> CD #32: The Buyerarchy of Needs
Years ago, I read A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy by Sarah Lazarovic, which introduced me to her classic “Buyerarchy of Needs,” a chart I still think about whenever I make most purchases.
It was Sarah who inspired me to do my first shopping fast back in 2016, when I decided to take a year off from buying stuff for myself, including clothing, personal items and books. It was hard at first, but after I unsubscribed from a bunch of email lists and stopped going to the mall, I kind of lost my appetite for shiny new things.
The only time it felt painful was when I took a trip with my best friend to Portland and realized that shopping is one of my favourite parts of travelling. Suddenly, checking out all the quirky hipster shops was not so fun. At least I could still enjoy the food… and the greenery… and spending time with my friend, of course. (Hi Julie!!)
On the whole, though, it was freeing to take shopping out of the equation and focus my energies elsewhere for a while. That was the year I decided to be less of a consumer and more of a producer in all parts of my life. Incidentally, it was also the year I finished the first draft of Dear Scarlet.
Please don’t mistake my sharing this as sanctimony, though. After my fast ended, I dove right back into the shopping life and have made many regrettable impulse purchases since. I’ve also bought clothes I still love to wear. So no moralizing here, only stories.
But now that I’m nearly 12 months into my second shopping fast—a year in which I consumed plenty and produced very little, btw—I am thinking about trying something new and buying only vintage items in the future. (I don’t mean thrifting, because I don’t want to take affordable clothing away from people who really need it, but maybe more like consignment stores or local buy-and-sells?)
Of course, right now, I’m still enjoying relief from social networks designed to sell me things and the nefarious workings of Jenkins, the evil mastermind behind women’s clothing. To be honest, I’m just not ready to break this fast.
:) Teresa
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