Stuff, stuff and more stuff

As I have previously mentioned, one of my favorite movies ever is Confessions of a Shopaholic. There is one line in particular that speaks to me. A broken down Rebecca Bloomwood stands by a pond with her father (played by John Goodman) who offers to sell the trailer to help pay off her enormous debt. She says, "I'll kill you if you sell it. It totally defines you."

To which he replies, "Nothing defines me, except you and your mother."

Which brings me to the point. In the United States, it seems that we are completely obsessed with stuff. Everyone is always on the hunt for the bigger better deal. If your friend goes out and gets a Coach bag, the competitive cheerleader in all of us wants to go out and get a bigger one, or better yet, get a Louis Vuitton.

There's a new term on the streets called the $30,000 millionaire. We are so busy trying to keep up appearances that we are willing to go tens of thousands of dollars into debt for it. Which begs the question: Is all that shit really worth it? I mean, what do you really have left over after you are done? A bunch of stuff and a lot more debt. What good is it to look like a baller in your Escalade if you can't even afford to buy groceries? Eating Ramen noodles every night just because you want the same kind of car as Diddy is stupid.

In fact, the economic crash of 2008 and subsequent uber-recession was due in part to people trying too hard to keep up with the Joneses. Was it worth it, America?

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to stay chic and trendy without maxing out the credit cards.
1. Consignment Stores - One way to get your ass into the hottest jeans is to buy a pair that have already been discarded by someone else. (No, it's not gross. It's why they invented laundry detergent. Get over it.)
2. Fast fashion retailers - If a trend is only going to be in style for a season or two, why go into debt over it? Stores like Forever 21 and H&M sell cheap, chic items that probably won't be in style next year. (Like my totally awesome bandana top that I wore everywhere during the summer of 2001. I miss you, bandana top.) Although, out of respect to Mama Earth, please give these to GoodWill or recycle them when you are finished.
3. (And most importantly) Realize That Stuff Doesn't Make You. Strip away the clothes, shoes and makeup and you're still the same old you. It doesn't take anything to make you who you are. Embrace yourself, and learn to like yourself without all of your stuff. You'll be a lot happier when you're not wasting all of your money on credit card bills.