Are you materialistic?

In this day and age where millenials find getting on the property ladder difficult and in some scenarios unachievable; personally I believe a lot of it comes down to how individuals spend their income.

Sometimes unnecessarily spending on the newest trends/gadgets to show off on social media on what their most recent purchase is for attention; personally I see a lot of people nowadays quite materialistic.

Do you feel like you fall into this category? If so what drives you to spend in that way?

Personally I'm quite the opposite spending mostly on necessities and saving for my future. However my biggest annual purchases comes down to car insurance and holidays; I don't spend much on clothes etc

 

I think I selectively pick what I'm materialistic with.

For example, I couldn't care less about what brand clothing I wear, but I drove a BMW 335i (before I moved countries)

I think most people spend too much money on things they want approval of from other people but I believe you can still achieve long term goals if you're selective with what you're materialistic with.

 

Quite an expensive item to be materialistic on! But we all need a way to get from A to B

 

@Gen put it nicely, I'm quite selective with what I'm materialistic with... that's all you're getting for now .

 

I'm pretty materialistic. I drive a 2017 Lincoln Mkz car mainly for the attention that it gets.

 

yeah i am, i like to wear nice name brand clothes and quality things.

 

I was very materialistic in the past. Many of our mutual friends in the RWT game will probably confirm.

I went through a lot of struggles at one stage, and I've seen people close to me suffer due to both financial and non-financial reasons, so now I see the immense value in money instead of items we replace every few years.

I'm not quite a minimalist, but I'm damn close. I'm also less stressed knowing that I don't have too much clutter, and more importantly that I'm not being a slave to myself by purchasing brands just to impress people who have no impact on my life.

I'm sure its different depending on your background, and which country you're from, the cultural values along with it, but I've been at multiple points on the spectrum of wealth. I've made lots of money and blew it on partying, materialistic goods, branded items etc. But I've been broker than broke, and when you're fully financially independent that truly is a terrifying situation to be in. One things for sure though lol, I will never be in financial troubles due to spending habits that's for sure.

This is a very good topic for a site like this, where there's people from all different areas in life, that have one thing in common being part of this community. I hope the younger bunch view everyones perspectives before making any decisions they may regret.

 

Couldn't agree more than most of the points you've made; I'm not a minimalist but I don't impulse buy, and not drawn into buying things that need to be replaced frequently. I'll buy clothes for when I go on holiday etc, but they're never usually top brands.

 

Yeah impulse buying was exactly my problem. It's emotional buying triggered by any emotion really, whether you envy what somebody else has, or you're excited and convince yourself you need/want it. I'm actually glad I got in a mess in the past and didn't blame anybody else for it, it was a well deserved outcome to my own actions and taught me to appreciate what you have, and not compare it to what somebody else has.

As for clothes yeah I'm exactly the same, I won't even be tempted by the big shiny sale signs xD

 

Nice question. I'm materialistic with certain things, which I think is true for most people. I like wearing clothes which I look good in, so I suppose I'm quite materialistic about that. I went out of my way to buy the iPhone 6S Plus, but I feel no need to upgrade past that to a 7 or anything that's coming out soon. I love living in a nice area, so I can feel safe and secure, and my house is well decorated, but I grew up around things like that so they've become a norm for me.

I don't really spend my disposable income on that much. Occasionally I get food outside from the home or order, but not often. About 80% of the money I spend which is disposable is on socialising, be it drinks, cinema tickets with friends, that kind of thing. I'm on track with savings and until I decide I want a change in my life I see no reason to change it!

 

I feel like most people including myself are materialistic

 

Not as much as i was when i was a kid but still a little bit

 

well, having some new stuff is not bad, i wont call materialistic tho

 

I used to be materialistic only to find myself becoming selfish. Makes you want to have more and more, wants you to have the most expensive items to stand out. Tbh its a sure way to go broke if you can't afford it. Its a lifestyle everyone wants I guess

 

Personally I wouldn't say that I spend my money on new gadgets etc, quite the opposite. More like runescape and the odd betting nowadays mainly because its what I enjoy.

 

Ive lived like this long ago when I was richer, and indeed it does make you poor. Both financially and internally. Our hearts are in a void and we try to fill it with a quick buzz; To some it may be materialistic things, others drugs, others sex. Then when we finally have it we realize we arent happy and want more and more. Man was created contentious and greedy, the only thing that fills that greed is Dust.

 

Absolutely

 

Lately I find myself materialistic only towards protein and food since I am heavily motivated in the gym. Even though I need the calories for weight gain/muscle gain, I feel as If I am being slowly sucked back into this physical materialism lifestyle...

 

I rarely, if ever, spend money on things I don't need. I just don't really want to go and spend time buying something I won't use, it's not that I'm against it. Just the bare essentials really :O

 

Absolutely not. Typically the only thing I purchase that are above and beyond the bare minimums are fishing rods/tackle but with increased price there is a noticeable difference in quality.

My clothing other than work attire (suit pants/tie/dress shirt) is a plain t-shirt (white/black) with jeans, khakis or shorts. I have a few watches that people have bought me over the years simply because I wear them and they don't wanna buy the wrong fishing gear.