Yes, I know some of you will say, I need a LIFE! What the hell am I doing up at 5 (originally 4am!) I should be practicing yoga, but I’ve got a lot on my mind…
The recent correspondence yesterday from the woman that wrote about us doing a ‘disservice’ to our local retailers (I know I’m paraphrasing here) has had me really thinking. It’s so interesting that it is seen in this light given that (as mentioned by a fellow blogger) we are still shopping for everything from housewares to shoes, but this one area is a bit of a sore thumb for some (hey that rhymes!)
The thing I find so fascinating is that we can’t seem to recognize that this very need or want that we’re trying to explore is what got us all into this incredible credit debt in the first place. The need to have more, buy more, live bigger, etc, etc, etc. is not the only reason, but certainly a big part of it. All we are trying to understand is simply WHAT DO WE REALLY NEED & WHAT CAN WE REALLY AFFORD? Is this something any of us in this so called middle class have really had to think about in our lifetime? Can we in fact do it? Can we acknowledge our abundance and be grateful for what is? Look I know this is America…keeping up with the Jone’s, blah, blah, blah…We all say we don’t really do that, but truth be told, we want what’s new, what’s great, what’s hip, you know the rest.
Not a bad thing really. But it’s caused us to avoid what really may be the problem at hand. We don’t know how to say “I CAN’T AFFORD THIS”! Credit cards (and lending institutions) have given us freedom like never before…and it’s biting us in the ass people. My 18 year old (college student) daughter, with 3 part time jobs, has received 3 different offers from credit cards companies – basically ‘giving’ her the chance to buy , buy, buy at 23% interest! (By the way, not something she totally grasps yet). Anyway…not sure of my overall point here, but I’m done standing on my soap box on this one. I think I may actually be tired now. So I can go back to bed for an hour!
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You’re right. We’ve all been spending far too much for far too long, in an attempt to “keep up” with how we are “supposed to be”. And all that spending more than we have is what has caused the credit crunch in the first place. So if this campaign encourages a shift in people attitudes, and makes it (dare I say) “cool” to be frugal, then it’s a worth a shot in my book.
B x
This has so been on my mind as well, Stephanie. Thanks for taking a stab at addressing this further. I’m all for supporting our economy and helping the capitolism world go-round but there has to be a balance which we’ve clearly allowed to get outta whack. This is one of the main ideas that interested me about the TGAAD experiment in the first place. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes including outside commentary.