To refuse to pay current prices?

[Blusteryskies]

I'm probably unreasonable for asking such a question, but has anyone else reached the point where they just won't buy things anymore even though they can afford to? I no longer see the point of buying things. Clothes, meals out, house items etc. Everything seems so overpriced and quality no longer correlates with price. I've decided I literally don't need to buy anything. I have enough clothes to last me years, furniture, homewares etc. Unless something dies, I won't be replacing it. Why do we need new clothes because someone has decided style has shifted massively in the past few years? Interiors likewise. I'm stating the bleeding obvious, but it all just feels like a con to fleece us out of our money and now brands are ever increasing their prices and their profit margins. I'm just fed up of it, and no longer feel like it's worth participating in mass consumerism. It's a never ending cycle of pointless, unfullfilling consumption.

I love clothes. But I don’t mean I love fashion, whatever that is!

I think this is the key to avoiding rampant consumerism in clothing. Some of my clothes are decades old and honestly, they’re lovely and draw compliments. I don’t buy much but what I do buy falls not 3 categories: rarely bought quite expensive stuff, duplicates of these things (once I know they work for me) off eBay and finds in charity shops. I got a beautiful Max Mara cashmere coat off eBay for 75 quid….new with the label still on! I get cashmere jumpers (new) there too. I have a fabulous, practical Barbour quiltEd black jacket for £15 from Oxfam which is so useful for walks.

I look after my clothes. Nothing wears out clothes like washing them so I’ll often change the minute I get home and always wear a layer under sweaters so I can get several wears out of them before washing. Hasten to add…I’m very hygienic and not smelly, but we quite honestly, if all you’ve done is walk around some streets or sit in someone’s living room in smart clothes, why would you need to wash them?

I was looking at all the Halloween and seasonal decorations in shops. We have younger kids so have a Halloween box to decorate the door etc. It's two shoe boxes type size

But where do people store of this seasonal stuff? Autumn door wreaths, cushions, blankets, bedding? I can't imagine boxing up all of that and getting it out every year. But people must?

The problem is prices are rising because of the very high base costs. Retailers by and large aren’t making loads - once you factor in staffing, NI, utilities etc. it’s a vicious circle because people question the value and stop buying which in turn will mean businesses close and more uncertainty. I think the biggest mistake labour has made were the NI reforms. It’s hit so many sectors.

I digress, but is that why she has those nails? Is it the Nosferatu version?

I feel a bit like this but I think it's always been a thing that as you get older you have enough stuff and are less impulsive. Agree that cost will be accelerating this.

I have been completely priced out of coffee when out though. I used to buy a flat white every morning at the station when it was £2, just can't enjoy it for £4.

I agree that nobody needs a bunch of flowers, but they can bring immense pleasure and brighten up the house. I wouldn’t spend much on flowers for myself, maybe £1 bunch of daffodils or a £4 bunch of tulips. However, I would and do spend money on nice flowers for other people.

It's had an impact, but tbh this was also happening before the NI increase too. In terms of pure staffing costs, multiple governments of all parties having seen raising NMW as a free lunch has had a bigger impact.

But imho the wider structural factors are the bigger cause. The number of workers is smaller than it was a few years back and we have a lot of sectors that got used to a surplus of labour that didn't have better options. They can't necessarily keep functioning once that no longer exists.

Maybe in a few boxes in their garage, loft or cupboard near their Christmas decorations/ garden cushions/summer/winter clothes.

The economy doesn't Work how you think it does.

We’ve peaked with dental charges. We have no NHS dentists in our area, it’s a county-wide problem. My DH recently had treatment (filling, not cosmetic) in Spain for a fraction of what the UK dentist was charging, seriously, hundreds of pounds saved. Highly recommended local practice. DH says it’s the most positive dental experience he’s ever had, and has vowed never to go back to a UK dentist.

Pensioners only have one or two people to feed and generally don’t need to buy all the extra snacks etc that a family require, so can afford to buy some of their food at Booths.

