Last Friday, at least where I live, was Black Friday. Did anyone miss that Black Friday was happening? Not me; I received emails from all sorts of places including Gumtree and Lasttix to let me know of the big discounts and deals available. I heard about Black Friday on the news, on radio and in the newspaper. Did I go out and get a Black Friday deal for myself? NO. There was nothing I wanted, except perhaps a cheap flight but none of those for where and when I wanted to fly were on offer. Talking about Black Friday with others made me realise I really don’t like shopping. A few kilometres from where I live is Garden City, a large shopping complex with over a hundred stores. All those businesses trying to sell, it can be overwhelming. The only reason I go to Garden City is to visit the Apple store and sort out an Apple problem. When this happens I go directly to Apple and directly out again when I’m finished. Rather than shopping I’d prefer to go to an art gallery any day and see an exhibition. If I had money I’d love to spend it on art works. What a world we live in where the economy is dependent on consumerism. For awhile I volunteered at an Oxfam shop but felt conflicted about the pressure I was under to sell. How could I sell when I myself didn’t really need anything there? Not being a shopper, Oxfam wasn’t such a good fit for me Even though I support broader work Oxfam undertakes. There had to be better ways to help. The topic of how to assist poorer countries in a post in itself. At the moment, the message is don’t buy unnecessary stuff. Most of us have enough stuff already. Buy useful well made items that you really need and will use.
Living well on a shoestring 