Living in a Material World

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

I know this is taken slightly out of context, but Madonna's 1985 song "Material Girl" is all too relevant in today's society. Amazing how times change so much but yet so little.

I'd like to think that I'm not all that materialistic. I really would. Part of me believes though that everyone is materialistic to a certain extent. The other day I was on a message board and it amazed me what material items people associated with class and social status. Is it really all that important that you live in the nicest neighborhood, drive the latest "hot" car, wear all the fashionable trends, and eat at the trendy restaurants? What about the high dollar items... the designer jeans, handbags, sunglasses, etc., that are all about the label? Why the latest gadgets? Why so much stuff?

I can't seem to wrap my brain around it. I know, I know... it's all personal preference, but still. I can't help but think even when I spend $10 on a shirt from Old Navy if I'm getting the best possible deal or if I really need it.

I look at our house, and while cute, is not grand by any means. That's ok. I don't need that. I need a roof over my head that's not going to tumble down. Our house is 1096 square feet, not big at all, but we have the basement. When that's finished off, we'd be lucky to hit about 1600 heated square feet. To me, that's plenty of room. We don't need anything bigger. Honestly, we don't. 2 people and a dog are very comfortable in even just the upstairs. I think part of the reason I like the house so much is it really makes me think about needs vs. wants. Do we really need that for the house? Where will it go? What will it take the place of? We (ok, I) have so much crap down in the basement it's not even funny. I'm trying to get rid of some of it, I really am. I've thrown out a bunch of stuff in this whole Clear Out the Crap Campaign. What's even worse is the last time I went through my closet I gave away so many things that were in great condition... hardly ever worn.

To me, materialism isn't necessarily labels and a status symbol. It's also the "need" for so much stuff. I fall into the latter definition. Labels and status symbols don't interest me. I have no desire for the big flashy jewelry, designer handbags or a new BMW. The only reason I have a Coach wallet is because it was a gift. My "old" '97 Accord does me just fine... it gets me from point A to point B and is a safe, reliable vehicle. That's not to say that I wouldn't love to have an '08 Accord, but I don't need it. Mine does just fine, why replace it? Our small house does us just fine, why upsize?

I do fit into the "stuff" category, although I really am trying to get better. I think that redoing my closet really taught me a lesson. Clay suggested that it would be really nice to have all of my clothes in one place instead of 2 (the guest closet/dresser and the master closet). I arranged the closet so that could happen, but still gave up a TON of stuff. It was good though. Why keep something I don't wear?

Honestly though, I don't know of a single person who won't admit that they have their moments of want when they don't need the item. It's human nature. Where is the line drawn? If you can afford the high end apparel, does the label become justifiable? Are people buying it for social acceptance or are they buying it because they like it and the price tag is affordable to them? How much stuff is too much?

It takes a lot of effort to really step back and take a look at what your needs vs. wants are and where to draw the line on how much is too much. Each person is different, but I just can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on a purse, over $30 on a pair of jeans, etc. Is there a general line of materialism?