What Cheap Stuff Really Costs Us

What Cheap Stuff Really Costs Us

A viscous cycle is occurring today. We buy cheap because our wages are low, but when buying cheap, we keep others wages low as well. Add in the fact that we don't live in a bubble but instead in a world wide economy, and the implications of buying purely based on price will start to make you think.

The impulse buyer has really taken hold. In Ellen Ruppel Shell's book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, we read how spending on almost every aspect of our lives have gone down, with inflation factored in. BUT, we are spending more on things we don't need and the so called "sales" are driving the impulse industry we live in today.

Shell even challenges us to think about outlet stores and the products they sell. Does Puma or Tommy Hilfiger make merchandise that actually will be sold at outlet stores to in fact use the brand to sell you the item, or are you buying a generally great product? Isn't the fact that it is on sale, at a seemingly great price, the major factor in many of our purchasing decisions?

She covers this and more in this thought provoking book. My interest has been piqued, so I'm probably going to skim the book a bit and see if this is worth a purchase, perhaps even at, GASP, full price...

How and What to Read

How and What to Read

I'm going to pick this book up soon. Sometimes it is hard to read a book for pleasure when constantly thinking of reading it critically. But like one of my professors said, "The first time you read a book is like the first date. There is so much more to be had from great works, just like why we go on that second date".

I hardly ever read a piece or even watch a movie more than once, but I'm probably going to start revisiting some works. If you really like a book, why not read it critically the second time, and see if there is even more enjoyment to be had?

Germany\'s Bright Idea: Street Lighting on Demand

Germany\'s Bright Idea: Street Lighting on Demand

Pretty smart idea. I can see older residents having a hard time with figuring out the technology to make this work, but besides a few short falls like that, in a small village, why keep the light on all night long?

I applaud this village for coming up with an intelligent use of our current technology to solve issues. If only this idea was feasible for bigger communities.