Understanding the Diderot Effect (and How To Overcome It)

We buy a new shirt or dress… and immediately begin looking for new shoes to match.
We bring home a new couch… and suddenly the end tables in our living room appear old and shabby, in need of replacement.
We purchase a new car… and soon begin spending money on car washes, more expensive gasoline, or a parking pass.
We move into a new home… and use the occasion to replace our existing bedroom set with a new one.
In each circumstance, the reality is that we already owned enough shoes and our end tables and bedroom furniture worked just fine before. But because something new had been introduced into our lives, we were immediately drawn into a process of spiraling consumption.

via Understanding the Diderot Effect (and How To Overcome It).