$469 Billion: How Much Americans Will Spend Shopping During This Holiday Season (and what else you could buy with that much money)

Americans are expected to spend $469 billion shopping this holiday season. This is an astounding figure. For everyone out there who wants to "keep the Christ in Christmas," perhaps it's time for you to channel your outrage toward consumers, and away from people who opt for the phrase 'happy holidays." Are we really worshiping the Lord, who said "[i]f you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven," (Matthew 19:21), or simply worshiping consumption?

In honor of our annual shopping ritual, let's take a look at some other things that we could buy instead:

• $30 billion: Add this to what the world already spends on water safety, and every single person would have access to safe drinking water. Eighty percent of diseases in developing countries are caused by contaminated water. Over 2 million people are killed each year due to the use of contaminated water, most being children under the age of five.  
• $600 million: This would pay for the surgeries of the estimated 2 million women in the developing world who are living with fistulas, an injury that occurs during childbirth in which a hole is created "between the birth passage and an internal organ such as the bladder or rectum." The UNFPA provides a description of the effects of fistulas: "The smell of leaking urine or faeces, or both, is constant and humiliating, often driving loved ones away. Left untreated, fistula can lead to chronic medical problems, including ulcerations, kidney disease, and nerve damage in the legs." If Americans donated one-tenth of 1% of what they spent on holiday shopping this year, we would be able to alleviate much of the suffering these women face.
•  $175 billion per year, for 20 years: In his book "The End of Poverty," economist Jeffrey Sachs estimated that with this amount, we could end extreme poverty in the world. In other words, if Americans spent only $294 billion during the holiday season over the next two decades, nearly one billion people suffering from hunger would have adequate food sources; the estimated 600 million people who survive on less than $1 would see a dramatic improvement in their standards of living. 
•  $496 billion: This figure is admittedly a little more than Americans spend on holiday shopping, but not by much. With this amount, we could pay for every one of the U.S.' safety net programs, such as food stamps, heating assistance, free and reduced price school meals, childcare assistance, low-income housing assistance, earned income tax credits, cash assistance, and unemployment insurance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that these programs "kept approximately 15 million Americans out of poverty in 2005 and reduced the depth of poverty for another 29 million people." And that was before the recession hit.  

In other words, it's safe to say that our money could be better spent, and spent in a manner that honors the spirit of Christmas.