Learn how to stop being materialistic and finally be content with your life!
Are you constantly trying to keep up with the Joneses or on the hunt for the best gadgets to buy?
Do you constantly feel like you’re missing one more piece of clothing or that you need the latest technology every year?
If so, you might be addicted to consumerism and chasing the highs of materialism.
However, if you’ve clicked on this article, you might be aware of that and you might want to make a change.
If you’re looking for tips on how to stop wanting material things all the time and how to live a simple, unmaterialistic life, you’re in the right place!
In this article, you’ll learn exactly how to stop being materialistic and overconsuming in today’s society.
What does being materialistic mean?
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, being materialistic means “believing that having money and possessions is the most important thing in life”.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives a similar definition.
It’s someone who is “overly concerned or preoccupied with material possessions rather than with intellectual or spiritual things”.
In other words, a materialistic person is someone who values material possessions more than other aspects of life.
That person often cares a lot about what others think of them and sees accumulating things as a way of showing their status.
Why are people materialistic? What causes materialism?
Have you ever wondered: “Why am I so materialistic?”.
There are many reasons why people are materialistic, but I think that the main one is the fact that we are constantly comparing ourselves to others.
When we see what other people have, we feel like what we own isn’t good enough.
So we try to find better products and end up wanting and buying new things.
Studies have found that using social media and watching TV regularly also influences materialism.
We see all kinds of ads and shows that suggest that popular, happy people are those with a lot of money and nice things.
That’s why many people become materialistic and end up overconsuming!
Is materialism bad? How does materialism affect a person?
Everyone has their own opinion about whether materialism is bad or not.
However, I think that it can negatively affect a person in a variety of different ways.
When we prioritize stuff in our lives, we tend to spend a lot of money.
And many of us get into debt to purchase things.
Buying things so often also means we have cluttered homes with an overabundance of items in them.
We have way too much stuff, which comes with many drawbacks and can affect how we feel in our homes.
Consumerism is also destroying the planet and harming the environment.
It’s contributing to pollution, the depletion of natural resources, waste, and global warming.
Furthermore, materialism negatively impacts our overall well-being!
Research found that people with materialistic values tend to experience more unpleasant emotions, anxiety, and depression as well as more physical health problems.
They also generally feel less satisfied with their lives.
This is probably because focusing on material things steers our attention away from the things that actually make us happy.
Materialism is even associated with worse academic outcomes and less prosocial interpersonal behavior!
Read more:
How to stop being materialistic? 13 helpful tips to learn how to stop caring about material things
Now, if you’re wondering: how do you detach from materialistic things?
Here are 13 helpful tips to learn how to stop being materialistic!
1. Find the root cause of your discontentment
Most of the time, overconsumption is a coping mechanism.
It’s a way of filling an internal void because something is lacking in our lives.
We are deep down unsatisfied with our lives, so we buy things to make us feel good about ourselves.
We fill that internal void with external things.
However, that high we get from shopping only lasts for a few hours, or at most, a few days.
It then disappears and leaves us dissatisfied all over again.
As a result, we end up buying other things, yet again.
So try to reflect on your life and how happy you are.
Is there something lacking that would make your life so much better?
When I say “lacking”, I of course don’t mean something material.
But are you missing some deep meaningful connections with other people?
Are you lacking a mission or purpose in your life?
What would make you truly happy and fulfilled?
Once you know what makes you feel dissatisfied, it’ll be so much easier for you to address the issue and start pursuing what you truly need in life.
Read more: 11 habits to break to live your best life
2. Realize that you’re buying things with hours of your life
One of the most inspiring simplicity quotes I’ve ever read is:
“When you buy something, you’re not paying money for it. You’re paying with the hours of your life you had to spend earning that money. The difference is that life is one thing money can’t buy. Life only gets shorter, and it is pitiful to waste one’s life and freedom that way.” – José Mujica, Former President of Uruguay, also known as the ‘World’s Poorest President’
I cannot be more true!
Whenever we want to buy new things, remembering this harsh truth is a great way to put things into perspective.
It helps us realize that our lives and time are so much more precious than meaningless material possessions.
We shouldn’t waste them by overconsuming.
Read more: 8 simple tips to maintain minimalism for a clutter-free home
3. Build meaningful relationships
Building meaningful relationships with other people and spending quality time with our loved ones is truly what life is about.
As humans, we are social creatures who crave deep connections with others.
Sharing good moments with other people is priceless!
Loneliness is a tough reality for many people.
So it’s great to remember that no amount of material possessions we accumulate can make us feel less lonely.
We need to feel loved, and the only way to do that is to build meaningful relationships with others.
However, to stop being materialistic, try to stay away from materialistic people.
Instead, spend time with people with the same values as you.
4. Prioritize fulfilling experiences
Instead of always chasing the next best thing to buy, prioritize experiences.
Try new things out or travel somewhere new, even if it’s in the nearby city.
Explore the beauty of this world and what it has to offer.
You don’t have to do extraordinary things to enjoy experiences.
Ask yourself: what would you really love to experience in your life?
And go pursue that.
It can be as little as trying out that new restaurant nearby, or as big as skydiving or traveling to another country.
All those experiences will give you long-lasting fulfillment and will significantly contribute to your happiness.
Thanks to them, you will not feel as tempted to fill the voids in your life with material things.
Read more: 10 minimalist hacks to live a simple life
5. Spend time in nature
Try to spend as much time in nature as you can.
Doing so will ground you and make you more aware of the beauty of our world.
