2005-01-28

Signs of abundance

It's not just my imagination. It's not just the fad of larger and larger SUVs. It's apparently not just me who thinks he needs a 42-inch plasma screen to feel complete as a human being. We are truly the spoiled brats of the world...

The average size of a new house in the U.S.
1949: 1,100 sq. ft.
1970: 1,385 sq. ft.
1993: 2,060 sq. ft.
2004: 2,466 sq. ft.
(In case you were wondering, the size of the typical U.S. household (# of people) has dropped in the last 50 years.)

There are more automobiles in the U.S. than there are licensed drivers.

We have so much crap that doesn't fit in our 2,466 sq. ft. houses, that self-storage is now a $17 billion annual industry -- nearly double Hollywood's yearly box office take.

2 comments:

kenny said...

I remember my sister and I had to wait to become responsible teenagers before we could have a telephone in our bedroom - not our own line, or own number, just an actual telephone. The next biggie was getting a television in our rooms. Black and white of course, and no cable. I had to get married to get cable tv.

I talk with people at work and their 6 year olds have color tvs, cable, dvd players, and laptops in their bedrooms - nevermind cell phones and ipods.

J-Wild said...

...And Kenny didn't even have a "big" TV until 2002! Brandon, what a great post. Last night I talked with my teens about our relentless drive to acquire stuff! It is so hard not to want more, bigger, and better. I routinely fail in my quest to be satisfied with what I already have. It's probably a really good thing I don't have an over abundance of disposable income!