The Joy of Spending Amidst Recession: Priceless

How do we really transcend the dreaded R-word?

Many economists and business experts have been injecting in the minds of the average Americans the possibility of a recession. Realistically or more blatantly, the country’s Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernake, has recently hinted that the US could stumble into recession from the potent catastrophe of housing mortgage, credit and financial crises. Recession is a temporary and short decline in economic market and prosperity and increasing unemployment but a deepening recession could lead to depression.

Fine. So, what should we do?

Not until most recently, I get to know names like Fox’s News’ Neil Cavuto and read books like Joel Greenblatt’s “The Little Book that Beats the Market”. I want to believe that I get it.

After filing the 2007 income tax return on or before the April 15 deadline, the “qualified” average Joe’s will be receiving a check from Uncle Sam’s coffers come May as part of the economic stimulus package. Sweet. The best advise from President Bush is to spend it wisely on American-made goods and products so that it will boost up the economy. Wait. I haven’t done extensive research or never have I studied economics so I have to warn you that fiscal policy is not my cup of tea. But I can offer “professional” advice on how to spend your $600 tax rebate check; let’s say in one week.

Here’s the trick with the rebate. It’s an enjoyable and guilt-free spending since you are helping bolster the economy while you go broke. I call it patriotic squandering.

The very moment you encash the check or withdraw the money, make a wish and kiss your green bucks bye-bye. You are so ready to take the cab from the bank to your house. That’s $10 ($2.50 “flag drop” rate plus 40 cents for each one-fifth of a mile or 60 seconds of no motion or motion under 12 miles an hour and extra tip). Such an extravagant ride just saves you a couple of travel minutes and contributes to my friend Rashid’s growing taxi business.

On Monday, swing by Starbucks for a grande soy caramel macchiato in a venti cup and add a short Java regular coffee and pour it over the caramel on top of the foam. I guarantee a heavenly sip of caffeine with the right sweetness and creaminess combined. That’s $7 times 5 workdays and you just gave $35 to the most successful Seattle-based coffee company in the world that employs thousands of baristas and provides business to coffee farmers all over Africa, Asia and South America. More to the point, coffee will increase work productivity by keeping you awake all day in the office.

Forget about bringing home-cooked lunch to work. Explore the restaurants around your office for the week. When I say restaurant, I don’t mean the $4 lamb or chicken over rice or pita bread from how-are-you-my-friend food cart at the corner of 59th and Madison. Tao Restaurant would be a good idea for a Monday but I want you to “discover” restaurants for the week, not for a day, so try Kar Won Chinese to feed your winter-damaged dry hair with some unsaturated fats. That’s around $8.50 for General Tso including a bottled drink and tip. Sunberry’s on Tuesday ($13 for pan-sautéed salmon with sides of rice and salad and a small Orangina), Cabana lunch specials on Wednesday ($25 churassco skirt steak with chimichurri sauce and cebollitas Yummy! including drinks plus tax and tip) and Delmonico’s all-you-can-stack-and-weigh-and-pay on Thursday ($14…neks neks…neks plis!). Your office is treating everyone pizza for lunch on Friday for a job-well-done so treat yourself and your wife for a $100 per person dinner at the Beekman’s Top of the Tower hotel bar and lounge. Expect a check of around $250 including tax and tip. You can still meet-up with friends for a couple of Friday drinks at a nearby hotel garden bar by Grand Central. That would be another $50 for a good two- or three-hour of how-was-your-week talks before hopping into a yellow cab home to Queens ($40).

For the entire five days you should have spent $535.50, if your notes and math are accurate. Of course, this includes the $65 made-in-China sneakers that you will order online on the night of Wednesday and the $70 (half-the-sale-price) XXL 100% cashmere sweater that you will end up getting from Bloomingdales while checking out for sunglasses. It’s really a good buy and you can wear it next winter or give it to dad-in-law as Christmas gift.

You wake up late on Saturday and you are so hungry but no smell of food that’s cooking in the kitchen. You call Thai-Chin-Jap Fusion and order special lunch combos for delivery. That’s would be $40 including tax and tip. After dinner over leftover lunch, have a good 15-minute walk with your wife to the nearest UA Cinemas and watch “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” ($22 for two tickets including a dollar donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital). You felt so good about Saturday and you call it a night after the movies.

On Sunday, you go to church and feel proud of your $2 share in the offertory for a blessings-filled week. You still have a couple of quarters that you toss to the coin bottle for laundry and parking use. You are so done splurging your $600. The rebate came through you but not to you. You are just a transitory piece of the economic puzzle to keep this country and the rest of the world alive and running. Priceless, indeed!

It’s Monday again. You’re still employed. You are all set to face the daily grind with your plastic-packed lunch and your weekly MetroCard charged to your Visa.

Till next stimulus package… ‘Hope not.