Blog.” Volunteer Ireland, 24 Sept. 2014, www.volunteer.ie/blog/the-healthy-benefits-of-volnteering.

Part Four--Effects of Materialism: Addiction

You buy it. You get home and have that high. It feels so good. But it doesn't last. You want to get more, more. You crave that feeling, that ecstasy, that euphoria. Sound familiar?

Many people who have fallen into this hole of materialism have likened their situation to being addicted to drugs. “I too am a shopaholic, sales especially …what a bargain…no it isn’t. They sit in the wardrobe, and it gets fuller and fuller, I end up wearing the same half dozen pieces, because I can’t find other things amongst the overloaded hangers. When I decide to find something else, I come across things I’d forgotten I bought. The guilt is horrendous, but I continue to do it. Is there something that can be done to that part of the brain to stop it?  Clearly I understand drug addicts, because clothes shopping is a drug for me” (Lee and Ahn 35). They get a feeling of ecstasy or happiness when they buy something, but shortly after that feeling goes away. They then crave that feeling more and more, buying more and more, always looking for that feeling of satisfaction, hoping it will last, but knowing it will not. Dr. Aric Rindfleisch states in an article on Illinois News Bureau, “Soon after purchasing something, there is a reduction of anxiety. But it doesn't last very long. It's fleeting. Materialists seek that as one of their coping mechanisms”. There are other studies that show that effect as well. Using shopping as a coping method is a costly and mostly ineffective tactic. It gives short lived satisfaction, but leads to ruin in the long run.


In the next articles, I will discuss how to get out of the pit of materialism.

Works Cited

Lee, Michael S. W., and Christie Seo Youn Ahn. “Anti-Consumption, Materialism, and Consumer Well-Being.” J Consum Aff Journal of Consumer Affairs, vol. 50, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 18–47. Academic Search Complete [EBSCO], doi:10.1111/joca.12089.

Ciciora, Phil. “Materialism Makes Bad Events Even Worse.” News Bureau | ILLINOIS, Aric Rindfleisch, 25 Nov. 2013, news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/204691.

Part Three--Effects of Materialism: Losing Control

Have you ever gone to a store intending to pick up a few things, but by the time you check out your cart is full? You leave wondering what happened between walking in and checking out. Was it that fantastic deal you couldn't pass up or the tantalizing new item that you just couldn't live without?

Losing control is an alarming effect of materialism. It can cause materialistic people to be slave to their lifestyle. It can cause them to lose everything they had before and be reduced to a worse state than they were before their spending sprees. “Individuals scoring high on materialism scales have higher hopes and expectations of material possessions and, perhaps, due to unrealistic aspirations, it may be harder for them to feel satisfied with their possessions compared to non-materialistic individuals” (Lee and Ahn 20). “Therefore, even with increased consumption, one may feel unhappy because one’s aspirations are heightened as well” (Lee and Ahn 22). The authors of that article say that since materialistic people have higher aspirations and expectations, it makes it harder to be happy with what they have than those who expect far less. “Materialism [is] wrong because it places things above people. It shows that your priorities are on transient items that can be bought and sold and not on people and relationships. Money and therefore things cannot buy happiness. If you are happy before you have money, you are going to be happy after you have money. If you are miserable broke, than you are going to be miserable rich. Money doesn’t change that” (Lee and Ahn 40). They buy and buy and buy and don't know why. They don't know why they continue to buy, but they do.

In the next article I will discuss the final and most common effect of materialism. Following that, I will have articles on how to break the control of materialism.

Works Cited

Lee, Michael S. W., and Christie Seo Youn Ahn. “Anti-Consumption, Materialism, and Consumer Well-Being.” J Consum Aff Journal of Consumer Affairs, vol. 50, no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 18–47. Academic Search Complete [EBSCO], doi:10.1111/joca.12089.

Part Two--Effects of Materialism: Stress, Depression, and Anxiety

Materialism has some surprising and long reaching effects on one's life. One major effect, or in this case, effects, is stress, depression, and anxiety caused by debt. Materialistic people rack up huge amounts of debt. In fact, the average U. S. household has $132,158 of debt, according to a NerdWallet article. It is believed that ninety thousand of that is from material things, beyond “normal” or expected debt, which would mean a large majority of household debt is from materialistic purchases. This huge amount of debt can cause great amounts of stress, due mostly to the fact that barely have enough to pay the next month’s credit card payment, not to mention the mortgage on their quarter million dollar house or the payments for their luxury car. As Ronald Earl Goldsmith from Florida State University and Ronald A. Clark from Missouri State University explain, “Materialism can lead individuals to acquire burdensome debt in order to consume” (44). This huge amount of debt leads them to a stressful life, wondering if they will be able to pay the next month's enormous bills, caused by their lifestyle.


In coming articles, I will discuss other effects of materialism and ways of defeating materialism.

Works Cited

Issa, Erin El. “American Household Debt Statistics.” NerdWallet, 2016, www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-data/average-credit-card-debt-household/.

Goldsmith, Ronald Earl, and Ronald A. Clark. “Materialism, Status Consumption, and Consumer Independence.” The Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 152, no. 1, 2012, pp. 43–60. Academic Search Complete [EBSCO], doi:10.1080/00224545.2011.555434.

Part One--What is Materialism?

Do you ever wonder how your closets got so full?

Do you ever wonder why you never seem to have enough money?

Do you ever wonder why you always have to have the latest technology?

Materialism is a unique social problem. It is a tendency or belief that puts more importance on possessions than anything else. While this may sound like something that affects hoarders, it is not. It is a very common social disease. Think about it. If only you had that certain item, you or others would feel a certain way. Take the iPhone 7 for example. If only you had the iPhone 7, others would think you were tech savvy or rich. It is a very broad and invasive affliction, affecting many without them even realizing it.

Materialism is caused by a variety of reasons. One of the reasons is those searching for contentment or happiness. If they have everything they want at that moment, how will they ever want more? If only it worked like that. One of the more common reasons for materialism is those who want to appear richer or more successful to others. They will pay more for name-brand products, usually spending well beyond their means. They are caught in an endless cycle of continually having to buy the latest items. These desires cause people to turn to materialism, which is a destructive path to go down.

You may be wondering, just how materialistic am I? Take this quiz and respond honestly to give yourself an idea of how materialistic you are.

In the coming weeks, I will discuss the many negative effects of materialism, as well as propose the cure that best suits you.