I was listening to NPR yesterday (it's so annoying to hear that isn't it?) on my way home from Goshen and "Talk of the Nation" was dealing with the new trend of being recession savvy. The terms being bandied about were "recession chic" and "recessionista." Leave it to our country to turn something bad, like the current economy, into a trendy bandwagon to jump on.
The show was sparked by an article by Kelly Marages of the Washington Post entitled, "I'm Not Buying Recession Chic." She begins the article talking about how people who brown-bagged their lunch in corporate America were, until recently, considered weird and dowdy. And now, "these days, it's precisely parading that plastic container around the office at midday that shows that you're resourceful, that you're rolling with the times, that you're cool in a do-it-yourself recession-y kind of way." Oh dear.
Topics of the conversation included how all the morning talk shows are jumping on this theme and providing ideas on their shows for saving money in this economic wilderness. For instance, people have been stunned that they can rewash plastic bags and reuse them. Imagine that. Or that they can *gasp* cook at home. Lay-away has now come back into vogue. The guests on the show yesterday made a point of saying that those that need to be frugal with their money, and that always have, ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS STUFF AND DO IT! The wealthy now love to talk about how they are making changes because of the dreadful economy. High end restaurants are now offering $150 tasting plates, down from the usual $300. Many argued that it is precisely the wealthy who need to be spending money right now. It is their job to fuel the economy. I don't know if I completely agree, but if their motivation is to be "recession chic" and not responsible, then they should probably go ahead and keep spending.
And then it occurred to me. Oh my word. I accidentally became a "recessionista" without knowing it. The "Great February Dine-In" could be interpreted as me becoming "recession chic." Oh geez!
I'm sorry economy! I can't help you right now. I understand you're going through a rough time but I'm not wealthy and I've been dining out as if I am. You are on your own. I'm not leaving you hanging like this to be "cool." It's merely coincidence that my analysis of personal finances coincides with this new, and very strange, trend. Please don't hold it against me. I'll try to help you in other ways.
Maybe though, it is all the talk of the economy that scared me into taking a closer look at our spending. If it is, isn't that a good thing? I don't know. But I hope that all of you don't take me as trying to be "recession chic." I'm just not really chic at all.
P.S. I will not be washing out plastic bags and reusing them. They never dry and they always seem greasy no matter what. I decided long ago (after my mother washed and reused every plastic bag that came across her path) that I simply must draw the line there. Ha! Take that recessionistas!
4 comments:
ha, i listened to that show too and had mixed feelings about it. i too have also taken a closer look at my spending even though the economy has not personally effected me yet(and i'm crossing my fingers it doesn't). Also I feel great shame every time i throw away a plastic bag because it just doesn't seem clean, so i wash them about half the time. that's something.
I find I must be a better Mennonite than you, Lisa...I TOTALLY wash out the plastic bags unless, of course, they had carniverous substances in them or something terribly gooey and sticky...I do draw the line there. I want no part of leftover salmonella....
I guess I should reconsider my plastic bag throwing-away ways. I try not to buy them because there is so much guilt associated with them for me...but doggone it, they're so handy!
I've been laughing for months at programs and articles like you mentioned. What? Being a traditional penny-pinching Mennonite is now trendy? My favorite is an article that said instead of buying snack-sized bags of chips, buy a big bag of chips and some plastic bags for DIY snack sized chips.
After years of complaining about washing the plastic bags, John convinced me to just throw them away. Any positive affect on the earth by washing those bags was an equally negative affect on the rest of my life. (I got a bit dramatic in my complaints...) I still feel guilty, but also a huge sense of relief, each time I throw out a plastic bag.
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