Aren't we worth it?

A customer came in the other day, looking for a gift for a bridal shower. She told me that on the invitation to the shower it said that the bride was registered at Target and Kohl’s, but she wanted to buy “something nice.” This got me thinking. Maybe I’m just from another generation, but remember when we use to register for fine china and real silverware? My family was not wealthy, and there were eight children, but we all expected, or at least hoped for, a better life. As we married, we registered for quality items that would last us our lifetime, not melamine dishes and stainless steel utensils. Each aunt or grandparent or friend would buy one or two place settings, and in the end our homes would be stocked with a few of the finer things of life.
When did we, as a country, start to sell ourselves short? At what point did we decide that sub par mass-produced goods made of plastic were good enough? We, as a country, and as individuals we are still one of the most well to do people on earth. Aren’t we worth it? Aren’t you worth it? Go buy yourself “something nice.”
Now, let’s discuss the Spend All Your Money in Blue Island Project. As of this writing, my husband and I have only been working on this for a week. I have learned a few amazing things. 1) We spend very little money anywhere. This worries me, because it is probably true for most Blue Islanders. No wonder so many places close up. 2) Everything we’ve spent so far falls into one of four categories: food, gasoline, videos, and alcohol. Again, no wonder so many places close up.
Here’s the score so far. Thornton’s $57.00, Jewel $43.00, Mario’s Tacos $27.00, Korbakes $25.00, Stefanelli’s $23.25, Joe’s Fruit Market $15.50, DeMar’s $8.00, Dunkin’ Donuts $7.75, Harry’s Long Bar $6.00, Subway $5.50, Blue Island Video $5.00, and El Ranchito $3.00. A total of $226.00.
We did run into a two small dilemmas. We had planned a day trip before we started this, and didn’t want to cancel it, so we spent $29.00 in another town for lunch; and one day Steve found himself outside the city limits by a good 45 minutes, was starving, and had to stay where he was. He spent $7.00 at Arby’s. A lack of planning on our part.
We haven’t needed to spend much so far, but as they say in the casino commercials “Things are about to get interesting.” Necessary items are beginning to appear on the horizon that we will need to purchase very soon, and we’ll have to find places to buy them.
Check us out next issue and see how we’ve done. Meanwhile, let me ask you this: Have you spent your $5.00 in Blue Island today?

Candace Carr
CARR home-garden-holiday