Less is More : Losing My Gold Status

Less is More : Losing My Gold Status: It almost makes me sad to say, but I am going to lose my gold card status. If you know what I'm talking about, you may be a Starbucks...

Losing My Gold Status

It almost makes me sad to say, but I am going to lose my gold card status. If you know what I'm talking about, you may be a Starbucks addict, like I used to be. It's kind of a status symbol or cultural icon to go to Starbucks right, and get the white cup with the green symbol, full of caffeine to keep you on track?

Now, I actually have nothing against Starbucks and this post isn't even specifically about them. It's about the reward cards and membership cards that keep us coming back for more. The extras we get in the mail that entice us to consume more. The memberships that gain a type of sentimental status and in a way define us. 

Come on in and get a deal!

Do you realize how much those little cards and coupons and rewards affect your spending? 

I'm beginning to and it is really hard to let go. 

A year ago I remember thinking, "Oh no! I have to get to Starbucks fifteen more times, or get fifteen more drinks by August so I can keep my gold status." Never mind that I didn't really love Starbucks all that much anymore. I didn't want to get the sugar packed, expensive lattes and frappuccinos on a regular basis and their coffee wasn't my favorite anymore. If I buy coffee out I personally prefer Tim Horton's. It's cheaper and I can get a free flavor shot, and most importantly I like the flavor better. But guess what, Tim Horton's doesn't have a rewards card convincing me that I need to come back again and again. I worked hard (ahem...spent a lot of money to get that gold rewards card). 

I did keep my status last year, but this year, forget it. If I don't reach gold status will my heart be broken? Will I lose some status level in life? In some weird sentimental part of my brain it feels that way. But I'm getting over it and being realistic. I don't even love it anymore so why would I worry about my store "status" level. 

I've had the same issue, and I'm sure you have to, with other stores. At one point I was a VS VIP. (Mainly because my husband worked there and we had a good discount). I lost that one last year. It hurt a little.

I loved seeing that I was a long-term member of AAA for my car. I dropped that one because I didn't want to spend the money and my insurance offered the same help. But it stung a little... because I'm no longer an x year member. 

How about professional organizations? I've been a member of the Ohio State Bar Association since I graduated law school. I liked seeing my renewal card with how many years I was a member. I dropped it this year, because without practicing full-time it was too expensive and not worth it. But it stung a little too. 

Think about it. How many times have you received a discount coupon in the mail from a store you frequent or a percentage off that expires at a certain time? It's exciting! Even if you don't really need to buy anything you start rattling through your brain thinking about what you could potentially need to buy because, hey, you've got the discount, might as well take advantage of it right?

If I get a Kohl's 30% off in the mail, you better believe I start thinking about what I could possibly need, even if right before getting the mail I felt content and had nothing on my shopping list. I have a free $10 off at a store that expires today and it's almost driving me nuts thinking about not using it. It's tempting to jump in the car and drive to the mall and see what I can find. 

These rewards cards, memberships, coupons, and discounts for being loyal customers are addicting and cause unnecessary spending and unnecessary accumulation of stuff. Sure you may get a great deal, but if you don't really need it, or necessarily want it, in the first place, guess what? It's not a great deal. 

I'm not saying these cards, memberships, etc. don't have a place. If you really are frequently shopping for things you actually need and get discounts so you save money, go for it. If you take people to coffee for your business, take advantage of free drink offers. If you need a membership for your profession and you actually use it, then by all means carry on. 

However, sit back and analyze your spending habits and be honest with yourself. Are you spending more money on things you do not need just because of the "status" or just because a discount came in the mail? 

Use and control the cards and rewards to your benefit. Don't let the rewards and cards control you. More importantly, don't let them define you. You are not your reward/store status!

Confession: I'm a Card Hoarder

I don't know about you, but I struggle with sentimentality and attaching value to objects big and small. If someone gives me something I feel a strong need to keep it, even if I ultimately don't really even want it. 

The little folded pieces of card stock are the worst for me. I for some reason feel that if someone spent the money on a card for me that I should keep it because it has some sort of sentimental value or at the least I don't want to be wasteful.

Honestly, I don't really understand cards. They are generally a lot of money and people don't even tend to write anything meaningful in them, they just sign their names and rely on the sappy Hallmark/card maker language. 

Don't get me wrong I love getting one that has a message in it and is out of the blue. I also really like when they come in the mail, because getting mail is exciting. 


But why do we feel the need to keep cards? Especially the ones with no special or personalized message? I think it's two-fold:

1. More than likely the person who gave it to us means something to us, so we     automatically give value to the piece of paper; and
2. We don't want to feel wasteful. When I know someone spent $4 on a card I feel pretty bad opening it, reading it, and then throwing it away. It's like throwing away money or a gift and I feel a little guilty. I at least feel like I should reuse the cards for something. (Which I did for awhile and made little jewelry boxes, that's probably why I have so many).

Our recycling tonight is going to look like the card aisle at the grocery store because I finally decided to let go. I had piles of cards stored up in a box in my craft room. Mind you I never took them out and never looked through them, but they were there and it made me feel better because I didn't feel like I was being wasteful. Instead I was being respectful and keeping the lovely cards people had sent me. 


But guess what?

Keeping a pile of cards in a box is still wasteful. It's wasting space both physically and in your head. Also, they can be recycled which actually makes them useful. 


My suggestions for getting rid of cards and deciding if you should keep a few:

*Note: you could just chuck them all and let it go. I chose to keep a few because I do like to have reminders of when people loved on me. 

• Is there a special handwritten note in the card? If my card had a special note in it and was more than a signature then I likely kept it. This actually did not amount to many cards. I got rid of most of the ones that were just signatures. (Except as noted below).

• Is the card from someone you love that is not longer with you. I made piles of my cards that were from grandparents, relatives, or friends that are deceased, even if the card had just a signature. I then decided to keep one card from that person as a reminder of them. Obviously I can remember them without a card but there is just something about seeing their handwriting. 

• I kept cards from people who are really close to me that had meaning. I had notes from when I was away at college that my mom and grandparents sent to me just to lift me up. I kept those because they are good reminders of my support system and that others have my back. I also kept a couple cards from my dad because he doesn't tend to send them and a couple are nice to have. 

• Cards from my spouse. I kept all cards from my husband from when we were dating and once we were married. All of them had a little note to me in them and reminded me of our lives at the time.

If the cards didn't fit in the above categories they went in the recycling. Believe me this greatly reduced what I kept. Our recycling bin is half full with cards.


This, for now, is my form of minimalism. Not getting rid of everything but reducing. I am a sentimental person and I think we could all use reminders of when people sent us notes letting us know they are thinking about us. Re-reading old notes can really brighten a bad day. The cards I decided to keep do have real value to me. It's up to you to decide which ones really have value to you. 

If you decide to not keep any, it's not a bad thing. Minimalism is about finding your own path and what works for you. It's about changing your mindset to be less controlled by objects. It doesn't mean you get rid of everything, but it does mean you honestly assess what you have and what you really need.