Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Must Have?
Okay, maybe I’m a little bit of a contrarian, but it really irks me when I see: 10 must-have kitchen tools or Spring’s must-have miniskirts. I must have food, water, shelter. Love is good. But a Global G-28 chef’s knife? That, I can live without—though I’m sure I would get a lot more use out of it than the Saint Laurent Studded Miniskirt ($2,390).
I remember taking a course about advertising in graduate school, and learning that one of the fathers of modern advertising was Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays. One of Bernays’s great insights was that people are more apt to buy when their insecurities are sparked. Mouthwash sells when people are warned of scary-sounding “halitosis” (bad breath) and when you are on a jam-packed subway car and see a row of ads for Purell, what do you think they are trying to get at?
When I hear “must-have,” I get a little cranky. I’m just like everyone else, I have that triggered response: What is it, what do I need? And then I step back, and think. Really, I need nothing, and I’m not falling for some advertising guy’s attempt to make me feel less-than.
Take a minute to make three columns on a piece of paper. In the first column, write down what you need. In the second column write down the things that aren’t strictly necessary, but are important to you, whether that means fashionable clothes or a stack of books. Finally, in the last column write down the other stuff you tend to buy, the impulse purchases like fancy face creams or silicone muffin trays. Keep this list in mind. Buy the things you need when you need them; take time and contemplate the “wants” before making a purchase, and keep away from the impulse items.
Don’t fall for “must-have” and don’t give into insecurities. You have everything you need… and if you don’t buy anything else, you might just be able to find it all in your overstuffed closet.