For This House
Your haven for home & heart
Your haven for home & heart
A friend came over the other day wearing a graphic tee that read, “If it’s on sale, I need it.”
I don’t know about you, but in my household we are notorious deal shoppers. I will generally buy something on sale even if it’s not exactly what I need just to save a few bucks. Every birthday that passes, I feel like I’m getting better at saying no to the sale and actually buying what I need, but I definitely love hunting down a great deal.
Interestingly, BBC published an article a few years back relating the act of sale shopping to getting a high just like other common addictions:
Can you relate? I know I feel that!
The introduction of Marketplace to the Facebook platform is probably what has done me in. Not only does it force you to clear the notification there when you open the app (unread notifications are my nemesis) but it has created such a slick way for buying and selling locally while eliminating that sketchy feeling of a Craigslist meetup (remember those days?).
My real weakness is upgrading the furniture and decor around my home. I find full price home furnishings to just be priced ridiculously, when I can buy something someone else lightly loved for less than half the cost when they’re sick of it or upgrading to the next new thing. I am perfectly happy with their hand-me-downs.
Along with that though, I’m constantly on the hunt for things I don’t even know I’m looking for, or things I definitely don’t need. I’m letting this constant search for bigger and better things take up so much space in my life, where more fruitful practices could live.
I think the “high” I feel from buying something on Marketplace is equally matched by the feeling of selling something, so at least those can go hand in hand for my pocketbook’s sake, but what about the toll on my contentment and happiness?
As I’ve been reflecting on this habit I’ve developed, here are my takeaways:
✅ Saving money, making a dollar go further, and staying within our budget is good.
✅ Shopping sustainably and giving material items a second life (thrifting) is good.
❌ Constantly seeking joy in upgrading or swapping items around my home is not good.
Notice I didn’t say that constantly shopping is an issue, I know for those with kids growing out of clothes, home remodels, and general wear and tear on things we own it is hard to stop buying things entirely. Those things are necessary, and often important to find deals on for staying within a budget.
I’m talking about the act of seeking joy and happiness through new material items and how that robs us of everyday contentment. Do you struggle with that, like me?
I’m challenging myself more these days with a few clarifying questions before making a decision to buy:
I won’t stop shopping the deals to be had through Marketplace and thrift stores altogether. I’ll use these perspective-changing questions to guide my purchase decisions however.
Thrifting and deal shopping brings me joy because it’s a sustainable habit, allows me to find unique items, and also saves me money. But I will think more deeply about why I choose to make a purchase. Not for emotional, joy-seeking reasons, but out of necessity only. Because my joy comes from the Lord—not from material possessions.
Lord, forgive me for the times I have sought fulfillment in material possessions and the thrill of finding bargains rather than finding satisfaction in You.
Help me to remember that my worth and identity are not defined by what I own or the deals I find, but by Your unconditional love for me. Teach me to seek contentment not in the accumulation of things, but in the richness of my relationships with You and with others.
Grant me the strength to resist the temptations of consumerism and to find joy in simplicity and gratitude.
Lord, help me to discern between my needs and wants, and to prioritize what truly matters in Your eyes.
As I surrender my desires for material gain and fleeting pleasures, fill my heart with Your love and peace, that I may find happiness and contentment in You alone.
Amen.
