Wanting nice things is fine. Needing them to feel like somebody isn’t.

Liking good things is not a character problem and nobody needs to apologize for wanting them. The trouble starts when an object is carrying your standing, because then it has to keep being replaced: the shoes work for a season, then the next thing is required, and the actual shortage never gets touched.

Use one question at the till: would I still want this if nobody I know would ever see it. Sometimes the answer is yes and you should buy it. When the answer is no, you have learned what you were actually shopping for.