Human attention is a commodity

Have you ever imagined life without TV? Personally, I think that this device wreaks unbelievable havoc in a social fabric. I live without television channels for long time and there is nothing I lack. 

Try to consider what leads investors to finance projects which have so many flaws that should be legally prohibited, such as TV stations?  Answer: the possibility to land the only resource that is unique - human attention. For the "content" presented on TV we always have to pay - our attention.

If we have the resource limited in such a way, it means that we can't devote time to other purposes - our loved ones, parents, children, relatives. We can't sacrifice for the other activities - reading, writing, chopping wood, digging the garden, learning new things, going for walks, cooking, etc. Is called opportunity cost. Indeed, the cost is enormous, because human attention is indivisible, at least for men :) 

"People thought they are customers, in reality they are product"

Accumulation of unnecessary things

One of the elements of the simple life is to reduce the number of items, with which we surround ourselves. Accumulation of material things is intended to provide a sense of security, is a sign of social status. We like to possess, to own. Contemporary world teach us that the acquisition and accumulation of wealth is an indispensable part of our earthly existence. In a culture focused on consumerism buying new things in more and more should be a recipe for a happy life. 

In fact, expanding the state ownership causes numerous problems - beyond the issued money, we have to have adequate space, take care of the items, clean them, repair, and protect against others. We buy things that we rarely use or use only a small percentage of their wide range of possibilities. We wast money, time and energy. But by reducing the state ownership we gain space in our homes and get rid of the considerable problems. When you don't have something, the only problem is that you don't have it :-) 

What do you think?

More about collecting things tells short film "The story of stuff", that I highly recommend.  

Studying...

It started ... the worst time in the life of a student. A lot of exams and always too little time to finish everything what was planned. Suddenly, it turns out that you have to make up for the absence, pass three tests in one week, and in addition, write a few words on your blog :-). The same situation is repeated every year after Christmas. Perhaps it would be wise to do some work during the holiday break...Whatever you say, I can't give up of the time spent with my family for the early preparation to the exam session. For me family and close friends are the most important thing in life and the attention dedicated to them make me fell wealth! 

What do you think about this? Do you study at Christmas? 

"Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them"

Charles de Montesquieu

Trojan horses in our homes

Today I  would like to describe a few things that are  great marketing tricks of the big companies, and which are designed to generate fixed costs in household budgets. 

One of the most significant Trojan horses are espresso coffee machines - the same coffee machine can be purchased for as low as 150 PLN! A real bargain! In one of the well-known Polish chain of stores ran out of them on the first day of sales ... The problem lies in the fact that the cost of one capsule is more than 1.5 PLN. So 100 coffees and we have the cost of the machine. In addition, we do not know what is in the capsule. Personally, I've tried coffee from this gadget : it tastes great! The problem is that it tastes better than coffee and coffee can't be.

What car dealers earn today - on loans, leases, insurances and services - on anything but not on new cars. Servicing new car is terribly expensive - replacement bulbs can cost 300 PLN and last even 40 minutes! Of course, the car is so designed to spoil immediately after the warranty. 

The same thing regards your household appliance. Washing machine, fridge, printer, mixer are deliberately constructed to broke down after the warranty. Additionally, they deteriorate in such a way that the repair  isn't profitable - is cheaper to purchase new appliance.

So, before you buy something ask yourself whether this kind of purchase would not entail further costs :)