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Is it patriotic to spend rather than to save ?
01-15-2012, 02:47 PM
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#1
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: midwestern city
Posts: 4,061
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Is it patriotic to spend rather than to save ?
Interesting article in today's NYT :
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/bu...an-virtue.html
I am a US citizen too, but for some reason I fail to see the link between spending and being patriotic. Are we, savers, "wired" differently than the rest of the population then?
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01-15-2012, 04:13 PM
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#2
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: LaLa Land
Posts: 4,698
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If this is the case DW is a true Patriot!
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Work is something you do to get enough $ so you don't have to....Me.
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01-15-2012, 06:35 PM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obgyn65
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It is a very interesting article. However, I find the whole idea of the government promoting either spending or saving to be annoying. They should shut up and get out of the way.
There is one good thing about pro-spending governmental programs. They make it easier for me to 'just say no" to buying stuff. Whatver the government wants me to do, I know is not in my best interests.
I really don't care what gadgets come along. I have reached the point where the learning curve and the time necessary to comprehend each new fantastically complicated piece of gadgety junk cannot be compensated by anything that the gadget could conceivably do. Plus, the stuff so frequently breaks, presenting one with a whole other list of hoops to jump.
Same with vacations. Keep 'em. Phoney packaged and marketed experiences, bad food, terrible airline service, add it all up and it is hard for me to come up with a suitable fee to charge for being willing to endure a vacation.
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"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
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01-15-2012, 06:42 PM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,022
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Ha, sounds like it's time once again for...
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Numbers is hard
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01-15-2012, 06:48 PM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Hooverville
Posts: 22,983
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
Ha, sounds like it's time once again for...
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REW, you have a good point. Actually, I enjoy people, I just don't want any of what anyone is selling or advocating. If many people want it, it has to be screwed up is my idea.
Today I read where Ralph Fiennes was asked what he hated. Facebook and Twitter he said.
Me too amigo, along with a number of other popular "goods and services", including but not limited to Saving the Whales, Occupying anything at all, Recycling, blah blah blah.
Ha
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"As a general rule, the more dangerous or inappropriate a conversation, the more interesting it is."-Scott Adams
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01-15-2012, 07:05 PM
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#6
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 83
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If it's more patriotic to spend than to save, you can call me Benedict Arnold.
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01-15-2012, 07:26 PM
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#7
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
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Ha ! You are usually so upbeat ! It's kind of amusing to see you kind of crotchety ! But
I am also sick of stuff . I am trying to scale down,donate,recycle & throw away a lot of stuff I haven't used in years .
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01-15-2012, 07:33 PM
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#8
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,131
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We are doing our bit to be patriotic. We've just just about finished booking accomodations for our 4 month driving tour, staying for a while in 5 different States in the good 'ole US of A.
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Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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01-15-2012, 07:45 PM
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#9
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,501
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan
We are doing our bit to be patriotic. We've just just about finished booking accomodations for our 4 month driving tour, staying for a while in 5 different States in the good 'ole US of A.
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That's great! And never fear - - since you are no longer living in Louisiana, I am dutifully doing everything possible to single-handedly, patriotically stimulate the economy down here in south Louisiana.
To be serious, I do agree with Ha! I'd rather make the decision to spend or save all on my own in a free market, basing my decisions on how much I have, how attractive the purchases may be to me, and how good the deals are.
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Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
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01-15-2012, 08:17 PM
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#10
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,901
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We are in the process of downsizing. We are getting rid of 70% of our stuff and lemme tell you, I am disgusted at the amount of money we have wasted on stuff over the years. From now on we'll think twice before buying another piece of junk. My days of stimulating the economy are over.
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01-15-2012, 08:20 PM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,501
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FIREd
We are in the process of downsizing. We are getting rid of 70% of our stuff and lemme tell you, I am disgusted at the amount of money we have wasted on stuff over the years. From now on we'll think twice before buying another piece of junk. My days of stimulating the economy are over.
