Bigger is better?

I thought about what it really meant for people to live comfortably.  I think the American philosophy "bigger/more is better" and suburbia has really gotten us in trouble over the last few years.

Before the recession, houses were getting bigger, cars were getting bigger, waistlines, mortgages, bulk food packages,  Is bigger really better?  I think getting back to the basics will make us appreciate thing we have more. Sure I would like a nice size house with bedrooms for the kiddies, but the formal living room where no one can use, and the formal dinning room that gets used 2x a year seems kind of wasteful.  Do we really need to drive a XL SUV to get the kids and groceries?  Other than toilet paper, hulk size things like food just scares the crap out of me.  I see people at warehouse stores with cart loads of food, and I wonder how much that will actually be eaten before it goes bad?  Then I think "they must be having a party, there must a lot of parties going on because there are a lot of people with cart loads of stuff".  I find that with living in the suburbs, we tend to want to have all our creature comforts in the house, instead of just the few things we true need.  I think our mind set has "become let's get that because we can afford it",  instead of is that what I need? 

When the recession started, people started to think about what they spend their money on.  People started to want better gas mileages,  more efficient appliances, even extreme couponing to save money.  I am so happy that the government is ever more interested in green energy now (should have done that years ago).  But has the philosophy changed?  I don't think it really has.  Costco earnings were up in 2010.  I love the place for selling hulk items that are good quality, but seriously, hulk CAKE, bulk SPINACH DIP?

Now that the recession is maybe over, the "bigger is better" behaviors are slowly creeping back.  Now even lattes are getting bigger.  Are we getting back to the behavior that got us in trouble again?  have we not learned?  I think the only thing I don't have a problem with getting ever bigger is my bank account.

I heart the library

A year ago, I was very excited about the new Sookie Stackhouse novel that was release.  I put my name on the library's waiting list and when I got the email notice 4 months later, I picked up and read it in 3 days.  Since I had 3 weeks of time on the book, I lend it to a co-worker chose share the same enthusiasm for the series. After she took it home over the weekend to read it, she told me the next Monday that her friends were a bit shock that she had a library book.  "Who goes to the library anymore?" they asked her.  Well, hello!  Me, pick me!  I <3 the library!
That got me questioning "Why not the library?"  Is it a faux pas?  It's free, it's convenient, and it keeps clutter down in my house.  Have people really forgotten about the library or are the old images of  the card catalogue still stuck in there mind?  It is not fashionable to carry around a book with the little date sticker in the back with the due date stamped on it?   Most libraries have online catalogues that you can search.  Then you can place holds and tell them which branch you want to pick up at.  You get email notifications when it gets there.  There's self check out. So you are in and out of there in 5mins.  Some even have ebooks you can check out.  And if they don't have it in the system, you can request it from another system or they'll buy it.

I don't see why people are spending a butt load on stuff they don't reread often.  Even if it's ebooks, buy books after books adds up especially if you only read them once.  I know, I know.  What about the writers/authors.  How will they make money?  I personally am all for supporting them if you love their work.  In that case, yes buy their ebooks(paper just takes too much space).  Why not just send them a check directly? 

I wonder what other "free" resources people are not using, like parks, community centers, county events.  I put free in quotes because we pay taxes for these things.  If we don't use them then we are just throwing away money.  The simple dollar has a good list of things to start with.