Then it is good enough for me.

What is it, you may ask?  It is living in a palace.  The Queen (of England, of course!), who is one of the richest people in the world, lives with old relics from the past.  She does not redecorate every time the styles change.  Her decorations are constant.

Even when the Queen does redecorate, it is more about replacing worn pieces rather than changing her style.  She may replace worn curtains with new ones that match what is being replaced or replace a worn rug with an exact replica.

If we could adopt this way of decorating, think of how much money we would save over a lifetime.  If we picked a style and stuck with it, only replacing items when they are worn out, we would not have to buy new furnishings very often.

One day a friend and I were considering this concept.  What makes us buy a new bedcover when there is nothing wrong with the old one?  Or why do we change out the curtains when the old curtains are fine?  It is as if we have a need to spend money.

I am sure a sociologist could tell us why in human nature we much constantly update our surroundings.   I understand why the Queen doesn’t change the palace decor each new season.  I also realize her new curtains costs millions of dollars to replace and that it can take 40 people to put a new rug in place.

Maybe the answer is that we do because we can.  Or maybe it is because we like to be surrounded by pretty things, and our definition of pretty things changes as styles change.  I would hate to think I would be stuck with avocado green shag carpet for the rest of my life!

It has been on my mind as to why we spend money in this way as well as why we buy things we really don’t need.  Is it the American dream?  Is it keeping up with the Joneses?  Is it boredom?

I don’t have the answer, but I do know that the next time I decide to redecorate, I may decide to pretend I am the Queen!!