Yes, I think our society as a whole is materialistic and very few aren't. It seems like if one person in the neighborhood gets a new car the next person has to go out and get one that's a little bit better. You already see it with our children especially with teenagers as soon as one kid gets their license they have a fancy car and then their friend wants an even better one. Sometimes though I think alot of this competition for materials with kids is dealing more so with the parents trying to beat the next one out.
I have a niece that is constantly remodeling her house and always getting new decor., for what reason I don't know.
Aren't we suppose to have a roof to shelter us, food to feed us and be happy with what we have?
Isn't there an old saying "Less is More"?

Thank you!!! I was feeling lonely!!


For me, if one person has a really nice car or nice house or whatever, I just assume they have different priorities than me. That does not necessarily make them materialistic just because the like nice cars. My priorities are my kids activities. I know alot of people think it is rediculous that I spend so much on them, but it is more important to me than a big house or new furniture (or even a new car, which I only got because it was a necessity ) I always assume the best about people if I have no real reason to think differently. I don't assume that someone is in debt up to their eyeballs just because they have nice things. I usually think "How nice that they have such a good paying job!" I guess I never think about people being materialistic unless it is blatant because I just am not a jealous person by nature.

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~Happiness is a large family~

Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. James 1:19

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24

Who doesn't

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006 &

Organizer of the Coupon Clippers of Tacoma

I think there are plenty of people like you, Happymom. I consider myself one of them on this issue, but there are a lot of people out there that have a lot of credit card debt that makes no sense to me and strange keeping up with the Joneses mentality. Shoot, I have a friend who feels she has to keep up with ME and I think I have a pretty low key life. She feels like she has to keep up with me as far as saving money or something.

And you are right. Just because you have nice things does not mean you are in debt. People assume everybody is in debt and that is not a safe assumption in my opinion.

But, as a WHOLE, I think we are a very materialistic society.

As said by Claire:
"And you are right. Just because you have nice things does not mean you are in debt. People assume everybody is in debt and that is not a safe assumption in my opinion."

Not everybody is in debt, in our situation we pay for our stuff upfront if we don't have the money we just don't make the purchase, I am fortunate enough to say that our stuff is all paid for except for the typical house mortgage.
We have some people we know that do have debt and they still think that they need something better when what they have is really nice to begin with.

As said by Happymom:
"I just am not a jealous person by nature"

We live within our means, I understand were Happymom is coming from when she says that her kids are her #1 priority and we also only get when necessary.

Sadly, yes, I think our society is too materialistic. We're bombarded with messages that tell us to buy what is "new and improved" from every media source.

Great post...ITA!

I was thinking the same thing. It became very clear just how materialistic the west is once I had the chance to live in a developing country.

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Mom to dd (age 9) and ds (age 11)
blogging daily about purpose and personal identity

I think it depends on what area of the country you are living. I live in a rural part of NH...cell phone coverage is limited, a lot of people still have dial-up, the nearest mall is over an hour away, etc. Anyway, generally speaking the people from my area are not materialistic. My community is very family oriented and focuses on "together time" rather than who drives the best car or takes the most vacations.

This past fall we traveled to a more populated area in MA for an outdoor family event, and it was funny to see a lot of the moms trying to walk around in high heels as they assisted their little ones with pony rides and other events. One parent had to bribe his child with cash to get off one of those jumpy castles. A lot of the dads were on cell phones as their kids were waving their hands trying to get attention. The list goes on and on. Seeing this activity made me appreciate my family life and the area I live in , it just seems more wholesome and less stressful.

I love the commercials that actually say, "You deserve this!"

And, the commercial that shows how to check your credit card balance from your cell phone while you're in the electronics store -- so you can buy the biggest TV you have credit for! Then, when you get home, your wife will say, "I love it!"

Marlene