Shop til You Drop

"We hear a lot about recession-proof occupations--nursing, for example. These jobs are recession-proof because we can't realistically manage without them. America needs more recession-proof products, and Americans need to refocus their spending habits around those products. In contemplating a purchase, we might ask ourselves: Does it actually do something? Does it do it better than the previous version? Or does it just make me feel good to own? And: How much am I paying for amenities that aren't a part of the product's basic job description?"

In the Los Angeles Times, Steve Salerno argues in favor of a "vanity tax."

And Meghan Daum contemplates the wonders of the SkyMall catalog.

Mary Elizabeth Williams in Salon interviews Joel Waldfogel, author of Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays.