I’d like to share something with you. Today is the first ever Global Sharing Day and we are being told that everyone is at it in an effort to save money and the planet. Are you a ‘sharer’?
Our Quarterly Consumer Report recently indicated that people are cutting back on spending in all areas and struggling to save. So could the answer be looking to share wherever possible in order to cut your outgoings?
Sharing has become much more popular during the recession. People now share cars, jobs, childcare arrangements, designer clothes and even swap their homes for a holiday.
Sharing to save
Advocates of sharing say that it’s a way of saving money, making money, finding new friends and having fun while doing it. There is also the belief that we can save global resources if we all share a little bit more.
It’s not only about the monetary benefit that you can get from sharing. Figures show that eight out of 10 Britons say that sharing makes them happier. People seem less bothered about the status of actually owning certain goods these days.
What’s mine is… mine
I understand the benefits of sharing, and can see that both parties get something from the exchange, but I’m still not 100% convinced that I want to share in some situations.
The idea of sharing a car with someone else, for example, doesn’t really do it for me. If I can afford it, I would much rather buy a car that would be mine to do with as I wish. If my funds are low, I’d rather go without a car altogether than share one with other people.
Similarly, I’m not keen on the idea of swapping my home for someone else’s as part of a summer holiday. For one thing I’d find it difficult to really relax in a home that didn’t belong to me, surrounded by other people’s belongings.
I can see the argument that sharing will help conserve the planet’s resources, but there are other ways that I can ensure that I’m limiting my impact in this respect.
Do you share to save money and resources? Or do you prefer your hard-earned cash to be reserved solely for you and your family, and not for all and sundry?
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