Im not sure if the psychological tag exactly fits what I want to vent about. This holiday makes me feel like I'm drowning, not because I'm buying crazy amounts of gifts, but every year I watch my SO's family go crazy with gifts to each other. It's become a thing where now they even feel emotional guilt if they feel like they didn't get their family members enough gifts, it's disgusting. My SO literally goes broke (one of the reasons I feel like I'm drowning) every December because they get so worried they didn't get their family members enough gifts, like I get buying them buying their neices and nephews a nice gift, but like 3 gifts each when there's like 12 nieces and nephews! AND getting their 4 siblings multiple gifts, but can't forget their cousins and cousins kids, oh and their parents. Like, where the hell did this mentality come from?! I watched my SOs brother drop like $300 on each one of his 3 kids, and they're all under 6 years old, and btw he is way below the poverty line, like no savings account, horrible credit, student loans, paycheck to paycheck living. The son is like 5 and the action figures at walmart arent good enough for him, he wanted to get like collector quality action figures for this 5 year old! It's like they're brainwashed into thinking gifts equal love. My SOs sister opened lines of credit to pay for all of her gifts, and her and her husband finally payed off all of their cc debt like 3 months ago... just to open more lines of credit. My family is not the greatest at it either, but it's a little more manageable I have 2 nieces and a nephew, but I get them like a quick usually consumable gift, and their parents get the new toys covered. I do appreciate gifts I do get, but I just wish I didn't get anything from my family or my SOs family. I want to disappear during November and December, it's physically and mentally exhausting watching my SO struggle through this holiday because they get so strung out over this dumbass holiday, or what it's become anyway. If you got this far, thanks for reading. I have so much more examples that I would like to throw out there but there is a lot. I felt like I needed to vent this because it's getting extremely difficult this year, even developing some depressive symptoms this time on top of the drowning feeling, I'm tired, boss. 😢

(I have explained how I feel, but it turns into me just accepting that this is just how they operate and I can't change it.)

I don’t use Amazon and got a $30 online Amazon gift card from work through the health insurance wellness benefit program. I was going to ask to have the benefit given to me as actual cash but the email says “Your gift card balance can't be transferred to other accounts, used to buy other gift cards, or, except as required by law, redeemed for cash.” Am I out of luck?

Knowing that the reason we work such long hours for years on end is to afford a bunch of crap we ultimately don’t need and that is going to end up in a landfill polluting this planet?

Don’t get me wrong, I live a very comfortable middle-class life and am fortunate to be able to afford what I need. But that’s just it- we don’t actually need much at all. I am a hardcore minimalist. I fantasize about running away from my responsibilities and living in a small cabin somewhere. I honestly feel bad for the folks trapped in the cycle of consumption, but how do they not see it? It’s so glaringly obvious. My minimalism has been pushed even further after having a kid and all the crap that’s geared to them. Obviously they need clothes and safety items but I got into an argument on a parenting thread about how the baby industry spends millions per year to try and guilt you and make you feel like a bad parent if you don’t buy your kid the latest crappy plastic thing on the market.

How do you cope knowing that everyone else is society is being duped, basically self-enslaved to support their consumerism, and it’s killing our planet?

So as the title states I want to get these new clothes. I KNOW these won't make me happy and in a few days of getting them they're just going to be normal clothes. I recently bought a North Face and I wasn't satisfied with it and now I want to buy more stuff. I'm not like a spoiled person or anything but I will buy in like batches of periods of time like i'll just binge buy and other periods ill go without buying. But can you talk me out of getting these new clothes and how I can stop like buying new clothes in general that i literally know are unncessary but want.

For those of us who haven’t pulled the trigger yet, today is a great day to cancel your Prime membership! Can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner but it’s done now ✌️ #amazonstrike

Right now I have a decent amount of stuff.

My plan is to sell, donate and gift most of the stuff I do have (clothing, tech furniture etc) so that I can buy stuff that is better quality and longer lasting.

I already don't buy much as it is, so this would be a good reset.

Thoughts?

I’m signing on my first apartment and planning to move mid January. I used to live with my ex and his family who were all hoarders.

This is my first opportunity to live alone and it’ll be me and my small dog living in a studio apartment. What are actual necessities? What can I buy cheap? What should I buy full price? I’m honestly really lost and I don’t want to buy stuff that I won’t need. Obviously plates, cups, mugs, silverware, a bed, toilet plunger, idk…

Love you guys 🥰

After being estranged during my youth, I reached out to my dad at 18 years old because I wanted to know him. I'm now 29 wondering if it was better to leave the door closed.

We hit it off at first. But right off the bat he jumped into what seemed like an attempt to spoil me? I justified it by saying he probably does feel guilty and wants to make up for lost time but is not sure how. He constantly showered me with gifts (he is middle-lower class) and I always tried to express my gratitude. But I also let him know frequently the only thing I care about is getting his help to pay for me to visit once per year (we live many states away). His wife would take me aside and say privately 'you really just need to let him do this. Gifting is his love language. Please just let him do this'

As the years went on, he continued to send $600-$1000 worth of gifts each year. Half a dozen guns, gun accessories, archery equipment, kitchen supplies (none of which were wanted or asked for) and never offered to help me plan a visit. In addition to the big ticket items, I have received hundreds of dollars of junk from whatever was on sale at Aldi, Sam's, or Walmart, each year, year after year.

