Not Shopping as the Economy Hits the Crapper

I have only the dimmest comprehension of the financial paroxysms going on out there in the wide world, but it does seem clear that stock markets are plummeting while prices have achieved liftoff. Seems like spending money could only be stressful in a climate like this. Kind of like watching one's savings evaporate.

Regardless of all that, a theory is beginning to emerge and here it is so far: when the impulse to buy something comes up, the unimaginative response is to drop everything and plunk down the plastic. An enlivening and creative response, on the other hand, is to chew the impulse over, to carry it around for awhile and see if any alternatives present themselves. When shopping isn't automatic, space opens up, room for the focus to shift from purchases to projects, and projects are more fun than the short-lived pleasure of acquisition, which also happens to be addictive and expensive. I think this is tying in somehow to the idea of creative culture mentioned previously.