about it, is that we do not need "all this shit" that we buy. Sure it's a catch 22 in jobs and such, but our consumerism is over the top, especially by going into debt.
My family switched over to being a "minimalist" a few years back. We had the McMansion of 4000+ sq ft in the "wealthiest" neighborhood in the state. We gave it up for a country home where we grow a lot of our own food, keep bees, chickens, etc. We entertain ourselves at the table as a family by playing board games and cards. This takes place at the same table that we eat at nearly 5 days a week.
When our oldest daughter started driving last year, I gave her my 15 year old Toyota 4 runner, I went out and purchased a 1986 Toyota 4x4 for $2000 to drive. We could afford to walk in and buy 2-3 new cars and pay cash, but we refuse. We may splurge one day, but until the house is paid off (only thing we have financed/on credit) we're not buying stuff we don't need.
It was bad, we couldn't even get into our kids rooms from all the "stuff" they had. They'd get a present or a gift and maybe play with it for 2-3 minutes then it would end up in a pile never to be played with again.
I'm of the mindset that we need to make every effort to starve the beast. To use "Christmas" for example: We will only spend $50-75 each on our 3 kids, we used to spend upwards of $500-750 for each.....then the "wake up" happened.
It's taken us a few years, but outside of our house we are debt free....and we will have it paid off 20 years early. We were approved for a $800K home and decided that the $298K home with 13 acres was plenty enough for us as only an idiot would wrap up that much in a place that you really never own.
You all can keep buying the crap, I'll be here putting away money for my family for when we really need it. Sure you might look at me going down the road in that old toyota truck and think "Look at that poor guy, he's gotta be white trash"...but I don't care as I could probably approach you on street and buy your $75K BMW from you for cash....yeah that BMW that you really couldn't afford and had to finance.
Just by not feeling the need to have to drive "expensive cars" my wife an I will be able to bank around $300-$400K over our lives in what would have been monthly car payments. Toss in no credit card debt and there is a nice retirement that most squandered away.
If you can't afford it, then don't buy it. Folks should like you because of you, not because you have all this "shit" and want to look like you are a few levels above your pay grade.
We are our own worse enemy when we preach about corporations as we are the ones tossing our money (and credit) at them hand over foot.
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