Inconspicuous Consumption

What can be said when we need a magazine with the name REAL SIMPLE to help us to have at least the illusion that we can manage just fine with a lot less? Real Simple was started in 2001, in a period when people seemed engulfed in buying more and more stuff. About a decade before that, there had been a mini-backlash against conspicuous consumption, but there was no heart in it. Now the push to Less is More not only has heart, it has teeth.

And there the magazine is now, staring at you, simply; mocking you as you wait on the checkout line, because if you need a magazine to tell you how to live simply, you’re too far gone.

It is not just a Gift to be Simple. It is now a necessity.

Spend or Save................again

Once again, we are being told we should spend money to help the economy. Will this really help the U.S. economy --long-term--or will saving lead to a recovery on firmer footing? Consumer spending is what drives the economy but saving somehow feels safer. And should we be spending what we don't really have? (Imagine if we all had huge budget deficits.)But where is the incentive to save when interest rates for savers are so low as to be practically zero?