how to avoid living a materialistic lifestyle
Lets face it: materialism lies at the core of our economy, and there is no way we can fully escape it. Every day, we are tempted/bombarded by ads and social media, telling us to buy, buy, and buy some more. But thinking about it, do material items really bring you happiness or does fulfilment?
Here are some tips on how to be less materialistic and focus on the more important things in life…
Reduce social media exposure - The first step? Get away from social media and unsubscribe from subscriptions. We receive a dozen emails every day, prompting us to buy the latest fashion wear or tech gadget. When it comes to social media, Facebook and Instagram are not your friends - they are advertising models, platforms that expose you to adverts in hope that you will click buy.
Stop shopping out of boredom or entertainment - Shopping is often seen as a leisurely activity, which is terrible news for your wallet! If you’re shopping just for the sake of it, you are quite literally wasting your hard-earned cash. The best thing to do is shop only when you actually need to - we suggest keeping a list of things that you want, and then setting yourself a time that you have to wait out before making the purchase (could be 10 days, could be a month). If after that time you still want it, buy it, if not leave it.
Find a hobby - Materialism is caused by many things, but one of the main reasons is not having any passions aside from buying new things. If you fill your time with something that you genuinely enjoy doing - sports, arts and crafts, baking - you’ll soon forget about all those things you thought you needed to buy.
Value experience over possessions - Buying material goods may be very pleasant in the moment, but experiences are those that truly make us happier in the long run. Chances are we won’t even remember most of the things we’ve bought over the years, but we will remember the places we’ve been, the things we saw and the people we met along the way! Investing in travelling and new experiences will result in a much richer and more exciting life.
Stop comparing yourself to others - Buying things to impress others or keep up with the latest trends so that you don’t feel like you’re missing out won’t make you truly happy either. Remember that your worth as a human being is never tied to how much money you have.
We all know money plays a big part in our lifestyle but the most important thing to take from this and the most important thing to remind yourself constantly is that those that bring you long term satisfaction and fulfilment - your relationships, your family, your achievements - they cannot be bought.
