[Closed] Materialism

Not me..... he typed on his iPhone

Yep, especially when I'm bored at work.

Given that I'm currently 'working' my notice, it's been an expensive couple of weeks.

It would be nice to always be able to buy the highest quality without compromising but I'm not really interested in buying more than I already do. I don't get any reward from the actual act of buying anything.

It's actually Ok to treat yourself to something.

I'd love a shiny new expensive laptop.  But I don't need one, I have a nice tablet.  Or a PS4.  Or some nice audio stuff.

I won't buy any of them tho, of course.

I seem to remember a thread like this recently.  Went the predictable STW way, as I'm sure this one will......

I’m ok for a bit I reckon, latest retail therapy session should last me a year or so, or whenever eagle etap comes out 😁

Luckily I'm a prevaricator. That means that buy the time I get round to actually buying something new and shiny it's usually out of stock - or my eye has been caught by something else.

I always want to buy something (currently lights for night riding, a new saddle, some shoes and clothes), but luckily I have small children, a leaking roof and rotten gutters. Coupled with being poor to start with  I’m on to a winner in the ‘not buying anything for a very long time’ stakes and that includes roof and gutter repairs.

What is materialism? I bought an acoustic guitar the other day: I love having guitars around as playing them helps me relax and I missed having one around (I didn't have room to bring them when I moved out here). I'm now looking at getting an electric, for the same reason. Is that materialism? I'm not saying it isn't, just interested in the definition. You could apply the same to anything that helps you cope mentally, such as bikes.

Lol at flashy😂

yes it gets me worst when I’m not busy too...

The older I get the less materialistic I am; but I've noticed a number of people I know, "Thatcher's Children" who are getting worse with age, to the extent that they are seriously over-spending.

"But house prices only ever go up innit?!"

Saying that, it is impossible to escape the claws of the market. Everywhere you go, there is someone/something trying to sell you something. We've imported American capitalism big style. It is very depressing!

You could apply the same to anything that helps you cope mentally, such as bikes.

You can can get a bike for <£100, why does anyone need an £8k one?

I do get the odd urge, unfortunately only for things way out of my budget...

I kinda know they'd only make me happy with time to spend on them too, though.

One of the things I resent my ex for is plunging me into debt and preventing me from really spending money on much fun stuff for the past ten years, despite having a reasonably well paid job (She had spending problems, and couldn't be arsed to work but got muggins to fund many failed ventures). 🙁

You can can get a bike for <£100, why does anyone need an £8k one?

Wider handlebars.

I feel that sometimes and have just given in to it for the first time in a while. Just a new headset though. And a set of rigid forks.

My solution is to transfer 80% of my spare cash into my SIPP / ISA the day I get paid, so I don't actually have any spare cash for the rest of the month (or at least not enough to be able to waste too much on conspicuous consumption).

My solution is to transfer 80% of my spare cash into my SIPP / ISA the day I get paid, so I don’t actually have any spare cash for the rest of the month (or at least not enough to be able to waste too much on conspicuous consumption).

This is fair enough to build up enough for a rainy day, but what do you do with the rest? I have a mate that's thought about buying a 911, has the money sat in the bank, but just hasn't bought one and I really can't understand that level of self denial. I mean if he decided to give it to charity instead, fair enough, but it's not doing anything in his bank account.

I like material, silky underwear to be exact.

This is fair enough to build up enough for a rainy day, but what do you do with the rest?

It's my pension, so I plan to retire with it.

It's a tricky one, this.....I hardly ever buy new stuff & when I do, I spend ages researching the different options & generally buy something that does the job perfectly well but is nothing fancy - for example, my previous phone was a Sony Xperia T which I had for 4 years and only replaced when it was really on it's last legs. I replaced it after a good couple of months of research with a £200 Lenovo P2. Going into the Three shop to buy it, I was genuinely a bit 'knotty' in my stomach because I was spending such a large amount of money on a gadget....

