Lately I’ve been finding the cultural obsession with “getting things on the cheap” draining.

Whether it’s some tchotchke, an experience, or more often the services of another creative person, for some, the only way to win, or spark joy, is to reduce the value of.

I too was schooled early in the art of bargain hunting and have often felt the rush of adrenalin when my favorite stores have a sale. But I’d be lying if I said that all of the things I came home with were ones that I loved.

 And the thing about love is that it’s directly related to expansion, which goes hand in hand with abundance, the core of true wealth. That’s because when you start making decisions through the lens of is this a fit? Or, do I really love this? Instead of, I got it because it was on sale! Or, I bought it because I could afford it. Your world will change. I know mine has.

We’ve turned sale culture into an art, a kind of fun game. Value is intangible. It’s arbitrary but it’s also emotional and subjective and the energy of trying to get something for nothing, or to convince yourself that something you don’t truly desire is meaningful because the price has been reduced, is not.

Women, more than men, struggle with their value, not feeling their own to be intrinsic. It’s insidious, the desirability of being less, whether it’s weight, age and especially when it comes to being visible. Big britches need not apply.

When it comes to setting fees, sale culture permeates the psyche and shows up in many designer’s negotiations. They’re focused on the getting, on not being screwed over, instead of the level of their service and expanding their creativity. So they end up becoming a magnet for el cheapo. He’s the guy who tries to squeeze them into submission during the negotiation. He’s the one who demands that they prove the value of every selection down to the nickel and dime.

Energetically they’re a perfect match because neither one wants to pay for stuff at full price. Both are operating from scarcity mindset; the false belief that they don’t have enough, will never have enough.

If life at full price costs too much, what is the cost of living on clearance?

Imagine if everyone was taught to have the same amount of energy and zeal for creating a life aligned with their heart’s desire, as they are for getting a deal? What kind of bold, change-making, life-affirming, humanity-moving visions would be unleashed?