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Souvenirs are a way to signal to your friends & family. People don't buy them because they serve a practical purpose.

• Fernicia 7y ago
  That's precisely the argument he was making... Buying impractical things for social signalling is not characteristic of frugality.
• bandwitch 7y ago
  Not necessarily. To suggest that souvenirs are only used for showing off is pretty cynical. For example, I cannot fathom how people buying fridge magnets use them to let everybody know about their trip. I doubt they buy them with the intention of signaling to their house guests every time the guests look at their fridge. A lot of people buy souvenirs (memorabilia) just for themselves because they evoke nice memories. If the goal was to let everybody know that you went travelling, you can simply post pictures in some social media network.