i try to placate myself with something from the grocery store i normally wouldn't buy or some cheap art/craft supplies.

OR i buy something and then return it a few days later because i can't live with the guilt of having spent x amount of money.

I'm not sure why the word "consumer" is evil. Even a vegan living off the grid and off the land is a consumer....

Without consumers, would there even be an economy?
Katy
http://fengshuibyfishgirl.com

cutting back your spending temporarily is like a diet fad...it doesn't help anyone in the long run, especially our economy.

we've cut back on buying unnecessary stuff but still enjoy consuming the good stuff!

I actually was hit with this on Monday so I went out and bought cheap sunglasses.

I do think the key is to sate yourself on small things. I find CDs and DVDs good choices. I like to pick up a $10 DVD at Virgin and some cheese and fruit at Whole Foods and enjoy. New nail polish is a good choice too because an at-home mani-pedi takes an evening and is very rewarding.

DrRuby's method is what I follow.

no one running a website like this can legitimately say that they think the word "consumer" is evil.

Bought a house two months ago, and opened a whole pandora's box of buying needs. A very strange sensation considering I rarely shop, and even once went an entire year without buying anything but food and paying utilities/rent.

No, I bought more when things got ugly last year. I was bored of the Depression - it hit my area three years ago.

Now I have a ton of projects that require time and effort.

I think living in a small space has forced us to be pretty economical (impulse buys have no where to go), so mostly I've cut back on groceries. And honestly, I don't miss the food luxuries.

However, I am going on a trip soon and hosting a bridal shower, which gave me an excuse to buy a few things -- a gift for the bride, a new dress for the shower and some replacement sandals for some that looked really shabby when I pulled them out of storage. It felt kind of nice having something new for a change, but now I have a burning desire to hide my credit card.

I satiate my need to shop by shopping online for a whole outfit or room. I fill my shopping cart, check out the total and then I walk away.

I landed my first post-collegiate job in October, and my first real apartment in December so YES! MUST SPEND! MUST BUY THINGS!
This has been dying down a little as I fill my apartment with real furniture.
Try spending just a little at local stores, that 5$ shirt at the consignment shop. Repurpose old things (or free things), set of drawers turned shelves, chair to coffee table, old trunk to compost bin. Or I buy crafty stuff, making my own gift cards/bookshelves/thread organizer/coffee table, saves money and gives me something to do with my time other than SHOP!

i've never been a huge consumer [in American terms], and as circumstances and [good financial] planning have it, we're doing far better right now than a lot of people. so we're spending. not crazy spending, but far more than we might otherwise. new kitchen, new flooring upstairs, putting in a garden. we eat out about once a week and don't mind buying little things like CDs, books, etc. though still, we do go to thrift stores, do use Freecycle and craigslist, do use gift certificates we earn with our credit card. we've always done those things, they were just what we did most of the time. now it's kind of nice to have money and be able to not sweat it so much.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a consumer--in fact, it is essential in every sense of the word. The key is to only consume within reason and within your budget. I love to shop and buy new things, but I have never owed a penny on anything (other than the mortgage that is). I pay every bill 100% the second I get it and I've never taken out a loan (other than the mortgage, which was actually only for 55%). But I buy new books, toys, a special Tchochke, or something else in the nder $200 range all the time. It makes me happy. And in this economy it is critcal to do whatever you can to keep the small, funky independent stores that sell nonessential stuff in business. If everyone only buys what they "need" and what is the cheaest, there will be nothing left but chains and big box stores.

Ditto amt230

I'm off to shop the 25-30% off sale at Horchow.com now...

Like darlingcaro, I'm doing well financially right now. I feel some self-consciousness and guilt about this, though, so I try to keep my shopping minimal for appearances sake. I've always been a bargain shopper, but I'm trying to redirect my spending away from more/cheaper and toward less/local/quality.

So I'm probably spending about as much as I was before last fall, but I'm buying less stuff - organics from the locally-owned health food store instead of larger quantities of conventional produce from Kroger, a $100 pair of sandals from the local boutique instead of clearance-rack shoes and sunglasses from Nordstrom Rack and a bunch of tops from Forever 21. I'd probably shop differently if I were concerned about my job security or imminent retirement, but since I have the luxury of financial security when many others don't, I feel a sense of obligation to try to keep local businesses afloat.

It's taxreturnitis. Check back in September...