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Moving does that to people - - I probably got rid of 80% of my stuff last year, furniture and all, and most of it seemed like worthless junk to me. But now that moving is no longer on the horizon, my perspective seems to be shifting.
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Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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01-15-2012, 08:26 PM
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#12
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,774
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I think we've moved to spending money on experiences rather than stuff.
Sweeping generalizations about "only in America" are always fun.
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01-15-2012, 08:44 PM
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bestwifeever
I think we've moved to spending money on experiences rather than stuff.
Sweeping generalizations about "only in America" are always fun.
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+1
"Stuff" often loses its appeal very fast, unless it is a reminder of a special experience. Those experiences are really what counts.
We own a dozen or so "big" bottles of wine (the rest are from Sam's or some other decent but not expensive supplier). DW can recite the exact time and place where each of the big ones was purchased, the occasion, usually even minor details ("remember the lady at the next table who spilled her coffee on her husband," or, "wasn't the view of the beach beautiful").
But a new car, not so much. Really.
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Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
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01-15-2012, 09:47 PM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9,343
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I was patriotic today I spent $20 today ordering season 1 of "Cannon". Anybody remember that tv detective show from the 1970's? I plan to be extremely patriotic next week and buy some mutual funds for my 2011 Roth contribution.
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01-15-2012, 09:51 PM
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#15
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,501
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mulligan
I was patriotic today I spent $20 today ordering season 1 of "Cannon". Anybody remember that tv detective show from the 1970's? I plan to be extremely patriotic next week and buy some mutual funds for my 2011 Roth contribution.
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My patriotism for the day was far less. I only spent $6 (on lunch+tip). That should prop up Louisiana's sagging economy for another day. Yes, I remember that show and liked it at the time.
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Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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01-16-2012, 07:14 AM
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#16
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,305
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It's "patriotic" to spend but in the sense...imagine if somehow everyone stopped buying anything, the economy would falter (or worse) in time, so spending is essential.
OTOH, the economy got into trouble when people started to spend too much, money they didn't have or debt. There is an equilibrium in there somewhere, and it seems to have changed (more saving and debt repayment) in the past few years since the meltdown. You even read nowadays that individual spending restraint is part of the reason for our tepid recovery, though necessary IMO.
Like many here, we are pretty frugal, so we probably aren't 'doing our fair share.' Ironic that all the LBYMers here benefit from those who spend more freely...
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01-16-2012, 07:40 AM
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#17
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
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I guess I'm not very patriotic then. While the target is to go skidding into my casket clutching my last dollar the timing on that is difficult. (Not my quote but I forget where I read it.)
So there will probably be a few bucks left over.
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01-16-2012, 08:08 AM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Cavalier
Posts: 2,317
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I mostly agree with Ha on this, but will admit to being a serious gadget junkie.
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01-16-2012, 09:31 AM
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#19
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cville
Posts: 1,605
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Quote:
Originally Posted by obgyn65
Interesting article in today's NYT :
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/bu...an-virtue.html
I am a US citizen too, but for some reason I fail to see the link between spending and being patriotic. Are we, savers, "wired" differently than the rest of the population then?
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Interesting, but I don't see that spending is patriotic. I see the point of going to Disney Land after 9-11 in that we as a people aren't going to stop our way of life because of those actions.
However, I'm not spending to prop up the economy, just don't have that kind of mindset. I think the point of the article is that somehow as a country we seem to think that that way.
We do our spending above required bills on travel, but not buying some package. Rather we find a good place to go and then get a car are drive around the place to try and get a feel of the real place, away from the crowds.
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01-16-2012, 09:36 AM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
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I think it's silly to suggest that spending or saving is more "patriotic." In an overheated economy where overspending leads to low savings rates and inflationary pressures, we "need" more saving. In a recessionary environment with lots of cash hoarding going on, where excess cash flow goes mostly to savings and debt reduction, we "need" more spending.
I say "need" here in the context of a stable, healthy economy. But no amount of telling people they need to spend is going to help if (a) they don't want the stuff and (b) their fears about their economic and employment futures are not assuaged.
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"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
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