In the new Pixar movie Wall-e, there’s a fantastic message about stuff: Too Much Stuff Is Not a Good Thing.  There’s also a message about selfishness, gluttony, excess, and of course the environment.  And Love, if robots can be in love, that is.  However, the beginning of the movie shows us that on earth more stuff leads to the final elimination of useful life because all resources were used up (that’s the environmental message), but as the movie plays out there is a terrific scene where a massive mega-store is panned across the screen: Buy’n'Large appears to take a mile wide spot in a shopping center that is dedicated to the one single store.

The people on earth in this futuristic movie were so focused on stuff that they forgot that life was more than stuff.  Personal finance is best understood in the context of stuff (including the Nintendo Wii that I’m lusting after, the 5 string bass guitar, the new road bike, the bigger 30″ monitor, the 40″ HD TV [and, no, I don't need a bigger HDTV - that looks almost like restraint, huh?], and the gym membership with accompanying self control).  Does the stuff rule you, does it give purpose to your life?  If the answer is yes, then your perspective is out of whack.  Give another thought to the value of stuff.  Stuff is part of what drives a capitalistic culture, but a balanced and healthy society is going to deal with the stuff and grab for something deeper.

Wall-e is entertaining.  Wall-e is amazingly full of detail, and yet what I walked away with was a renewed sense of focus to get rid of the stuff and cling to the value in my family, the value in my faith, and the value in the richness of the creation around me.  I live just outside of the Rockies in Aurora, Colorado and yet I’ve never skied there, I’ve not gone hiking too many times and I’ve been pretty limited in my appreciation for the Rockies.  With the price of gas going up my opportunities, if the prices of gas keep going up, will dwindle.  Its time to kick this appreciation thing into high gear.

If you have seen Wall-e, what do you think?  Did the movie envigorate your perspective on stuff?  Am I too analytical?

I’ve recently had my eyes caught by a few articles that I thought I’d pass along.  Please consider reading the following articles because they’re either informative, well written, or both.

Fivers - check out the details on the new five dollar bills.  If you don’t, someone else will!

Extravagant Spending -  Is extravagant spending even remotely insane?  If you’ve ever watched a show like Pimp My Ride, Cribs, or any of the many copy-cat shows that are out there to show off (estimated) wealth, then you’ve wrestled with some of the neat toys and known you couldn’t afford it and feel right about the expenditures.

Watch Your Laundry Maker -  A handy article about doing laundry the right way: measure twice, wash once.

Fully Funding Accounts - How much does it cost to fully fund various savings accounts and retirement accounts?

The Home Shopping Brainwash Network - A great analysis of the Home Shopping Network and how they market to their watchers.  This stuff scares the snot out of me because I know there are people at home just sitting there waiting to spend money they have, don’t have, or should keep.