Shipping to EU, Switzerland
Fast, environmentally friendly shipping with DHL
Free shipping from 45€
Me and Branded Things

Me and Branded Things

Guest contribution by Lalitha

Inner battle of desire, conditioned logic, and hard reality

I hail from a simple ‘middle class’ South Indian family. I was always taught the importance of valuing money and spending it wisely. Throughout my childhood and up until my marriage, I was provided with very good quality products, especially clothes. When I came to Germany right after my marriage, a lot of things dawned on me. Running a household had never been my job and I had to manage our finances somehow. Most of the clothes and kitchen utensils were brought from India, as regarding finances it was a hard phase.

picture of flowers in bloom, with pens like thicket, and beautiful notebook with colour pages

Slowly, after almost 2 years, I became financially stronger and moved to a beautiful city called Aachen. I happened to live in the city centre and often saw a lot of shops with all branded products on display. I always wondered why they were so overpriced. I remember buying a pair of jeans for 5€ in a super sale and a new winter jacket for literally 4€. I loved wearing them and every time someone would ask me where I got the jacket from, the first thing I would say was that it had only cost me 4 euros. I mention this just to give you an idea of how far removed I was from branded products.

However, deep down there was always this desire to own or wear something branded. But my conditioned, logical brain would always ask me why? Why would I want to spend ten times as much on a product that could be bought for much less price and of good quality? I could afford it, yet I was very reluctant. I just could not break open my mental ties and go the the market to swipe my card carefree. I realized; it is not about having enough money.

The joy of breaking open my mental ties

Gradually, our finances in general as a family, further got better and my desire grew stronger for buying some branded products. I started to read about why branded products are more expensive. It was very interesting to know how much detail and design is involved and how these products are curated for a specific market. I always loved to do my own research on anything new to me.

I now had the financial freedom to buy some of the branded products I had been eyeing. First on the list was the Fjällräven Kånken bag. Each time I put the bag in the shopping cart and thought about whether it was really worth buying. I had to work on my beliefs about money and finances and it took some work. Finally, I got the bag for my 30th birthday.

Honestly, it felt liberating from the inside to have bought something expensive. I wore an extra wide smile whenever I carried the bag. It also made me realize how amazing, branded products really are. After that, I bought a few more branded products – wallet, sweater, personal care products, kitchenware, shoes, perfume, etc., some of which were pre-loved!

My transformed relationship with money

It is not that I only buy branded products these days. I only buy things when I need them, and I am also a big fan of pre-loved products. It is not that I want to upgrade my lifestyle to only expensive things, it is that I want to appreciate these few branded products and feel a sense of joy in owning and using them, a state of mind to be okay with spending 100-200€ on a single product occasionally, to learn to enjoy my life now and do a few things that my heart has always wanted! Over the years, I love the way my relationship with money, pre-loved products and brand products has transformed for good. I love how living in Germany has changed my perception on many important things and helped me to discover myself better!

Notebook, Journals and awesome journaling stuff now sale in DanceofChaos

I am Lalitha, a freshly minted graduate in Germany. My newfound love is writing these days. I love reading books and I am very passionate about cooking and baking. Music and coffee help me navigate tough days. I like hiking and cycling. I live in Aachen and I am truly in love with my life.

Me and Branded Things

Don’t miss out!

We regulary publish relevant blog posts about journaling and work life balance.

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Me and Branded Things

SAVE 10% NOW

Subscribe to our shop newsletter and save 10% on your first purchase!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.