My Wise Bread post Have Style, Not a Lifestyle was featured on the Discovery Channel’s Planet Green.
Here’s the gist of what I had to say:
The key to resisting the Diderot effect is to have style. Not just any old style, but a particular style. Something nicer than everything else you own isn’t in keeping with your style and that makes it easier to resist: It’s just not you.
Check out the Planet Green’s Watch Out For the Diderot Effect which includes a link to a translation of Diderot’s famous essay.