Re-Encounter of the Mall Kind

It's very interesting being back in 'civilization' (although I don't think that word means what we think it means) and feeling the old consumption urges. I thought after being out of things for 5 months, those spending desires had disappeared. While on the boat, I had no desire to go shopping and certainly wasn't interested in going to a mall.

What a difference a place makes! Welcome to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a consumption Mecca designed to entice you spend all your pennies and then some! This experience really drives home why it is so difficult to step off the spending treadmill if you're still in the same spending place.

I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but I've been having a craving to go to the mall! Now I haven't watched any TV and haven't read a paper so that's not it. I don't have anything on my list of need-to-buys or even on my list of want-to-buys. Do you suppose there's some subliminal messages posted around town, 'You need to go to the mall', 'You must go to the mall' - perhaps posted right next to traffic lights?

So we decided to go with it and went to the mall. As we walked in the door, Steve commented, "Demon place, designed to separate you from your money" in his best Sean Connery voice. And boy, is the Galleria Mall here designed to get you there and then once you're in the door, hook you in but good. The surroundings are so nice, why would you want to leave? (I do have to say the gold swan faucets with wings in the bathrooms were an interesting touch.)

Nice surroundings or not, they are designed in every aspect to get you to spend. Now if you get a lot of value and enjoyment out of time at the mall and think that is a great way to spend one (or many) of your 750,000 hours, then spending time at the mall would be an appropriate choice for you. However, for every hour you spend at the mall - if you're spending any money and you will be - then you also have to include the time you work to earn that money to spend. So is a couple of hours at the mall worth losing two of your 750,000 Hours plus the 3-5 you'll have to work to pay for your little expedition?

That's how we end up staying on the treadmill, we think nothing of hitting the mall for a couple hours and dropping $100, but for many folks that's 4-5 hours of work. Multiply that over the course of a year and instead of moving towards your ideal lifestyle, you're moving further and further away...

P.S. As Steve predicted, we were soon parted from our money - we couldn't escape the mall without spending! I think we'll stay outta there!