Spending Freeze ala Crunchy Chicken

No More Commercials

We made the jump and got rid of cable. We have gone without cable frequently in the past as well, but of course the kids were younger then and not so involved in TV shows. Like American Idol. Hopefully, all of the performances will be on YouTube the next day.

I just have a very low tolerance for television in general. There is something about all of the commercials aimed at encouraging kids to beg their parents to buy them things which makes me nuts. And Nate falls for them like no other. He is convinced that a certain toy or a type of food will totally change his life. It got to the point that every time he watched TV, he was begging me to take him to the store for something. So the marketing is effective. And that is why I finally pulled the plug.

Instead, they have video games, netflix, YouTube, and Hulu. I'll probably end up regretting all of those too!

Item of the Month

From now on, we will have an item or class of items that we do without each month to see if we really can wean ourselves away from the madness.

This month, it's packaged cookies, crackers, and snack type foods. Why wean away:
1) None of them are healthy.
2) The ones we make taste better anyway
3) I am sick of buying snacks for a particular event only to find them eaten up before they can get packed and eaten at the event they were purchased for. And isn't it funny how every single time I find and empty box, the poltergeists we obviously live with get blamed?

So, for one month, no store bought treats, unless they are already in my house. And those probably won't last past tomorrow. Thank goodness Ellie is really good at baking cookies. And Evan has no-bake cookies to a science.

Nervous

SO, I can't help but be extremely nervous, realizing that no matter how we slice it, the Fannie/Freddie disaster impacts our country in ways no one can fully realize. The impact is huge to mortgages, to financial markets, to the taxpayers, to the entire economy.

In reading blogs, opinions, and news stories today, Jim Kunstler stands out:
There's a particular moment known to all Baby Boomers when Wile E. Coyote, in a rapture of over-reaching, has run past the edge of the mesa and, still licking his chops and rubbing his front paws in anticipation of fricasseed roadrunner, discovers that he is suspended in thin air by nothing more than momentum. Grin becomes chagrin. He turns a nauseating shade of green, and drops, whistling, back to earth thousands of feet below, with a distant, dismal, barely audible thud at the end of his journey. We are Wile E. Coyote Nation.
Is there anyone in the known universe who thinks that the US financial system is not fifty feet beyond the edge of the mesa of credibility?

But I look around at my neighbors and my friends and although I know people are feeling the pinch of higher gas prices, I don't think anyone recognizes the impact the banking collapse is having. Or the impact on the dollar that a government bailout leads to. People seem to think food and oil and housing will recover within a year or two.

And I feel like a raving lunatic to keep harping on the need for canned food, gardens, and self-sufficiency. Stark raving. I hope I'm wrong. But I'm buying more rice. . .

Off the Wagon

The last month included far more trips to WalMart than any human actually needs to make in a lifetime. And SIGH, there is one more in the works. Because honestly, I have fallen off the wagon. I haven't fallen severely, but none-the-less, I have been very lazy about making do with whatever we have rather than buying more stuff.

And it occurs to me that it's once again a reflection on the nature of the work/spend cycle. I have been working a lot lately, trying to keep customers happy. When customers stay happy, I am rewarded with a lovely pay check. When I receive said lovely paycheck, I immediately begin to think of all of the effort that went into earning that paycheck. Which reminds me that I will need equally as much effort to earn another check just like it (maybe I should rethink working on commissions) and I instantly start to think of all of the things that will make my life easier if I get them. Which must be a result of programming, because I know that short of a washer which collects, sorts, pre-treats, washes, dries, folds and puts away all of the clothing in my house, there's not much I can think of that makes life easier. Ibuprofen. Demerol. But that's just the arthritis talking. . .

I am still more aware of my spending and my consumption than I was this time last year, but I have to be better. Especially about books.

But if someone invents an oven that does the grocery shopping, I'm whipping out the credit card.

Baby Shower

I'm not a huge fan of the baby shower. I actually find it a little appalling just how many "things" people want for their babies, even if they don't have room to store them or if they have previous children and have many of the items they need. Except in blue. Or in pink.

I believe gender specific colors is another way manufactures promote and ensure multiple purchases. And we all fall for it. Because it would be horrible if a little girl had to ride around in a blue car seat. Or vice versa. . .

And while I was happy to help a new mom who otherwise might not be able to provide diapers for her baby, I was less than thrilled by the $200 worth of decorations that went in the garbage can after the party was over.

Not alone

The more I actively try to limit the amount of money I am spending on unnecessary things, the more aware I am of other people doing the same thing.

While blog stalking today, I came across a site from a site from a site and I can't find it now. I left a comment, so maybe she will find me! :)

She said:
3. Consumer Mentality- CONFESSION: I love to consume things, especially new things. I love the thrill of seeing it pass over the scanner, drop into the plastic shopping bag, and leave in my arms. I love experiencing the excitement of ripping into the package and admiring my new "kill". Coming to terms with my consumer mentality and the effects it was/is having on my family, my pocket, my world was/is painful. It all boils down to self-centeredness.

I appreciate how she summed up that sometimes need to have the experience of conquering the store. There is a certain satisfaction in owning something. Even if it's poorly made and useless. Weird.

We have been fighting our battle here still. Maybe not as diligently as we should be, but fighting it anyway. I feel like I conquer one thing, such as the over stocked T shirts for my boys, and I'm just putting the money into something else non-essential.

It's a struggle every time I enter a store, which is an excellent excuse to stop shopping entirely!