(How) Do you differentiate between materialism and an appreciation for the finer things in life?

I don’t know if I’m a materialist or not, but I only believe in the physical, so I think I put more than enough emphasis on working to get materials in my life. I’m still young so who knows how I’ll feel once I get what I want, though.

Materialism is just coveting something for it’s status symbol of owning it. Appreciating the finer things in life is just that…..having a genuine appreciation and respect for the craftmanship, quality and/or comfort of high quality things, food or drink.

I am generally too cheap to spend the money on much of the finer things in life but there are things I will spend money on….razors, undershirts and tailored dress clothes, Egyptian Cotton bed sheets, and coffee.

I’d never separated the two like that. GA!

@Cruiser “tailored dress clothes” That must feel nice, when I’m on that level, I will do the same. No clothing is better than clothing that only fits your body. I’ve only found two companies whose clothes fit me perfectly so I always have to go there.

@Blackberry It doesn’t have to cost you a small fortune to get this. Men’s Warehouse offers decent clothes and has insane sales now and then and includes the cost of tailoring.

I think @Cruiser said it best. If you want expensive things just to show off your expensive things, that’s materialistic. If you can provide a legitimate reason for having those things other than just the status symbol, that’s appreciating the finer things.

This may not be true in all cases but when I see people hoarding things making their houses look like a landfill, that to me is materialism. When I see people collect stuff and put them on display or preserve them lovingly, that’s appreciation for the finer things in life.

I don’t think materialism is limited to being ostentatious with one’s possessions. I’d say it comes down to how much one identifies with or feels defined by one’s possessions. It can be very subtle. I’m reminded of these two from the mockumentary “Best in Show”. They’re not flashing their stuff around, but they just think it’s the most normal thing in the world to be defined by externalities.

Someone who is not materialistic can have a refined sense of what makes this better than that, but won’t feel that his happiness depends on having this rather than that.

When you buy a particular product made by Designer X because you love it and appreciate how well made it is, that’s appreciating the ‘finer’ things. When you buy everything you can buy (down to keyrings and dog collars) because it’s made by Designer X (and obviously so – with a prominent logo, for instance), that’s materialism.

I was going to say I am materialistic because I like stuff, not to show it off or because the neighbor has it, just because I like it. I love my yamaha scooter, I love my washing machine and woodworking tools. But then I read the definition of materialistic and it says:

a person who is markedly more concerned with material things than with spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.

So if we use that definition then I am not totally, all of the above are important to me in varying degrees. But I really do love my stuff!