I was the same with my 3-D printer, which I bought earlier this year. It was bought with some money from a modest work bonus, so didn't affect our normal finances whatsoever. But, I still prevaricated for ages over whether I really needed it, was it a frivolous purchase, was it the right thing to do etc. And that only cost £224. I know people who spend more than that on an evening out....

But, if I end up having a mooch around a department store like John Lewis, I do quite often think holy crap, if I just went around & bought everything I have seen & quite fancy having at this moment, I could probably max out my £4k credit card limit in about 20 mins.
Same with shops like Go Outdoors  etc.

We were in the cafe at John Lewis a few weeks ago having a well deserved coffee & letting our daughter have a run around in the play area. There was a bloke sat with a coffee who must have just bought a new camera. It was one of the new Panasonic models with a 1" sensor, so probably about £450 worth.
He sat doing that 'unboxing' thing, looking at each bit in turn, leafing through the quick  start guide etc.
I was quite envious..... 🙂

I blew £2.79 on some new wing nuts for my fixie last night, after one of them stripped when fixing a puncture.

I do not need, I do not need, I do not need.. I have a tele already, I do NOT NEED another !!!!!

My solution is to transfer 80% of my spare cash into my SIPP / ISA the day I get paid, so I don’t actually have any spare cash for the rest of the month

I do a similar thing by paying my credit card off.....

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Yep, especially when I’m bored at work.

Given that I’m currently ‘working’ my notice, it’s been an expensive couple of weeks.

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+1 that. I bought a phil jones big head instead of a vox headphone amp. Only 7 working days to go...

For me, most of the satisfaction comes with researching a new item. Looking at what's available, reading reviews, comparing the specifications etc. Sometimes when I get the urge to buy something I don't need I find that researching it over a period of a few days and learning everything about it I can takes the urge away to buy it. In most cases anyway.

I'm weird, I know.

I could buy loads of crap, me, but I have issues with having relatively expensive stuff lying about not being used so it'd soon get punted on. I tend to buy second hand stuff anyway- I'd love a Les Paul but I'm not a good enough player to warrant another guitar (I've already got a really nice Epi SG and a Yam electro-acoustic) and you can only ride one bike or play one guitar at a time anyway! Our house isn't big enough for all our crap as it is 😆 Oh, and Lego, don't get me started on Lego FFS...

I'm terrible for drunk buying really expensive things.

The trouble is it always transpires that i've bottled it at the last minute and gone to bed. I get all the thrills of waiting for the delivery driver to bring me my new stuff only to realise that I never ordered it.

Having just cleared my mum’s house of ‘stuff’ I’m in no mood for superfluous purchases of things. Holidays though......

for me materialism (in the pejorative sense) means buying something just for the sake of it, or to impress others, or (to an extent) because it has an aesthetic appeal but not a functional one.

I do spend a fair bit on bike stuff, gadgets etc but I've never bought anything to impress anyone, just to make my life easier or more enjoyable! Hardly ever buy (non-tech) clothing, would never buy jewellery or an expensive watch etc. Or a flash car for that matter (I do have a flash van, but that's because it offers functionality that cheaper ones don't 😀).

OP, if you want a PS4 just buy one. I assume you want one because you think you'll enjoying playing on it, not because you want to boast to others (you would've needed to get it on release day to do that anyway!) I wouldn't count that as materialistic.

I've got almost everything I need so I manage to resist spending money on "gizzits". I probably buy two or three items of clothing a year, a dozen or so spares for the bikes and a handful of other things for DIY. We have a "one in - one out" policy at home meaning that any time we buy something, we sell or throw away something else to make space. We even do the weekly shop on Ocado so as to avoid wasting money on the two for ones that you end up not eating, so I guess we're pretty disciplined.

Your  cash spend it how you wish. The people who complain  generally haven't done well in life and don't have spare money.

As you know, I moved on from this.  Its quite rewarding sitting down thinking about what you need rather than what you want.  Thats not to say the things you need can't be nice things, vis a vis my newish German car albeit bought 2/3rds of list might sound pretentious to some, but actually its sum of collective parts makes a very big difference to me mentally and physically whilst trolling the motorways on a daily basis for my job.

