I bought this LG fridge-freezer in British electrical shop retail outlet Curry’s in 2001.
I also bought this Bosch washing machine in 2002 from the now defunct Radio Rentals.
I have only needed to change something on the LG but otherwise both machines have never broken down since moving back home from Britain in 2003.
When I lived in America, I noticed that rich folk never threw away their electrical equipment unless it had irreparably broken down.
Now today I see young couples with no savings at all changing working electrical equipment every two years or so.
I see young couples driving Range Rovers yet they are renting in the Avenues.
Some of these top of the range cars are worth more than their rented apartments, what is going on with our youth?
They reflect how we have become a very consumptive society.
In 2008 I was taken out for dinner with a group of journalists by the founder of CNN, billionaire business man Ted Turner.
He has donated US$2billion to the United Nations, yet he drove an old BMW 3 series.
He can afford a yellow Lamborghini or a Rolls Royce yet he rolls in an old BMW 3 series.
Yet down in Harare or Johannesburg, black folk are swimming in debt yet driving huge automobiles bought on credit!
We need to restructure our consumptive appetite for things we could do without!
A filmmaker will rush to buy a Mercedes on his big pay day instead of investing in camera equipment or an edit suite.
Consequently, we fail to leave businesses behind that outlive us or our progeny.
The man likely to be Britain’s next Prime Minister Boris Johnson drives a Ford Focus, at time he rides a bicycle to work.
Boris grew up in old money and is a millionaire in his own right, but yes he is simple like that.
Richard Branson owns one of the biggest airlines in the world, Virgin, but he flies commercial.
On his trips to Zimbabwe he used to fly on Air Zimbabwe, some that we know have a penchant for private jets using taxpayer’s money!
On my first meeting with the late Sam Levy in 2006, he remarked on how some of his tenants drove expensive cars yet they always came to negotiate for rent extensions.
Don’t live to impress or to be seen, the same people won’t be there when you are in debt.
If they are there, they will more likely be talking about how totally irresponsible you were!
If the LG and the Bosch are still working, keep on moving, all you want is a cold beer or clean clothes!
Imagine if all the millions that we spent on unnecessary gear were invested in opening new factories!
Today Warren Buffet donated US$3.2billion dollars yet he has lived in the same house for 61 years.
To date he has donated US$32billion to charity yet some of us can’t even send a village cousin’s child to school yet we drive six figure dollar cars.
Let us wake up and start living!
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