Stop Buying Stuff You Don’t Need

If you asked me what my special skills were, I’d answer with two things.

One, I know the flag of pretty much every country in the world (at least 95% of them). 

And two, I’m really good at not buying stuff. 

As much as I’d love to expand on the first point, I’m assuming you’d like to hear more about the second. 

Well, luckily for you, I’m so good at not buying stuff that by the end of this article I won’t just help you resist the urge to buy – I’ll make you feel disgusted when you do (sorry). 

But the only way I can impart this wonderful disgusting feeling onto you is to make you hate yourself just a little bit. 

So, I want to preface this article by saying I might be a little bit meaner than I normally am, but for good reason. Just know this comes from a place of love (and personal experience).

Seriously though, this is going to change the way you spend your money.

The Power of Advertising 

Before I lovingly berate you, I want to remind you that there’s nothing wrong with you for struggling with your purchasing habits. 

I battled this for years, and I still get sucked in today. 

About $360 billion was spent on advertising in the US in 2024.

Most of that $360 billion was spent trying to convince us that we aren’t good enough, that what we have isn’t enough, and that happiness is just one more purchase away. 

The only thing we have to convince ourselves otherwise is our underdeveloped monkey brain that just wants to eat, sleep and reproduce. 

That’s why I need to try and rouse a bit of anger inside of you, because to fight emotions like want, greed and envy, you need something stronger.

In this case, it’s anger and fear (the only things that worked for me). 

So, I could tell you all the crap that you buy is hurting the environment, but you already know that.

I could tell you that the people you buy things to impress don’t even think about you because they’re too busy trying to impress other people themselves, but you know that too. 

And clearly, by clicking on this article, you already know that buying stuff beyond your needs is just cluttering up your mental and physical space to the point of exhaustion. 

But you keep doing it because none of this sparks enough anger or fear to compete with the hundreds of billions spent convincing you to buy more. 

So instead, let me ask you a question…

The Hidden Cost of Buying Stuff 

What could you possibly be buying that makes you happier than space and freedom?

When I talk about space, I mean being at a distance from the things, people and situations that annoy or drain you.

When I talk about freedom, I mean being able to do what you want, when you want, without the need for anyone else’s approval. 

Yet you, somehow, have found something to purchase that’s better than these two things?

So, if that really is the case, please stop reading and email me what that thing is so I can buy it myself. 

If that’s not the case, then it’s time for you to stop underestimating the actual cost of your purchase. 

This is not about present moment you.

This is about future you. 

Buying stuff you don’t need is like stepping on the back of your future self’s shoe whilst they’re walking. 

It’s so annoying, and they absolutely hate your guts for it.

So stop doing it!!!

Every purchase you make needs to be made with your future self in mind.

Not ‘how is my future self going to benefit from this purchase?’.

More like, ‘what is this purchase going to cost my future self?’.

Money, yes. 

Space in my apartment, yes. 

But what if my bad purchasing habits over the course of a couple of years cost my future self the ability to say no at work and kept me trapped doing something that destroyed my will to live?

What if those same bad purchasing habits made me have to rent an apartment I hated, or worse, live with people that I hated?

Suddenly, this purchase in the present doesn’t just cost money and the effort to bring it home and store it. 

It costs an opportunity for my future self to get out of doing something I really don’t want to do. 

Every purchase I make now means less flexibility (and a higher chance of feeling trapped) in the future. 

Does that not scare you?

You might think that sounds a little bit dramatic, I get it. 

But you don’t seem to think it’s dramatic when you buy something because the advertisement told you it’d change your life. 

It does, just not in the way you’re told it will. 

Start Buying According To What You Value 

I’m not a minimalist, I’m just a person who’s identified what I want, and makes purchases (or lack thereof) according to those priorities. 

The fact this isn’t considered ‘normal’ is a testament to the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on advertising. 

I’m not here to tell you to stop buying stuff.

I’m here to tell you to spend your money on the things that are most valuable to you. 

In my world, space and freedom are the absolute pinnacle of what money can buy.

So it only makes sense to save said money, and use it to secure both of those things for my future self. 

There is no alternative for me – and honestly, I can’t really see a world where those things aren’t the top priority for you either.

This is more about aligning your spending habits with the things you already know to be true.

This is about looking at a product for what it is (plastic, colors, shapes) beyond what it’s said to be (life-changing, the thing you need, happiness). 

Go beyond the advertising and realize what you’re buying is just a repackaged piece of crap that’s stopping you from living the life you want to live.

Spending money on crap is easy if you haven’t yet identified what that life is.

But once you do – once you know what really matters – all of those tips and tricks you’re trying to follow to reduce spending will pale in comparison to the fact that you simply don’t even want to spend your money.

Because now you have something far more important to aim for.

Then, when it comes time to buy something, you’ll feel that little bit of anger and fear build up, because now you realize you’re making a trade with future you.

One that almost always leaves them worse off.

Now, that’s a whole other problem to deal with… but at least you’ll have money.

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About the Author: Jack Waters is a former journalist turned creative thinker and writer, on a mission to become better every day and live a more fulfilling life.