Buy less stuff?!! Don't you know that mindless materialism is what keeps our economy chugging along? If people buy less stuff, what's going to happen to the stock market. The auto industry is already on the ropes. We must SPEND, SPEND, SPEND, until we die. It's the American way.

My friends can spend spend spend and prop up the economy. Personally I don't feel that requirement myself. Perhaps a selfish attitude like mine could bring down the whole house of cards. Luckily most people don't share it.

if u must spend, learn how to do it right.
check out the personal finance book 'bonanza bits' @iuniverse.com,b&n, or any other book web-site
enjoy

if u must spend, learn how to do it right.
check out the personal finance book 'bonanza bits' @iuniverse.com,b&n, or any other book web-site
enjoy

Great post. Since discovering yoga, I've really found I can love things that are free. Fresh air, time outside with children, yoga, running, lifting weights, all give me the same satisfaction as obsessing over the newest Tag Heuer watch. In reality, "wanting" things can't be satisfied. You have to consciously think about whether you need those items. I still love my Nike running shoes and a nice computer, but I don't longer focus on purchases.
Again, great post.

too bad many of our young people don't heed this great advice, some seniors as well.We can do without so many things how about a few patches over the old, as my grandma did raising 14 kids, It isn;t old fashioned to be thrifty, it's the way to go. do you suppose bill gates started out buying// buying?? good comments

I think your ideas are great. I lived by them for many years but then after the kids left home I fell into the "I want that" mode. However I still resist buying or shopping for that matter. If I shop, I go to the store that only has what I want, buy, then emmediatelly leave. However I am not as rich as I would like to be.

We have found it works well that when we buy a major item we thoroughly check the various brands and prices. We then buy the best quality we can afford--not the one with most bells and whistles--and then we take care of it. Most of our "stuff" is getting old, but still works well. We try to pay cash. Thus, most of the time we are not making monthly payments on something. When a major item must be replaced, we go through the same routine again. Buying a discontinued model makes sense--if it is the one we would buy anyway. We never buy an item based on price alone. It must be the best we can afford. It really pays to shop around and compare prices for identical items. Sorry--I have no loyalty to certain brands.

A very interesting site, I think. The Idea of Technometry was new for me but worth to be read and thought abot it (although I'm not a native english-speaker and have some difficulties whith this language)

9 makes a good point - if you feel the urge to buy something online, go buy some stock instead! You still get that sensation of buying something, but with stock you're actually building value for yourself.

Great advice to buy stocks in place of non essentials.
But...if you must buy online click my link and follow the blog to iTunes & Another Black Season's music - I suggest "The Only Sun" on iTunes. Hey, I want to retire someday too. :)

After a big dig out of my financial debacle, I now play a new game. Whenever I decide to buy something on line, I transfer that money into an online savings account instead. If you can spend on line, you can save online. I'm choking myself with my 401k contribution, I buy powdered milk, store brand everything and I sell all I can on Ebay. It's my money and I want to see it. I love watching it grow. And when the clerk asks me to open a store credit card, I tell them , no thank you, I already have every shirt in every colour! I bought Google at 91, I want more money in case an opportunity like that comes around again!

The bored (show-off) American cannot stop his/her needless material quest. Your advice (although I agree with it) is like giving the "if you're fat; don't eat so much" diet advise. Sounds so simple but you know it'll never happen.

wow...easier said than done.

Buy less stuff? How dare you spread such blasphemy!

Next you'll be telling people that to lose weight, they should exercise more and cut back on their fatty food intake.

Judity
CHRISTMAS IS LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY
A book makes a nice inexpensive gift
Check out my "Home of the Red Fox" book web site

I agree with the philosophy here 100%. You are not saying *stop buying anything,* rather buy LESS and THINK before you buy. Good advice! In my opinion, there is entirely too much emphasis on buying for the sake of buying.

I barely earn $20,000 a year, yet i have a nice apt., car, take a trip once a year etc. I do it by NOT buying coffee daily (it's a speacial treat), not upgrading my phone service, cable, etc (i'm quite happy with the basics) I've used the same cell phone for 7 years (it still works, and i'm grandfathered in at a fantastic rate, that i'd lose if i upgraded). I buy clothes that are nice and take care of them well. A classic black sweater is timeless! The funniest thing is when coworkers who earn exactly what i make, try to ask me for money, or think i'm somehow rich. (but then they spend their money on CIGARETTES, eating out all the time etc, and wonder why they can't afford a car)

I just loved this article. There is such an obsession with instant gratification these days, it's almost shocking. Watching the news and seeing people trample over one another to get into a Walmart makes me feel sick. All for what, some useless item? My God, people don't have water in some countries and we are killing each other over playstation 3. I don't mean to sound all touchy-feely but we are, by our actions, raising a generation of individuals who look outside of themselves for everything and that is a sad state of affairs. If we focused less on things to define a person and actually looked at developing ourselves as individuals, wow, what an amazing place this world would be. I say enjoy your friends and family this holiday season and be thankful for the things you have rather than worrying about the things you don't. Not only will you have a sense of self but as the article said, you'll have money to retire on!

I am a 23 year old college grad and I make $32,000 a year. I always read books to help me get out of debt. When I started my job nine months ago I was in $6,200 in credit card debt.I did not mind that debt because I paid for school and books with those credit cards. After I graduated I cut up all my credit cards and now I am $3,900 in credit card debt. I just want to say that yes it is hard not spending especially when you watch t.v and thats all you see, but I know that I can survive without those $60.00 jeans. I still get compliments on my shoes that I have had since my senior year of high school. So I think that anyone who is determined to get out of debt can!! I am living proof!

The reality is that the economy would not fail if people held onto their money. The huge billion-dollar corporations would go into a frenzy lowering their (inflated!) prices on cars, clothing, entertainment, food, and just about everything else on the market--if we only said "no." If more people carpooled, walked, and refused to buy new gas-guzzlers, then, again, the car and oil industries would have to take notice. In this country, money is the key to power and control and if more people realized this, then more of us might actually be able to have more say about what's going on.