"Keeping up with the Joneses", baldly stated, is basing your self-worth and well-being on being able to flaunt material wealth to acquaintances and strangers.

"Keeping up with the Joneses", baldly stated, is basing your self-worth and well-being on being able to flaunt material wealth to acquaintances and strangers. Sounds ugly when stated that way, doesn't it? But that's what it is and if that's who you fundamentally are (or, even worse, that's who your spouse/family are) you are well and truly stuck in the trap. To not be in the trap, you need to do the hardest thing in the world: change your personal values. Flaunt your contributions to your community. Base your pride on your professional and personal achievements. Base your mental comfort in building a nest egg that will cover not only your own retirement. Be known for aiding those less fortunate than yourself. Anything else but the empty materialistic charade of "keeping up with the Joneses".