Published: March 10, 2008 04:35 pm            

Ms. Takes: Boost the economy, one rebate at a time

TERRE HAUTE — I suppose you are all sitting around out there trying to decide how you are going to stimulate the economy and just what you are going to buy to get it back in the black. Of course that’s AFTER you get a check from the U.S. Treasury Department.

If you are thinking only of a few gallons of gas, or maybe a couple of pounds of ground round instead of plain hamburger, I urge you to think big! If you are only going to put the money in a sock, or buy something you would have to buy anyway, that’s not going to do squat to tickle the economy.

Just as a suggestion, I ran across a couple of items which should do the trick.

Item one is a goodie if you have ever wanted to sit on a cupcake. You don’t need it, and I can’t imagine why you’d want it, but it would stimulate something or other.

This bit of whimsy is billed as “The Cupcake Chair” and it sits about 20 inches off the floor. The crinkley cup is made of polyurethane which comes in nine colors so you’d surely find something to match the drapes. You actually sit on a fluff of rubber which is molded to resemble frosting and it won’t rub off on your pants if a tot sits before you — unless he or she has been eating a real cupcake, of course.

The frosting illustrated was chocolate, but it comes in three other flavors for maximum choice. This novelty can be yours for $900, so you might have to add something to your treasury windfall, but hey, that’s what stimulating the economy is all about.

If you are of a more practical bent, why not buy your designer water tricked out in a designer bottle? If Evian is your quaff of choice, it can be had in a 2008 limited edition bottle designed by Christian Lacroix for only $15 per quaff. On the off chance that the bottle might become collectible, you might recap part of your investment, or you could always fill it up at the kitchen sink and still look like a sport.

If you are really serious about stimulation, how about a “Birkin” purse? One can be yours for as little as $7,500 — and it goes WAY up for a serious bit of stimulating. You won’t have any of your check left to put INTO the purse, but the satisfaction of knowing you saved the Hermes people from bankruptcy should be worth something.

I’m still looking, so if these suggestions don’t work for you, stay tuned!



Liz Ciancone is a retired Tribune-Star reporter. Send e-mail to opinion@tribstar.com.

        

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