“If you make a habit of buying things you do not need, you will soon be selling things you do.” —Filipino Proverb
Our experiences hint at it. Studies confirm it.
Buying material things don’t make us happy.
The pursuit and purchase of physical possessions will never fully satisfy our desire for happiness. It may result in temporary joy for some, but the happiness found in buying a new item rarely lasts longer than a few days. Researchers even have a phrase for this temporary fulfillment: retail therapy.
There are many reasons buying more material things won’t make us happy.
9 Reasons Buying Material Things Won’t Make You Happy
They all begin to fade. All possessions are temporary by nature. They look shiny and new in the store. But immediately, as soon as the package is opened, they begin to perish, spoil, or fade.
There is always something new right around the corner. New models, new styles, new improvements, and new features. From clothes and cars to kitchen gadgets and technology, our world moves forward. And planned obsolescence makes sure our most recent purchase will be out of use sooner rather than later.
Each purchase adds extra worry to our lives. Every physical item we bring into our lives represents one more thing that can be broken, scratched, or stolen.
Possessions require maintenance. The things we own require time, energy, and focus. They need to be cleaned, organized, managed, and maintained. And as a result, they often distract us from the things that truly do bring us lasting happiness.
Our purchases cost us more than we realize. In stores, products are measured in dollars and cents. But as Henry David Thoreau once said, “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” We don’t buy things with money, we buy them with hours from our lives.
We discover other people aren’t all that impressed. Subconsciously (and sometimes even consciously), we expect our newest purchases will impress other people. They will notice our new car, computer, jacket, or shoes. But most of the time, they are less impressed than we think. Instead, most of them are too busy trying to impress you with their newest purchase.
Someone else always has more. The search for happiness in possessions is always short-lived because it is based on faulty reasoning that buckles under its own weight. If happiness is found in buying material things and more stuff, those with more will always be happier. The game can never be won.
Shopping does not quench our desire for contentment. Contentment is never found in the purchase of more stuff. Our overflowing closets and drawers stand as proof. No matter how much we get, it’s never enough.
Experiences make us happier than possessions. All research points to the fact there are far more effective way to find happiness: enjoying life-changing experiences, for example.
And 1 Thing that Might
Adyashanti, the American-born spiritual teacher, offers a theory as to why the acquisition of new possessions provides only a temporal feeling of happiness. He explains it this way:
When we make a purchase and/or get what we want, we are temporarily happy and fulfilled. But the reason for happiness is not because we got what we wanted, but because for a brief period of time, we stopped wanting, and thus we experience peace and happiness.
On the topic of buying stuff, his thoughts are helpful. And I have repeated his theory dozens of times in private conversations. Of course, the natural conclusion of this thinking is to limit our desires and wants—to find peace and happiness by not wanting.
But for me, this conclusion falls short.
The goal of minimalism is not to remove desire entirely from my life. Instead, the goal of minimalism is to redirect my desires.
There are valuable pursuits available to us: love, justice, faith, compassion, contribution, redemption, just to name a few. These should be pursued with great fervor. But far too often, we trade the pursuit of lasting fulfillment for temporary happiness. We can do better. We can dream bigger.
Redirect your desires toward lasting pursuits. Find happiness there.
You will never find the right things looking in the wrong places. (tweet that)
Chad says
Basically, live within your means. That’s the moral of all of this. If you can’t afford it, if you have to make sacrifices to get what you want then that thing is not within your emans.
It’s okay to want things because otherwise, what would be the point of doing all our hours toiling.
Chad says
emans = means. Sorry.
Les H. says
Interesting article. Yes, like many I too lived much of my life caught up in the “mindless” consumerism. Thinking that buying things brought me joy and satisfaction as well as bragging rights. This was so during my marriage to. Much of my lustful stuff was around home electronics and of course automobiles. I had to get a NEW car every 3-4 years and with electronics it was a treadmill of nonsense, especially with the advent of online shopping and eBay etc. I did not think much as I bought stuff online that I as an impulse wanted but in reality I did not and if I’d have THOUGHT before clicking to buy I’d probably not buy much of the crap. I know this as much of the electronics crap was soon just resold by me once the novelty wore off or I figured that I really did not want it nor appreciated it.
This consumerism spilled over into other areas of life too.
BUT! in the last 6 months or so I had an epiphany. I finally saw what I was doing and sat down one day to go through my credit card statements. I keep this in files and actually pulled out 10 years worth and added up all the stuff bought, some of it was of course good purchases and even needed but much of it was just stuff bought for buying sake. I added up interest owed and payments made. I almost fell out of my chair at the numbers. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not a shopaholic per say but obviously I bought enough crap over these 10 years to have my eyes opened.
ENOUGH! I said. And like a shut door I have now going on 6 months STOPPED buying any crap I don’t need nor do I really want. It’s like a breath of fresh air. I pledged to myself that I will only buy things I need and shop for them very well. If/when I buy things I may want or desire I have to HARD SELL it to myself and have to HAVE THE CASH SAVED! This has me now only buying stuff I truly appreciate and enjoy, or only things I really may need. My bank account as a result has swelled with monies saved now and it’s now become a game and a pleasure to see my account grow.
CASH ON HAND EQUALS FREEDOM FOLKS!
CREDIT EQUALS OBLIGATION!
Credit should be used wisely and only on things needed or that can pay off for you in the future. Things should be well thought about before buying on credit.
