When does wanting stuff become too consuming? When does wanting too much stuff become a problem? Why do I want so much stuff?
These are some questions I've been mulling over lately. Part of this questioning comes from a movie I watched last week: The Queen of Versailles. It was about an extremely wealthy family, Jackie and David Siegel, who owned the largest time share resorts: Westgate Resorts. They were on top of the world, had scads of money and when the economy crashed, they lost almost everything. It was so disgusting to watch this family flaunt and talk about their wealth like it was nothing when they had it, and when they lost it, have no real concept of living beyond their means. They weren't homeless after the economy crashed, but they were having major money issues. It bothered me that the wife continued to spend lavish amounts of money on things they couldn't afford. This family had multiples of every material thing you could want in life, but they still they bought more and complained that they didn't have everything.
It got me thinking about myself, and the way I continually yearn to buy something. I feel like it gets harder and harder to walk away from things I want to buy. Whether it be a pillow for my sofa or blouse in my closet. I wonder if things like Pinterest, frequent visits to my favorite store Anthropologie, or working at a furniture store factor into my consuming nature. I feel like I'm a (real) adult now; and should be making real strides to eliminating my debt, set up a Roth or IRA, save for a house, and basically not freak out when my bank account starts to get low. These are the important things to want in life, not a new pair of heels, right?
Does anyone else feel this way? How do you guys stop yourself from wanting more?
