Stop Buying Stuff You Don't Need

The housing market's hurting, the economy's smarting, yet it's still hard to find a decent parking spot at the mall even though everyone claims to be tightening their purse strings.

Let's face it: We're addicted to spending. Call it "acquisition affliction," "spendaholism," or whatever you want -- shopping is in our blood.

A decade ago in The Overspent American, author Juliet Schor explored the reasons behind our runaway consumerism -- basically, why we want stuff we don't really need. It turns out that not much has changed in the past decade -- or the past century, for that matter.

The Emperor's Overpriced Robe

Schor found that we're fighting against a deep-rooted history of keeping up with the Joneses -- even when the Joneses are ourselves.

Consider the plight of 18th century French philosopher Denis Diderot. (Stay with me, class.) His essay, "Regrets on Parting With My Old Dressing Gown," gave modern-day consumer researchers a pithy way to describe our constant struggle to conform: The "Diderot Effect."

Diderot describes how, after acquiring an elegant new outfit and discarding his dressing gown, suddenly the rest of his surroundings -- his tapestries, his chairs, his bookshelves -- looked shabby compared with the luxuriousness of his new duds. So he upgraded -- everything. Dissatisfaction turned into deep regret, all because of that "imperious scarlet robe."

Furniture discounters and Craigslist weren't around in Diderot's time, but even if they had been, would restraint have won out? Doubtful. Today's hunter-shoppers are a savvy bunch, but so, too, are marketers -- and they're able to identify behavioral buttons that drive us to buy.

Retail Resistance Is Not Futile

How do we resist modern-day scarlet robes -- like the new stainless steel fridge that demands we upgrade our other appliances to match? How do we shake the feeling that mixing generic soda with top-shelf liquor is like serving oil and water on the rocks? Get off the consumer escalator, and learn to combat overspending with a few behavior tweaks.

Schor's prescription to cure hyper consumerism skews toward a larger social change, but much of the book's advice can be tailored to a personal scale. Consider these four ways to curb consumption:

1. Deal With Desire Head-On

It's hard to pine for something you don't even know you're supposed to want. And though it's nearly impossible to avoid acquisition opportunities -- and Madison Avenue's reach -- you can cut down on excessive exposure to temptation by steering clear of shopping malls and sending those catalogs straight to the recycling pile (or removing yourself from the mailing list altogether).

2. Set Spending Rules

When you do see something you absolutely must have, consider setting some rules. Compose concrete rules that address your consumption weaknesses. For example, institute a "no impulse purchases" rule or a one-day waiting period for any unplanned purchase. After you sleep on it, there's a good chance you won't even remember what it was that you needed so badly.

3. Focus on Sufficiency and Sustainability

Back when frozen microwave dinners first hit the supermarket shelves, my mother used to always save the packaged plastic dishes. Who'd consider doing that today? The truth is, the containers aren't designed to last longer than one meal. The disposability mentality has spread to all categories of consumption. Consider the lasting qualities of your purchase: Will it be repairable? Will it fall out of fashion quickly? Then consider the spending domino effect it might trigger: Will it render your existing stereo and computer incompatible? The beauty of buying something meant to last for a long time, Schor writes, is that it becomes a beloved standby, making it harder to unceremoniously discard it.

4. Rethink Your Rituals and Set Limits

Schor recommends decommercializing occasions where the focus is on careless spending. She uses the Secret Santa tradition as a model, in which set spending caps are socially accepted. Try applying spending limits in the same way to gift exchanges with friends and celebrations. At first, you may be met with resistance -- but after a while, fiscal prudence, and creating memories focused on experiences rather than material things, will win admirers and may even inspire a movement to curb consumption well beyond your social circle.

Over the years Fool.com columnist Dayana Yochim has provided her local Salvation Army with armloads of stuff she bought that she didn't need. She now wears an ankle bracelet that screeches whenever she's within 100 yards of a shoe store.