Origins. [1]“Keeping up with the Joneses” is an idiom, or popular phrase, that refers to the pressure to “keep up” with your neighbor's social status, wealth, or popularity. It refers to the way people constantly compare themselves to a neighbor and strive to accumulate the same material goods.

Its story follows a suburban couple (Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher) who begin to suspect their new neighbors (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) are secret agents.

It's not clear when this expression first appeared but it was popularized by Arthur R "Pop" Momand's Keeping Up With the Joneses comic strip that ran for 26 years from 1913 and was distributed by Associated Newspapers. The Joneses, neighbors of the cartoon's main characters, were never actually seen in the cartoons.

Being “rich” was not a dirty word in those days, but something all wanted to emulate. “Keeping up with the Joneses” was the catch phrase that motivated people to be competitive and do better financially than their neighbors. That was the goal - even if only for show.

That's because when assessing their own wealth, people tend to focus more on debt than they do when estimating others', the researchers demonstrate in a series of experiments. This difference means that someone trying to keep up with the Joneses might need to take on more and more debt.

In her dissertation, Nesterova explores how consumer choices spurred by social comparisons - “keeping up with the Joneses” - encourages conspicuous consumption, which leads to excess borrowing and insufficient saving.

idiom disapproving. to always want to own the same expensive objects and do the same things as your friends or neighbours, because you are worried about seeming less important socially than they are.

March 31, 1913 Keeping Up with the Joneses was an American gag-a-day comic strip by Pop Momand that ran from March 31, 1913 to April 16, 1938. It depicts the McGinis family, Aloysius, Clarice, their daughter Julie, and their housekeeper Bella Donna, who struggle to "keep up" with the lifestyle of their neighbors, the unseen Joneses.

2009 The Joneses is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Derrick Borte, in his directorial debut. It stars Demi Moore, David Duchovny, Amber Heard, and Ben Hollingsworth. It premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2009.

Striving to achieve or own as much as the people around you: “If you want to keep up with the Joneses in this neighborhood, you will have to own at least three cars.” Video Player is loading.

What is meant by the phrase "Keeping up with the Joneses" and how does this concept impact savings habits? It refers to spending money because other people are spending on the same things, and it causes you to have less savings.

SUBSTANCE USE - A teenage girl and teenage boy discuss "getting high" and are seen smoking marijuana. Men and women, as well as teenage boys and girls, are seen drinking, including a teenage girl drinking in excess and causing a drunk driving car accident.

1913 When the phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses” was introduced to the English language in 1913 (thanks to a comic strip that ran for the next 25 years), the idiom became a way to express using the comparison to your neighbor as a benchmark for your social class or the amassing of material goods.

“Keeping up with the Joneses” meaning trying to compete with your neighbors when it comes to things like: appliances, vehicles, yardwork, etc. If your neighbor is bragging about their big-screen TV, so you go out and buy a bigger one, you are “keeping up with the Joneses”.