The good life is gone or is it? It is a matter of perspective as to what is good or gooder! (not sure that is a real word) Yes there still is the dividing line between the haves and have not’s. The rich and the poor. The line between that defines middle class has certainly been blurred a bit in the last couple years. I feel extremely humbled and lucky for what I have. But the down turn in the economy has certainly put a crimp in everyones life style including my own.
Last year when I took this assignment I would stop at Starbucks each day for my latte and like the article I am quoting I was spending $30 per week for this daily treat.
Well I decided that was enough I purchased my own expresso machine for about 1/3rd the cost of one years worth of lattes and now make my own when I want them. Oh I don’t get to rub elbows with some of the movie stars that I would frequently get to chat with but that extra money is letting me keep my heat on with out feeling quite so guilty each month.
Technology is starting to follow suit. Companies are still producing bells and whistles and there are more gadgets today then ever before. There are so many more choices as the result that we shoppers get more to choose from. This is a good thing. Competition drives the economy as they invent things that will sell and at a price we are willing to pay.
Bells and whistles. The technology arms race is slowing, with consumers gravitating to simpler gizmos like Netbooks, prepaid cellphones, and older, used electronics. Shaving features is obviously a way to save money, but some users also find the simpler devices a relief. "My cellphone is back to being just a phone and not my connection to the rest of the world via texting or the Web," says Dorothy Robson of Durham, N.C. "Simplicity is definitely the new thing. Now if we can get the government to be frugal, that would be great!"
When I carried my simple flip cell phone I loved it. In as much as I did not have all the fancy features I personally did not use them. I was forced to switch to a blackberry when my job required me to send and receive text messages to insure the systems I support were up and running. I joined Facebook and Twitter only because I needed to be exposed and learn to live with this ever changing world. But I rarely use Facebook and Twitter is in my view a fad and will go away once people find there are many other ways to communicate. Yes I am using the service and it is posted here. But this service is for my readers not me.
Just like advertising. If I had my way there would be NO adds on this site. Having to post them eats up valuable real-e-state and I am constantly trying to figure out where they should go. I also don’t get rich on them. They don’t pay the cost of hosting and I don’t have any intention of drawing away from the articles here that took much effort from me and others to write.
So what have you learned to live with out? I found this article today on Yahoo! and it is a good read. The “21 Things We’re Learning to Live Without”
