Very well said, Oopsminty. At the start I wasn't going to comment on this thread. Quite frankly, initially it made me feel quite sad. But the OP explained that due to feeling down she might have got it wrong. The thread prompted a flood of posts from nice people attempting to justify why they did what they did, spent what they did, or didn't, presumably in an effort not to stand out from anyone else.
How ridiculous. There are so many ways in which we could, if we were feeling down, mean, irritated etc., pick holes in the "doings" of others which are set out on GN - often with humour and real joy on various threads. Why try to discourage posters reporting on aspects of their lives? It will reach a point - as "JenniferEccles" points out - that we'll all be afraid to say anything at all in case it's construed as boasting or wealth signalling. Haven't we already learned enough from the totally ridiculous PC brigade's nonsense?
I would definitely say that I am "a Jones". Not that I want people to keep up with me, but because I'm happy in my own skin and don't mind if anything I do or have is emulated by others. I do my thing. Keeping up with the Jones's is not for me. But I am genuinely interested and happy when others talk about their purchases, their trips, their hobbies, their gardens, their whatever. I'm truly happy for them but never want what they have. If I do ever think "oh how wonderful, wish that was me", then I always tell people that. Envy and jealousy are very ugly traits. Every one of us is different, with different backgrounds, incomes, expenditures, lifestyles and wants and needs. We're all individuals and need to celebrate that, not feel that we have to dumb down or hide aspects of our lifestyles to suit the carping or criticism of others. Work hard for your money, work hard in your lives, shoulder responsibility, raise families and then hopefully get to the stage when you can do things just for you. Surely that's what counts. If not now, when? And you should never have to justify what you do to strangers.
Spread some joy and please don't worry about what others are doing - unless you're going to share in their happiness at being able to do it.