unsubscribe

I'm trying to be less focused on buying/having new things, but temptations abound.  In the newspapers, magazines, emails.  I finally unsubscribed to Groupon and Living Social--bombarded with stuff I don't want.  I signed up hoping I could get some yoga class bargains, but recently the only studios that have advertised are not convenient (so much for focusing only on businesses in my county).  I was so sick of those daily emails for junk--glad to clean that out.

But even when I think about doing more for myself--more house cleaning for example, the WSJ has an article about all the products one should have at hand.  And the newest edition of Real Simple--which I almost bought--had a cover story focused on must-have cleaning products.  I just cleaned my granite countertop and ceramic cooktop with soap and water--works really well.  And all those cleaning products have fumes.

The NYT had an article today about how marketers encourage people to seek the perfect home environment--change/upgrade/update until it's perfect.  But then the article noted that it's unrealistic to expect a house to be everything.  It told the story of a designer who, when a homeowner said he wanted to have a house that would change his life, the designer said it sounded like what he needed was a divorce.  OK, I'm paraphrasing, but the gist is happiness won't come from having a spotless, perfectly decorated house.  But it doesn't keep me from second-guessing my decision not to buy stainless steel appliances, or wanting a new sofa that's neutral instead of red/gold busy, or wanting a new deck that's made out of synthetics instead of warping wood.  Etc.  Not to mention wanting a new car.