.Well I haven’t spent a cent today and I have had a lovely day. I went to the beach after working this morning, and it was glorious and free (I am not in the UK). But I was thinking about this thread and it’s all a bit joyless to me. If I have money, I am not going to deprive myself of things that give me pleasure. The beach is free, but my experience was enhanced by my fancy sand free beach towel Not cheap, but five years old and still like new). I also enjoyed my new kindle ( my old one has gone walkabout). I had new thongs/flip flops that I got for a quid in Primark on my hold in the UK), some new sun cream that is much nicer to use than my usual budget stuff, and a new beach bag that my husband brought back from a work trip last week. All this stuff costs money and gives me pleasure. The beach would still have been good with a library book and an old towel, but if I buy nice things that I can afford and use them , I will. Life is too short to wear a hair shirt, unless you have to of course.

I have a phrase I deploy regularly: I can afford it - I'm just not willing to pay that for it.

Yep. We used to go a lot to the chain type places if we were out and about in town for a quick, easy lunch with the kids but as it’s got more and more expensive we’ve switched to grabbing something we can picnic on and having a stop in one of the city parks for lunch if it’s nice weather or popping into Greggs or having late breakfast/early lunch at Wetherspoons and getting a meal deal if we just want something quick & easy. Keeps it to around £25 for the four of us and while it’s far from amazing food I don’t really think the chain pizza and pasta places are that much better for being significantly more expensive. I don’t resent £15-25 for the convenience but I do resent £70-100.

Yes, although I don’t think this is new…I think that at a certain point in life you hit this feeling, possibly correlated with having enough. I’m 42, I feel like this but my 30 something friend still gets excited about clothes buying and I can remember feeling like that, it just feels very alien to me now.

I read we spend our lives wanting stuff but not being able to afford it, then getting what we want and then slowly getting rid of the stuff.

I've always been like that, the sofa I'm sitting on is heading towards 25 years old as are our dining room table and chairs (and they were only from Ikea originally). Some of our furniture is hand me downs from back then too.

I trim my own hair, don't wear make up and buy most of my clothes when i go to Primark a couple of times a year. But then we go on numerous holidays every year and that's where we choose to spend our money. To me those are worth paying for.

I think that’s more than is typical for live theatre though, due to it being new and with a star as the only cast member. We recently got some amazing grand circle seats for the Hamilton tour for under £70 a person and the cheap seats were around £20. I’ve booked to take kids to A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong and it was £85 each for central stall seats which were I think just under top tier. There are lots of things available for £50 and under a seat too (even in reasonable seats).

We have given up on meals out and clothes are now replaced when old ones wear out.

I bought a tweed jacket last week for a fiver in a charity shop, it would have been probably £200. I had looked at cheap versions on the High street and they were not good enough. I’m also not keen on clutter but did spot a piece of hand blown glass from a small workshop that’s near where I grew up and bought it for £2. Checked online and these small bottles retail for £150.

I buy second hand or in sales. We inherited some of our furniture and have also had pieces made for us which is quite expensive but it’s worth it for the craftsmanship.

@CoffeeCantata I bought a lovely new cashmere jumper all labels attached for a quid. Not my favourite colour but too good to not buy.

Touched a nerve I guess 😬 to the point you’re having to put words in my mouth. At what point did I say I think I’m superior? I said I find it funny that people are so drawn in by what some rich designer has decided they should wear for that season. It’s totally meaningless, and just a way to make people spend yet more money. This whole baggy jean thing at the moment is dreadful. No one is pulling it off.

I had a massive thorough decluttering during lockdown and put all extra toiletries in a huge ikea plastic box in the shed. I'm still working my way through it. I did the same thing with cleaning stuff, still going through it. I still have about 20 bars of soap and 10 full bottles of shampoo. And more moisturiser, conditioner, body lotion than I'll ever get through.

I'd got into the habit of buying things without checking what we already had.

Just realised we have only 2 new pieces of furniture - a single bed and a kitchen table. All the rest is hand-me-down, off eBay, junk/antique shops or recycling centre stuff.

I’m not trying to compete here!😂 You’ve just made me realise this. Old furniture is much better quality - it’s solid wood, for a start.

I’m no saint- I’m as prone to covetousness as the next person. But I don’t ever ‘go proper shopping’ , as in actually walk through shops where nice new things are displayed. I just like visiting old houses and museums and then trying to find similar items in second hand shops for my own house.

YANBU but I've always had this mindset - I'm not one for keeping up with the Joneses.

No I’m still buying loads of useless shite I don’t need.