When Brian and I were first dating, we spent a lot of our time in the library. Still do, now that I think about it. Anyway, I remember Brian taking me to the third floor of the USU Merrill library and showing me an amazing book by Peter Menzel. Material World: A Global Family Portrait is a photograph collection of families from around the world. Each family is photographed outside their home with all of their belongings. I was fascinated. This was before the internet was widespread, so there weren't as many opportunities to peek into others' lives as there are now. Sometime later (after we married), I came across a similar book called Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. It is also by Peter Menzel and is a photo collection of families with one week of groceries. If you can find either of these books, check them out! If not, you can find many of the pictures on Google Images.
Needless to say, these books left quite an impression on me. Especially seeing how much some had and how little others had. I thought it would be an interesting experiment to do something similar with my stuff, but didn't want to drag ALL of my belongings onto the lawn of my house or pull out my groceries for a quick photo--I'm kind of lazy like that. Instead, I decided to document my purchases for one week. I dutifully carried my camera with me to the store each time I went, but by the time I got to the checkout line, I was so busy loading, getting out my money, loyalty card, etc., that I would forget to actually take a photograph. So, most of my photos were taken in my house. I finally learned to take the photo BEFORE I got to the checkout line and I think they make for more interesting photos. So, without further ado, my version...
Consumer Snapshot: Where the Money Went:
Day 1- September 26
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(12:51 PM) Buttons, Coverstick, Brown Thread Total: $4.48 |
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(8:14 PM) Milk- $10.32 |
Day 4 –September 29
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(4:57 PM) Grey Thread, Fabric, Buttons Total: $5.55 |
Day 5- September 30
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(3:58 PM) Chocolate for work party Chocolate Fountain (2lbs) Total: $3.16 (+$11.24 store credit) |
Day 7- October 2
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(approximately 1:30 PM) More chocolate (1lb) Total: $7.20 |
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(7:09 PM) Cottage Cheese, Eggs, Bananas, Peaches, Mixed Veggies, Bread, Pumpkin Total: $25.62 |
WEEK TOTAL: $56.33
Brian and I already take data on every purchase we make, so the only new thing was snapping the picture. It did make me pause a bit more before I bought something. I found myself making fewer spontaneous purchases. I would think, "Oh, I want that--but then I will have to take a picture of it, and write down how much it is, and edit the photo, and do I really want to show that on the internet, and..." It usually wasn’t worth it. I do plan to try this again--maybe for an entire month.
Still, I would LOVE to see this experiment repeated--I'm a busybody.
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Lo- I'm making a Buttercup bag for winter (see link below). I already have most of it done. Here is a link to the tutorial and pattern for the bag. http://www.made-by-rae.com/2009/02/free-buttercup-bag-sewing-pattern.html