1/100, f\4.5, ISO 400

Lately I decided for the first time in my life to pile up some money, instead of instantly spending it as usual. I don’t know if the recent turmoils in the economic world motivated me to do so or not. I guess I’m just tired of not having any fund when something unexpected happens, or when I’m suddenly struck by a consumerism rage and want to buy something NOW. I remember when I was little, and after gathering all those candies during Halloween, my only goal was to make my candy stash last longer than anybody else in my family. Same thing in Easter. I ate my chocolates so slowly that in the end it had completely dried up and was not good anymore.

When I was in Iceland this summer, everyone seemed to live a very confortable life, especially in Reykjavik, wich holds two third of the country’s population. Everyone were constantly using their credit cards, even just for a burger or a pack of gum. I saw young people in their twenties rolling by in big luxury SUVs and sedans, there were Audis, BMWs and Landrovers everywhere. Some of the folks there told me that almost everyone were living lifes far above what they could actually afford, and that someday, everything would eventually tumble down. It seems they were right.

I heard of a girl from Quebec now living in Iceland for school. She said that prices have doubled in the recent days. Even before the krash and all three major banks being nationalised, life was so expensive there, I remember buying a steak in a not so fancy restaurant for about 50$. People there must now be freaking out. And now with all this deleveraging going on, all these people’s loaded credit cards must be exploding. Goodbye, luxury cars and fancy clothes. Hello credit crunch.

We went in Iceland last July, just a few months before everything happened. Talk about timing.