Consumerism is self-expression for the uncreative.

So another long chat with Kaite at 2 in the morning yesterday.

Being university students, our minds are naturally set on money, or the lack of. Also figuring into this equation is the number of things we both purchase, but really don't need.

Example:

I saw a jacket at the Gap on the clearence rack for 50-some-odd dollars. It wasn't my size, and the design wasn't too exciting either. But it was marked down from 80-something. So I bought it. Why? It was the worst purchase I have made this semester. I didn't really need a jacket too much to finish it all off.

But here's the thing. How many people sit around and talk about this? How many of us talk about the evils of consumerism over a burger at McDonalds, or express how we need to stop spending as we pour out our wallets for clothes, alcohol, food, movies, etc.? Count me in those numbers, becuase I've done it a lot.

So here's the new plan. I will be itemizing all my purchases, from food to film supplies, and making an account of them. Not only that, I will share the account with others who will then keep me accountable. E.g., if I buy a book at Indigo, I have to account for why I bought the book, and how it will serve me.

Obvioulsy some expenses are clear cut. I bought milk today becuase I ran out of milk and need it for my ceral in the morning. I paid for my passport today becuase I need a passport when we go to New York.

Some are not though. I bought a Freshly Squeezed juice yesterday and drank it on the way to get a burrito and coke at Taco Villa. Did I need the juice? Perhaps, but then did I need the coke at taco villa? Obviously I didn't need both, and wasted 2 dollars.


I guess this can be one those 'try this at home' things if you want. If you actually do it, let me know how it goes.