Hi everyone, I thought I would drop in and share some thoughts on saving money. Lets face it. We are hurting, the economy is hurting and the planet is hurting. I have, also, noticed that our efforts to save money can have a positive impact on our economy and on the planet. Can we change our wasteful ways and reverse the cycle? It is like a ripple in the water, what we do now in this time can deeply affect the future of our planet.

     Save and Conserve is what we need to do. You know some positive things can come out of this. In a effort to save gas families are staying home more. People complained that the world was going to fast and now its about to slow down. Families will actually sit down and have dinner together. We will learn how to budget and save money. I hope we can get back to a slower way of living. I already see some positive changes, families are moving back in with parents to help share and conserve expenses. Remember the old days when a home would have at least three generations under one roof? I just realized it is sounding like the Waltons. They were a depression era family that struggled but working together they managed to have a good life.

     They grew a garden and recycled all that they could, old clothes were passed down to the younger ones or used as cleaning rages or made into quilts. (I just realized they managed just fine without papertowels or other modern niceties that we thought we could not live without. Now I realize most of us have no idea how to do some of these things so we have a lot of learning to do. Try talking to older relatives, remember that generation lived through lean, hard times and they could teach us a lot. Also tighten your belts, get rid of the things you absolutely do not need.

     I, myself, will be moving back in with Mom and Dad soon and I will pay a modest rent but still will be able to save and reduce my debt. I am kinda excited at the savings I will have. I will be cancelling my cell phone. I won't need it now and I can use the families cable tv and we can combine trips out such as go grocery shopping together etc. By doing this I will also be helping my parents. Their income will go up a bit and they won't be so lonely and if anyone falls or gets sick someone will be there to give them help. So many benefits... Sorry I didn't mean to run off on a tangent like this but it has helped me a great deal. I was feeling a bit scared and very worried about the future. Just turning on the TV or looking at a newspaper made me feel more and more panicked but by looking at things with a more positive prospective I am feeling better. I hope we can all do that and see the good that could come out of this.