Can we look at a cute thing for five minutes without being told to run?
The new color. The limited drop. The collection you apparently need to complete before you have even found somewhere to put the first one.
I would like a minute.
Welcome to Do We Actually Need This?, the corner of Totally The Bomb where we can enjoy cute stuff and still question the sales pitch.
Yes, on this website
We have an entire category called These Things Are Better Than Your Things. The irony has not escaped me.
A fun find can be fun. A useful product can solve an actual problem. And sometimes you just want the ridiculous little thing because it makes you happy. You do not need to present a defense of that purchase to a committee.
But I want room for the other conversation, too. Why this one? Why now? What does it actually cost? And why does opting out sometimes feel like failing to participate?
That is where this hub lives. The sales pressure deserves a closer look. The person enjoying their little treat does not need a lecture from me.
Before the checkout button gets ideas
Here are four questions worth asking when a perfectly ordinary purchase starts acting like an emergency:
- Would I still want it without the countdown? Imagine the exact same thing sitting quietly on a shelf next week. Still interested?
- What am I actually buying? A replacement, something genuinely useful, a bit of joy, or another version of something I already like? There is no prize for pretending those are all the same decision.
- What is the full total? Include shipping, required extras and any recurring charge. If the hypothetical choice is $5 shipping or $15 of stuff you did not want, the extra stuff costs more.
- Can I leave it? You can admire something without owning it. You can also decide you want it after all. The point is getting to make the decision yourself.
Start here
My “No Purchasing Extra Stuff” January
In this December 2019 essay, I called my planned break from buying extras NOPES. A personal reset from the archive, not a rulebook for everybody else’s budget.
Why I don’t give a fig about Valentine’s Day
An older rant about the pressure to buy another gift to prove you love somebody. The gas-station teddy bear did not escape unscathed.
Martha Stewart’s Kmart era will always have my heart
The other side of this conversation: people deserve lovely things at prices they can reach. Questioning consumption should not turn into sneering at somebody else’s taste or budget.
What gets the side-eye
Endless new versions. Collectible pressure. Deals that need a calculator. “Must-haves” that require buying three more things to use the first thing. The idea that every holiday needs a completely new set of stuff.
When we look at a specific offer, the price, terms and claims need receipts. The opinion can have a little attitude.
Sometimes the answer to “Do we actually need this?” will be no. Sometimes it will be, “No, but I want it.” Fair enough. Let’s at least get through the sales pitch before it gets through our wallets.