I’m not a minimalist, but reading up on such stuff has seen me reshape my life and now I want to have cash saved, improve my investments and live life more for experiences first and then things acquired second.
I wont deprive myself but I no longer just chase the mindless consumerism tail.
Gerald Velayo says
Thanks for publishing this article. After decades of believing that owning the best car, the largest house, the newest gadgets and NOT being able to afford them, I tried switching my mindset to not pursuing those material things. I instead focus on experience. I am into mountain biking. As with any other sport, it is also plagued with advertisements and promises that if you buy the latest model of this or the best of that, your experience will be elevated to new heights. I do not subscribe to that. Instead, I buy things that are in the middle, balancing cost with performance. And I apply that to other areas in my life too.
Ben Jordaan says
I got rid of my big 4 bedroom house and we moved into a very nice cottage with 2 bedrooms. We lived in an expensive suburb and now we are living on a small farm outside the city. We plant all our veggies here and have borehole water which is clean from flouride. I sold my expensive cars and bought old classic cars where I can do repairs myself. One of them is a cute VW Beetle. I got rid of all my suits and expensive clothes. Yeah, maybe it sounds weird, but it is so private here that I sometimes get out in the sun without any clothes and enjoy the sunshine on my skin. We are more healhy and we spent less on medication the last year. Life is good!
laura Mckay says
Moved to a cabin in the mountains.Retired.Few people understand that we are happy to have escaped the race to collect material possessions.Forgot what it was like to hear crickets at night & be able to see a million stars in the sky.The sound of a train far away in the distance.
Heather Fournier says
Last night at my Toastmasters meeting I was the chairperson, and my chosen theme for the evening was “Simple Living/Minimalism”. I was able to share many of the ideas that you wrote about in this article (and others you’ve posted).
Lisa T says
P.s.
I would also like to say that my minimalism journey is not only about becoming more frugal and opening up a once cluttered environment, but it is progressively changing who I am for the better. My overall perspective on what it means to live and what life has to offer…or rather, what I have to offer within this life. It takes baby steps, and I am beginning to see my faults. Now that I can see, I can begin to correct :-)
Rob says
Lisa, I feel very much the same way.
Magalie Linda says
Oh gosh. yes. I had a moment of turmoil where I didn’t know if I was being frugal, stingy or just really aware if this object would be a good tool in my daily life.
This is a good list to hold against the decision making process though. Thanks!
Lisa T says
I had a small relapse yesterday. Believe me when I say I thought of this blog. I cut my impulse spending and stuck to the few things I intended to buy, however, I could have did without. I will keep my long-time favorite perfumes, but I will buy no more (I tell myself).
A work in progress!
I have donated a good portion of my unused shoes, clothes, books, perfumes, jewelry, and hair products/tools in the past 5 weeks. But I just don’t feel like this journey is over. I crave more open space. I do enjoy the challenge of spending less, and if I make a purchase, it must be of quality.
Thank you for the inspiration
Sage says
I have been ecstatically happy for over 20 years, after grown children and divorce.
I own nothing.
I used to say I wanted only what I can put in an airline carry-on bag.
Now, I only want to own what I can carry on to the next life, (i.e. experiences, knowledge, ponderings, reflections, and so on).
To quote a dear friend: “If I were any happier, I couldn’t stand it.”
Marcus says
First off, I enjoy the site however I would like to make a comment.
It’s interesting to note most of your articles are about minimalism, in itself that isn’t a bad thing. But it seems your desire to accumulate possessions and buy things has just been replaced by your obsession with being a “minimalist”. All the writing appeals to people because your not actually fixing the problem, it’s all about buying things, things, getting rid of things. I don’t understand how minimalism needs books, guides, support groups and blogs such as this. Minimalism should be lived and not talked about 24 /7. It’s good to occasionally remind people of the benefits, but when it takes over our time when we spend time being minimalists, it’s just a waste.
The point – Stop buying what you don’t need, buy only a few things you really want, keep a tidy, clean organised house, get rid of things you don’t use, wear, need or want. Stop focusing on the lack of physical possessions as something to be PROUD of, and start actually focusing on the personal triumphs.
Don’t let minimalism REPLACE consumerism, and become and obsession. Learn to truly let go, and you will be more than just surface happy ( the true message of fight club which people keep quoting as if it’s actually something to live by ) . Focus on your loved one, your children, your job, your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and sexual health. Then you can celebrate the fruits of being a minimalist, rather than just celebrating and obsessing over how you only have 2 forks.
Merf56 says
I agree. Many take it too far for too long. People here and on other minimalist sites I have looked in on talk constantly about ‘purging’. That gives me the creeps. Buy buy buy and then purge purge purge in some never ending loop. I am on here and so are you so I guess we have some culpability but I like to look for inspirational thoughts to help people in my small informal downsizing ‘business’. I work for baseball tickets and nice dinners out never for cash. My name gets passed along by friends of friends of friends!
Downsizing and reordering your priorities about the relationship of stuff versus experiences is definitely a process but one that should not always involving ‘purges’. If it does you are not understanding or internalizing the reasons for reducing your ownership of objects. There should be a clear definable end to downsizing. Where you no longer need to revisit sites like these.
That said these sites are wonderful to help people take control over their minds and lives. And Joshua’s is exceptionally good IMHO. There is just an endpoint to the ‘therapy’ or should be….