Several years ago, I read a book Your Money or Your Life, written by Joe Domingguez and Vicki Robin. The major theme of the book is the idea that if you want to cut your spending, you'll have to begin by stopping trying to impress other people. The authors divide people into two groups : people whose opinions you care about, and people whose opinions you don't care about one way or another. It's easy to stop caring about people whose opinions you don't care about. Who cares what they think ? As long as you're not doing something truly immoral ---- something that might potentially create a negative reputation for you ---- it doesn't matter what they think. But shouldn't you impress other people whose opinions you do care about ? Anyway, they are people you want to meet : customers, friends and family. The answer is that you don't need to impress those people with expensive, shiny things. The relationship you've built with them ---- or you're going to build with them ---- is based on you, not on the material items. They'll either like you for you or they won't.  To put it simply, take care of the basics. Keep yourself clean. Keep your weight under control. Wear reasonable clothing. Work on your communication skills. If you have them covered, you don't need to invest time and money in impressing other people. Coming to this realization is incredibly valuable. It drops your clothing budget. It drops your automobile budget. It drops your electronics budget. It drops your housing budget. You don't need a shiny car, an iPhone, or a $50 haircut. Yes , you may actually still want one or two of these things, but the impetus  comes from what your personal values are, not what other people around you seem to value or what marketing messages you receive. For some people, it seems impossible. Their social cues come from advertising-laden media and from friends who also get their cues from advertising-laden media.They believe they need a slick cellphone and $100 casual clothes. Their self-worth revolves around that little burst they get from impressing others. People should learn to break through that situation. In short, don't play socially by the tiring old rules that revolve around needing to impress people. Instead, spend your time on things that bring real value to you and give real value to others. What is the best title for the passage ?
Whose opinions do you care about ? Two different groups of people. My favorite book : Your Money or Your Life Stop trying to impress other people.