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Step #5 Flee From the Monster of Materialism

The insatiable quest for money and possessions is known as materialism or affluenza.

Step #5 in our Keys to Financial Freedom course will expose the monster of materialism and show you how to defeat affluenza.

Signs of Affluenza and How the Monster of Materialism is Capturing Us

Americans were polled in 2000 and 34% of them said shopping was their favorite activity … only 17% listed “being out in nature”
A poll of teenage girls found 93% rated shopping as their favorite activity … fewer than 5% listed “helping others”
Americans spend far more money (23% more) on shoes, jewelry and watches each year than on higher education
In 1986, there were more high schools than shopping centers … Today, shopping centers outnumber high schools by 2 to 1
Another recent study showed that while the average American can identify fewer than 10 types of plants, he or she recognizes hundreds of corporate logos!
Advertising has as its main goal to “fuel the problem”
- Since 1985, advertising directed towards children increased from $100 million to $1.5 billion!
- For the first time in history, children are getting more information from entities trying to sell them something than from family, school or religious organizations
- By the time a teenager receives his high school diploma, he has been exposed to well over 1,000,000 advertisements.
- The advertising industry spends over $500 per person each year trying to sell you “stuff”
- Advertising attempts to throw us off balance emotionally … then promises to fix our problem with a product … this is actually a direct ploy to manipulate us. Do we even recognize it?
Some compulsive buyers … suffering from affluenza, have a form of addiction where shopping gives them a “high” they compare to drug experiences
The problem with addiction to “stuff,” the addict never reaches a point of having “enough”
Only 25% of mall shoppers actually come with a specific product purchase in mind. The rest came “just to shop.”
In 1960, the “self storage” industry was basically non-existent. Today, there are over 30,000 storage facilities as we spend $12 billion per year to store all the “stuff” One of my friends owns several self storage facilities.
She says, with disbelief, “I’m getting rich by people storing stupid stuff for stupid reasons! They’d be much better off just getting rid of it”

Insatiable Thirst for More Money and Possessions Leads to These Symptoms of Affluenza:

Valuing things over people
Resistance to share with others
Loneliness
Anxiety
Waste
Crime
Restless unease
Injustice

Post this to the bathroom mirror!

Building our lives around the goal of acquiring “more stuff” …
Leads to harmful effects on the things of real value in our lives

So, what do we do now?

Get together with someone you know well and identify those specific places in each of your lives where the “Monster of Materialism” may have gained a foothold in your life.

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