Do you ever think about how much you spend trying to keep up with the latest trends? Not only financially, but with time and energy?

I have put a lot of thought into this topic, and find it absolutely wild what consumerism has done to most of us. Sure, shopping is fun sometimes, but when did it become the norm to get rid of perfectly good items, just to spend our precious time repurchasing newer and better things all of the time?

Really, “newer and better” tends to be mass produced junk anyways, which just perpetuates this crazy cycle. Why is so much of our own self worth affected by the items that we own?

Have you ever remembered someone for the shirt they owned or the trendy wall art they had? I don’t think so!

About five years ago, I started spending more time in thrift stores. I had just purchased my first home, and I was in need of a lot of random household items. The kicker was, I had minimal spending money.

The more secondhand items I got, the more insane I started to find buying things new. You can find next to brand new items of all kinds for a fraction of the price; clothing, house decor, toys, books etc.

Not only that, but you really start to realize how much junk we as a society are continually creating and discarding. And why? So that we have the on trendy wardrobe or house of the moment?

The more you think about it, the sillier it seems. Take a minute to think about how much money you’ve spent in the last year buying chic clothes you wore for a single event. Or think about the random house knickknacks that won’t fit in your decor anymore by next year. (Live Laugh Love signs, I’m looking at you!)

Not only that, but the time and mental energy spent scrolling Amazon or wandering the mall. It all adds up so quickly. The more we spend, the more we have to make. It’s tough enough  to pay the bills as is, especially in this economy. So why do we make it worse on ourselves?

For some reason, most people feel the need to keep up purchasing the latest and greatest. When I buy something, I like to think of the dollar amount cost in terms of hours I would have to work to pay for them. It really helps keep perspective.

As another dose of perspective, I like to keep in mind that I have gotten more compliments on my quirky, thrifted clothing items than I ever did buying the new trends.

I have never loved my own home more than I have when it was filled with unique decor that I thrifted for dirt cheap. I will take amateur paintings and art over junk from Homesense any day.

When I started being more intentional about what I purchased, focusing on quality items that I really love, I also found that I don’t feel the need to constantly replace and update them.

I can only imagine how much of my hard earned money I’ve saved over the past few years. Yay me! Lol!

Next time you go to fill your cart on Shein or Amazon, I challenge you to ask yourself a few questions.

• Do I really need these items or do I just want them to “keep up” with society somehow?
• Am I still going to want them next year or will I have already trashed/donated them by then?
• Is this something I could easily get secondhand?
• Is the cost of this item worth the time I would have to work to pay for it?

If you’re anything like me, you might find that you can save a lot of time and money doing so!