I’m the proud mom of a wonderful 16 year old girl, and I’ve always loved the fall ritual of buying new clothes, new school supplies, and new gadgets that are “absolutely necessary” because all of her friends have one. But this year I can’t even bring myself to enter a shopping mall. Besides, this year “absolutely necessary” has taken on a new meaning – many of her friend’s parents have lost their jobs.
Part of the problem is pretty simple, money is tight and shopping is a lot more fun on a bigger budget. It used to be a $2000+ spending spree, now I find myself asking “How many pairs of jeans will you need? How many hoodies? What about shoes? Can we do this on the cheap?”
Rich and I have been busting our asses for the past year to start a new business, and while we’re doing well, we both need to be super careful to leave ourselves some wiggle room in the funds department.
I worry that my current attitude of conservative spending will hurt the economic recovery if it’s shared by too many people, but I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t part of our national crisis. Should our GDP be so dependent on consumer spending? What happened to being a nation of producers? I’ve noticed that most of the products we buy are made somewhere else, so am I really helping restore the economy if I shop ’til we drop, or is it still just a house of cards?
An increase in consumer purchases would increase corporate revenue, but will enough jobs be created by simply shopping more? Are they the kinds of jobs that will pay for homes, and clothes, and vacations? Or would I do better to save as much as possible and grow our business faster so that we can hire non-retail employees?
Posted in Money.
By Tina
– August 29, 2010
Hello world!
I just love the default WP first post. It’s so cheery and hopeful, promising much in just a few words. The whole world can finally find my thoughts and dreams, and is probably hungering for my “to die for” mac ‘n cheese recipe. Or not so much…
I’m currently 37 years old. I’ve become many things in those years… daughter, mother, wife, employee, employer, student, winner, loser, you name it. I’ll probably be using all of those acquired roles to try to make this blog interesting and informative.
I was a lifelong Republican, now I’m not so sure if the Republican party even wants people like me in their party. For that matter, I’m not so sure I want to be a part of where it’s going. Time will tell, but it is something that I feel compelled to disclose from the start.
Anthropology and philosophy are two subjects I’ve formally studied, and they have left a mark on my personality and conscience. They inform my opinions about everything from parenting to current events. I originally planned on majoring in Political Science, but quickly discovered that I don’t really care about looking at the world from that angle. It seemed much colder somehow.
I’m sure that Rich has written some brilliant introduction, but this will have to suffice as my way of saying “Hello, it’s nice to meet you! Let’s have coffee and chat…”
Posted in Uncategorized.
By Tina
– August 29, 2010
Hi! My name is Richard Taylor (but almost everyone calls me Rich), and I am . . . [insert choice from list below here]
- Please choose from the following:
- The omnipotent guru of business and current affairs!
- An amazing intellect imparting great wisdom!
- A vicarious example of today’s environment, with opinions about everything!
- Someone entering ‘geezer-hood’ and, basically, a pain where a pill can’t fix!
Posted in Uncategorized.
By Richard Taylor
– August 29, 2010
