I was good last year

Over the past couple of years, I've made a concerted effort to control my spending. I thought it would be hard. It wasn't. That fact alone was a little surprising. It's amazing what you become accustomed too. I was used to buying near whatever I wanted, often on a whim, and usually without giving too much thought to the consequences. Not only did it not seem odd to me, but judging from what I see around me it was probably quite typical. We live in a consumer driven society where an ungodly amount of thought goes into discovering new and innovative ways to separate an increasingly suspicious populace from their hard earned monies and, much as I'd like to believe I'm immune to the effects of advertising, I know at heart I'm not. Still when it comes to apportioning blame for my past profligacy, I'll attribute the lions share of the blame to myself - it's my life after all, and I neither expect nor desire anyone else to take responsibility for it - but I can't help waggle a finger disapprovingly at our capitalistic society. Not that I have any right to condemn it of course, since quite frankly I'm amongst the last people who could suggest a credible alternative (should such exist). But I do wonder that we seem to be encouraged to link our happiness to our possessions, driving people to buy more and more, often beyond their ability to pay for it. Partly this was raised by the latest consumer debt report that announced the average person in Britain is somewhere over £4000 in debt (I believe this figure excludes mortgages, lest you think my halo is looking a little tarnished). Again, I doubt I'm in a position to say whether this is right or wrong. But for what it's worth, I hope everyone has got their £4000's worth of happiness.

As for myself, I've not been a complete angel. I still buy plenty of things for myself, it's just that I try to ask myself first a couple of questions before making any rash purchases. Questions like "do I really need this thing?" or "will I be happier or will my life be any better if I own it?" - simple stuff really, but surprisingly effective. I still can recount a number of not-inexpensive toys that I've purchased for myself since I decided to amend my ways (laptop, ipod, new digital camera, erm... flat in Edinburgh), but I'd argue that these purchases have been made possible ('specially that last one!) by my being more a little more cautious with my spending. And I can also point at a long list of items I don't own because of my newfound prudence. Am I happier as a result? I'm not sure. I'm not terribly good at assessing my own levels of happiness as a general rule of thumb, but I'm certainly not unhappier and I think I'm a little more in control of my life as a result.

On the whole I consider that to be a positive outcome.