December 2002 - February 2003

The Urge to Splurge & Holiday Hangovers

'Tis the season to be jolly. But is spreading good cheer spreading your wallet too thin? How can you make the season more meaningful while saving a sleigh-load of money?

During the holiday season, time, money and energy are limited commodities. For many of us, the season has become synonymous with stress, obligation, and over spending - a recipe for disaster that leaves many of us more dazed than dazzled, more frazzled than fulfilled.

If you are like most Americans, you will count on the magic of plastic to ensure the magic of the season - leaving a pile of debt long after the tree is taken out and the tinsel packed.

• American households will average $1,500 in holiday credit charges and take 4 months to pay them off.
  
  
• 63% of us will use credit cards to pay for some, if not all, of our holiday purchases.
  
  
• We receive an average of 15 to 20 unsolicited credit card offers per month.
  
  
• The average household is $12,000 in debt with a yearly interest payment of $2,000 - money that could be saved for college or retirement. U.S. consumer debt outstrips the national debt.

In the season of giving - and getting - it's no wonder kids clamor for Rapunzel Barbie, Play Station, and other "hot toys." Backed by a $230 billion advertising industry, Moms and Dads are pressured to pack presents under the tree - or risk a blue Christmas.

• Advertisers spend $2,190 per household per year - much of it targeted to your children.
  
  
• 12 to 17 year olds will ask nine times for products they've seen advertised before their parents surrender, says a national youth survey.
  
  
• Over half of kids surveyed say that purchasing certain products raises their self-esteem.

Can money buy the things that we want most during the holiday season? Can you make your holidays brighter while making your debt lighter - or dumping it altogether?

In Dec 2002-Feb 2003, MMP conducted a major public education campaign on these issues. In all, we scheduled 238 radio, television, print, and internet interviews in 28 states. Of these, 9 were regionally, nationally or globally syndicated. 54 of the radio interviews occurred on commercial radio stations. Some 34 authorities were interviewed.

Guest Speakers by Topic:

Cecile Andrews, Director - The Simplicity Circles Project, Seeds of Simplicity

Gary Cross, Professor of History, Pennsylvania State University

Robert Manning, Gannett Professor of the Humanities, Rochester Institute of Technology, Founder, Newtonian Finances Ltd.

Betsy Taylor, President, The Center for a New American Dream

Linda Breen Pierce, Founder, The Pierce Simplicity Study, Author, Choosing Simplicity: Real People Finding Peace and Fulfillment in a Complex World

John de Graaf, Independent Public Television Producer, KCTS-TV, Seattle, Interim National Coordinator, Take Back Your Time Day

Mary Pipher, Adjunct Clinical Professor, University of Nebraska, Reviving Ophelia; The Shelter of Each Other; The Middle of Everywhere; and other books, Author

Vicki Robin, President, The New Road Map Foundation, Founding Board Member, Center for a New American Dream

Arthur Waskow, Director, The Shalom Center, Coordinator, FreeTime/Free People Initiative

Chuck Collins, Co-Founder and Program Director, United for a Fair Economy

Charles Derber, Professor - Department of Sociology, Boston College

Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director, Co-op America , Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Social Investment Forum

Chris Hartman, Research Director, United for a Fair Economy

Jennifer Ladd, Co-director, Class Action

Robert Engelman, Vice President for Research, Population Action International

Frances Moore Lappe, Co-founder, The Small Planet Institute, Co-author, Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a New Planet

Michael Renner, Senior Researcher, Worldwatch Institute

Mathis Wackernagel, Sustainability Program Director, Redefining Progress

George Basile, Executive Vice President and Senior Scientist, The Natural Step

Scot Case, Director of Procurement Strategies, Center for a New American Dream

Scott Cassel, Director, Product Stewardship Institute

Alan Thein Durning, Executive Director, Northwest Environmental Watch

Eric Brown, Communications Director, The Center for a New American Dream

John Cavanagh, Director, Institute for Policy Studies

Kevin Danaher, Co-Founder and Director of Public Education, Global Exchange

Christopher Flavin, President, Worldwatch Institute

Gary Gardner, Director of Research, Worldwatch Institute

William Gates, Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Scott Klinger, Co-Director, Responsible Wealth Project, United for a Fair Economy

Todd Larsen, Managing Director, Co-op America

Lisa Mastny, Research Associate, Worldwatch Institute

Debbie Raphael, Toxic Reduction & IPM Program Manager, Department of Environment, City of San Francisco

Janet Sawin, Research Associate, Worldwatch Institute