I once bought a rug.
Days later, I bought new pillows; the old ones didnt match the rug.
That $20 spiraled into hundreds of dollars worth of new stuff.
This is the Diderot Effect in action.
Its a nasty little habit, but knowing how it works can help you stop it in its tracks.
Think about something you own that you just couldnt part with.
Sometimes the stuff we buy is so great it makes us want to buy other great stuff.
In the essay, he talks about receiving a beautiful new dressing gown as a gift.
He loves it, but then he realizes it makes all of his other things look like crap.
So what does he do?
He goes out and buys new things.
First world problems, I know.
But essentially, this is how lifestyle inflation happens.
The problem with the Diderot Effect is that itsmindless consumption.
Simply being aware that this phenomenon exists will probably go a long way toward preventing it.
But over at Becoming Minimalist, writer Joshua Becker has a few other suggestions.
Here are some of my favorite:
Analyze and predict the full cost of future purchases
.
Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status
.
Stop trying to impress others with your stuff and start trying to impress them with your life.
Remind yourself that possessions do not define you
.
Abundance of life is not found in the things that you own.
Your possessions do not define you or your successno matter what marketers will attempt to tell you.
Becker offers additional insight on the Diderot Effect over at his blog.
Check it out at the link below.
Understanding the Diderot Effect (and How To Overcome It)| Becoming Minimalist
