Economic postponements

Does anyone else really dig David Wessel (or am I the only dork here)? He's the economics editor for The Wall Street Journal, but my exposure to him comes via NPR, where he's a frequent guest to talk about economic issues. When he does this, two things happen: a) my eyes don't glaze over and b) I understand what he's saying. Which is remarkable. (I struggled with economics in high school and made a point of taking the class in community college so it wouldn't screw up my GPA at A&M. I'm just that confused by it.)

This morning's story was another example of his skillz. The question was "Are Americans Saving More Lately?" and the answer was yes. We aren't spending as much. Which is actually really bad for the economy. That's why this stimulus plan involves the government borrowing an additional crapload of money so that it can spend on our behalf. Because somebody has to, or the economy just won't be able to recover. Make sense?

Well, maybe it still doesn't, but while listening to that story, this momentary thought flitted through my brain: "Maybe I need to go spend some money to help the economy! Yes, that's it!" Not really, since I don't have any, but my heart is in it. Clearly. You should see my wish list. Let's begin:

-Furniture. I need some, something awful. But I'm looking for antiques and trying to be picky and find stuff I really like. Investments, you know? My prized piece is my desk, a Danish mid-century modern beauty I got while I was living in Astoria.



Here's CJ lying on it, because I grab any opportunity to include photos of my cat in my blog. Naturally. I'd love to find a dresser and a credenza in the same style. Actually finding this is quite simple. Finding them in my price range is the tough part. It just might not happen, as the prices are way inflated these days. But I'm looking.

Also a pie safe or something similar for the kitchen. This'll probably be a little more "shabby chic" style. Maybe something like this:



Oh swoon. I'm a regular visitor to Lula B's and I'm heading to Round Top in early April in pursuit of these. Fingers crossed. Why this sudden push? I'm finally in an apartment that could fit some new pieces. And I'd love to get rid of some of the old IKEA stuff I have around that I'm really tired of looking at.

-A new pair of black pumps. My old pointy-toe pair from Nine West have been repaired and sustained for as long as possible, and they're officially done for. I have a couple coupons from DSW, so these'll probably be purchased soon. I hope.

-Repairing Frederick's bumper. It's this exact spot, but on the right side, not the left.



It was a little incident in a grocery store parking lot that got it all scraped up, and it's really not a big deal, but he's only a year old. And it just distresses me that it's there, every time I see it. It just needs to be buffed real good and repainted, but I'm sure it'll cost a fortune. So it waits.

-Some tests my doctors would like me to have done. Because my health insurance is so bad, these have to come out of my own pocket, and they're hundreds of dollars a pop. So they're on the back burner too. So many things about this is wrong.

-Contacts. I'm out. But because of my insurance (see above), I'm having to wait on this too. Maybe soon though. On that note, I need new glasses as well - my current pair is 7 years old. Oof. Also, without contacts, the next item is sorta moot. So yeah.

-A pair of Wayfarers.



After my Target Wayfarer ripoff sunglasses broke several months ago, I even tried super-gluing them back together. That worked for about a week and then snap! they broke again. I have priced and researched getting a real pair, but just can't bring myself to do it. They're not that expensive. It's just hard to justify buying them now, when so many other important things await my dollars. But I don't know. I might cave soon.

-A sock knitting class at the Shabby Sheep. A co-worker is interested in this too, so if a class starts soon that works for both our schedules, it might be hard to resist.

So that's how I'm hurting/helping the economy. Are you doing your part?

PS - I can not stop listening to the new Neko Case album. Can not. Even when I'm not physically listening to it, it's playing in my head. Constant. Love.