In my (materialist) transitional period I've manage to save £13,306 (wait for it) by not spending money on things I wanted, but deciding I didn't need them.  This included fancy new phones, 'puters, a bike consolidation, fixing a broken car rather than buying a new one'd and I avoided the Jo Malone that CFH recommended the other day because its £94 a bottle.

The 13k / -2 yrs  is a result of paying the money I would have paid for "things I've desired" off the mortgage instead. e.g. Instead of the £94 aftershave I have a discounted £37 well known decent one and £57 went into the family savings.

It turns out you can polish a turd with a dishcloth instead of a silken handkerchief, and if no one saw you do it they'd be none the wiser.

The main extravagant materialistic purchase I made recently was an ebike.

Had a laugh riding up some steep road in Lancashire the other day when they were holding some kind of road race up there.

OP, if you want a PS4 just buy one. I assume you want one because you think you’ll enjoying playing on it, not because you want to boast to others (you would’ve needed to get it on release day to do that anyway!) I wouldn’t count that as materialistic.

Will you marry me?

I appreciate the quality in goods and am prepared to pay the price.

Thats why i only shop at John Lewis, drive a BMW and wont put my leg over anything that doesnt have the words S-Works printed on the frame.

Im also a compulsive liar.

As you know, I moved on from this.  Its quite rewarding sitting down thinking about what you need rather than what you want.  Thats not to say the things you need can’t be nice things, vis a vis my newish German car albeit bought 2/3rds of list might sound pretentious to some, but actually its sum of collective parts makes a very big difference to me mentally and physically whilst trolling the motorways on a daily basis for my job.

In my (materialist) transitional period I’ve manage to save £13,306 (wait for it) by not spending money on things I wanted, but deciding I didn’t need them.  This included fancy new phones, ‘puters, a bike consolidation, fixing a broken car rather than buying a new one’d and I avoided the Jo Malone that CFH recommended the other day because its £94 a bottle.

The 13k / -2 yrs  is a result of paying the money I would have paid for “things I’ve desired” off the mortgage instead. e.g. Instead of the £94 aftershave I have a discounted £37 well known decent one and £57 went into the family savings.

It turns out you can polish a turd with a dishcloth instead of a silken handkerchief, and if no one saw you do it they’d be none the wiser.

Ok, I’ll bite.

Well bloody done Sir. That’s an awesome way of defining your worth, and the worth of goods.

You can only be applauded for the changes you have made.

👍🙏

However..

Are you happy? I mean reaaallllyyyyy happy now?

🤣🤪💪

@andypaul99 Have I got a bike for you!

I try not to be - its easy to get sucked in though.

I want new forks/damper for the big bike but i dont need them. Doesnt stop me looking.

I need front engine tin for the t2 vw and a welder and associated gubbins but i still havent bought that either.

i do buy posh coffee and fox tech tees though...

Sorry Kryton, you may have made a lot of progress but I can't consider that you've got past materialism when you have a new BMW and merely £37 aftershave.

Are you happy? I mean reaaallllyyyyy happy now?

Not in the true sense of the word, because even discounting materialism its not in my nature.   But I do have more moments of sitting around being content with what I have around me, not filled with unbearable mental whirlwinds of what to buy next.

Also, the value of what I already have went up, as above simple things like the coffee beans I enjoy and the ability, time spent mowing the lawn etc.  In my job specifically, it really helps me through the months when theres a basic salary coming in - knowing I don't need additional commission on my paycheck to be content this month.

Sorry Kryton, you may have made a lot of progress but I can’t consider that you’ve got past materialism when you have a new BMW and merely £37 aftershave

Second hand actually.  And as above, not being materialistic doesn't mean not having nice things if you can afford it / want it, but it does mean not lusting after things you don't need for pissing contests.  I might have a bottle of £37 aftershave now which will last me a very long time, but I also have some post-race Lidl deodorant instead of its Rapha equivalent, which after all I could afford if I wanted to.

Materlism is a degree of a state of mind not abject poverty.  Vis a Vis "a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values."

