I would love to know....

My sister took my kids out a few weeks ago...one of the places they went was to a used book store.....my family loves loves loves jokes...and my daughter found a huge old joke book...it was published in 1980...over the weekend, among many other wonderful things that I will write about later, we spent some time reading the jokes in the joke book so we could tell some to my dad for his birthday....

WELL.....it was very interesting....the jokes are 28 years old, right? Any of the jokes that had to do with current affairs were talking about the GAS SHORTAGE...the over-inflated GAS PRICES, the terrible value of the DOLLAR....the FOOD SHORTAGE....the terrible economy.........

hmmmmmm.....

If the pages weren't brown and deteriorating, I would have thought the joke book was written yesterday.

I read somewhere that when election years happen....especially when the party is changing...that this happens.........scares about the economy, food, gas, etc. I personally don't ever remember it being this bad....

What I would love to know is:
1.) how has your life changed as the gas prices have escalated?
2.) how are you preparing?
3.) what do you believe the future holds for the economy?

Personally, I think this is a WONDERFUL opportunity to evaluate what is important in life...to finally stop taking everything for granted...to stop wasting so much. We have made efforts to stop using extra energy and gas. We have been careful about what we spend. We have put aside food in case food prices really do get extra high for a while. We sold our gas guzzlers and got fuel-efficient cars that were old enough that we could pay cash for them. We have started to adopt the philosophies of our parents on both sides

USE IT UP
WEAR IT OUT
MAKE IT DUE
OR DO WITHOUT

AND....with all of the "bad news" that often hypes up the public in an election year...and the REALITIES of inflation, etc....we have never felt more at peace....because we are starting to do what we should have done all along....

And, I believe that things will even out, will get better...they sure did after 1980 when all of this happened...there was a period of intense prosperity, innovation and forward thinking.....and everyone lived through the recession....and the inflation....

....and I really believe that this reality check will do the same, even if it feels a little 'forced' :) Even if we all have to change the way we live....even if it's really tough for awhile. This country DOES have a tremendous amount of waste...many of us DO take things for granted...I think this is a wonderful opportunity to learn to be responsible with what we have....to be resourceful and innovative....to live within our means.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? I would love to know how what is happening in our country has affected or changed your thinking, your habits, your plans for the future?

Have a beautiful day....everything's gonna be ok!

Comments

[September]

It does feel like this economic thing is cyclic, and it feels like every time it happens it is that much worse than last time.

This time around, I work 28 miles from home, at a great job, and I'm actually interviewing for a job that's less than 10 miles from home so that I can afford my commute. Our gas bill is beyond phenomenal and even though we both are college grads with many years of experience and making decent money, the gas bill is hurting. We are in California. We have not had any sorts of pay increases in more than 14 years. No merits, no cost of living, nothing. Companies here are just not paying those.... even when you change, sometimes you have to take a cut or the same as you were making. It's a very sad state of affairs. I was home for 5 years with our son, and HAD to go back to work because we were not making it on what we made anymore even with Use it up, Wear it out, Make it due or do without.... Everyday a little part of me grieves for the loss of being home for my child, but, you know, life goes on, and when I returned to work as a tech writer, I came to realize that I'm good at what I do and I add a lot of value wherever I go. I have a huge toolbag of skills, and I shine. (Lemonade out of lemons!)

So, now that I've rambled, I don't know. It's not fun out there, but I guess we're coping one day at a time. I'm also trying to find out how to take the shuttle to work. It will cost me precious personal time of about 1-1 1/2 hours a day more than now, but if gas goes much higher, I don't know that I'll have a choice. (I only drive a little Hyundai Santa Fe that is paid off, and I really am conflicted on Hybrids but would love one if I could do it without payments. LOL)

Thanks for bringing this up. . . Oh and LOVE LOVE LOVE the new blog look! Mine got a facelift too, and is so pretty! Stop on by and leave me a message. :)

[alice]

Did ANYONE guess who tha nice lady was to me in my last post? The lady with the farmhouse? If you havent yet..........It was MELODY....yep her and her family were great and kind. A few months ago atChristmas, I finally had the nerve to take them some treats (since I am on the next street over and the place was empty, they had moved. SoI looked her up ongoog;e and that is how i found chatterbox. I have never ever scrapbooked but I like looking at all the treats and happiness on the blogs........thanks ladies, this is my first blog too

[Juel]

Truth be told, in this world there is not a lot that I can control. God has had my life planned out since before I was born, that right there is my comfort.

I'm trying to do better in my spending, drive less, and use up the things that I have. Somedays it is hard but I always come back to the same thing......

