The Good Consumer...

[Dan Goodwin]

Very powerful and thought provoking video on consumerism. Watch and leave your thoughts below...


http://www.bonfireofthebrands.com/

[Cai]

hahaha Camille!!! I DO have some of the trappings ...have a 17.95 (no shipping)mp3 player that I WAITED for for a long time, no cell phone (cant afford) we have no cable as its 90+ bucks and I can think of bills to pay with that kind of money! but we do have movies that we have collected and enjoy all the time...I have even an online site to watch all sorts of movies for FREE! the things you do for entertainment! I even watch my CSI programs online as thats the only way I can enjoy them...Im perfectly ok with that too(the computer the new tv?)
Its funny that you say that about dominoes ...Chris and I break out the cards when we go out for a meal..order cheap and enjoy the bejeepers out of the evening...then we come home to the furkids and I work on jewelry/art, hubby on his gaming (bleh)...I want something that has RESULTS!
and on the subject of mark ups
I was talking to my friend who is the Reiki Master and she wants to make her signature pc of jewelry like my heart with ribbons ...theres much more and its complex but in order for her to sell it at 100 she would have to have it MADE for $25 only! THAT is the reality of marketing...THAT is one of the reasons I probably dont get MEGA BIG with my jewelry...I love my individual pieces for what they are and I DO make lots of bracelets (my bread and butter alot of the time) but, I LOVE making pieces that SPEAK...I have a hard time selling them for exorbinate(sp) $$...there is so much out there that is better then mine, different then mine, more refined blahblahblah, I still love the creating and THAT and the healing aspects are what keep me making...the money has always come when I have needed it most
Im hoping for a great Christmas but not banking on anything this year

[Camille]

Cai, that washer/dryer is a true need these days! True, people can wash and dry their own clothes like my granma did, but she did not work! Today, we would not have the time to work, if we had to wash and dry our own clothes. We barely have time to buy the necessities like food...
The mark-ups disturb me very much. Sellers have the right to do that, and do mark up sometimes up to 100 percent or more! That seems greedy, but I do not know much about business...

The thing I have experienced about sales, is that there are a usually more sales the next day, week, month.

And delayed gratification is a good thing to practice
I waited four years to buy a digital camera...I knew the kind I wanted would go down to affordable soon enough... the waiting goes faster when I realize this is not something I really need, but a luxury I intend to get someday for exploring creativity!

Don't have many other electronic gadgets...a really cheapo cellphone, for emergencies, a very old car, an old TV, no MP3 or ipods, DVDs or any of that stuff...the less gadgets I have the more peaceful I remain...Electronic gadgets make me nervous!

Ahhhhh...the beauty of making wholesome foods...now that is a creative act! Doncha just love how precious strawberries and tomatoes are...compared to hi-tech "must haves"???

The thing about being resourceful with money, is that one has the opportunity to exercise their creativity in very unusual and interesting ways in order to make ends meet, as well enjoying simple things like sharing $10 dollar meals, etc. It is kind of more intimate to share things...can even mend broken relationships!

Modern value systems are so whacked and it hurtz self-esteems, our family units, small business communities, and now it is unbalancing our global trade industries!
I'd rather stay home and play dominoes with my family then be part of the wild dominoe games that are upsetting the entire world!

[Cai]

and THAT is what makes me think...when I HEAR how few they must have I WILL NOT go get it!
on the other hand, I have to say a YEAH for my sis in law who stood in line for a washer/dryer stackable combo...sells for 1300 and they got it for 564!!!!!!!! something tells me when I see that that there are HUGEHUGE markups!
I get to see that at my job too and wonder HOW we can bear so much gouging?
Im happy with spending the evening with hubby having a REALLY good yet 11.75 meal for the two of us!!!!
there are things to be grateful for too....my gram and mom taught me canning, jarring, jam making, blanching to freeze all sorts of things(dad was a night guard at the produce market and we would GROAN at 6 am when he came home with FLATS of strawberries and tomatoes and all kinds of bounty...I would grovel for that now!), Im very grateful for those lessons on NOT to throw things away. Ive been teaching hubby too how to make due with less or eat leftovers(which he WOULDNT do when we first met!) Surprising what you will do when you have to make ends meet!

[Camille]

Yes, Cai...listening to marketing lingo upsets me too! "must-haves of the season" Buy NOW before we run out of stock! Don't be caught without one!
Don't miss out on this sale!...all to nurture the culture of fear mentality!

[Camille]

Lawmakers are talking about banning "doorbuster" sales yet!

[Camille]

Barb, I am with you there! Youth culture is extremely interesting and needs to be honored, as they have much to teach us about the way they percieve our culture! Sometimes...I wanna be sedated too! LOL!

[Camille]

Barbs, ahah! It is said that everything in the universe is alive and intelligent! Your fortune cookie is not only intelligent, but wise!!! : )

[Hannah]

As I read it, baby boomers did pay attention to the way their great depression, post war parents lived, who were extremely concerned about money because they had known such great shortages.

[Barbara Ann Storrier]

Marilyn, you're right on about the younger generation. I'm 55, I don't have kids, but I like listening to current music ... sort of started out as a way to find out what topics are important to them ... and then I really began to like it a lot. It's not the "I want to hold your hand" music of my youth ... much more important issues are at stake. I know a lot of people my age, who are resistant to change, and can not get past the strangeness of the body art or clothing styles, and won't even attempt to listen to the music, view the artwork, or read the "writing on the wall". Their loss ...

[Dan Goodwin]

That's a very honest appraisal I think Marilyn.

It does give me hope to see how many amazing creative people there are out there that now have a voice thanks to the new social media like blogs, communities like CCS, myspace, Twitter, YouTube and so on, as well as opportunities artists have to sell their art through RedBubble, Etsy, CafePress, ebay and the like...

Just seeing all the good feeling on Twitter on Thanksgiving for example, or how everyone on here rallies round to support when one of us talks of being in a difficult place restores one's faith in the kindness of human beings and the underlying desire to find others like ourselves and form meaningful connections, relationships and communities...