Do you really know how materialistic you are?

[whatevergirl]

This thread is scary.

Roof? Dinner? Bed? Clothes to get you through the seasons? That’s more than two thirds of the world’s people have going for them.

Do you know that something like 73% of people in the U.S. now think a cell phone is a necessity?

You should read the Overspent American…it talks precisely about that very thing. That back in the 50’s before microwaves, they were thought of as a luxury…and they were huge. Now, we expect them in our homes…built in over our stoves. We expect to have washers and dryers. We expect to have a tv, a dvd player…and the list goes on and on, depending on preferences.

Somewhere along the lines, in America, we went from viewing things as luxuries to now viewing them as needs. It’s a fascinating exploration into the history of all of that–you would enjoy the book.

The book (I’m only 1/2 way through) also talks about how to teach people to break those want vs needs cycles and get back to living leaner and smarter.

 

[ecp007]

This thread is scary.

Roof? Dinner? Bed? Clothes to get you through the seasons? That’s more than two thirds of the world’s people have going for them.

Do you know that something like 73% of people in the U.S. now think a cell phone is a necessity?

I agree with you, except about the cell phone. It is a necessity, and not only in the USA, but all over the world. It is cheaper than having a land line phone in your home. And it is a means for employers and customers to get a hold of a worker. It enables commerce, facilitates social interaction, and provides relief in emergency situations.

Many people where I live, only have one pair of shoes (flip flops), an open air shanty for a house, no bed, only a matress on the floor, …etc. But everyone I know has a cellphone. Many even have 2 cellphones, one for work, and one for family and friends.

 

[SeekerJen]

This thread is scary.

Roof? Dinner? Bed? Clothes to get you through the seasons? That’s more than two thirds of the world’s people have going for them.

Do you know that something like 73% of people in the U.S. now think a cell phone is a necessity?

Well, a phone may not be an absolute necessity to survive, but in modern Western Civilization, it could be considered a necessity. Many of us who think cell phones are necessary do so because 1) we have eliminated our land-line phones in the interest of not wasting money on redundant services, and 2) we commute long distances and don’t want to be stranded at the mercy of strangers if our cars break down. Perhaps we should make a distinction between absolute necessity and societal necessity.

Otherwise- yeah, we’ve got a tiny house with no basement, no A/C, no dishwasher, etc. But we’re quite comfortable and I would be happy getting rid of a lot of our stuff. Convincing DH is the hard part. One look at my MIL’s basement tells me why.

Someone linked this site (globalrichlist.com/) on another forum that I visit. You enter in your annual income and it tells you how you rank in the world from richest to poorest. I came in at position 552,413,794, or in the top 9.2 % of the world on my own. Combined with DH’s income, we are at 54,175,729, or in the top 0.9%. Quite eye-opening. We’re by no means considered rich in our society, but on a global scale…

 

[mercygate]

Otherwise- yeah, we’ve got a tiny house with no basement, no A/C, no dishwasher, etc. But we’re quite comfortable and I would be happy getting rid of a lot of our stuff. Convincing DH is the hard part. One look at my MIL’s basement tells me why.

You ain’t seen MY basement! DH a hopeless accumulator of useless junk. I’m starting a spousal support group for people who live with junk hoarders. I swear: DH would save dryer lint if I let him.

 

[Lhhs]

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Have any of you read “Happy Are You Poor” by Fr. Dubay?