Sometimes “value” is a hard thing to resist. A jar of sour cream is $1.99, BUT for just $.20 more you can have twice as much. There is no guarantee I will use the sour cream, but it’s only 20 cents…so for the sake of the “deal” I have to do it, right?
A hard lesson to learn for me was putting the blinders on to marketers’ deals, steals and “irresistible offers” and focusing on the quantities that my family will actually use. With some items like toilet paper, there’s really no downsize to maximizing the bang for your buck, but it gets tricky for perishable items, or items that you only need so many of. The good deal I scored on sour cream becomes $.20 wasted when I throw out half a leftover, expired container.
One of the most significant lessons I learned in my course on environmentalism is the focus and effort poured by marketers into driving the consumerist forces of our society. My wasted $.20 also translates into wastes added packaging material that will wind up in the landfill by consuming more than our family needed. The costs to over-consuming reach farther than what appears on the surface.
It’s hard posting a consumerism driven post so close to Christmas (because I really love Christmas), but it was on my mind. I treasure this season for times together with family, baking, and my Saviour who is the Reason for the Season.
Merry Christmas to all!
