Curb Your Consumerism

Consumerism fuels our American economy. We need it in a capitalistic society. Companies rely on you to consume their products to give them a competitive edge, and so, they do everything they can to entice you to consume. If you don't need to consume a product, somebody is sure to convince you that it would benefit you to do so. Consumerism is not inherently bad. You just have to curb it, and one of the most effective ways to begin curbing your consumerism is to have a yard sale. Donate what doesn't sell.

Yard sales can be a lot of work. You've got to sort through boxes of clothing and linens. You clean knick-knacks and appliances. You table things, hang things, and price things. All those things meant something to you at some point. You bought them, or someone bought them. For some things, you got upgraded things, and for others, you just grew out of them. When yard sale customers balk at your two-dollar price tag on a coffee maker you paid $60 for a few years back but never used, you'll feel the sting.

You'll have piles of things and boxes of things, and nobody will want to pay more than a couple of dollars for any of it. The barely used crock-pot and the gently used exercise bike won't generate a third of what you paid for them. That hurts. What will hurt more is giving it all away. Actually, that part will feel really good eventually. Your blind consumerism will be useful to someone who needs those things. You'll have more space in your garage, shed, basement, attack, or closets. You might like it so much that you don't want to fill them again.

Yard sales are good for the environment because many people throw old furniture and clothing in the trash. Recycling and re-gifting those household goods will serve you so much better than hanging on to them because you know what you paid for them. It is understandably easy to fill your world with consumer doo-dads that you really don't need. Technology evolves so quickly that it's difficult to control the surplus of yesterday's latest gadgets. Retail stores are brilliant with their action alley displays, those brightly colored items that the stores display in the middle of main isles. Most people buy something from those isles.

Have a quarterly yard sale to rid yourself of those items. You'll recuperate some of the money you paid, but certainly not most of it. Furthermore, you'll feel the pain of those dollars you spent on something you no longer use, but that no one else really wants for less then a few bucks.