Shopaholic Reform: Gift Cards...What Gift Cards?

Wednesday, December 29

Gift Cards...What Gift Cards?

I am an expert at spending gift cards, and spending them quickly. I got a number of them this Christmas and have already managed to use up two of them and half of another. Here's what I bought in record time...

Dunkin Donuts ($30 value - $10 left)

4 bags of ground coffee...they were having a sale! 4 bags for $20! Can't beat that. AND when you think about it, it's more responsible of me to spend some of my gift card on ground coffee b/c I can make it at home, which is way cheaper than using all the $$ up on cups at Dunks.

Amazon ($50 value - gonzo)
Barnes and Noble ($75 value - gonzo)

Yes, that's right I spent $125 on nothing but books. I'm a dork...now let's move on. So needless to say, I have a lot of reading to do! Good thing I have a very long flight in my very near future (ahhh, India is getting close!)

So anyways, I managed to snag up some fabulous deals on some good old fashion paperbacks and on some new ebooks. My ipad is like one giant ereader all wrapped up into one, so I can read Kinkle and Nook books on it. Love it! So here are some of them...

The next book club selection.

and I also got....

Ecology of a Cracker Childhood
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolutoin - and How It Can Renew America
Green, Greener, Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of your Life
Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
By Their Father's Hand
The Hands of the Buddha
The Hangman's Daughter
Easily Amused

So like I said, I have just a few books to read.

1 comment:

Hilary said...: I read the 19th wife - for some reason I can't get enough of the polygamy books and tv shows. The book is a nice, little mystery!; January 6, 2011 at 10:19 AM

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Something to Chew On...

The downside to Globalization

1. “The general complaint about globalization is that it has made the rich richer while making the non-rich poorer. It is wonderful for managers and investors, but hell on workers and nature.”¹

2. Multinational corporations are accused of social injustice, unfair working conditions (including slave labor wages and poor living and working conditions), as well as a lack of concern for the environment, mismanagement of natural resources, and ecological damage.

3. Multinational corporations which were previously restricted to commercial activities are increasingly influencing political decisions. Many think there is a threat of corporations ruling the world because they are gaining power due to globalization.

4. Opponents say globalization makes it easier for rich companies to act with less accountability. They also claim that countries’ individual cultures are becoming overpowered by Americanization.

5. Anti-globalists also claim that globalization is not working for the majority of the world. During the most recent period of rapid growth in global trade and investment, 1960 to 1998, inequality worsened both internationally and within countries. The UN Development Program reports that the richest 20 percent of the world's population consume 86 percent of the world's resources, while the poorest 80 percent consume just 14 percent.

6. Some experts think that globalization is also leading to the incursion of communicable diseases. Deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS are being spread by travelers to the remotest corners of the globe.

7. Globalization has led to exploitation of labor. Prisoners and child workers are used to work in inhumane conditions. Safety standards are ignored to produce cheap goods. There is also an increase in human trafficking.

8. Social welfare schemes or “safety nets” are under great pressure in developed countries because of deficits and other economic ramifications of globalization.

As manufacturing continues to decline, so does our ability to innovate. In the long term, this means fewer well-paid jobs, lower productivity, declining wages, declining living standards and low economic growth. Globalization is a big part of this decline and will affect all jobs and all sectors of the economy. From the point of view of multinational corporations and Wall Street investors, globalization is probably viewed as a wonderful phenomenon with many opportunities. But from the point of view of American manufacturers, manufacturing workers, the middle class, professional service workers and overall economic growth, I think the disadvantages far out weigh the advantages.

-Mike Collins, The Pros and Cons of Globalization (2010)