Lynnae McCoy is a freelance writer, homeschooling mom, and frugal living enthusiast. She writes about frugal living at Being Frugal.net and about balancing work and homeschooling at Freelance Homeschool Mom. When she has a rare spare moment, you can find her on Twitter.
I love to watch House Hunters, both the domestic and international versions. I’m often struck by the differences between the houses shown in the United States and those shown overseas.
For instance, many of the couples house shopping in the United States want at least 2,000 square feet, with four bedrooms, a large kitchen and a big yard. In contrast, folks shopping overseas are often content to buy a two bedroom flat and are overjoyed if it includes a washing machine.
I realize that part of this comes down to housing availability, and often it’s hard to find a place to live in a popular city like Paris. On the other hand, the difference in cultures is striking.
I was reminded of this again, when a friend of mine, who recently moved to the U.S. from New Zealand, was appalled at the amount of Easter themed “junk” in our stores around the holiday. Aisles of candy, stuffed bunnies, Easter egg decorating kits, and so much more. Apparently it’s very different in New Zealand.
Yes, Americans can be materialistic. We’re a capitalistic society, after all. We stretched ourselves by buying houses we couldn’t afford. Home buyers were willing to sign loans they couldn’t possibly keep up with, and mortgage lenders were all too happy to take their money. Now, the economy is paying the price.
We throw outrageous birthday parties for our children, get surgery to fix a nose we don’t like and trade in our cars every couple of years for a bigger and better model. We pay insane amounts of money for strollers, jeans, and preschool. Contentment is not a value that is much appreciated in our country. We must always strive to do better, to make more money, and to buy more stuff.
Fortunately, I think our recession has changed our thinking a little. Americans are angry at corporate greed. People are realizing that living on debt is dangerous. Yes, we have been a materialistic society, but perhaps we’re changing. Only time will tell.
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Americans are outraged at corporate greed