God has it under control and He will show us the right things to do in HIS time.

[Cilla]

Wow! What a way to make us think. Very sobering, the way our economy is now. Like you, I am at peace because I know Who my source is.

It doesn't mean that I can be a squanderer, waster, and all around drain on society. We make our trips to town count. For the first time in my driving life, I think about how long a tank of gas needs to last me. We are eating at home during the week. This singular decision has so many benefits. Eating out was making all of us fat. We felt like we had to eat those huge servings. Eating out was costly because we didn't want to go to a fast food restaurant. Eating out was very unhealthy because we wanted to eat what we wanted every time instead of what our bodies needed.

Yep, it's a wake up call to all of us if only we will all take notice. We've been duped into a lie about our "quality of life". More, bigger, and faster are not always better.

We eat dinner together and we're getting to know each other, THAT is better.

[Jill]

Great question!

We're driving a bit less then before and trying to eat fruits and veggies that are in season. Not just saving us money but also attempting to save the fuel that it takes to transport crops from far away. Thinking about starting a garden to get even closer to home but I'm not sure that is realisitic.

As far as scrapbooking goes, I'm venturing into the digital arena to save the waste of too much product. Any thoughts on chatterbox offering digital items???

Thanks for all of the inspiration Melody! You rock!

[alice]

I shop thrift stores, yard sales, dumpster dive, curbside trash to treasures.On January 1st, 2000 my husband fell head first off a 30 foot roof in Eagle, Idaho.He is a roofer. It was devastating for us but we got throught it.I have no family here and I had 6 & 7 year old daughters at the time. We had some good friends from church who really came through without being asked. I grew so much emotionally from having to be the mom & dad and EVERYTHING ELSE to everyone etc....My husband had a severe brain injury.Years of rehab, schooling etc. Im not going to say it was easy, it's still not. BUT I will say the best learning times were back then......learning patience,compassion,perserverance, your capabilities and keeping a smile going and a song in your heart for those around you when you just want to die inside. We sold our new home right after we built it in Star and moved to a cheaper one in Boise and moved ahead. I wouldn't trade those days for anything, well, maybe I would be less grouchy. I have very tender memories of strangers being so kind to us and doing nice things. One of my best memories was a friend of mine picked me up one saturday and just knew I was about to fall apart inside and out. She said "let's go pick up my children from a friends and then we will do something to get you out of the house". We drove to her friends house to pick up her children. It was the most incredible old farm house I had ever seen. It had a beautiful red door. There were kids running around everywhere and a man out on his tractor. My friends friend opened the door to us and she had the happiest smile I had ever seen. She welcomed me into her home and gave me the tour. It was so cozy and happy inside that house. She showed me her bedroom and im telling you(with tears right now) her bed had the coziest squishiest white down comforter I had ever seen. I wanted to jump on it and wrap myself in it. You know like when you go in those model homes and you think"i never want to leave here, this is home"? yep, that is how I felt that day. She was pregnant at the time and oh so sweet to me on a day when I was so homesick for my family in California and I just wanted to see my mom and cry and have her tell me it would all be alright. I left that day with my children being happy they got to play on the trampoline with all those kids and seeing that farm and that really nice lady who was kind..... Thanks Melody for being a kind spirit

[lu]

1.) Well, I am in transition with jobs right now, so that has made me very conscious of my spending and how I use my money. I have always been thrifty, but I think about what I am buying and why. I combine my shopping trips and if I can get it all at one store, that is what I do.
2.) I shop where I can stretch my food dollar. I am planning to grow a garden this year and that will help with food cost.
3.) The economy is in a recession or going there. As long as this war goes on, it will not get better. I see people struggling and the gap in economic status getting bigger. The holidays are not going to be pretty as we are seeing people getting arrested now for stealing such simple things because they can not afford it. The economy will come back, but not without doing a lot of damage in the process.

[Allison]

Wow, once I started really thinking about this, I am seeing a silver lining around what sometimes feels like a cloud. We have had a few disasters financially, and the gas prices have not made it any easier. But my husband used to be gone all the time working, all the time. We made a choice a few years ago for him to sell his business and take a job offer that paid less, but paid enough. We got enough out of the business to pay off our debts, but then we started over. It was a good decision because we have 2 children and none of us were seeing him because running the business was so time consuming and stressful. Now he is home by 6 and he lives at 8, which makes it so we all have breakfast AND dinner together. We have a lot less money, but our life has shifted completely. Until I started thinking about it, I had forgotten how terrible it was when he was never around, even if we did have more money. We drive older cars now, we don't shop as much, we don't travel as much, but our marriage is 100% better. My children are happier and are even behaving better. So, all in all, our financial shortages have resulted in a better life, in so many ways. I hope things get better with the economy, but as long as we have our family, we can keep cutting back if we have to.
Thanks for shifting my perspective!
Allison in Colorado