The worst part is, he asks for follow-ups on the gifts. Like, 'why haven't you sent pictures of you shooting the new gun?" And things like that. I told him multiple times I have struggled with depression and suicidal ideation and that gun culture can be a bit overboard for me. He didn't acknowledge the concerns whatsoever. He insists we FaceTime once a year, on Christmas, while I open four huge boxes containing dozens of wrapped gifts, most of which gets donated at this point.

It's been 11 years. And at this point I am filled with resentment. He has made zero effort to have a relationship outside of this gifting. When we talk on the phone he just asks about the stuff he got me. And I am so wracked with guilt and anger that I can't bear interacting with him anymore.

Unfortunately I think it is coming to an ultimatum from me. If he is not going to participate in my wanting to plan visits and spend time together, I want to stop our contact. What do you guys think.

I did search the sub and didn’t see a post about this.* If I hate a product due to their failure to endorse any presidential candidate, despite being a “news” publication, is it better or worse to downvote?

I also know I could wrap my Reddit in a browser to remove ads, but apart from the ads, I like the app and usually ads are easy for me to ignore. Altho I should probably question this. The Reddit app seems faster than using it in my browser though.

I don’t think I should gratuitously report the ad for the product I hate, as low-quality, or should I?

I have been downvoting but I wondered if that’s actually worse than ignoring. It certainly doesn’t stop me from getting the ad again.

I do have the “personalize ads” slider set to on, and the block on alcohol/gambling ads or whatever that other ad choice is in the app, in hopes of avoiding ads that are actually offensive to me. Like the one time there was some hunters’ supplies ad showing a deer and a guy with a bow and arrow, 5 feet away from the deer, in a vegan sub, and I reported that one for violence.

*haha I did search using the app though, and I have found google is better at searching reddit than the reddit app!

EDITING for the 2nd time: I am going to look into other options that remove ads on the app or maybe switch to a browser on my phone or maybe just pay for the app (unlikely).

Basically just the title. I feel like I do really well minimizing my consumption in most other aspects (clothes, trinkets, water, ect), I just have a really bad fast food addiction. Has anybody here been able to kick the habit and if so what helped you the most?

Around 2020 my partner and I started overlocking fancy fabric and using it as wrapping paper. We tell relatives to keep it and pass it on or give it back.

We've not spent money on wrapping paper in 4 years and reduced our Christmas landfill a lot.

I get really happy when someone sends me a gift using a gift bag. Because last year I discovered that unlike gift wrappers which get torn up and thrown away, If they are still in good condition I can reuse the gift bag for someone else! I hope I'm not weird by stockpiling old gift bags lol

Just looking for friendly discussion and opinions here. Nothing too serious.

This came about because of a post from a few days ago and an interaction I had in the comments. I’ve just been thinking about it a lot.

One of the things that brought me over to this sub was my yarn “collection”, aka a stash, and my realization that it was wildly out of hand. I literally do not have room for it but I just kept buying more and more yarn.

There is a running joke in the fiber arts community that buying yarn and making things with it are two separate hobbies, but in all honestly, for a lot of us, it isn’t a joke. It is very real.

I went on a yarn purge a few months ago and I filled 8 tall kitchen garbage bags with yarn I knew I would never use. Mostly 100% acrylic garbage. (I’m not here to debate on whether or not it’s ok to use acrylic. That’s a hot button topic in the community and not trying to bring that drama here, but I will say I have made a personal choice to no longer purchase synthetic fibers.)

So 8 trash bags later and I still have more yarn than I know what to do with. I’m actually planning a round 2 purge to get rid of even more (I’m selling or donating most of it).

And my story is far from uncommon. Most fiber artists know and know of have a large stash. Most are proud of it. Ive read a couple books on knitting that defend a knitters right to a massive stash. And eventually I just looked at mine and thought “what am I doing?”

And it made think. What are we doing, as fiber artists? Why are we hoarding yarn? What purpose does this serve? I almost never “shop my stash” because I never have the right amount of yarn in the right size or color for the project I have in mind. It just sits in plastic totes in my closet to be picked through once every couple of months and then left alone.

But I don’t want to only talk about yarn. I used to collect vpets too. Tamagotchis and other digital pets. And it was so bad. I got into credit card debt because I became a rare hunter. I spent over $200 on a children’s toy from the 90s to import it. And that’s not even close to the absurd thousands of dollars for some of the really rare and sought after models.

Why? It’s a toy. It’s plastic. It’s old. And I had a very modest collection of vpets that I would play on occasion. But I know someone who hand hundreds of them. All in boxes on shelves. Some never even opened. Just. Sitting there. Multiple copies of the same toy just gathering dust in a shelf. It made me mad when I was deep in the copy world. I was mad hoarders kept jacking up the prices of the really cool pets by buying them all and then keeping them hidden away so no one could ever actually play them.

