On My Radar

Allow me to apologize for the cliche in theis question but I have to ask: is it just me or have most people had a sea change in their thinking when it comes to how they spend their money?

Is it right to say that today, because of the obvious economic uncertainty many of us are facing, we are choosing to use different criteria before we let our dollars go? Before the economy tanked, most of us seemed to be of the mindset that we should try and get the most for our money; A person would probably head on over to the mall and go into one of their favourite shops with the assumption that they were going to spend the money that day and that the challenge would be to get the most for their money. Heck, how many times have you heard advertising that promised you ‘the most for your money’? Really, we often just seemed to assume that the money was already committed to a purchase and that we just had to make sure we were squeezing every ounce of bonus throw in stuff we could for the money we were letting go of.

Things have changed now though, haven’t they? Today, I am like many other people who are not quite so certain that the money has already been committed. We are not so sure that we are going to pay the asking price on something, that instead we may just have to bite the cost-saving bullet and say ‘not today’. True it is not as sexy to decide that we don’t really need the extra fancy shiny new toaster or convection toaster oven, but it has become more socially acceptable to make more prudent fiscal decisions.  The ironic thing here is that the idea of personal fiscal responsibility has been all around us for awhile now, even online, but it seems like so often it was just written off as being more of a minor segment of the population sort of thing: that it was only relevant to the extent that it made for good reading as some kind of human interest piece to help a writer make a deadline. We all have read about how some  family or other is so good at making do and really cutting back on their expenses by maintaining what they already have, etc, etc.  The only difference now is that circumstances have dictated that this theory and practice of thriftier-living need become more embedded in the consciousness of society as a whole -  that we can’t slag it off as being better suited for some one with more discipline than me or you, or your neighbor two doors down…

This is a good thing though; Maybe we needed this mindset to help start us off on the path of making a difference in the environment around us. Belief that we don’t need more is the start of action after all.  When is less consumption actually bad for the environment?  I couldn’t tell you.  If you don’t think that this is the case in your community then just look around you: look around and notice the way people are now shopping; Notice how they are trying to spend less for the same things that they wanted before, notice how they are surfing the internet even more than before for  tips on saving money online or just on how to get more out of what they already have?  Both are signs of changing times.

I have mentioned here before how my wife has always been one to find the right shiny new part for an older appliance instead of a shiny new appliance, well now more and more people are coming to the realization that they need to think that way, too.  My wife would rather shop for a new burner element for the barbecue or a rival crock pot replacement part before shopping for a new appliance. These days, she has more company in the aisles when doing so…

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