BC Business
I’ve been trawling my brains recently for something new and interesting to say on the topic of our Current Economic Difficulties. We’ve been treading through a bog of bad news for months now, and coming up with something novel to add to the mire is kind of tough. Then it hit me – something no economist, politician or pundit has yet addressed: Me. For the record, I’m just shy of 30, I have a couple of years of my first career job under my belt and I still have the university-honed intestinal strength to tolerate sharing a cheap apartment with another bachelor in a dingy part of town, which I rent for smidgens. The meager money I’m making is still more than I’m used to spending, and it’s little enough to not be worth getting laid off over (I hope). I have no dependants, no debts, no car and no investments. At the risk of rubbing people entirely the wrong way: I am on the winning side of the recession. Seriously, with retail sales crashing, I’m getting some great deals. I just bought a very respectable suit the other day for half price, which I truly needed (my only other has worn out a bit since my Mom bought it for me when I graduated high school). Now I know that a lot of people are suffering out there, so I hope this doesn’t come across as boasting. It’s not like I got into this situation on purpose. But here’s my point: with all the pessimism and fear out there in the economy right now, it might be nice to know there are also folk like me lurking in basement suites and driving rusty ’87 Tercels, our pockets full of spending power to which we are still unaccustomed. We’re just getting used to going out to restaurants regularly, buying good Christmas presents and taking vacations. We have not yet begun to spend. If I had a magic wand I could use to lift the world out of its economic misery, I wouldn’t hesitate. But I’m also keenly aware, selfishly, that another couple years at this rate and I’ll be able to afford a down payment on a condo. So here’s hoping on that stimulus.