Less buying, more being

On these cold days, my mind wanders back to warm-weather outings to the lakefront. Last summer, my daughter and I regularly met friends at a local beach. I’m truly longing to recreate those hours we spent hanging out in the sun.

An empty beach is an easy, enjoyable outing. It’s easy to stay right there, in the moment, rather than allow my mind to swirl through the continual “to-do list.” Spotty cell phone coverage helps me stay focused on my daughter and our shared experience.

Another reason the beach is so fun is that we can get there by riding a bike or walking. Reasonably good beaches are accessible to Bay View homes by taking a significant stroll south from the pavilion at South Shore Park. (For drivers, it’s easy to park near the St. Francis border and walk down the pedestrian path.) To me, avoiding the car makes it more of an adventure.

Other summer memories are surfacing, too: viewing the Great Circus Parade, lingering over pancakes at a friend’s house, and watching my daughter laugh at ducks turning upside down in the water. None of these cost more than $5, and it seems that there’s a trend toward appreciating these things which don’t have SKU numbers and can’t be found on craigslist.

More Americans are focusing on experiences rather than purchases, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll. While the economic downturn caused some people to work more, a larger proportion are spending more time with family and friends, gardening, cooking, reading, watching television, and enjoying other hobbies. I think it’s awesome. While I would rather see television viewership decrease, I think almost any activity that replaces buying is helpful for our children.

A recent Department of Labor survey demonstrates that we’re gradually replacing time spent buying with time spent on other enjoyable activities. The average amount of time spent each weekday purchasing goods and services was 46 minutes in 2003 and ebbed to 43 minutes in 2008. Weekend shopping followed a similar pattern, going from 57 minutes to 55 minutes. Hopefully, more recent data from this American Time Use Survey will reflect a continued decrease.

The national trend blends nicely with Milwaukee’s long-held tradition of frugality described by Joanne Cleaver in Milwaukee magazine. Frugality is a trait Milwaukeeans would do well to perpetuate and pass down to our children. By frugality, I don’t mean fixating on how to obtain the best price on a sweater. Instead, I endorse trying to buy fewer sweaters and spending more time wearing our sweaters during meaningful experiences.

Those experiences might take place in our own kitchens, where we use an afternoon to bake something together. Or they might be as close as a few blocks away, where we visit the library together.

Spending less time buying nonessentials and even going so far as to redefine “nonessential” are wonderful.

This seems to be the right path for all Americans, especially parents. We benefit ourselves and our environment when we spend less time buying and more time being. It makes sense to me that experiences are more enjoyable for kids than goods-after all, most toddlers get cranky in stores, but it’s hard to find one who doesn’t like the park.

It’s February and we can’t really enjoy the beach. But sledding, playing with puppets in the library, and a host of other low-cost choices await. Let’s save our cash and create golden memories.

The author is a freelance writer and mother of one. Reach her with comments or suggestions at jill@bayviewcompass.com. For archived American Time Use Surveys, see bls.gov/tus.