Now I’m just. Baffled and sad.

What’s the point of collecting things? Just to look at them? My husband has a small collection of animate figurines. Together we probably have over a hundred stuffed animals. My other fiber arts supplies are starting to pile up. He has like 8 guitars.

What. Are. We. Doing.

This makes no sense to me. Like I’m actively in it and I feel like I just woke up from a dream. Why do we have all this stuff? Stuff we never touch. Stuff that gathers dust. Stuff that doesn’t even match the decor or the vibes of the house. Just. Stuff.

Where do we draw the line between “fun hobby” and “hoarding problem”? How do we determine what is worthy of collecting and what is a waste of time, money, and resources (I’m looking at you Stanley collectors…”

Anyway. Not necessarily looking for an answer here. Just curious how others feel. Do you give hobbies a free pass? Or do collections also make you scratch your head?

I grew up super poor. I’m talking dirt poor. No electricity at times poor. This led me to crave quantity over quality and avoid ever spending much. I would thrift t shirts rather than buy a nice, quality blouse. Now I’m starting to realize that’s ALSO a waste because I have all these ratty t shirts and not enough nice clothes. I have to wear suits in my profession and I hate the idea of paying so much for a nice suit to be tailored. I’m trying to become more mindful of the types of fabric I wear- but this cost money! Any one else struggle with this? Any tips on how to overcome this?

I am embracing downsizing, reducing purchasing of disposable anything, and giving away stuff I don’t It is surprisingly easy in many ways. But plastic tubs and pill bottles have me stumped. Especially pill bottles. What do you sp with those? I unfortunately take several medications and have 2-3 new orange pill bottles a month. Obviously they can’t be recycled and the labels are hard to get off. Any ideas for reusing? Or places to donate? Is that possible? I reuse a few on my own but have no need for 30+ a year…

Same w plastic tubs like for creams and lotions. They are so sturdy and I buy the biggest size I can buy still have a stockpile of them now.

Really proud of our little Christmas setup!

We have used books wrapped in fabric from a second hand art supply store! Bonus, our Christmas tree is just branches “potted” in dirt, plus a couple decorations from friends or trips, etc.

I could see some folks thinking this looks trashy, and maybe they’re right, but BF and are really happy with it so that’s what counts!

Q

I've been seeing them at least once a week in various subreddits.

These surveys are given with the hope that others will give their time for free so that they can make a profit. They make me feel like a tool. If they want my thoughts, I think they should compensate me or put me into a raffle. Am I too jaded? What do you think?

Edit: I just remembered Youtube will also ask a question between videos! I refuse to answer them.

Without spoiling anything or giving away the plot, it actually leaves me hopeful for the future. Some people in power are actually coming to their senses. Very well made doc about the formula top companies use to exploit us all.

Made and wrapped this for my love <3

For context, I used to work in B2C marketing and specialized in tapping into the psychological part of a consumer’s need and want to purchase/consume. That job is actually the reason I am so anticonsumption now

I’ve always been averse to Temu because of, well, everything it is. I get the argument of “oh not everyone has the monetary luxury to spend x amount of money” but it’s just… too much.

My niece showed me her Temu account today, and there’s a whole games section that functions exactly like what you would see in a casino/ any gambling platform.

They’ve applied every component it takes to get someone hooked. The countdown timers creating a sense of urgency, the bright colours/patterns coded to be little dopamine hits, the constant “wins” from spinning the wheel etc. She only showed me one game but it was insane. Gamifying the experience has always been something that my former company heavily invested in— because it works. So well. Too well. Seeing it work in front of me brought up a lot of difficult feelings. She has strict budgets from mom and dad so she doesn’t go overboard, but she buys weekly, goes on it daily. Apparently that’s a norm for all her friends at school too.

Old corporate me would’ve loved the ingenuity and psych research they’ve put in to have such a large returning client base, but today I am just appalled.

EDIT: Wow I did not expect this post to blow up! THANK YOUUUUU for the helpful comments and DM’s on useful financial literacy resources!! I’m taking my niece skiing this weekend, and am now determined to find out more/figure out a game plan to tackle this.

And to add on more details - she doesn’t have her own CC, it’s a joint card for her to use if she wants to buy lunch/ snacks at school (yes they tap cards at the vending machines), need money for friend activities, or is ever in an emergency situation. Her tablet that looks like an iPad is provided by the school for educational purposes, and although it does have some locks on it, Temu is unfortunately not one of them. I’m hoping once I get more info on this situation I’ll be able to chat with the adults and see if this is something they can propose to the school. I don’t think the adults at school know it’s Temu the kids are playing games on, it literally looks like a cheap stardew valley

Just watching everything that’s used for the ‘Holiday spirit’

I see all the time people making earthen homes, small wood working projects, and other stuff out of recycled materials such as glass, pallets, and more. How does one go and get these materials?