Ms$.$ Hampton left high school before graduation to take a job as a clerk in a store. Although still a clerk, she has always had steady work and an income sufficient to enable her to marry, buy a home, equip and maintain it in a very comfortable manner, although this has required her to do without many other things $($e$.$g$.,$ children, social$-$recreational activities, etc.$).$ When Ms$.$ Hampton is with other people in an informal group, her chief topic of conversation is the quality and cost of the various articles she has purchased for her home. The reason for Ms$.$ Hampton's chief topic of conversation is: