It could be that our grandparents knew a thing or two about what was important in life, lifestyle coach Jan Aitken writes.
Around this time of year I always think of my dear old grandmother. If she were still alive it would be coming up to her birthday.
In particular, I was thinking about the old "copper'' (a large washing tub with a space under it to light a fire) in the corner of my grandmother's wash house. She'd fill it with water, light the fire and wait for the water to heat so she could wash the family clothes.
For many, many years she also washed the blankets and linen from Selwyn College, the University of Otago hall of residence. She'd hand-wring the washing out and then dry it all on the outside line: the winter washing must have been hell. When the wash was finished she would have to hand-bail the water out of the copper.
The arrival of the wringer washing machine would have been a godsend for her and although she lived well past the point when fully automatic washing machines were fixtures in most homes, she never ditched her trusty old wringer.
She didn't need a new washing machine, her wringer was in perfect working order, why would she want a new one? She had a very simple attitude and approach to life.
For my grandmother the thing that mattered most was the health and happiness of her family and friends. She didn't need "stuff''.
Sure, as the decades wore on she replaced her coal range with an electric one, she bought a television (you never rang during Coronation St) and she loved her electric blanket.
But she didn't replace things for the sake of it; she didn't need the latest model, she certainly didn't need to get something because someone else had it.
She was truly the most loving, happy and contented person I have ever known.
For our great-grandparents and grandparents the arrival of cars, tractors, electric appliances and all the modern conveniences we take for granted, must have seemed incredible, magical even.
They reduced their workload, freed up their time and generally made life better.
But I wonder about our relationship with appliances and all the other extraneous material goods we purchase to fill up our houses today. Materialism seems to have gone mad.
The holidays in particular have become a time when consumer culture comes out in full force.
The Boxing Day sales attest to that; you only have to watch the news on Boxing Day to see that each year's previous record for electronic transactions keeps being broken.
In the US the annual Black Friday discount shopping spree results in multiple deaths and injuries as consumers are trampled by crowds in stores and shopping malls!
What bargain on Earth can be worth risking your life for?
We've become a society obsessed with acquisition but it's done our mental health no favours, with record levels of stress and status-related anxiety.
To some extent, most of us participate in consumer culture and value material possessions, and that's perfectly fine. But in excess, materialism can take a toll on your wellbeing, quality of life and the environment.
Research has shown that there is no direct correlation between income and happiness. Once our basic needs are met, wealth and goods make very little difference to overall wellbeing and happiness.
The authors of the Worldwatch Institute's 2011 State of Consumption report wrote: "The failure of additional wealth and consumption to help people have satisfying lives may be the most eloquent argument for re-evaluating our current approach to consumption. If the levels of consumption continue at present rates the impact on our water supply, air quality, forests, climate, biological diversity, and human health would be severe.''
But we're encouraged to buy at every turn; with advertising bombarding us on all fronts and banks falling over themselves to extend credit to us, it can be very tempting just to put what we want on the plastic card.
However, buying stuff to make us happy comes with pitfalls. The excitement usually wears off pretty quickly and often a newer version comes along, rendering our beloved purchase old and not quite as thrilling as it first was.
If we buy to "keep up with the Joneses'' or have the latest, we risk getting stuck in an expensive spiral of continuous purchasing with potentially devastating results for our bank accounts and the world around us.
Now I'm certainly not suggesting we all go for a totally spartan lifestyle, I'm not giving up my electric blanket for anyone! But I do wonder if we could be more thoughtful purchasers.
Rather than updating or buying something just because we can, how about walking away and really thinking about why we want it and what having it will mean for our lives.
Could the money be put towards having "an experience'' rather than buying an item? Perhaps towards a holiday, a day trip, a concert, a bungy jump, a helicopter ride; the options are endless.
Do something that can be shared with someone, something that creates memories. The experience and the memory of it will probably last longer than something with a two-year warranty and provide a talking point for years to come.
- Jan Aitken is a Dunedin-based life coach.
For more go to www.fitforlifecoaches.co.nz.
Twitter:@jan-aitken
