I, too, have sympathy... but I also have sympathy for all the folks who've struggled in our society. Sold my car two years ago Saturday, tho' I did appreciate the rental that got me up the mountain to lil' brothers wedding Saturday.
Cockamamie consumerism ... don't know where it will go. I, too, have cut back ... tho' somehow I have not gotten a garden in, as I did last year. Fortuantely our farmer's market will have sprouted ones and it doesnt' hurt to support those local folks - perhaps creating our own micro-economies (oh, yes, I haven't been in a wal-mart in rather a while, either) and enjoying living slower ...