A few weeks ago, Undercover Grandmutha told me that she went to one of those members only bulk discount giants and spent over $300 on her Oh Shit, We’re Gonna Die stash. She and my dad promptly drove it to a remote facility in the middle of nowhere. She didn’t tell me that she’s begun construction on an underground bunker, but I’m sure it’s only because if she told me, then she’d have to kill me.
I’d love to think that this economy downturn dark cloud is just a phase. Perhaps it’s just the election year that makes people cautious, or so SpyDad likes to tell me. I won’t deny that I just wish I could reach through the TV and strangle the national news anchor reporter that predicts that we’ll be dealing with $10/gallon gas this summer. As the dollar grows weaker, stuff gets more expensive. I get it.
When will it stop? How do we/I make it stop?
Maybe the question I need to ask is “When did it start?” I’ll admit that I am a child of the Gimme generation. My parents rarely obliged, but my friends were always getting the latest and greatest (insert something here). I think it’s grown progressively worse as my generation started having kids. They have more than they know what to do with. But at what price? China is becoming a powerhouse, and the United States is suffering. Our jobs are being handed out to the lowest bidder. The rich keep getting richer, and the poor keep getting poorer. Yet we keep buying crap we don’t need because the generation before us and the one before that had nothing. I think that our number is about up with that respect. Do you really think you can maintain spending and filling up at the pump at $180 a pop? SpyDad is already there at $100 a fill-up every three days. It hurts. It hurts really bad.
So, although I don’t have any answers as to when it will stop, I do have some theories as to how we can make it stop. When you shop, do you ever pick something up to look at its place of origin? It’s rather eye opening. I’ve know for awhile that a lot of cheap candy comes from Mexico. However, during the metal shaving scare this past Valentine’s day, I’ve been taking notice of where my money is really going. You’ve surely heard stories of China’s ever blossoming pollution epidemic. Remember when the Songhua River in Beijing was contaminated after a petrochemical explosion in 2005? I cannot honestly believe that food and candy made or packaged in China is not made from or washed using local water sources. It makes my dog drinking from the toilet not look so gross.
So what is the answer? Don’t buy it. Buy foreign only if the country is known for environmental responsibility or if a product of the country directly attributes to reducing pollution or consumption of non-renewable resources. We make decisions every day, and the decision to not purchase something is just as important as the decision to purchase something on sale. In fact, I think the decision to not purchase something is more important than ever.
Just repeat to yourself, “I do not need a Wii.” It will be okay.
