Splurging on apparel is a habit that we tend to associate with women. Although some men engage in this form of consumerism, it is mainly women that spend hours at the mall seeing if the latest expensive handbag will match their outfits. This is something that I see in China, and saw back in America. It is likely that this is the norm across the globe.
There are, however, several arenas that lure men into the world of consumerism. Aside from trying to “show out” in order to attract women, technology, video games, fad diets, and other goods attract men to spend our hard-earned money. One of the biggest arenas that we drain our pockets into is the sports arena, and the memorabilia associated with it.
All across America, men spend millions of dollars collectively on sports. Whether it be clothing to represent their favorite team, sports channel subscriptions, or pizza on game day, sports consumerism is a huge business. Money and more importantly, time, are consumed.
Don’t get me wrong: I like sports. I never did become a die-hard fan of any sport, but I enjoy watching boxing and American football here and there. After deciding to invest my time in myself and my own personal development, I’ve found that I just don’t have time for sports.
It’s either spend time and money watching others, or spend time and money on building myself. I’d rather not have a shitty life for a few hours of entertainment, and you shouldn’t either. Spending you twenties and thirties on the couch rooting for players that don’t give a damn about you is no life to me.
Enter YouTuber eatdapussy445. Like many American men, he is a fan of American football and the NFL. Unlike many Americans (at least in my observation), he is a hardcore Philadelphia Eagles fan. This identity is confirmed with the tons of Eagles memorabilia that this YouTuber adorns himself and his room with.
Now, I have no beef with this man. I find many of his videos entertaining, in a sort of degenerate way. He might not be curing cancer or building skyscrapers, but he does provide entertainment value to his subscribers. His habits and crude language are the stuff of YouTube success. He is no PewDiePie, but eatdapussy445 has a sizable following. With monetized videos, he could make a bit of change to save or to invest.
It seems that he takes this money and spends it on more Eagles gear and jack-off lube.
That’s his life, and his choice. At the very least, he is conscious about his weight and working hard to lose it. I commend him for his decision to begin his personal development journey.
Still, it pains me to see so many people throwing their resources into the void of consumerism while letting themselves go. For this reason, I will give one piece of advice to eatdapussy445 and consumers that are in a similar position.
Tax Write-Offs
If you run a YouTube channel or if you have a monetized Web presence, then treat it as a business. Treating it as a business, you can keep track of all of your expenses, using some of them to offset income and lower your taxes.
For instance, a new Eagles jersey could be written off as a business necessity; it’s a prop to help eatdapussy445 stay in “character”. Eagles merchandise could also be reviewed and sold on an affiliate marketing site, by the way.
Taking a business approach can make consumerism pay off for us, even if the payoff is minuscule. An entrepreneurial mindset might not build riches for everyone, but it can help us to keep bit of money in our pockets, even if we like to spend on unnecessary items.
We can still enjoy our lives while bettering ourselves. After all, happiness is the ultimate goal for many. While I am not too thrilled about being a couch potato, it might be the ideal life for others. I respect that, at least a little bit.
Just remember that the small victories can add up, and that the tiniest changes in our lifestyles can lead us down entirely new paths.