The Silly Season

Like every weekend we would venture into the shopping mall to browse around and pick up some groceries along the way. If there is a bargain or a sale that catches our fancies, we might buy something. As age catches up and the house is full of stuff, we no longer have the stamina to clean everything around the house thus we resist buying any more stuff other than that is necessary. Actually we are slowly removing, throwing or giving away some stuff we neither used nor seldom used.

This weekend the shopping mall was packed. There were throng of people in the mall doing their Christmas shopping, drinking coffee and soaking in the beautiful warm day. They packed up the shops and their shopping carts were full to the brim. Everything, they see seems to be a bargain to them and buying almost everything, spending their money without a care as if there is no tomorrow.

My wife and I shook our head in amazement before we realised “the silly season” has began. This annual season make people silly. They just buy and buy without thinking and the consequences that were to follow. It was easy to spend, just pull out the plastic card and pay for the purchases. Buy now, pay later.

Just before the federal election, the central bank raised interest rate by a ¼ per cent. Majority of the people complained about the hardship they have to face paying off their housing mortgage and other loans. Cost of living will go up and off course the drought did not help at all. Fresh vegetables, meat, milk, bread etc faces an increase in price. We have very unhappy people and the government lost the election partly because of the interest rate increase.

The state government last week announced next year there will be a rate increase for water, electric, gas and public transport. The price of oil has soared up, so it will add more pressure to increase the prices of staple food. Now, now, any right minded person would control their spending, making sure they can afford to pay for the purchases without debts and saving every cents to pay off their mortgages and loans. What I see seem to be difference and against conventional wisdom. Spend, spend and worry about it later. It is better to owe the bank money than the bank owed us money. Who knows, we will not be here tomorrow. Live and enjoy for today and worry about the consequences later. Are they silly or they smarter than we thought?

Oh, another thing, the real meaning of Christmas somehow is lost in "this silly season"!