To be fair, I mix my non-materialistic views with that of Marcus Aurelius, in that I seek to improve for me and my family but not to impress others at their detriment; does not mean seeking to beg on the street.

You can can get a bike for <£100, why does anyone need an £8k one?

That's a bit of a draft comparison: what you should have done is compared a 8k bike to a 2k bike; then, you may have a point.

I would argue a 2k bike will be significantly better, and more enjoyable to ride, than a £100 bike. I can't necessarily say the same about a 8k bike compared to a 2k bike (I've had both).

I see material things as tools that allow me to do the things I need to do. Anything superfluous to that is materialistic, in my view.

Are you happy? I mean reaaallllyyyyy happy now?

Not in the true sense of the word, because even discounting materialism its not in my nature.   But I do have more moments of sitting around being content with what I have around me, not filled with unbearable mental whirlwinds of what to buy next.

Also, the value of what I already have went up, as above simple things like the coffee beans I enjoy and the ability, time spent mowing the lawn etc.  In my job specifically, it really helps me through the months when theres a basic salary coming in – knowing I don’t need additional commission on my paycheck to be content this month.

We loved the old kryton, can we have him back please 🤣🤩

the old kryton

...is much more complex than you think.  My CBT councillor describes(d) me as a Perfectionist, self critical materialist introvert.  That is, doing as best as I possible can to show other people how good (at everything) I can possibly be without exposing my flaws aka rolling myself in glitter.

I've actually learned that even being me is not always about me and I only have a part responsibility about how I'm perceived.   Vis a vis, outside  the remit of having good intelligent morals and manners and going about my business appropriately for those that I am responsible for,  how you all see me matters far less to me now.    I am without effort, me. Therefore I am, expensive Jo Malone or Christmas Brut, it matters not.

Anyway, someone else's turn, the internet just got bored.

I had always presumed that when I was older and had a bit more money that I would buy a really nice car. Turns out I'm happy with my 10 year old estate.

On the other hand I never expected a substantial part of my bank account to regularly making it's way to Tiso and the Bike Co-Op.

At least bikes are cheaper than cars.

Is it materialistic to covet the buxom lass in accounts?.

Does part of the new, improved  Kryton mean we have to suffer 'vis a vis' in every post?

Next material up at Woppit Towers...

Does part of the new, improved Kryton mean we have to suffer ‘vis a vis’ in every post?

One step at a time...

Good for you Kryters vis a vis trying not to give  a monkeys hump about what other people think about you.

Well done.

I personally will provide support and encouragement by gently ripping the piss out of you as often as I can thus providing you with more opportunities to not care about what I think.

I must admit I had a wobble when a good friend of mine came out with " Its a good feeling to be able to look out of your lounge window knowing that you own all the  land that  you can see"

12 acres of Sussex countryside, woods , lake, river , house , garage . , christ knows what he spent, million+ easy.

get your head out of your backside and listen to how you sound though , just a touch pompous

is housing materialism? probably not as   you have to live somewhere , that is unavoidablee

And as above, not being materialistic doesn’t mean not having nice things if you can afford it

I think it does.

Define 'nice things' for us.  What is a 'nice thing'?  £37 aftershave?  Used BMW?  Why not a used Toyota?

Doesn't matter whether it is a nice thing, it is the fact that the person puts too much importance on the fact they have it.

I personally will provide support and encouragement by gently ripping the piss out of you as often as I can thus providing you with more opportunities to not care about what I think.

Thanks, i appreciate the effort.  If you ever find yourself in need of a squirt of Joop! Id be happy to oblige

I think this is where my ex wife & I went wrong. Well, I went wrong.

She LOVED spending money, didn't matter what on as long as she was spending it. She used to come home with all kinds of shite. Anyway she nashed off with a rich (ex) mate of mine & ended up in a £1M house full of pretentious crap. (such as a massive porcelain dolphin in the hall)

He got sick of her & went 'bankrupt' then found another woman. My ex now lives in a rented terraced house with her slapper of a daughter, 2 grandkids & a dog. No idea what happened to the dolphin.

I feel we’ve both grown as people.

