You Don't Have to Save When Your House Does it For You

Adam Davidson had an amusing piece on the consumption of various items (e.g. lipstick, nail polish and men's underwear) that can be taken as reflecting consumers' sentiment. At one point he comments on the high levels of consumption of the last two decades and implied low levels of savings:

"During the fast growth of the late 1990s and mid-2000s, and the dark times that followed, people have been choosing to spend more and save less than ever before. Paradoxically, this happened just as...