Episode Details

Rita and Shelby start with a simple question: Why do we keep buying the next cool water bottle?

From the crazes of the 1990s to today's Owala cups and whatever comes next, they talk about the endless cycle of buying the thing everyone suddenly needs—until the next thing replaces it. But the conversation quickly grows into something much bigger: consumerism and our ability to buy things we may not actually be able to afford.

Shelby and Rita coin a new phrase: "obtainable consumerism." It started as affordable consumerism, but the guys—or in this case, Shelby and Rita—realize that isn't quite right. In today's world, something can be "obtainable" simply because a bank will let you finance it.

That leads to conversations about seven-year car loans, housing prices, buying things on credit, and what we learned—or didn't learn—from the financial crash of 2008. If you can make the monthly payment, does that mean you can actually afford it?

From trendy water bottles to houses that cost more than we ever imagined, this episode is about the strange relationship we have with wanting things, being able to obtain things, and actually being able to afford them.

What starts with water bottles ends up questioning the entire American consumer cycle.

If you enjoy the conversation, rate the show, follow The Barn Philosopher, and share this episode with someone who has ever said, "I can afford the payment."