i’ve never been one for buying a lot frivolous things. before the days of streaming every show on the internet, i would spend my money on dvds. i would also spend a lot of my money on things that i didn’t really need and only bought because they were ‘cool’ at the time, like my 512mb iPod Shuffle!

lately, i’ve been reflecting a lot about why we buy.

i buy things because i need them for a specific task or i need it to live. the last thing i bought was some new flip flops. because, unfortunately, you need to wear shoes in public places here.

but there are things everywhere and people seem to want more, more, MORE!

some people buy things because it increases their social standing. some people buy things because it makes them happy. some people buy things because they don’t have anything else to do. i buy things because i need them.

the challenge is to really process WHY you are buying something. is this what you really need? is it what you really want? are you buying this item to make yourself look better to someone else? are you buying something to make yourself feel better? will it actually make you feel better?

for me, i’d much rather buy plane tickets so i can go and see friends and have new experiences. i don’t have any of the things that traditional society says people should have if they are ‘successful.’ i don’t have a car. i don’t have a house. but i also don’t have any of the expenses tied to those things. and i can save my money for plane tickets.

i’ll have more, more, MORE stamps in my passport, thank you very much!