Atomictumor

So I’ve noticed several folks have posted thoughts and reflections about consumerism, spending and taking care of your money. It has me thinking about the whole thing. I’ve written about this before over at Ninemonths.

It’s perhaps not a coincidence that the posts have come up around the same time that the Oak Ridge City Council is courting Target. They hope to land Oak Ridge revenue from a big box shopping complex. I hope it comes, since I already shop at Target. I would just a soon save the gas and time it takes to get over to Turkey Creek. I’d like to keep my tax dollars at home and the employement created off this venture is a boon as well.

I can’t help but say I’m dubious about the overall good of the whole thing. It seems to me that we’re robbing peter to pay paul. Peter being Oak Ridge consumer citizen and Paul being the City of Oak Ridge. Yeah, Yeah, I know it’s a win/win situation. I get to buy stuff, every bit of it being stuff I “need.” Then the city gets revenue off the property and the sales made there. I get goods and the city gets money to build roads, buy books for the library, and pay its employees. Oh yeah, some people get to work there so they can spend money there…. It’s the American Way.
Jeeze, I sound like a grinch.

Initially I thought I’d call your attention to the several folks who have written about spending and consuming. Netmom has a really good reflection about wise spending. She makes the very important point that spending is a reflection of the values we esteem. An even more important point she makes is that the values we have about money, we learn at home.

Then Hubsley, writing over at The Shelf, brought up one of my favorite parables. It’s the one Jesus told about the farmer who had a bumper crop. Spending and more importantly consuming has deeper, spiritual ramifications. I am called by my God to be a good steward. (Can you be a consumer and a good steward at the same time? That’s another post for another time.)

Thinking about all this reminds me how much I like shopping at Grove Center. I like that it’s close by. The businesses are locally owned. I know where my money is going. The Missus and I went to Harry’s Aquarium. It’s a Grove Center store. While we were at the store we ran into a friend who also happens to work there. She was happy to work at Harry’s and for reasons that make me want to shop there. The same is true for the other shops in the center. I like the barber there; he cut my hair very well. The florist took the time to make the single rose I bought for the Missus look even better than simply a single rose.

But like I said above, I’ll be shopping at Target, Walmart, etc… because they have what I need at the right price. I’m also a pragmatic shopper. I have to be. In case you haven’t noticed the Missus and I have a big family. In all honesty, Harry’s Aquarium didn’t have to dog food we were looking for. There are somethings I can’t afford to buy locally, or just aren’t produced locally. As for the dog food, we can always have Harry’s order it for us. I think it will be worth the extra cost.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 1st, 2007 at 2:39 pm and is filed under Consumerism, Local. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.