How much stuff will you give and receive this holiday season? Add it to the growing pile -- the 30-trillion-tonne pile. That's how much technology and goods humans have produced, according to a study by an international team led by England's University of Leicester. It adds up to more than all living matter on the planet, estimated at around four trillion tonnes.

How much are whiter teeth and smoother skin worth to you? Are they worth the water and fish in the Great Lakes? The cormorants that nest along the shore? The coral reefs that provide refuge and habitat for so much ocean life? Are they worth the oceans that give us half the oxygen we breathe, or the myriad other creatures the seas support?

I stopped shopping for pleasure during our strike last summer. While losing large chunks of salary each week, I simply could not afford the pleasure of purchasing that new summer outfit.

I still could not afford to shop for pleasure in the fall when we finally returned to work. And even though by December I had income from two jobs, I did not shop for Christmas presents. I sent wishes instead of presents to friends and family.

But, just as I was beginning to feel smug about the financial benefits of this self-imposed austerity, the spring shopping catalogues started showing up in my mailbox.

So many pretty cardigans! Such cute dresses! I had to have those jeans!