I sometimes am amazed what people can afford these days. I don't even know how a middle-class family can justify paying $1,200 for a TV. Or how people half my age have cars twice as nice as mine. Or how anyone can afford a Starbucks habit. ($4.25 for a latte? You've got to be kidding me!)
But then, I have my own indulgences. I must confess to the occasional facial and pedicure (about twice a year), to too many clothes and too much takeout, to gadgets I could probably live without.
I'm currently jonesing for wireless headphones and a new pair of cowboy boots.
It is hard to avoid desire when temptation is everywhere!
This will be an unpopular comment, so delete me if you wish: An awful lot of Americans are pathetic. We've become a nation of spoiled wimps. Lattes indeed! It's supposed to be a treat,not an item on a to-do list. Throw that in with 64oz Big Gulps and 2500 calorie burgers... It's a far cry from the world that I came up in. I don't think we're improving... But again,that's just me.
I followed Patia over here, I hope you don't mind. . . .
I love articles like this. The last couple years, reducing the amount of money I blow and the amount of stuff I have has been my mission in life. It is really mindblowing how much it piles up. The real devil in the mix, I have found, is TV. The number of ads for you to have stuff, or to see stuff that tickles your fancy, isn't really apparent until you step away from it. I gave up TV a couple years ago, and when I see it now it's really a shock. I still have some big hurdles to clear, but it's getting better. Books and music are my vices; there are certainly worse ones to have.
Patia, I think the difference - and you even said it yourself - is that you consider those things indulgences. It seems like more and more people consider pedicures and lattes an indespensable part of their existence. To me, it's one thing to work hard and occasionally reward yourself with some great new boots or a cool gadget, but it's another to assume that one is entitled to such things. I think you're way too mindful and conscientious to be one of those folks... :)
Mom, Right arm! More thoughts to follow along those same lines (if I ever get enough time to actually write a post about it...)
Chris, Of course I don't mind - welcome! You're on to something about the television ads; I don't see ads and automatically feel like I need those products, and yet I do find my eyes lingering on them when I visit the store. (And I'm sure that's probably just what the advertisers had in mind...)
4 comments:
Good article, thanks for the link.
I sometimes am amazed what people can afford these days. I don't even know how a middle-class family can justify paying $1,200 for a TV. Or how people half my age have cars twice as nice as mine. Or how anyone can afford a Starbucks habit. ($4.25 for a latte? You've got to be kidding me!)
But then, I have my own indulgences. I must confess to the occasional facial and pedicure (about twice a year), to too many clothes and too much takeout, to gadgets I could probably live without.
I'm currently jonesing for wireless headphones and a new pair of cowboy boots.
It is hard to avoid desire when temptation is everywhere!
This will be an unpopular comment, so delete me if you wish:
An awful lot of Americans are pathetic. We've become a nation of spoiled wimps. Lattes indeed! It's supposed to be a treat,not an item on a to-do list. Throw that in with 64oz Big Gulps and 2500 calorie burgers... It's a far cry from the world that I came up in. I don't think we're improving...
But again,that's just me.
I followed Patia over here, I hope you don't mind. . . .
I love articles like this. The last couple years, reducing the amount of money I blow and the amount of stuff I have has been my mission in life. It is really mindblowing how much it piles up. The real devil in the mix, I have found, is TV. The number of ads for you to have stuff, or to see stuff that tickles your fancy, isn't really apparent until you step away from it. I gave up TV a couple years ago, and when I see it now it's really a shock. I still have some big hurdles to clear, but it's getting better. Books and music are my vices; there are certainly worse ones to have.
Patia,
I think the difference - and you even said it yourself - is that you consider those things indulgences. It seems like more and more people consider pedicures and lattes an indespensable part of their existence. To me, it's one thing to work hard and occasionally reward yourself with some great new boots or a cool gadget, but it's another to assume that one is entitled to such things. I think you're way too mindful and conscientious to be one of those folks... :)
Mom,
Right arm! More thoughts to follow along those same lines (if I ever get enough time to actually write a post about it...)
Chris,
Of course I don't mind - welcome! You're on to something about the television ads; I don't see ads and automatically feel like I need those products, and yet I do find my eyes lingering on them when I visit the store. (And I'm sure that's probably just what the advertisers had in mind...)
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