Posted by: jlseagull | November 1, 2007

What $399 Will Buy INSTEAD Of An iPhone

Giving Up The iPhoneI must admit the iPhone is pretty cool, but do I really need the latest gadget? Especially when I can spend my money on something that matters and make a difference in the world. Here are some suggestions:

$399 can buy
20 flocks of geese (or)
20 flocks of ducks (or)
20 flocks of chicks (or)
12 rabbits (or)
10 colonies of honey bees (or)
1.5 water buffaloes (or)
2 llamas (or)
3 sheep (or)
4 shares of a heifer (or)
2 pigs
from Heifer International to help people around the world become self-reliant.

$399 can buy

Jute Wall Hanging

Three Friends Pin from Kenya $12.00
Jute Wall Hanging from India $68.00
Hanging Photo Frame from Indonesia $38.00
Multicolored Shoulder Bag from Guatemala $28.00
Lotus Flower Candleholder from the Philippines $28.00
Bamboo Lounge Chair from Vietnam $74.00
Fretwork Shesham Box from India $34.00
Leaf & Bamboo Journal from Indonesia $14.00
Amethyst and Silver Earrings from Nepal $34.00
Daisy & Vine Serving Bowl from Vietnam $48.00
from Ten Thousand Villages which sells FAIR-trade handicrafts from around the world.

$399 can buy
$80 buys new clothing for a child who has lost everything,
$50 will buy one week’s worth of food for an adult,
$25 can provide an infant with formula or baby food for a week,
$25 can provide shoes for a child caught in a disaster,
$115 will buy groceries for a week for a family of four that has lost their home,
and $65 in materials and 36 volunteer hours are necessary to train an Instructor for First Aid and CPR
when you donate to the American Red Cross (Plus: giving blood doesn’t cost you a dime and it saves lives).

and $399 can buy two laptops from The One Laptop Per Child Project

In closing here are some lyrics from a song I wrote:
I don’t need another gadget to simplify my life,
I don’t need an organizer to tell me I’m disorganized,
 I don’t need another product guaranteed to give me peace of mind,
If I want to be happy I need to take the time to smile.

The iPhone won’t make me happy, but $399 can go a long way towards giving someone else joy.

What else can $399 buy? Add your suggestions.

Posted in The American (Un)Dream | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Responses

I found this post surfing around and it’s worth quoting and linking to. —Regina

By: It’s Not Just Celebs - What Will $399 Buy? « Celebrities Doing Good on November 1, 2007
at 8:49 am

Computer hardware companies cannot compete with the new Apple gadgets that are coming out, because mostly Apple is creating the market for these products. People refer to any mp3 player as an iPod: ‘those kids and their damn iPods.’ regardless of the real brand of said player.
Like families in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, computer product companies are just trying to ‘keep up with the joneses, and let’s face it Mac is Mr. Jones, and when a Zune user downloads music from iTunes, Mr. Jones is sleeping with your wife.
This controversy over iPhone has been interesting, because even if you’re pissed that they lowered the price or that you have to sign up with ATT or that you cannot download 3rd party apps, most people still wouldn’t want to be seen with a knock off. I carry a blackberry proudly, because it’s not trying to be anything other than what it is. But to carry around something even remotely resembling an iPhone would just not be cool.
There were murmurings in early summer that Prada was coming out with an iPhone type phone, and that if anyone, they could grab some of the market share from Apple. Why Prada? Well, because it’s Prada, you know fashion, Prada. They would be trying to be something they are not, and they would look really good doing it. I’d carry one, I mean, it is Prada. (Note how I was able to fit the word Prada into this small paragraph 6 now 7 times? There’s nothing to be ashamed of here).
Then recently there has been talk of Google coming out with their own iPhone phone. A Google phone. It really does have a nice ring to it. And imagine all the third party apps. I would definitely carry one. It would satisfy that side of me that likes to be associated with the internet. And I could carry it around in my Prada bag, next to my iPod, and everyone wins!

By: Michelle on November 1, 2007
at 12:29 pm

Thanks for your comment. Nice post.

Regardless whether you purchase a Prada, a Google phone, or any new-fangled gadget, the questions remain: do you need it? will it make you happy? can you use the money you spend on something you don’t need that can’t make you happy to help someone else?

By: jlseagull on November 1, 2007
at 2:19 pm

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