How Much Do We Need?
Jan 14th, 2010 | By Jody L Weymouth | Category: Economy, Society
With a New Year beginning, countless people have made a resolution to get in shape. I had planned to write about getting in shape without getting into debt. But, that will have to wait. Providing tips to lose a dress size while watching dead bodies lying on a rubble filled street seemed to be shallow. Like most of the world, I am shocked at the images of devastation coming out of Haiti. Haiti had previously been devastated by four hurricanes in a short time. It is a small country with very little infrastructure at the best of times. Haiti is now experiencing the worst of times.
You may be wondering what this has to do with us and our financial matters. The images of Haiti have re-enforced for me just how fortunate we are, how much we have and are often not thankful for. I tend to have a very frugal lifestyle but I do have a lot of stuff. We have two closets full of clothes, not counting the seasonal clothes that is packed away. I do not even wear half of those clothes. Books (I am guilty), games (mostly my husband), and DVDs (both of ours). We are both working, have great health care and insurance, and a roof over our head and food in the cupboards. There are a few things that we need; everything else would be a want. My want list has gotten easy to deal with due to my husband’s job. We hope to get an overseas posting next year. If I want something now, I ask “Do I want this enough to put it in storage for a year and a half? Will I still want this in three years?” This has saved me a lot of money and prevented more stuff from coming into my life. I am no saint though. I love books. I still buy them, especially with my husband being gone and needing a treat on a bad day.
We all have more than enough and the necessities of life are not a struggle to obtain. Watching images of Haiti makes me feel guilty about all of my stuff. We tend to get obsessed with stuff, wanting what others have. This can easily lead to financial ruin for many. Somewhere, we have gotten the impression that if we just have a big screen plasma TV, our lives will be complete. Modern advertising plays a major role in making us believe that we need stuff to have a better, richer, fuller life. If you are unhappy, buying a new outfit will not fix that. You will just be unhappy wearing a new outfit. I am making a new resolution to be consciously thankful for all that I have. I will be thankful for the fridge that I have in a house that has electricity instead of thinking about the new fridge that we will need to purchase in the near future. When we realize all that we do have, all that we have to be thankful for, all of those wants tend to become less important.
If you get a bad case of the wants, look at the images coming out of Haiti. No electricity, no water, no hospitals. Prisons have been destroyed and criminals are free. People have lost everything and they had so very little to begin with. Buying a new item may make you feel good for a short time, but I am betting that if you took that money and donated it towards the relief effort in Haiti, you would have a greater feeling of satisfaction and happiness. Donations can be made by contacting the Canadian Red Cross and CARE Canada. The Canadian government has announced that it wil match private donations dollar for dollar up to 50 million dollars. Now, that is government spending to support. Lets put our tax dollars to work and make a huge difference. Please specify that the donation is for diaster relief in Haiti.
Related posts:
