Clarification

So, regarding my previous post, I suppose it may have across the wrong way regarding the economy. I just keep wondering how much of what's going on right now is the result of the media and fear.

For example, it seems like every day, there's a story in the paper or on the news about how people are penny pinching and methods they're using to save money. But inevitably, the "real people" they find are either people shopping along Michigan Avenue or college students. Um, I've yet to meet a college student who doesn't spring at the first hint of free food, or who hasn't, at least once, gone through the couch cushions to find cash (only to blow it on beer, of course). That's why you go to college - to learn about how to live on very little.

In addition, I always see these articles about how people can reduce their expenses, and every single one says to eliminate $4 cups of coffee, which will ultimately save you about $1,000 a year. Has anyone reading this EVER spent $4 on a cup of coffee? I rarely buy pre-made coffee anyway, so I'm totally out of touch with how much a cup of coffee is, but I seem to remember that they're about $1.50, at most.

Some of the other suggestions always amaze me, too, like to repair winter coats rather than buy new winter coats every year. Who buys a new winter coat every year??? It's like the people creating these news articles assume that pre-recession, you were a millionaire, and now you're barely able to scrimp buy. Hmmm, looks like it might be time to trade in that Hummer for a Mercedes.

I know that I'm very naive, and I know that everything could come crashing down on me so quickly. But I feel like I never really graduated from that poor-college-student mentality. I still remember what it was like to make minimum wage and not have health insurance. It sucks. But maybe it goes farther back than that. I remember when I was a kid, my dad would have me doing math in the aisle, trying to figure out if buying a 2-liter of soda or cans was more economical. (2-liters were ALWAYS more economical, even though I always preferred the cans). It's not like we were a super-cash-strapped family. it's just the way we were. And today, I still stand in the aisle trying to figure out if the double rolls of toilet paper are actually bigger than the smaller ones, and then, which package truly has the cheapest cost-per-ply.

Anyway, all of this is what I was referring to in my poorly worded previous post (which I've since deleted due to some confusion). It wasn't me saying, "I'm so lucky," but rather, "I have never known this $4 coffee luxury you speak of. Is it topped with flecks of gold?"