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Oh Goody, Another Coupon

By Ophelia Chong
December 29, 2008
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40% off! 60% off! Free Shipping! Hey, I didn't want it before, why would I want it now at half the price?

I am sitting here in Ft. Lauderdale aka God's Waiting Room, checking my email. I would say 75% of it are coupons to online sales. What retailers don't understand is that even at 75% off, most people are not going to buy. We are holding onto our money like the Titanic survivors gripping their life vests floating in the frigid waters, eyes wide open and wondering when we will get rescued.

I delete one email after another, I am not interested in spending my money on an item that I don't really need, or want just because it's 75% off with free shipping. I am thinking I might need that money down the line, I can't eat a pair of jeans. And really I have a closet full already.

We are entering a new era of sustainability. We use only want we need, and not a bit more. What we use we recycle. We are already doing this with our refuge and with our energy consumption (or at least trying to). We should be using this thinking when we shop. "Do we need it?" and "What is its purpose?" are two of the questions we should ask before buying. How many shoes do we need? How many televisions do we need? And really, do we need that "George Forman" grill, when a frying pan will do?

In our generation of Instant Gratification we are the ones that need to learn how to live with what we have. The cliche "Use it or loose it" has more meaning now, if we don't use what we have and stop buying what we don't need, we will all loose and the world will be one giant rubbish heap. 75% off is nothing more than an enticement to fill your home with what you don't need, and giving a reason to manufacture more of it.

Image: Ophelia Chong / 99 Black and Whites

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