Why Do We Buy What We Buy?

By Jillian Owens
October 18, 2013

Your necessity is my ridiculous expense…and vice-versa.

The eight-hour work day movement was an awesome thing.  Instead of working miserable 16-hour days in the Soot Factory, we now enjoy 8 hours of work, 8 hours of leisure, and 8 hours of sleep (unless you’re triple-employed like your dear writer here).  The idea is that a person can make a living by working 40 hours in a week and still have a bit of cash left over to spend as they choose. 

Huzzah!

Fast-forward 130 years or so to today.  While lots of us still end up working multiple jobs, and work well over 8 hours a day, you hopefully have some amount of disposable income…no matter how small.  If you don’t fall under this category, I don’t know what to say, other than an awkward I’m sorry. and a sincere I really truly hope things get better for you.

I’ve always been fascinated by how different people make very different choices as to how to spend that disposable income.  I’ve been described as miserly, cheap, and – when amongst polite company – frugal.  What began as necessity from young 20-something brokeness has stuck with me in my 30’s….but in wildly inconsistent ways.  I buy expired boxed hair dye.  I use a hot glue gun to reattach (and re-reattach) the soles to worn-out shoes.  I make my own clothes (link: http://refashionista.net/).  Every bit of my furniture has been found on the side of the road, or given to me by friends who no longer wanted it.  I drive this:

 
Don’t hate.  Appreciate.

Yet, I happily spend my hard-earned cash on travel, delicious food, good cocktails, and I have a pretty decent art collection.  These things aren’t cheap, and most of these things aren’t even things really.  You can’t take that last-minute vacation and put it on your mantel when you’re done with it, and you won’t be seeing that foie gras again (unless the restaurant isn’t up to code).

A lot of my friends spend their cash in an entirely different way.  They’re hesitant to drive states away to an awesome music festival or order the expensive entrée, preferring to relax on their really nice furniture and drive their shiny new cars.  They surround themselves with the latest technology…the best TVs and the smartest phones.  Crisp new clothes line their closets, and their houses are gorgeous.

I’ve dealt with plenty of good-natured ribbing for my spending style.  It’s impractical!  I have nothing to show for my money!  But I’ve judged my friends for their choices as well.  They lack a sense of adventure!  They’re missing out on the joy of finding a coffee table at the end of a neighbor’s driveway and giving it a good home!  If their new car gets a scratch, they’ll be livid!

Now that I’m older, I can see how neither of us is right or wrong – we just have different values.  While I see experiences and excitement as a priority, they value comfort and security.  It’s all about how we can turn the time we spend toiling away at our jobs into something that makes us as happy and content as possible.  We all have different needs.   What I consider to be a necessity for my happiness, might be a ridiculous expense to you…and vice-versa. 

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