Good session 😉

lounge window

Frightfully non-U.

No idea what happened to the dolphin.

Perhaps she couldn't see the porpoise of it any more.

It is probably one of the reasons I like to buy little things for cycling almost constantly. A few quid here and a few quid there relieves me of the desire to spend a load all at once. For example, I don't really have any desire at all for a new bike, but I have desire for everything from new bar tape to a new groupset for one of them.

Things that don't excite me in the least (thank goodness) include:

1. Anything to do with technology (I have less than no interest in phones and such things)

2. Computers and gaming machines

3. TVs and sound devices

4. Cars

I say 'thank goodness', because if I was into any of them, I can imagine life would get very expensive very quickly.

Talking of forks, I’ve just ordered a set of HELMs as the McQueens have too much high speed chatter... and it was easier than losing 20kgs...

i have a matching fender Princeton Reverb amp and vintage ‘52 hot rod tele... (and a bunch of other guitars).

i have a Sherpa and 2 SolarisMAX‘s.

and, still, nothing fills the void within... 🤪

If I lived alone, which is never going to happen, I’d only want the following.

A mountain bike and every day bike.

Kindle Fire - For Netflix and books.

Couple of WiFi speakers for streaming music

A heavy bag in the living room

Other than clothes and other necessities that’d do me. As it stands I’m happily married with two great kids in a house packed full of shite 😀 I have my Kindle, a mountain bike and a WiFi speaker (no streaming subscription at the moment though) so all is good with the world.

I feel the same as you funkmasterp! Would have a lot less stuff if I was flying solo. I would have a couple of really really nice bikes though.

As others have alluded to above I don't see anything wrong with buying something nice/expensive (within reason) so long as it's used to it's fullest potential. I've got a few niceish bikes but they all get used, so no guilt about that in the slightest.

What i cannot stand, is having anything (even not very nice things) sat around doing nothing. It's just so wasteful (i see you Lego models)

Recently, unless I am sure about a large purchase I will look second hand. That way if I don't get on with it I can move it on and not loose much cash and / or rape the planet

Oh yeah and I have no want of a fast car, motorbike or any kind of flash watch/jewellery/clothes. Nowadays I think any of that makes you look a bit of a twunt really.

The one major item I’d like is a new car. Or at least a newer one maybe two or three years old. My Octavia is now around seventeen years old, I’ve had it for twelve, it’s developed a leak from somewhere that makes the offside footwells wet, and the offside front wing has been smashed in by a dimwit who didn’t understand roundabout etiquette. Nothing like a bloody BMW, which I do not like at all, something like a Mokka, Kia Sportage, Hyundai is35... A nice SUV, preferably a 4x4, that’s reasonably compact. I have specific reasons for a car like that, mainly because, at 64, I’m finding regular saloon cars increasingly difficult to get in and out of, even painful at times.

Oh, and I’d really like new shed.

We just pay it off our mortgage before we get tempted... mostly.

2003 plate van, 2012 Rocket but really great Finland ski trip this Winter and a month in Australia next Easter.

We stick to the mantra that experience's will never be forgotten but the thrill of a purchase is very short lived.

Our 7 yr old boy says that this years Farne Island trip where we got dive bombed and pecked is the best holiday ever 🙂

As a cure for materialism I’d recommend going through losing pretty much everything.

It doesn’t half reset your priorities.

Nowadays I have zero interest in ‘stuff’ and lots and lots of interest in ‘doing stuff’ instead. That’s money well spent. The rest is just... well... ‘stuff’... no matter how expensive and exquisitely well made

I have noticed my buying habits change as I grow older.

I notice that I'm looking much more at what the [insert name of thing] can do for me.  Will a cheap one perform the same as an expensive one?  If there is a difference in performance, what does that cost vs it's value to me.

In particular, I'm a lot more resistant to faddy technology - Gadgets are superseded so quickly that I've stopped trying to keep up for the sake of keeping up.