If you do that regularly, you will also become more conscious of the need to protect the planet and help the environment.
And this comes with reducing our consumption of stuff!
Not to mention that admiring the natural world and its beauty is fulfilling in itself.
It might help you be calmer and happier!
6. Find hobbies you love
Whenever you feel bored, don’t go to the mall and shop mindlessly.
Instead, find a few hobbies you genuinely love doing and spend your free time doing those.
If you do something you truly enjoy doing, you won’t even think about shopping or what you should buy.
It will ground you in the present moment and will make you feel like you’re spending your time in a meaningful way.
If you don’t already have a hobby you love, you might find the following posts helpful:
7. Limit the time you spend on social media
One of the best things you can do to stop being materialistic is to stop spending so much time on social media.
Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and all other social media platforms are designed to make you want to buy things and be dissatisfied all the time.
When you scroll through them, you see tons of ads that push you to buy stuff.
You also start comparing yourself to other people, which leaves you thinking their lives are better than yours.
But remember, people only show the best part of their lives online.
They choose what they want others to see.
In reality, their lives are far from perfect.
So try to limit how much time you spend on those apps.
Even better, consider doing a social media detox for a week or a month.
That way, you will not be as bombarded with the cool stuff other people got.
It will help you think less about material things.
Read more: 9 digital minimalism tips to simplify your digital life
8. Volunteer
If you think you are obsessed with material things and always find yourself wanting more, start volunteering in your community.
Find a cause that is close to your heart and that you’d love to support.
It could be anything from bringing food to homeless people, helping elderly people in your town, or volunteering at an animal shelter.
When you volunteer, you become aware that there are things far more important than keeping up with the Joneses and going shopping.
What’s more, you feel that your actions make a positive difference in the world, and you make the lives of people in need easier and less challenging.
You’ll be so much more fulfilled!
9. Set some financial goals
Set some specific financial goals for your life so you have a reason to stop overconsuming and start saving money.
Do you want to bring your family on a vacation abroad?
Do you want to start saving up for your kids’ college?
Or do you plan to buy a house in the next few years?
Decide what you’d like to achieve financially and set a monthly budget to work on those financial goals.
When you know why you should be saving money, you become less tempted to spend it on all kinds of useless things.
You understand that there are things that are more important in your life.
10. Declutter your home
Get into the habit of decluttering your home and getting rid of the excess in your space regularly.
Doing this will give you a dopamine hit, just like the one you get from shopping.
It will also help you become less and less attached to your stuff, and you will start giving less importance to material belongings.
In short, decluttering regularly will help you stop being materialistic.
Another reason why you should reassess what you own and let things go is that you will realize how much stuff you have.
You will understand that you live with an abundance of things, so there is no need to add more.
Read more:
11. Always wait before making a purchase
Commit to always waiting at least for a few days before making a purchase.
During that time, research the object, read reviews, and ask yourself specific questions.
Do you really need it?
Do you already have something similar at home?
How will it improve your life?
Will you still want it in a year?
Be honest with yourself and think about reasons why you shouldn’t buy it.
You might also want to try and do a no-spend challenge.
For a month or even a year, allow yourself to only buy the necessities.
It will reframe how you think about shopping and will help you stop being materialistic.
Read more: 14 life-changing minimalist rules to live by
12. Practice gratitude and notice the simple joys
To avoid being dissatisfied with your life, and as a result, indulging in overconsumption, practice gratitude every day.
Take your journal and write down at least five things you are grateful for.
Even if those things are tiny and seem insignificant, notice that they are good things that make you happier.
Appreciating what you have in your life will help you want less and be happy about it.
Another great way to notice the simple joys in life is to romanticize your daily life.
Try to make the mundane and your everyday routine a bit sweeter and more magical.
When the simplest, most random moments of your life become special, you won’t even think about buying meaningless stuff anymore.
Read more:
13. At the end of your life, all those material possessions won’t matter
Realize that no matter how much you value material possessions right now, none of this will be important at the end of your life.
What will matter is how well you have lived and the memories you’ve made with the people you love.
You won’t even think about all those clothes you’ve accumulated or the phone you’ve used every day.
You can’t take your things with you when you’re no longer here, so there is no point in giving them so much importance!
How to deal with a materialistic person?
If you’re trying to learn how to stop being materialistic and you’re in contact with people who are obsessed with material things, it can be challenging not to feel triggered.
If those people aren’t your loved ones or people you work or live with, my best advice is to simply let them live their lives.
Everyone has their own values, and we cannot change other people, so don’t try to.
Ignore them and do not argue with them.
Just like you are allowed to reject consumerism, other people are allowed to be materialistic.
If those people are close to you and you regularly talk to them, I recommend that you explain to them that you respect their interests.
However, you’re trying to focus on other things and you’re no longer interested in shopping.
Tell them that you love spending time with them, but you’d prefer to do other activities that both of you enjoy.
If you explain your point of view from a place of respect and compassion, they should understand where you’re coming from and be okay with that.
Final thoughts on how to stop being materialistic
I hope you’ve found this article on how to stop being materialistic helpful and that it helped you shift your focus toward things you find more meaningful!
If you want to learn more about how to embrace minimalism and simplicity, you might be interested in the following posts:
- 13 simple tips to develop a minimalist mindset
- 19 easy tips to become a minimalist
- 10 ways to practice minimalism for a clutter-free life
- 7 ways to simplify life and live intentionally
What has made you want to become less materialistic?
Please leave a comment!
Don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends so they can learn how to stop being materialistic and overconsuming as well.
