Homework - WK6

 In general, I would consider myself a very hoardy person when it comes to money but I hoard only in order to buy the things I do not necessarily need but rather want. This however comes in waves, I will live a couple of months not spending a dime more than I have to and then a couple of months overspending to the point where my wallet can't take the heat anymore. There are times when I see myself as a consumer successfully brainwashed into buying the things I simply do not need.

When it comes to the items in my fridge the main thing that I always have are eggs. They are the easiest and simplest way of having a filling and healthy breakfast and I think that if you do not know how to prepare them you do not know a thing about cooking. The vegans of the world probably hate me for eating them, but I simply see it as the circle of life, there are obviously problems when it comes to the way the animals are kept but as awareness rises the problems are slowly going away. That is why I made the conscious decision of ignoring the self-righteous people and living my life my way.

The second thing i always have in my fridge is at least two jars of homemade jam. Apart from my insatiable hunger for sweet things I enjoy homemade products that I am proud to say we make a lot of... well my parents do anyway... I often take it for granted and pretend that I will always have jam in my fridge, but that is just me lying to myself. They won't always be here to make it and mee being as lazy as I am I fear and feel a lot of guilt that the tradition of homemade products will stop with them.

The third thing I always have in my fridge is ketchup. This is because of my rather nasty habit of ordering food when my wave of reckless spending kicks in and ketchup is a necessity with fries. I refuse to spend money on the overpriced garnishes that the restaurants offer while foolishly spending way too much money on food that I could simply cook at home. This is my way of rationalising my actions for which there is no real justification.

When it comes to Chris Arning's work "What Can Semiotics Contribute to Packaging Design?" and the opening quote Consumers shop for meaning, not stuff.” it really hits close to home. I am the classic example of a person who thinks that buying and having stuff can bring happiness. While this is true it quickly fades away and you go to buy the next thing to feed the cycle of consumerism. Cool packaging often catches my eyes and is the cause of me buying things I did not even come into the store for and making me hate myself even more for it.