Generally I find that I make a small number of well researched purchases these days - I probably buy towards the upper end of the spec on things, but that's because a) I want the thing I'm buying to last a long time (eg: set of good stainless steel saucepans) or b) I want the higher spec to be able to realise the most benefit from the purchase (eg: just bought a top-end NAS to steam media around the house, because a lower spec one wouldn't do the job as well).

Some things that I want, but I'm resisting the urge to spend money on, are:

New TV.  Would like a newer, bigger one, but our current version is perfectly fine.

New iPhone.  Have got a 6s.... fancy one of the new ones, but really cant justify the significant outlay for no discernible befit.

Kitchen knives.  Have wanted a "nice" set for ages, but my current random assortment are perfectly serviceable.  Been dithering for years, but just can't bring myself to spend the money.

Does the fact that I still want these make me materialistic?  Probably

I notice that I’m looking much more at what the [insert name of thing] can do for me.  Will a cheap one perform the same as an expensive one?  If there is a difference in performance, what does that cost vs it’s value to me.

What I tend to do.  A label or a high cost don't attract me to it and even though I could afford the label/higher priced item I tend to get the cheaper options that does the same for me.  Even for my main interests of guitar and bikes.  This has definitely changed over the last 30 years but not sure if I have become less materialistic or more tight.

I have so much 'expensive' shit that I 'needed'

I've been much better about it lately though

Yeah I'm pretty bad with materialism. Wiggle used to be my vice, I'd have at least a box a week showing up, sometimes I'd have unopened Wiggle boxes in my garage that I forgot what was inside. After largely having given up cycling (for now...) it's mostly Amazon and Aldi special buys fueling my problem these days. I have boxes of washers, bolts, socket sets and cheap tools from Aldi in my garage 🙁

Fortunately I'm paid enough and don't have kids so I'm not in debt, I just wish I had enough disposable income to buy some decent toys rather than mostly just tat :p

sat around doing nothing. It’s just so wasteful (i see you Lego models)

if I just went around & bought everything I have seen & quite fancy having at this moment, I could probably max out my £4k credit card limit in about 20 mins.
Same with shops like Go Outdoors  etc.

It's different rules for outdoors equipment. The First Rule of Manhood states he who dies with the most kit wins. if you don't have at least 6 rucksacks of varying sizes and a complete range of tents and cooking stoves then you're not even trying.

I am a bit weird with all of this - most of the time I can't bear spending money (I shop almost exclusively at TK Maxx with the odd foray into Primark and Next) and can happily eat quite frugally ie, rather than buying chicken breast fillets I'll buy a whole chicken, cut the fillets off, oven cook the rest and use it for other dishes (risottos, sandwiches, chillies etc), the dog gets the inedible stuff and the carcass gets made into stock.

BUT... I occasionally 'need' something. Such as recently I spunked £250 on a cordless Dyson (which is very good TBF) or silly little tools/gadgets for the man cave (such as the recent Dymo label printer so I could organise my stuff better). I didn't need either of those things but I wanted them and got them but still wonder why as I could have saved the money.

knowing that you own all the  land that  you can see

I can say that too (if I stand rally close to the garden fence and look down)

In some ways I would love to go on a massive spending spree for all I desire. But then after that I would need to desire more expensive stuff and so on until you end up with a dolphin sculpture in the hallway and drowning in debt.

Not being materialistic is great

Being able to, and then actually buying lots of cool expensive stuff is great too

People that claim they don't buy stuff because they don't believe in materialism, but in reality are actually either too tight, or don't have the resources to do so, are annoying twunts though 🙂

<div class="bbp-reply-author">bikebouy
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I like material, silky underwear to be exact

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Yeah, but you can get that stuff for free while out "jogging" at night

I just see owning stuff as an encumbrance especially expensive stuff like fancy cars that you then worry about where you can park them incase they get damaged, it's a car for getting from a2b and if you can't leave it at b it's failed in its prime purpose.

Enjoy the money whilst you can. I visit people on a weekly basis who have lots of money - but not the health to enjoy it; so the money in the bank is worth nothing to them really.

Thats not to say it’s good to throw money away, just spoiling yourself is what makes life/work worthwhile.