Success is purchasing on the installment plan!

**my4littlebuffaloes** · 02-03-2006, 02:42 PM

I actually saw this on a radio shack sign today on my way home from the doctor. I couldn't believe it! The first thing that went through my head was "success is not having to purchase on the installment plan, but just paying cash and owning it!" What is with our culture? The people that are feeding this garbage to America just must be horrible people. How can they live with themselves by sending people into financial ruin everyday? Granted it is people's choice to purchase or not, but the society in general just has this attitude. Why? How can we change it? I guess just 1 person at a time. It just make me angry at how greedy the companies are.

Jennifer

**Early Bird** · 02-03-2006, 02:54 PM

HuH? And I thought I was sucessful because I DON"T buy things on the installment plan!

**canadian gardener** · 02-03-2006, 03:05 PM

Rofl, we fruglaites are a bit radical EB, and Jennifer.

I say start a frugal revolution, AND THEN the advertisers will have to bow to our movement!

heheheheh its the best kind of revolution, one household at a time becoming frugal as we spread our devious ways!!!!

Pretty soon WE could be the mainstream and the super spendy ones will be odd!

I just think, it takes two to tango, and if it works, advertisers will do it, and if it panders to people who are also greedy it's at least a mutual thing.

The way I see it is I vote with my feet, I do what I can. When people see what I do, and how I've bought my freedom by not buying lots of things,

I'm giving an alternative message.

Sooner or later people who want to change and see it my way, will, and when that happens, the advertisers will change.

I don't see them as the problem so much as a symptom of the problem.

The real problem is greed but it isn't necessarily the companies who are trying to sell products (I'm glad they do, they employ other people and sometimes they make a pretty good and frugal product)

but rather the real problem is the heart of the consumer or spender.

When we grow our babies up teaching them to hang out at the mall, giving them credit cards or huge allowances and don't teach them how to spend, save and give

I think we breed another spendy generation who values themselves by what they own, not by the kind of person they are.

People whose self esteem comes from owning the latest or the best are people without real self esteem at all. How sad and empty.

People whose self esteem comes from hard work, and generosity, and careful planned saving and spending whose values are more into people than things are rich no matter what they "own".

Teaching generosity and saving habits and hard work are vital to changing the future.

that happens thru teaching our own kids at home, but also volunteering to teach others, young mums for example or teens in high school or youth groups at church.

It's a social revolution and we can make a difference.

**PrairieRose** · 02-03-2006, 03:22 PM

I'm always aware of advertising too. Every commercial on t.v. makes me go "hmmmmmmmmmmmm" these days.

**homesteadmamma** · 02-03-2006, 03:32 PM

Originally posted by PrairieRose
I'm always aware of advertising too. Every commercial on t.v. makes me go "hmmmmmmmmmmmm" these days.

We are too Lisa.

It won't stop until people begin to realize they are being sucked in by advertising and cc companies. It starts with one person at a time. We can't just blame the advertisers though. Its the cc companies who hand out the money so easily and it's people who refuse to make different choices. As long as people continue on with these choices, advertisers will continue on with their blantant advertising.

**ironmaiden** · 02-03-2006, 06:44 PM

My favorite was being at the mall with my sister - at the pet store. Turns out the pet store was the MOST expensive store in the whole mall with $300 kittens and dogs over $800. And there was a sign in the back "financing provided by Washington Mutual".

Of course there were no signs saying how expensive these cute little animals were. I could so see, some little kid begging her/his parents for a cute kitty, parents agreeing and then finding out how expensive kitty was and relenting to financing as they already said yes to their kid.

**tlenad** · 02-03-2006, 07:07 PM

Originally posted by ironmaiden
My favorite was being at the mall with my sister - at the pet store. Turns out the pet store was the MOST expensive store in the whole mall with $300 kittens and dogs over $800. And there was a sign in the back "financing provided by Washington Mutual".

Of course there were no signs saying how expensive these cute little animals were. I could so see, some little kid begging her/his parents for a cute kitty, parents agreeing and then finding out how expensive kitty was and relenting to financing as they already said yes to their kid.

This stuff really ticks me off. How difficult is it to put the price on the window?

I refuse to buy animals in the pet store for many reasons but this one of them. I refuse to buy anything that the price isn't clearly marked on it.

**canadian gardener** · 02-03-2006, 08:14 PM

Traci, you'd love this comment that my friend makes. If she doesn't see the price marked, she looks at it, and LOUDLY announces

WOW no price, MUST BE FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!

That usually sends the help running to assist!

**carolyns** · 02-03-2006, 09:48 PM

This is just the companies way of getting you to buy their product. They want you to believe that you will be successful (beautiful, happy, loved, etc.) if only you buy their product. But people buy and then not feel that way, so they rush to buy something else. It is like I tell my son, with any kind of advertising, people are simply attempting to sell you something, and he should look at every ad from that point of view. *especially with those pesky t.v. ads!*