Self-control

I just read a statistic that said that we fork out more than 30% of our income on stuff we don't need. Advertisers get us to do it by pushing mental buttons. Here are a few that jumped out at me:
• Status- we buy things that are visible to others in order to impress them.
• Beautify our homes- we get a feeling of identity and worth from our home's appearance but rarely is the "stuff" necessary.
• Entertainment- We buy (or rent) to reduce boredom and generate excitement.
• Gifts- frequently when we buy a gift for others we also purchase something for ourselves (and occasionally spend more on ourselves than the one receiving the gift).
• Quality of life- the product says it will improve our knowledge/ health/ satisfaction/ security/ success.
There are several more of these "justifiers" that advertisers work hard to use to push buttons in our psyche. But really these reasons are nonsense. I’m just challenging all of us to not listen to the lies and question our motives.

 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. - 1 Timothy 6:6-7