Endorsements

By the title you might think I am going to head off on another political tirade. But you would be wrong. This is a consumer endorsement. And lest that statement make you wonder whether you've somehow begun reading another blog instead of mine, I would reassure you that you're safe with me.

Borrowing from the Bard...
I come not to bury occasional consumerism, but to praise it.

I often tirade against consumerism, but really what I loathe is blind consumerism or economic materialism--buying stuff because it's cheap and available, because you think it will make you happy, not because you need it. Those of us who call mainstream society home are encouraged through emotionally loaded advertising to believe we do indeed need lots of stuff. I am as susceptible as anyone to the clever marketing appeals (even people like me are marketed to, which cracks me up). What is an advertising-skeptical, wannabe back-to-nature type to do? Running away and hiding doesn't sound all that fun (I'd miss my family and my Tivo amusements, among other things to be named later). My solution is to consciously purchase products that are good quality, good for me, and do so in a minimalist way that I think is good for all of us. If you are a conscious shopper, too, then I have a few recommendations.

Some of the products I use and would recommend to others are commonly found. Egg Beaters can be used for a quick morning scramble--such as with Morningstar Farms vegetarian breakfast links--or used as the coating for French toast; my other breakfast fave is oatmeal, preferably using Bob's Red Mill thick rolled oats. For bubbly occasions I adore Martinelli's various sparkling ciders. Others of my favorites are not so easily located in stores, such as indulgences like Kodiak Cakes' Big Bear whole wheat brownie mix (someone agrees!) or Mother's Natural Peanut Butter Bumpers cereal. I'm terribly sad when a product I love disappears (such as happened with Veggie Pockets, made by the Hot Pockets people). Thankfully I am rewarded on occasion when good natural products gain a foothold in grocery stores everywhere, such as happened with natural peanut butters (Smucker's even make a handy stirrer now!) or the Annie's line of mac-n-cheese (check out the Shells & Alfredo or for a real throwback-to-childhood treat, the Bernie O's).

But I posted today to share my endorsement of a dishwasher detergent: Cascade 2-in-1 Action Packs with Dawn. I've read reviews that point to the expense, the need to handle them with dry fingers (this technology actually won an award), and inability to measure out smaller loads (it's one size fits all), but the cleaning power is never disputed. These suckers give me a clean dishload like no other detergent I've used. And since I am a sale-coupon combo shopper, and I always wait for a full load anyway, the price was not an issue for my initial 90-pack tub. You might point out that I was manipulated into buying in the first place (ads and coupons are quite timed, I realize), but the end result in this case was discovering a product that works extremely well. That is a good reason for product loyalty, IMHO. Love it!

So my end message is reminiscent of the adage to students about studying smarter not harder. Don't buy bigger, buy better. Or maybe it works better this way: It's not how much you buy, but how well you buy. Clearly marketing isn't my thing. :)

P.S. Check out this fascinating article on product loyalty entitled, "Consumers mistake familiarity with superiority". And if you've never heard of the anti-commercialism group AdBusters, then go check 'em out now. The spoof ads are worth viewing, even if you don't agree with the group's agenda. And finally, I encourage you to contemplate simple living.