What's the Point in Acquiring More Stuff?

Consumerism. This urge to amass junk has been rolling in my head, as a concept and an ugly one, and one that, in light of the recent season, call it Christmas, and my own urge to amass, seems pointless. The urge to amass junk is pointless. I think there are a number of nice to haves, like a good tie, and a good suit jacket, as well as a nice pair of shoes that take care of my feet so my feet will take care of me but beyond the basics, the list I just started does not quite cover, admittedly, why get all that crap?

The reason for this post, what drove me to it, was the connection between that thought-ball and this: when I type in a search for an amazon.com coupon, there are now hundreds of sites with endless lists of all the super duper specials to be taken advantage of, provided I buy a certain brand at a certain dollar amount, I could get it shipped free!!! It's enough to make me hit Buy Confirm I Agree at least 20 times before I come to my senses!

I've often wondered what I would do with more money than I need. I'm not at that stage yet, and probably won't be, we just got a light we can't really afford-- to make matters worse, we already have a light where the new light will go. Why replace it? The new one looks better. Anyway, I digress from this all-too-essential question: if I had more money than I need, what would I do with it? I've taken to looking at the very rich's clothing over the last... more than two years. I wonder to myself, is that clothing really amazing, or is it just clothes that have a higher price tag, sold at that price because the store can, but in reality the clothing itself isn't that much better than what I can get now? I've decided it depends on the definition of having more money than one needs.

Need in today's life is a subjective word. Do I need expensive shoes? I say yes, because my feet need to be not in pain. How expensive? Enough so that they're not in pain, and so far $100 a pair seems to cover it. More than that, and I call it extravagant. Ok more than $150 then, but not more than that. However, let's go to televisions. I have a CRT TV 19 inches or so, in my living room and it is sufficient. I can get DVDs, video, and PlayStation 2 to work on it. My needs are met. However, I'm slowly being brainwashed and will eventually 'need' a nice, new, not more than 26", or.. well, possibly 32" flat screen LCD high definition TV. I even saw one on craigslist for less than what they want in stores, second hand from some other bloke. How's that for savvy. The price was still $500, though. Once I decide I 'need' the flat screen, my need level just went up, and the end goal of having more than what I need was pushed back just a little. Compound that with furniture, decor, appliance, automobile, and vacation needs, and what I 'need' suddenly becomes more of the pie, leaving less for 'above need.' My next camera will be a large lens like the Rebel or something.

Cheers.