To Splurge or Not to Splurge?

So my review yesterday on Bitter is the New Black got me thinking…am I as guilty of materialism as Jen Lancaster? 

I would love to say no.  I wish I could say that I have resisted the temptation to spend an astronomical amount of money on something as ridiculous as a pair of jeans.  I wish I could say that despite living in quite possibly the shallowest city in the world, I have not succumbed to buying something just to be able to “keep up with the Joneses.”  I wish I could say that I freely admire the dozens of Bentley’s I see daily, instead of wishing that I had one as well.  But the truth is that I am guilty of all of these and I believe that the majority of others think along these lines as well. 

Canada is one place where I believe that materialism is not the norm but rather the exception.  I am a Canadian and despite living in Los Angeles for most of my life, when my flight lands in Toronto I feel like I am home.  Why?  Because I am at my happiest there. 

My mom and I took Maya to Toronto last November and we had a fabulous time.  It was so refreshing to be around people who don’t care if you have a Gucci bag or Tory Burch shoes.  As a matter of fact, most of my friends don’t even know who Tory Burch is!  It isn’t that they don’t dress well there, because they do.  They just don’t care about the designer labels.  They don’t obsess about things.  They drive whatever is the most appropriate for battling copious amounts of salt and snow (and you can be sure that doesn’t include a Supercharged Range Rover Sport).  Most of my Canadian friends live in the same house their whole lives and stay in the same jobs for about as long.  They spend cash instead of living on credit and save most of their paycheck.  Their lives are uncomplicated.

Canadians don’t feel the need to fall into the  materialism trap because they are happy just being. I can’t speak for the entire city but the Toronto I know is a good, happy, wholesome place.  People are satisfied with what they have and aren’t trying to obtain the unattainable.  Toronto is also a great place to raise kids.  Unlike, say, Los Angeles where kids walk around with iPhones at age nine and where True Religion is a right, not a luxury.

On our flight back from Toronto, Maya asked the flight attendant for sparkling water.  Yes, my 4-year-old drinks Perrier.  Since I prefer the carbon-particle filled water from my decade old Brita pitcher and Ali basically has an IV of Coke attached to him at all times, Maya obviously learned about sparkling water elsewhere.  I guess preschoolers these days compare their preferred water brands instead of playing kickball.  Normally I would refuse to spend $3 on a glass of Perrier but I figured that since we were on a five-hour flight and drinks were free, why not just indulge her?  And so I did.  Of course she ended up spilling it all over herself and her chair.  And as I crouched beside her in an attempt to dry her beloved Dora backpack I had to wonder, when does a seemingly small splurge turn into something more? 

Am I doing Maya any favors by letting her have things that she shouldn’t have, especially at age four?  Sure, it’s just sparkling water now, but what about in a few years?  Will indulging her now make it harder for her later in life as she comes to expect the finer things but can’t have them?  Will growing up in the heart of Los Angeles turn her into a spoiled brat? 

Am I completely over thinking this?  Probably. But I guess what I’m  wondering is, when does a splurge become too much of a splurge?