For years, I clutched bag after bag of clothes, home goods, makeup, or, most often, shoes, as I whispered to myself, "It's OK; it was on sale." All it took was one glimpse of a sale rack, a neon clearance sticker, or an overflowing bargain bin. Chasing this high led me to and — I hate to admit this now — over 100 pairs of shoes.
I reasoned my stuff was worth a lot more than I paid for it, and when given a compliment on one of my treasures, I cooed about my deal like a proud parent. I thought I possessed a desired life skill — as if I had bartered for these items myself — not realizing I was simply a cog in the consumerism wheel. But then I realized these bargains were more than I bargained for when I packed my life into eight suitcases and moved 9,000 miles away to , for a teaching job.
I finally had to ask myself why I felt the need for so much stuff in the first place. I've tried to declutter in the past without much success Consumerism is nothing new to the United States; spending is part of my American DNA. The Ramsey Solutions Personal Finance from 2024 found that 48% of Americans struggle with impulse buying.
I've always been well-versed in making impulse purchases, but didn't realize the depth of the issue until the catalyst of a move abroad. How else does a person acquire more shoes than a shoe store? In the past, I had tried to organize my way out of it. I bought plastic bins, sold items on Poshmark, sent bags to Thredup, donated to Goodwill, read , and still.
