(1of4) Blog Crossover: More Of What I Don’t Need
POSTED IN: Blog Posts, Culture
Today myself and a few others are doing a blog-crossover and each examining the issue of consumerism. Here are the other posts in today’s crossover: part 2, part 3, part 4.
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A new mall opened up recently close to us. What caught my attention though wasn’t all with all the trendy new stores or great restaurants. It was the billboard announcing the new shopping destination,
Where Your Wants Become Your Needs
That tagline just floored me. Granted, every shopping mall has the same desire for their shoppers. It just kind of surprised me to see it blatantly advertised in bold 50 point letters.
Consumerism In Culture
The signs of consumerism are all around us. We’re being marketed to by companies at an ever-increasing rate. In 1970 the average American was exposed to about 500 ads a day. Today we’re bombarded by as many as 5,000 a day. Marketers have found a way to use parking stripes, postage stamps, floors, buses – even bathroom stalls – to get their message in front of consumers.
It’s a non-stop blitz of advertising messages. Everywhere we turn we’re saturated with advertising messages trying to get our attention. It seems like the goal of most marketers and advertisers nowadays is to cover every blank space with some kind of brand logo or a promotion or an advertisement.
Jay Walker-Smith, President of the Marketing Firm Yankelovich
What is the goal of advertisers? To try to convince you that you need their product to be happy. Their goal is to transform your wants into needs. With no money down, interest-free same-as-cash loans and easy payment plans you can have whatever you want – even if you don’t really need it.
You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy - Eric Hoffer
Raising Kids In A Consumeristic Culture
So how do we raise our kids in a society where marketers are telling them they need the latest and greatest whatever to be happy? Here are a few ideas.
- LEARN MONEY MANAGEMENT
It becomes increasingly important in today’s culture to raise financially smart children. Teaching them to save their money, live on a budget and not spend more than they have when they’re young will help prepare them to resist the debt-trap when they’re older. - PRACTICE DELAYED GRATIFICATION
Most of what marketers try to sell is the impulse buy. Teaching our children to wait for things they want will help them develop self-control and make wise purchases rather than emotional, impulsive one. - FOCUS ON TRUE NEED
Probably the most important thing we can do with our kids is to teach them about true need around the world. Focusing on the fact that over 25,000 children die poverty-related deaths every day helps put things in perspective and take the edge off of that burning desire to have the latest gadget.
The simple fact of the matter is if we’re going to raise financially-smart, socially-aware children it’s going to be an uphill climb. It goes against the culture that we live in that tells us, If you want it, buy it!
DISCUSS:
By no means do I have this figured out. I battle the monsters of greed and envy in my kids (and myself) every day. I’d love to get some ideas from you.
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December 18, 2008
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[...] and consumerism on our blogs, each from a different perspective. I encourage you to read part one on Brad’s blog, part three on Terrace’s blog, and part four on Zak’s blog. Now, on with the [...]
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December 18, 2008
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[...] Brad Ruggles, Clayton Bell, Terrace Crawford and Zak White have each posted about consumerism on their blogs today in MEGA blog-crossover event! [...]
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December 18, 2008
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This subject always comes up at Christmas time.
Am I going to give my kids stuff for Christmas? Oh you bet!
Am I going to give my wife something really nice? Of course.
You save and stash and then give from your heart and give big! I hate paying the price at Amercian Eagle or AF or Gap but I saved for it and that’s what the kids want so they’ll get it.
You overload your credit cards for stuff because you didn’t plan ahead, ahhh, that makes one a fool.
I think too that guys like us need to be really careful with our need for IPhones, the conferences and all the cool stuff on sale at the conferences. It’s a different kind of materialism but just the same.
OK, y’all can slam me now! HA!
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December 18, 2008
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Raising a child to go against the consumeristic flow…
More theoretically, each my daughters (they’re 3 know, so as they’re able to understand it) about the Gospel and it’s material implications (following Jesus=radical generosity and moving away from self for the sake of others in his name, motivated by the love he gives us).
