Money to Burn
by Karen M. Scally
July 12, 2011
Last week, I attended a “neighborhood fireworks show” with my family to celebrate the Fourth of July. I say that with quotation marks, because this was nothing like your typical neighborhood show.
When my husband’s aunt and uncle initially invited us to watch the fireworks in their suburban Detroit subdivision, I was skeptical at first, envisioning people shooting off the occasional shrieking rocket at the end of their driveways. Boy, was I wrong. The fireworks ended up being better than any municipal show I’ve ever seen.
The show took place on the subdivision’s small lake, with about a half dozen houses simultaneously firing off professional-grade fireworks from their shoreline properties. And it wasn’t just a couple fireworks every minute or two—it was a nonstop display that lasted for more than an hour. As I watched in amazement with the crowd of several hundred gathered in the surrounding backyards, all I could think of was “how much did this cost??” It seriously must have been in the tens of thousands of dollars—or more.
I left the show that night thinking the recession must really be over—these people truly just had money to burn. Now, I realize that many of us are still feeling the effects of the past few years, and things are by no means back to where we were before the recession hit. (A quick look at your 401(k) balance is a stark reminder of that …) But if people (in Metro Detroit, no less!) are literally choosing to let their discretionary spending go up in smoke, I take that as a positive sign that we’re on the road to recovery.
All of this has me wondering—what would you do if your company had money to burn? Would you add staff? Update technology? Raise pay? Throw a giant fireworks party for all your employees? (Kidding, of course.) Let your imaginations run wild and share your wish list here with the readers of Dirt Talk.
Karen M. Scally
scallyk@bnpmedia.com
Karen M. Scally is the editor of Site Prep.
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Title: Money to Burn
By: Ron Kubitz
Posted: July 14, 2011 7:37 AM
Karen thanks for sharing and the imagery of the fireworks show made me wish that I was in attendance.
You stress the notion that if people are choosing to let their discretionary spending go up in smoke that this can translate into a positive sign of recovery??? Could be....or could it be that once folks figure that we have turned the corner into perceived recovery that thay go back to their foolish spending ways? Just a thought!
It is funny that you ask what would we do (as a company) if we had money to burn and you jokingly mention throw a giant party!
The company that I work for continues even during these tough times to throw a large "spring fling" and summer picnic event as well as a huge XMAS bash (among other smaller events). While on the surface it is great for bonding and morale I do hear many folks whisper that one or two of these events could/should be cut back and the $$ put into bonuses, profit sharing, equipment, etc. Tough line to balance for sure!
If I had money to burn I would invest in technology and equipment in ways that could make more money down the road. Also more could be put towards discretionary performance based employee bonuses.
Thanks again for the thought provoking read!
Title: answer
By: home loans
Posted: October 11, 2011 11:18 AM
I had a dream to start my own commerce, however I didn't earn enough of cash to do it. Thank goodness my mate recommended to use the personal loans. So I used the consolidation loans and made real my old dream.