Smith Says: The haves and have-nots | Columnists | Summerville Journal Scene

Printer friendly version |

E-mail to a friend

Smith Says: The haves and have-nots

Published Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:15 PM

By Julie R. Smith
Summerville Journal Scene ®

I recently read a book about American consumerism. It said we are what we buy, that where we spend our money reveals our priorities and, sometimes, our morals.

That may be true, but I think you can also learn a lot by what people DON’T have.

I know folks who ban alcohol from their homes, and others who refuse to own pets (like my beloved brother T-Bob. When the kids begged for a puppy, he got them a Chia Pet.)

Widdle Baby and I don’t own a dishwasher, garbage disposal, Cuisinart or Jenn-Aire grill. (We had a rickety gas grill, but it broke or was beaten to death by Widdle, I’m not sure which.)

We don’t have a motorcycle, boat or golf cart. There’s no video recorder, DVR or HDTV (we get by with cable and a 27” Magnavox). Nor do we have a carpet cleaner, jetted tub, important art or stainless steel appliances.

We have no designer clothes and no garage door opener, primarily because we have no garage. We do not own a single video game. My earrings and necklaces are tangled willy-nilly in a dresser drawer, because I don’t have a jewelry box.

We never sprang for heated towel racks, a bread machine or a maid. We don’t have a garbage service, because we live in the country. (Never underestimate the entertainment value of going to the dump on Saturday afternoon.)

We don’t own an ashtray. We don’t have a treadmill or a full-length mirror. (For years I didn’t think we had a scale, but I found one in Widdle’s bathroom closet last week.)

So what do we have?

We own dozens of music CDs, an iPod and subscriptions to two magazines and a music-buying service.

We have cable TV—which I’ll give up when the remote is pried from my dead fingers—and a nice oil painting in the guest room

We have piles of books—1,021 at last count—a few antiques, framed photographs and needlepoint and ancient pine floors so slanted that a dropped thimble rolls merrily from the living room through the dining room into the kitchen, skipping along until it abruptly founders in two-inch drifts of accumulated dog hair.

We own, for some reason, lots of little gilt-framed mirrors propped throughout the house. We heat cold coffee in a $36 microwave. We have a George Foreman grill, a stockpot large enough to bathe in and two blenders that haven’t been used since I moved in. We have enough food in our cupboards and freezer to feed 10 people for a month.

We own exactly three movies on DVD.

We have a lovely china hutch but no fine china. We do, however, have an impressive collection of cheap wineglasses. I have three antique porcelain plates that are stored in a drawer with the ivory damask napkins and placemats that we use maybe once a year. (What I was thinking--ivory damask?)

We own two darling little doggie sweaters that the doggie refuses to wear. I have bifocal contacts and glasses. Widdle has an electric beard trimmer.

We also have love and faith, health and laughter.

In other words, we have everything.

I bet you do, too.

Julie R. Smith, who is humbled by her wealth, can be reached at widdleswife@aol.com.

Comments

Notice about comments:

Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

Full terms and conditions can be read here.

Poll Question

For entertainment, I mainly go out in...

Most Viewed
Most Commented

104 East Doty Avenue | Summerville, SC 29483 | 843-873-9424 office | 843-873-9432 fax