Practically, as of this year the adults in our family have agreed to not exchange traditional gifts, neither will my wife and I. We’ve made a contribution to an international Christian organization that will help to meet very real needs and alleviate some suffering. Each sibling is doing a different project and that is our gift to every adult on both sides of our family. We will continue to give gifts to each other’s children in the hopes that as they mature and witness our Christmas habits and ask us about them, that they’ll want to do the same.
We’ve also intentionally moved into a low-income neighborhood so that we can live in close contact with people that have real needs every day. My girls will grow up witnessing the interactions of their parents attempting to respond to these needs faithfully and wisely. In addition to this we work for a ministry heavily involved in the 3rd world. We travel back and forth quite a bit. We take the girls for about 3 weeks out of the year. Assuming God has not called us to something different 20 years from now, I can’t imagine how this will help shape their world view.
Because I’ve worked with a short-term missions organization for 7 years now I do know that is helpful to take children (8 and older approximately) on short-term trips with their parents. It offers a great opportunity for discipleship. I have one family in particular in mind whose daughter refuses to go to Disneyland with the family because she wants that vacation money and time to go towards their trip to the Dominican Republic for a short-term mission’s trip. Their son had a birthday party where he asked all of his friends to bring soccer equipment as a gift so that he could send it to his Haitian friend doing soccer ministry in the Dominican Republic among Haitian immigrants. This kind of exposure can really make a difference and transform the hearts of an entire family.
That’s what we’re up to and what I recommend so far. We’ll see how it goes.
Grace, Peace and Merry Christmas
Jeff’s last blog post..Help the Rogers’ Ministry With G.O. by…
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December 19, 2008
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We started teaching our oldest son to save his money beginning around the late 2’s or 3’s – As soon as he started recognizing what money was. He was so excited the first time he saved up enough money to go to Chuck E Cheese. He now has a piggy bank where he saves his money for most of what he wants. We are not the best at making him pay for his stuff or saving to get it, but that’s almost impossible when you have great kids like I do
Nick’s last blog post..TCAG Community Group Christmas Party
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December 19, 2008
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I don’t have kids, but I’ve seen a lot of really good and bad examples. I’ve had to learn to resist the “if I want it buy it” mentality. I remember having a conversation with a 12 year old. I asked how much money she would need to have in her pocket before she would give some of it away. $50? She said no… she couldn’t even buy a sweater for that. It made me sad for her.
(Thanks for stopping by my blog today… it’s my first visit to yours as well)
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December 20, 2008
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Hey Brad! Thanks for the recent comments. I hope you and your family have a great Christmas! Hope this finds you well, and I love the new blog layout.
Many Blessings,
Brad
Brad Gross’s last blog post..Falling Off The Grid A Bit…kind of likin’ it!
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December 20, 2008
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Thanks for dropping by ER – I think Christmas will always be an issue that touches us at a level we aren’t too proud of. Merry Christmas to you and yours, look forward to reading more in 2009…
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December 24, 2008
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Amen Brad…love this piece.
It is amazing isn’t it and when someone points it out it becomes even worse. Driving to grab a cup of coffee this morning it was like all the ads popped up that I had never noticed before.
My wife and I are very lucky and blessed now but several years ago we had to make changes. We were all about what to buy next and the coolest of everything. After a near job loss, we turned to Dave Ramsey and have never looked back. Debt free for 5 years now and no worries even in a bad economy.
Our 5 year old is starting his Junior program and has envelopes for saving, giving and spending and is starting to really get it.
I think the trick is simple. Use cash, cause it hurts more, and act like you want your children to be. If you do it, more than likely your children will. My proudest moment came about 3 weeks ago when my daughter pulled out $2 she had been given from a friend and walked it up to our angel tree at church, without prompting..her idea. She gave it to them and said “there are boys and girls who need this much more than me”…that is when I realized our decisions several years ago were HUGE.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
joseph’s last blog post..Something Is Wrong With This Picture
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March 24, 2009
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[...] Brad Ruggles, Clayton Bell, Terrace Crawford and Zak White have each posted about consumerism on their blogs today in MEGA blog-crossover event! [...]