Is consumerism killing your budget

Is consumerism killing yur budgetIs consumerism killing your budgetLet me be the first to say I have never had a pair of shoes repaired. Though I do typically wear them until they nearly have holes in the bottom, I cant say that I have ever gone the cheaper route. When they arent holding up anymore, I simply get new shoes.A Dying TradeIm not alone, either. According to The State Journal-Register, shoe repair shops areon the decline. There were 60,000 of them in the 1940s, but only about 7,000 remain today. That clearly suggests a dying trade, so its probably no coincidence that I have never used such a service.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreI mean sure, its true that we cant always repair shoes. In some cases, the soles are just too worn, or perhaps the outside of the shoe is so worn that they need to be replaced completely.However, even in cases where we could bring our shoes to a repair shop, that isnt happening. But why is that? Why is it that we would forego an option that is cheaper?And it seems this shift also applies to even more basic things. For example, if a button rips away from one of my shirts, what do I do? I can tell what I have typically not done, and that is to bust out the needle and thread. Instead, I have typically just kind of ignored it.My mother is much more handy with that sort of thing. Any time a button ripped off when I was younger, she would immediately sew it back into place. But I never learned that skill myself, and I dont think Im alone. YouTube videos can be hugely helpful in these cases, but it seems like a less natural right of passage nowadays.It is definitely a complex issue that probably has multiple explanations, but I have a hunch as to one of them.Instant GratificationI mentioned above that shoe repair stores were at their peak in the 1940s, and today there are far fewer stores. Well, as I was developing a hypothes is of sorts, I couldnt help but notice something interesting.You know what was introduced in the 1940s, around the peak of the shoe repair shop? Give you a hint Hot Pockets. Or how about lila drink Cuisines? Your favorite soup, perhaps?Of course, the microwave is the machine in question.Sure, they didnt start to really take offuntil the 60s, but I couldnt help but notice the parallel. Microwaves are the embodiment of instant gratification. Why spend what can sometimes be an entire day preparing food when instead you could have a meal ready in mere minutes? Thats instant gratification in its purest form.In a way, the microwave is the embodiment of consumerism.Why is that? Well, instant gratification is theheightof consumerism.And nowadays, instant gratification is almost an obsession with our culture.Even when it comes to things like ordering from Amazon. You may have to wait two days for a delivery, but you dont have to venture out to hunt for the item at a store or several stores i n some cases. Instead, you find the item online, and with one click, your item can be on its waySo, could it be that our penchant for instant gratification precludes the patience needed to verstndigung im strafverfahren with getting your shoes repaired? Unfortunately, I dont have the research to back this up, but I feel it is plausible at the very least.Fast Fashion Is All The RagePerhaps an even bigger contribution to the decline of shoe repair shops is fehlte nicht viel fashion. This is a concept with which I was already familiar, but Budget Epicureansguest postat Tread Lightly, Retire Earlypointed me to apost from Bitches Get Richesthat explained it more in depth.Given that I am a self-proclaimed tech nerd, I have long been aware of the idea ofplanned obsolescence. Fast fashion is basically planned obsolescence for clothing.Even if it is to the detriment of the consumer, nahe daran sein fashion is an integral part of a capitalist society.Worse Is MoreLong story short, the idea he re is to intentionally manufacture clothing using cheap materials that simply wont last. At the same time, the fashion industry constantly introduces new must have fashion trends throughout the year. That means we always have something new to buy. And good thing, since your shirt will probably be falling apart after only a few months.As Bitches Get Riches mentioned, fast fashion is not only harder on our wallets, but on the environment, too. It means that not only will we buy clothing more often, but we also discard the things we no longer need. A small amount of that could be recycled, but the majority of it wont.I am actually unsure as to whether this trend directly affects shoes. But even if it doesnt, I would argue the precedence has been set. We simply replace our clothing more often nowadays.So, we should just get rid of our old pairs of shoes, right? At least that is what fast fashion would like us to do. Who cares if they are still perfectly good?After all, there is a brand new fashion trend out there, and you wouldnt want to miss out.What Happened To Patience?All these conveniences are nice, but somewhere along the way, we seem to have lost the heartiness, the grit, the determination, and the unshakable patience of generations before.As a result, we are less willing to deal with the seemingly huge hassle of having to bring our shoes to a repair shop. How long is this going to take? Do I need an appointment? And so on.Indeed, its a bit more of a process than simply going to a store and picking up a brand new pair of shoes. But there is also a very good chance that a new pair of shoes will cost you more.And because we are so used to our modern conveniences, do we really want to deal with the shoe repair shop, even if its cheaper? Probably not.Consumerism What Can We Do About It?I mentioned YouTube videos earlier I think those are a great start. The bottom line here is that I think we need to be sure life skills dont become a lost art. If a button rips o ff of one of your shirts, you should know how to sew it on again.Ive mentioned before that I love thrift stores. I am mentioning them again here because you will inevitably have to replace your worn-out clothing at some point. Eventually, sewing on button wont be good enough. Not only are the prices at thrift stores a fraction of what clothing stores charge, but they go against the whole idea of fast fashion.Instead of buying into the cycle of consumerism, you opt for something much more cost-conscious. Win-win if you ask me.Everyone should know basic cooking skills as well. I took a cooking class last year, and I am slowly teaching myself how to make some basic meals. Even that is better than going to restaurants every day. A recent favorite of mine isarepas.And, of course, dont be afraid to bring your shoes to a repair shop assuming they arent too worn. Yes, that does mean keeping your shoes longer, and you dont get to indulge in new ones all the time.But is that really so import ant? Maybe it is in our consumerist culture, but that is what I am really challenging here. After all, spending more to buy into that culture is not very frugal. For me, that means putting off FI a little bit further.And to me, that isnt worth doing. Hopefully, Im not the only one who feels that way.Consumerism Isnt Bad, ButConsumerism is not inherently bad, but it is if its killing your budget. So, lets start to learn those life skills some of us have been missing.Let us be more patient and not feel the need to walk into a store and replace every item that shows the slightest bit of wear. Dont be afraid to visit your local shoe repair shop if you still have one, of course.I think its time to push back against the cycle of consumerism to which we have been routinely subjected. Lets get to it.This article first appeared on The Frugal Fellow.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say , study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people