Bankruptcy

Holiday Gifts from the Heart

By Nathalie Martin

Buy it, sack it, take it home.

Wrap it, unwrap it, look for a place to put it.

Clean it, move it, throw it in a land fill.

Sorry, but I hate this time of year.  We make such a huge carbon footprint, not to mention spending a lot of money we don?t necessarily want to spend. But that?s the culture right?   Newsweek magazine?s Dec. 6^th 2010 edition reports that we Americans can?t get over the urge to splurge, and that we have frugality fatigue.  We are reportedly sick and tired of depriving ourselves.  Wow, that was fast.  How long did the frugality movement last?

Just remember that you have to take care of everything you buy, and if you don?t buy with cash, you have to spend your valuable time checking your bank and credit card statements for mistakes.  Forget buying stuff, buy back your life instead.  Your time is the one thing they aren?t making any more.  In fact, why not save yourself and others all that trouble of paying for and caring for a bunch of worthless holiday garbage and give home-made coupons this year, for massages, offers to clean the garage, special home-cooked meals, etc.  They are much more appreciated by everyone except maybe kids.  

After all, we are still in so much debt!  Is it really good news that consumer spending rose for the fifth month in a row, and is now almost at the same level as Fall of 2008 before the crash?    I know people will say this post is bad for the economy and I don?t really care.  Go ahead, be a renegade, be downright un-American.  Stay home and enjoy the view.  You?ll thank yourself in January when the bills come. 

Full post as published by Credit Slips on December 10, 2010 (boomark / email).