If I had to label my consumer identity, I’d probably call myself a bewildered one. I’m a confused consumer because I at times I will be hasty and buy whatever I want whether it be new shirts, pants, shoes, bags, jewelry, makeup, electronics, food, or decorations for my dorm room. Other times, usually when I’ve spent too much money lately or if I know that I have to make a big purchase soon (like buying textbooks or around the holidays), I will become a penny pincher and hold back on my spending.
As is true of most consumers in America, I have a lot of possessions that I really don’t need. I can live without a lot of the things that I currently own. Earlier this week, my English teacher had each of us in the class find something we own that we don’t really need. This was particularly hard for me to do, considering I feel like I need everything I own! It’s easy to think to yourself that you have things that you can live without but when you have to actually pick one thing out, it’s kind of difficult. I ended up choosing a laptop that I have sitting around, just because I don’t ever use it since I have another one that I do use. This leads me to say that I am a consumer of electronics. I value electronics and their abilities; nonetheless, I carelessly throw them around like they don’t mean anything. That laptop I mentioned before? It doesn’t work. The screen is broken and I’m not able to see anything I do on it, unless I continuously press really hard in the corner of the screen. I’m not about to strain my hand for an hour while I surf the Internet. I did this for about two months before I had to buy another laptop. On top of my broken computer, I have a broken phone. I had my iPhone for ten months before I broke it – record? I value these items, so why do I handle them so carelessly? Is it because I know there’s always more out there? I sure don’t have the money to be buying new phones and laptops all the time, therefore the question remains answer-less to me.
Another important point to bring up is the fact that my broken electronics can actually be fixed and, most likely, for a cheaper price than buying a new whatever-it-is. To me, buying a brand new item is worth more than paying for a used item to get fixed. Wouldn’t you rather pay a little more for something new than just investing more money into something you already bought? Maybe it’s just me. I guess this all goes with saying it depends on the price. I should say that I would rather “pay relatively a little more.” For example, if I were to compare the price of buying a new iPhone and the price of having my screen fixed. The new phone would probably cost somewhere around $200 (haven’t looked into it), and fixing my screen would cost anywhere from $50-100. In this case, I’d go for the screen, not a new phone. On the other hand, to make my point more clear, I bought a brand new laptop instead of having my old one fixed; the reason being that I could buy the new one for the same price (or lower) that it would cost me to fix the other. I wish I could say that if the benefit of saving money outweighs the benefit of having something new, I’d go with saving money; but my thought process isn’t so consistent. It’s all relative to the value I tag to an item.
With these two projects we have done in the class, I’ve used electronics. I wouldn’t consider this a theme with my consumer identity, though. Yes I enjoy my computer, phone, TV, and Xbox, but I don’t only consume technology more than the other guy. I consume just as much as everyone else. I buy the same things as everyone else. This is one reason why labeling my “consumer identity” is hard, because I feel as if I spend my money the same as other people… We all buy the things we need, as well as the things we want.
If I had to change one thing about me as a consumer, I would cut back even more. I understand the importance of saving your money for emergencies and for things that are actually needed to live. For example, my mom recently sold my car when I left for college. She did it for an understandable reason – money was needed to pay back her Parent PLUS loan (case in point – emergency money). Except for me, it is a huge inconvenience since I won’t have a car to get to work when I go home for the summer. This is why I need to save my money now so that I can buy a car soon. That’s just an example, but you see I acknowledge the fact that I need to start conserving. It’s hard to do, though, in our contemporary society because the media makes us feel as if we have to have all these new “things!”
If you haven’t felt the “confused” consumer vibe already, then I’m not sure I did a good job in explaining my consumer identity. I am just as confused about my consuming as I was trying to justify it. It’s hard to pinpoint where you’re at, as an individual, with how you spend your money and where you choose to spend it. I can imagine as I grow older I will be able to find where I am with my consumption – paying my own bills, and being more serious about and aware of money management. Right now, I’m a college student. I’m figuring things out on my own as much as I can. One day, I hope to be a smart consumer and be confident in how I spend or save my money.
) get extremely out of line and buy something super expensive that I know I could have gotten somewhere else cheaper that’s the same thing. I’m not a “label whore” or anything, but it feels good to occasionally treat yourself! 
