A society of well groomed buyers

[Caboose]

A co-worker of mine sent me this article this morning. It's a very interesting article, that I think hits a lot of excellent points.

I know I am guilty of almost everything he mentions. I will be taking a lot more care in my life now after reading and pondering the ideas.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/your_lifestyle_has_already_been_designed/

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Great article... Yes, I'm guilty of more than I'd like to be on there. And I've got young kids, so in addition to work taking up a lot of time, my "free" time is mostly spent on childcare and childrearing. I honestly feel like I have absolutely no time for myself except after about 9:30 at night, and by the time I get there, my brain is so fried all I can manage is to grab a beer. I'm a voracious reader, but the only time I actually get to read is on an airplane. I'm actually looking forward to some of the changes going on in my job that will put me on planes to Asia on a regular basis, purely for the extra reading time I'll get!

There are certain cycles he mentions that I'm trying very hard to break.

TV is one of them. I find I'm a better father if I come home and turn on the radio rather than the TV. I have a DVR full of programs that I don't have time to watch, and I'm becoming more okay with that every day.

Another is the idea of *mindless* consumption. I really try to at least be mindful of what I'm buying, rather than just buying to buy. Especially when it comes to technology. I look very hard at whether any given gadget will actually *improve* my life before buying it. Smartphone? Yes. Smartwatch? Not in an instant. Kindle? Yes. Tablet? Probably not needed with a smartphone and a laptop (hence I haven't bought one).

That said, I definitely know that my lifestyle expands to fit my income, rather than trying to constrain my income to fit a satisfying but simpler lifestyle. Not only that, I'm actively working my way up the corporate ladder, and expect this will increase my income but also the number of hours per week I work. And I know that I end up cutting out things I'd like to do, like exercise and writing, because I don't have time.

What am I going to do about it? I don't know. I'm not willing to constrain my work life if it means I'll earn less. I do enjoy the freedom, like last night, to go out and drop some coin on a nice dinner and a babysitter on a nearly-random Thursday night. But I know that I'm missing out on some other things I want to do because I just don't have enough hours in the day or energy to do them when I find a few hours available.

 

[Caboose]

I completely understand the pain. I feel like I don't have a second in the day to do anything. Let me explain: I live in Bowling Green, KY but I work in Nashville, TN. It’s an hour and half drive each way. So I wake up at 5:30 to get ready for work and then head down for work. By the time I get off at 5 and get home, it's between 6:30 and 7. Change out of my dress clothes and into my basketball shorts, all I have time for is to eat dinner, hopefully with a beer. And then hang out with the family before having to go to bed to do it all over again. On top of that, the wife and I were just blessed with twin boys that are just about to turn 4 months old. I love it, but it means less time for anything else. Granted; I have brewed more beer in the last 2 months than I have in the last 4 years. But that is because my wife is awesome and lets me get away with it because she knows it’s really important to me.

I am completely guilty of being an impulse buyer, because it gives me that minute or two of gratification. This is something I am working very hard at. Also since the boys got here, we have disconnected our DirecTV account because we don't have time for it, and I don't want to be a dad that would rather watch TV than play with my kids.

I'm glad my co-worker sent this to me, I will be mindful of each purchase I make so that I'm not longer a part of the society they are talking about.