Everr E. Mann finally found the nerve to ask Valerie for a date. And she said Yes! He spent the whole week planning out the perfect evening. Everr prided himself on being a careful spender and considered it one of his finest qualities. He figured he’d play to his strengths to impress her.
The weather was perfect, so with gas at less than $2.50 / gal., they went driving around aimlessly and chatted, all for just a few bucks. For dinner, Ev knew just the place. The neighborhood burger chain was advertising a “Super Value Meal” – a double beef patty covered in bacon and cheese, extra fries and a super-sized soda all for just a few dollars each. They were stuffed!
To walk off all that food Ev took Val to the Dime-a-Dozen Dollar store. Strolling up and down the aisles they laughed and joked about the cutesy, plastic knick-knacky stuff. Everything was so cheap they ended up buying two bagsful of I-might-use-this-someday stuff. After dropping Val off, Ev congratulated himself on spending his money wisely.
Meanwhile, perched cross-legged on her bed, Valerie began to write, “Dear Diary, My first date with Everr! He’s cute and sweet but…Sigh… like so many of us he’s bought into being CHEAP. Will I ever meet a guy who’s not Creating Health, Emissions, and Attitude Problems, in other words – CHEAP?
“For example, dinner was tasty enough, but HEALTHY? Not so much. Not for us or for the environment. And all that aimless driving seems inexpensive, but it’s not when you count the ‘social cost of carbon.’ If you add up the dollar value of the economic harms and other socialized costs of carbon dioxide EMISSIONS, gas is expensive! That’s why in Europe gas costs $5 - $7/gal. to help cover those ‘hidden’ costs.
“And with an endless stream of every imaginable mass-manufactured material product practically begging to be bought (Thank you advertising – Not!) all of us could think twice about our ATTITUDE concerning accumulating and then discarding mounds of stuff just because it takes so few dollars to do so.
“So Dear Diary, Everr’s such a sweet guy that I’m going to talk to him about the difference between being frugal and being CHEAP. Then who knows? Maybe Everr and I, Val Uwe, will find a long-lasting future together on our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
The weather was perfect, so with gas at less than $2.50 / gal., they went driving around aimlessly and chatted, all for just a few bucks. For dinner, Ev knew just the place. The neighborhood burger chain was advertising a “Super Value Meal” – a double beef patty covered in bacon and cheese, extra fries and a super-sized soda all for just a few dollars each. They were stuffed!
To walk off all that food Ev took Val to the Dime-a-Dozen Dollar store. Strolling up and down the aisles they laughed and joked about the cutesy, plastic knick-knacky stuff. Everything was so cheap they ended up buying two bagsful of I-might-use-this-someday stuff. After dropping Val off, Ev congratulated himself on spending his money wisely.
Meanwhile, perched cross-legged on her bed, Valerie began to write, “Dear Diary, My first date with Everr! He’s cute and sweet but…Sigh… like so many of us he’s bought into being CHEAP. Will I ever meet a guy who’s not Creating Health, Emissions, and Attitude Problems, in other words – CHEAP?
“For example, dinner was tasty enough, but HEALTHY? Not so much. Not for us or for the environment. And all that aimless driving seems inexpensive, but it’s not when you count the ‘social cost of carbon.’ If you add up the dollar value of the economic harms and other socialized costs of carbon dioxide EMISSIONS, gas is expensive! That’s why in Europe gas costs $5 - $7/gal. to help cover those ‘hidden’ costs.
“And with an endless stream of every imaginable mass-manufactured material product practically begging to be bought (Thank you advertising – Not!) all of us could think twice about our ATTITUDE concerning accumulating and then discarding mounds of stuff just because it takes so few dollars to do so.
“So Dear Diary, Everr’s such a sweet guy that I’m going to talk to him about the difference between being frugal and being CHEAP. Then who knows? Maybe Everr and I, Val Uwe, will find a long-lasting future together on our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
RSS Feed
