But What Would I Rather Have?

In this modern (first world) culture, we are inundated with MARKETING messages. Hell, I work in marketing..I get it! Buy more! BUY MORE! BUY BUY BUY!!!

I don't watch proper TV anymore, there are no commercials on Netflix, but I still see the billboards lining the streets, the ads on Facebook. I still get the emails and the sales flyers and all that jazz.

And I have to fight the feelings that those things stir up within me: "What you have is not enough. It is old, and dated, and no longer shiny. You don't need another pair of pants, but you should buy a pair or two anyway."

And it exhausts me.

So I have decided to be prepared for when I see these messages and start to get overwhelmed. A plan to head them off, so to speak. It's called, "But What Would I Rather Have?"

Essentially I have made a list of things I would rather spend my money on. Some of these are relatively inexpensive and simple to get. And some not so much. Some of these aren't even about the money, and are more the moment, the experience, the living life part of living life.

Backpacking through Iceland.
A new bra.
Fancy long-underwear for running.
A "tech" shirt. Also for running.
A trip somewhere fun, for just me and Dude.
Disney World 2015.
Pickling supplies.
Alpacas. (Three boys, named Tuco, Ferris & Hobart Bosworth. In case you were wondering)
A trampoline!
Plants for my garden.
Painting supplies.
A new bike.

Instead of some knee-jerk reaction to a marketing campaign designed just for that, I have these well thought out items ready to pull out of my back pocket when the need arises.

This is a living list, where items will be deleted, or added, or deleted and then added back. And that's cool. And these things are far more important to me than impulse pants.

This also helps when I need to make a decision, because I am honest to goodness no good at that! It's no secret. I'm still having visions of that terrifying wall of toothbrushes.

Shudder.