An object isn’t born in the store. It is born in the woods (if it is wood), in the mines (if it’s metal), in the depths of the world (in the case of petroleum-based products such as plastics, synthetic textiles and such), or perhaps all three places and more if it’s a combination of materials. It’s born when those natural resources are mined or harvested (at great cost and great cost to the environment), and then hauled to a factory somewhere, a factory that pollutes, inevitably. It’s shaped and shifted into its final form (often in various factories), then shipped to various distribution systems and finally to the retailer.

After you purchase this item from the retailer and pay that cost, think of the other costs you continue to pay:

• We must transport it home, further polluting and consuming and paying.
• If it’s electronic, requires power, which you must pay for. 
• It needs to be maintained - switched on and off, cleaned, oiled, and caution taken not to break it.
• If it’s wood or metal or glass, it might need to be polished. 
• It might break a bit and need repairing.
• We have to store its warranty somewhere, and not forget about that (more mental cycles spent).
• We might have special tools for it, cleaning products, accessories, all of which require space and care and money. 
• It clutters our space, causing distractions and stress.
• We must constantly move it to get to other stuff, to clean, to organize, to paint walls or decorate or remodel.
• We must take it with us if we move, and often if we travel. That’s a ton of trouble and costs.
• If it breaks, we will often take it to be repaired.
• If we have kids or pets, we have to worry about it getting broken, or scold them for not being careful with it.
• If we get used to it, and it breaks, we’ll replace it because we think we need it.
• If it gets old and crotchety, we have the headache of putting up with a less-than-functioning tool.
• If we have too much stuff, it weighs us down emotionally.
• We get attached to our stuff, creating an emotional battle when we consider giving it up (whether we actually give it up or not).
• If we have too much stuff, we live in a cramped space, and don’t have room for our other stuff.
• Too much stuff causes more messes and is harder to clean.
• If we went into debt buying the stuff, we must deal with all the pain and worry of that debt, added to other debt.
• It gives us a false sense of security.
• It reduces the time we have to spend doing things, instead of worrying about, cleaning, maintaining, using, and working to pay for stuff.
• It reduces the quality of the time we do have.
• If you die and leave your stuff, your relatives will have to deal with all of it. A real headache indeed.
• If, goodness forbid, a natural disaster happens, or your home gets burgled, you’ll have to deal with the emotional loss of stuff.

Just remember all of that, when you consider getting an item — even if it’s supposedly free. Nothing is free, when you consider all of the above. Are you ready to deal with the life of that item, and the life you’re going to give up to own it?