[Julie Johnson]

It's a wonderful reminder to put things into check. A month after we were married, my husband lost his job. We worked for a university, and had free rent and meals at the student center. We lived off of desk sitting money and my stipend as secretary of the student body. That was 16 years ago. It wasn't easy, but it gave us an incredible perspective. As our family has grown to 6, we've made the choice to be frugal. We have one big vacation each year that involves camping. We haven't done Disney, and so far, even my 10 year old is ok with it. Each kid does one activity at a time. We have several "meatless" dinners a week. We have one car, and my husband bikes or we give him a ride to the train. I try to walk or ride the bike when possible. I combine errands so I'm not driving around just to shop. The blessing of living simpler, is we have more time together. My kids don't have a basement full of toys, but they have each other and their imagination. They have thrived on this lifestyle. We spend time doing free things- visiting parks, library programs, visiting elderly at the nearby retirement home and assisted living, making things. It's not always the easiest choice, but it's been the right one for our family. We'll continue to drive less, and be careful with what we've been blessed with. I've recently joined freecycle in our area at freecycle.com, and am thrilled to be giving things to others who can use them. Thank you Melody for consistently helping us think about what really matters!

[Judy]

Hi Melody,
We definitely don't eat out as much. We are being more careful about going places. We put off vacation plans. Little things have made a big difference, we aren't spending frivolously, which is leaving us money for food and gasoline. Trying not to get to panicked! I still see people out living it up, so it must not be too bad! I believe things will get worse for a bit, and then they will get better. I also think like you, that this will provoke a lot of innovation. We will end up with more fuel efficient cars, better ways of growing food, less waste, etc. Sometimes society needs a kick in the pants. I think if we all ride it out and act responsibly, it will end up being a good thing.

Thank you for the great discussion!
Judy

[anonymous]

My husband and I used to both make a lot of money. Because of the housing crisis, we have essentially lost everything we've spent the last 15 years acquiring. It has surprised us both, what a good thing this has been for our family. We have had to make big changes that have brought us closer. We have stopped engaging in SO many activities, social events, etc. that used to keep us all apart. We have learned to make decisions together as a family, because we have to make choices now, and sacrifices.

The situation with gas and food has come at a bad time, but like you, we are really proud of ourselves for the way we are starting to live. I am embarrassed to look back and see how much we have wasted and squandered away over the years. Life has taken on new meaning, we enjoy and appreciate everything so much more.

Don't get me wrong, it has been difficult. It's hard to downgrade your lifestyle, especially when friends and family are watching, and when you have to decline vacations and dinners that you used to be able to afford. BUT, like you said, there's a new peace about things. I feel like we are more in control of our future now, even if it may not look so abundant on paper.

I think things will improve, too. We are trying to prepare for any outcome. I know we have gotten more creative, innovative and resourceful in our own family. I am betting that it will be an overall movement of society, and I think that is good.

Thanks for the thought-provoking questions. This really made me see our situation from a different vantage point.

Great Blog!

[Johanna]

Frankly, I'm a little terrified. It's so frustrating to never be able to get ahead because of the greediness of other people. Do they care that my husband finally found a job to support us, but that job requires him to work 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week, and that he is just getting into bed when I am getting out, and that his children see him for a max of about 30 minutes every day.?.(our oldest goes days without seeing him because of dance classes.) Do these billion dollar execs care that just when we thought we might be able to get ahead, prices are going up for everything? No, they don't. And my ranting about it isn't going to change a thing. In the meantime, we will be more careful about what we spend and we will plan our drives into town so that they are more efficient, but when you're just barely scraping by in the first place, none of it really helps.

On top of all of it, I'm scared of what will happen to my scrapbook store that is finally starting to take off. Will scrapbooking be another one of those things that people will choose to live without?

I wish that I could be as optimistic as you, in the face of adversity, but the truth is, I'm starting to feel that I am destined to be a failure. Blah blah blah....I need to quit whining...but you brought it up! (LOL)

As usual, thanks for the thoughts. (I think?) Sorry for the whining.

[Natalie Laney]

USE IT UP
WEAR IT OUT
MAKE IT DUE
OR DO WITHOUT

I just love this philosophy, if only I can get my kids to adopt it. It is hard to try not going paycheck to pay check, but that is how it is for us.

Thank you for this new way of thinking, I think it will help me.