The Money Lie: Consumerism’s Empty Promise

My wife and I are beginning to start the process of buying a house for the first time. For better or for worse, we have become regular viewers of HGTV’s line of television shows that target would-be home consumers just like us. There’s “Fixer Upper,” “Flip or Flop,” “Property Brothers,” “Love It or List It,” and…boy, could I go on. On the one hand these shows give us an interesting entre into what’s possible when it comes to buying and renovating a house. They may expand our vision so we don’t get stuck on things like existing wallpaper, old carpet, or hideous paint color. But, as I’ve come to understand the (very predictable) arc of these shows, I’m also struck by their danger. They’re basically “Keeping Up with the Joneses” on steroids.