Affluent Gen Xers, Ys spurn lavish life

Are you a "Yawn" ? How are you living within your means?

Family of three, no credit card debt, single family home in Sherman Oaks with a pool. We recycle have a garden to grow vegetables clip coupons and shop the sales. We are trying to teach our teenager quality not quantity and how to live green. Not easy at times but we make a conscientious effort daily. If everyone changed just one thing a month like no plastic bags or using public transportation it would make a hugh difference.

I drive a 10 year old car rarely and own one functional pair of walking shoes. I read newspapers online to cut down on wasted natural resources. I never smoked and do not drink. I am not a gen Y nor X'er nor a Yawn but I've gotten it since the first Earth Day in 1970. Now if GM would stop airing those ignorant Cadillac ads, which glorify their gashog vehicle in the name of pseudohipness, even more cosmic bandwith could be saved. I dare you to print this response and risk losing a major corporate advertiser.

Our family replaced twelve conventional incandescent light bulbs this year with a dozen lower wattage, "green" bulbs. Those things have improved recently, producing an equal amount of lumens as traditional sources while using significantly less energy. The slightly higher purchase price of the new bulbs is offset by the savings in power consumption over time.

Maybe some people are walking the walk, but many are just talking the talk and trying to paint themselves as politically correct, caring, compassionate, hippy wannabes.

However, I think there is a growing movement by Americans and Europeans toward more work-life balance. That's easy for some Europeans who abuse a generous, taxpayer (worker) funded welfare system. But Americans need to tone down the greed, the Type-A blind ambition, and the meth, caffeine, and prescription drug fueled workaholicism.

We're given less than 100 years in this lifefime. Why live that life miserably (but kidding yourself otherwise), toiling away like an ant? How can you grow old and realize that you really don't know your family and they don't really know you? Why have kids if you aren't going to do more than put fast food in front of them and stuff their room with toys that they don't play with?

Life is about responsibility that doesn't involve making money, love, learning and pleasure. Work should be more about survival than ego.

Great article. I'm curious as to what percentage of Generation X and Y are considered YAWNS...