The Finery of Austerity

In the Washington Post last week, Anne Applebaum wrote a compelling op-ed piece relative to our friends in Great Britain embracing spending cuts, saving, and scrimping as the way to their economic reform and greatness. (Note: You have to sign up to read the Washington Post, but it doesn’t cost) This renewed sense of austerity has great appeal and attraction. After-all, it is what made Britain great and it is what won the great war. It is awe-inspiring and stirs a renewed sense of commitment to pay down my debts, restore solidarity to institutions which I value, and to embrace similar perspectives.

Though the article clearly calls out the distinctions between Britain and the United States, and the United States’ notable absence of cutting back on federal programs, and other private institutional spending habits; that is not my intention in this post. I am suggesting that just as our friends across the pond are recreating their finest hour by saving and integrating austerity into their current way of life; we can embrace this as well through implementing our own approach.

As individuals and business owners, we can be shrewd and wise relative to money spent for business development, consider sage savings for future investments, and remembering instant gratification is just that: instant, yet seldom longstanding.