Green Lining Under Depressed Economy

(cross-post from La Marguerite blog)

I am usually fairly casual about my finances. Barely a glance at my Mastercard statement. I pay, no questions asked. Until today, when I noticed a monthly charge of $50.32, from New York Times Sales. That struck me as a lot of money, all of a sudden. The representative at the end of the line confirmed that I had been paying that amount for twenty months in a row. One thousand dollars, I could have saved.

Before, - that is when the economy was not such a scary word - I would not have bothered. Fleeting pangs of guilt from my budding green conscience, and thoughts of all the trees downed because of my indulgence, did not make a difference. I continued to read, and then quickly dispose of the daily paver that made its way to my door every morning. Promising myself that one day, I would switch to an online subscription.

This morning, I resisted the advances of the New York Times representative to cut me a deal. Half price for sixteen weeks. Or maybe just the Sunday paper. Or would I prefer the weekday edition? No, I told him, I had made up my mind. With the economy, I could no longer afford the superfluous expense of $50.32, or any other amount. Plus, it's bad for the trees anyway.

Comments

[Paula Crossfield - Huffpost Blogger]

But did you get the online subscription? The news industry in going down the drain, what will be when they are no longer? I've cut many corners in these economic times, but I keep my weekend subscription because of the benefit of free online access during the week, and because I want to support the industry that supports me.