On Thu, 2008-06-12 at 09:42 -0400, Grant Shipley wrote: > I saw this a lot in Utah but not so much other places in the country. > For instance, it is very rare to find anyone living in a home > 2200sq > feet here in NC.
Utah is hardly a power house capable of skewing the national average. There may be some regional variation, but the fact is that on average our entire nation continues to define prosperity as bigger and more. This is partially fueled by lower prices (after inflation), but obviously not everything is cheaper today than it was decades ago. Where prices have declined, other things have just moved from "optional" to "essential". Think: big screen TVs, cable, Internet, a cell phone for every family member over 12, gym memberships, etc. Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, if you recognize how much spending is actually discretionary, it becomes much easier to stay behind the curve and within one's means. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
