I have been busy the past couple days helping my friend pack up her entire apartment - basement included - and moving it into her childhood home. Times are tough as we know, and her parents were greatly affected by the crashing economy. Moving out of her own place would free up some extra bills, which she can then apply to her parent's. Sounds very Indian of her, doesn't it?

Her and I have been friends for 22 years. We have been told many times we look like sisters. But it wasn't until now that I realized she was a:

Compulsive shopper and closet hoarder!

I was dying to take a photo of her place with items strewn everywhere and post it so I could clearly get my point across to you, but that would be SO wrong to do to her! She was quite embarrassed by it; being very selective as to who she let inside to help pack. I felt like a horrible friend not knowing this about her sooner, but she had her ways of storing and hiding everything from view. Her place was almost always spotless when I came over, so I still have no idea where all the stuff came from. I think she must have trap doors underneath the floorboards and in the walls. I teased her to no end, even though I really think this is a serious problem that needs some attending to!

One thing I liked about India is how simply most people live. Many houses have very simple furnishings, hardly even a photo frame graces the walls. Americans live in surplus, it's true. What makes us believe we need to have so much stuff to be happy?

Lucky for me, I grew up with parents who pinched pennies and it rubbed off on me. We used to pack a toaster in our suitcase when we traveled so we could make toast in our hotel rooms and save money by not eating out. (There are so many more stories where that came from!) So growing up this way, I also like to live minimally and get rid of things I don't use frequently. 

There's a show on American television these days called Hoarders. It's hard to watch this show while eating. (I'd advise not to). But I always wonder if Indians happened to tune into this show what they would think of Americans and our inability to quench our never-ending thirst for stuff.

So, I arrived home at 3am last night from a 14 hour packing marathon, tired and sore, after eight of us packed, trashed, cleaned, hauled, unpacked, and shook our heads in astonishment during the entire process. The saying is true; the more you earn the more you spend. I was very thankful at this moment I have never earned enough to buy so much useless stuff!