Consumerism ?

[mongers]

Have you considered a halogen oven?

We're going through a big house renovation/extension at the moment. The missus talks of nothing but pendant light finishes, underfloor hearing and polished concrete floors. I just hope there's a couple of grand left at the end of it for me to buy a ceramic bbq, a decent table football and to upgrade my Sonos system. So pretty consumerist at the moment....

I've not had any experience of those, shall investigate, cheers.

[KRonn]

For the bigger items I usually do some research to decide on what to buy, but I try not to  dig to deep and drive myself nuts. Over the past year or two I bought a new refrigerator, air conditioner, microwave oven, washer and dryer, mattress and recently a new snow blower. All replaced items were ones that I've had for twenty years or more. The old snow blower was from the 1960s, finally started breaking down and was time for a new one.

I usually started on the websites of several appliance dealers, local stores and large stores like Sears. Checked what they had and got ideas on what features I wanted and what I didn't need. I would also check consumer reports sites which were sometimes linked on the same store site. I take consumer reviews on store sites with some skepticism as it seems many times people are inaccurate or don't use the item properly. But the reviews can be helpful if I see any commonality in comments, pro or con.

For food items I'm somewhat picky. I try to use foods with the least amount of processing to them. Probably the items I buy mostly that are more processed are dessert items like cookies, crackers and ice cream. Sometimes for certain things like boxed stuffing when I see the ingredients I stop buying/using them. I often use cheaper priced store brands than brand names, as they're often the same thing anyway.

[mongers]

Still haven't found the right replacement oven, so today I turned the old one upside down and baked with it using the grill element as the heating source to warm the oven space; loaf came out quite well, I shall practice some more things. 

[Ideologue]

You guys use consumerism differently than I do.  I was thinking of something along the lines of Beeb's Apfelboner.

Fwiw, I concur.  Doing product research isn't consumerism.  The generation of greed and envy, as discussed in the Bible, in order to obtain profit, especially regarding goods with the illusory added value of a brand name, is consumerism.

For example--

Making sure a DVD or blu-ray has correct aspect ratio: no consumerism necessarily implicated.
Getting excited about the biannual Criterion sale: some element of consumerism.

[Ideologue]

I'm an early adopter 0.1% top Polish earner gay professional with no kids and a lot of disposable income. Make a guess.

You can invest the money and build an empire.

Why?  No one will inherit in when he's gone.

[Warspite]

I used to be a consumerist, until I moved apartment three times in relatively quick succession. Now I'm always looking for an opportunity to throw stuff away.

[dps]

You can't lust after things similar to those you already have unless they are NEW! AND IMPROVED!

The issue is that many of these IMPROVEMENTS are marginal, designed only to get you to buy more stuff.

This doesn't describe monger's situation.

I think what he's talking about is choice overload.

He mentioned later most of the features he was bothered about were ones he did not need.

But then the question becomes, is his indecision driven by a desire to have the latest, or best, or most prestigious, etc., model; or by him just not knowing what he wants?  The former would be consumerism, the latter wouldn't.

[Josquius]

I wouldnt say it is consumerism so much as growing up poor but i do tend to worry too much about getting the best deal and saving a feew quid. So much so that it can even actually cost me more or i dont buy something for months.
On the other hand i hate shopping so sometimes it just gets the better of me and after worrying for a while i grab something mostly random

[Ideologue]

I can dig that.  For some reason lately I've been buying sodas and shit at gas stations, despite the insane markup, just because I don't want to go to Wal-Mart and be in a place with tons of people.

[Eddie Teach]

I can dig that.  For some reason lately I've been buying sodas and shit at gas stations, despite the insane markup, just because I don't want to go to Wal-Mart and be in a place with tons of people.

Does your gas station have a produce section?

[Martinus]

I shop in online groceries (Polish equivalent of M&S food section) because I can't be arsed to go to a store.

[Iormlund]

I don't spend much on anything. Not even on my hobbies (despite Gabe's schemes).

I do make expensive purchases from time to time, but in general I save quite a bit of money every year.

[CountDeMoney]

I sold my most expensive watch to cover my auto insurance.

[mongers]

I sold my most expensive watch to cover my auto insurance.

But isn't that what expensive watches are for, is that pawnbroking?

[CountDeMoney]

LOL, pawnbroking.  Fuck off.