keep up with the Joneses
Match neighbors' spending
To keep up with the Joneses is to match your neighbors' or peers' lifestyle and possessions—buying what they buy, displaying similar markers of success.
The phrase implies competitive consumption driven by social anxiety rather than genuine need or desire: They bought a boat just to keep up with the Joneses.
Often used critically to suggest materialism or insecurity about status.
- envyResentful longing for another's
- conspicuous consumptionFlaunting wealth through purchases
- competitionStruggle for supremacy
- peer pressureInfluence from one's equals
- status symbolItem showing rank
brand name · status · comparison · materialism · spending habits · living beyond means · conformity · suburban life · economic inequality · affluence · bigger house · social climbing · nouveau riche · societal expectations · class dynamics · neighbors · middle class · aspiration
keep up with the Jonesescontentment
Peaceful satisfaction with circumstances
count your blessings · live simply · simple living · minimalism · anti-consumerism
keep up with the Jonesesnonconformity
Rejection of prevailing norms
individualism · self-determination · authenticity · inner-directed · be yourself
keep up with the Jonesescontentment
Peaceful satisfaction with circumstances
count your blessings · self-satisfaction · inner peace · gratitude · self-sufficiency