My husband and I keep having the same conversation over and over:
Sam: We need a bigger house
Me: We need to get rid of sh*t in this house
I grew up in a small 2-bed flat with 6 people: me and my bro, my mum and dad, and my grandparents. So naturally, the 3-bed terraced house we live in now, is a castle to me.
However, I do get into the good old spiral, called The Diderot Effect every now and then.
It’s that urge to buy a thing to go with the thing you’ve already got. Like when you buy a new shirt and all of a sudden you realise you haven’t got any bottoms to go with it. So you buy a new pair of jeans, then come to realise that you have no shoes to go with it, so you go ahead and get some. Now this is starting to look great, the only thing is, the jeans lack the correct belt to go with them. (The same applies to a new car, a new house, etc)
These reactive purchases and overconsumption have become known as the Diderot Effect after the famous French philosopher Denis Diderot.
The effect was first described in Diderot's essay "Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown". Here he tells how the gift of a beautiful scarlet dressing gown leads to unexpected results, eventually plunging him into debt. Initially pleased with the gift, Diderot came to rule his new garment. Compared to his elegant new dressing gown, the rest of his possessions began to seem tawdry and he became dissatisfied that they did not live up to the elegance and style of his new possession. He replaced his old straw chair, for example, with an armchair covered in Moroccan leather; his old desk was replaced with an expensive new writing table; his formerly beloved prints were replaced with more costly prints, and so on. "I was an absolute master of my old dressing gown", Diderot writes, "but I have become a slave to my new one… Beware of the contamination of sudden wealth. The poor man may take his ease without thinking of appearances, but the rich man is always under a strain".
Here are a few tips on how to beat The Diderot Effect:
1. Have a shopping list.
Have a shopping list on your phone of the things you actually need to buy and which you don’t have in your existing wardrobe. When you are in the mood for shopping, whizz the list out and stick to it!
2. Buy things that compliment items you already have.
As a Personal Stylist, one of my core values is being mindful about our shopping habits as it can help us consume less. It’s better to maximise on your existing wardrobe before setting off to buy a whole bunch of new things. So, before you do so, do a wardrobe declutter, evaluate your wardrobe and then look for items that compliment the pieces you already have, in doing so you may even discover items of clothing you love but didn’t remember you had. This means you will buy less, but choose well.
3. Set limits for yourself.
Unsubscribe from the brands newsletters - the sales emails are FAR too tempting for anyone. Contact the brands that send you catalogues and opt out of their mailings. Set time outs for your favourite shopping apps on your phone, or better yet - delete them - you can always download them back.
4. Buy one - give one away.
To stop the amount of stuff in your home from growing, every time you buy something - give something away. Bought a new black T-shirt - you aren’t likely to wear the old one now - give it away.
5. Rent clothes.
Here is the list of renting platforms to rent clothes from the top of my head, it’s a great alternative to buying, as it gives you the shot of dopamine, but doesn’t pollute your space.
Rotaro
Becky’s Wardrobe
By Rotation
HURR
Onloan
My Wardrobe HQ
Loanhood
I hope this has been helpful! If you need extra help, but not sure how I can help you with personal styling, book your free consultation here 🤗, no strings attached 😉
Image from Phaidon: People of the Twenty-First Century by Hans Eijkelboom