I work for a state pension fund and in the last month we’ve lost an astounding $30 billion dollars. Chris Ailman, our Chief Investment Officer, was telling us before we look at our personal 401K to expect to see a loss of 50 percent, that way we’ll be relieved when it’s only 40.
One thing’s for sure: People are out shopping less. Yesterday we were buying lumber because my husband Steve was helping our friend put up a new fence. Unlike those losing their homes these days, Cheryl’s lucky—she bought her first house, a foreclosure, and her house payment will be the same as renting an apartment.
Home Depot was oddly deserted. Steve and I wandered off and were eyeing the refrigerators while Cheryl and her brother-in-law were getting a couple of sprinkler heads. There was nobody else looking, and the salesmen were all over us. Their desperation made us back away, probably not what they intended.
I’m lucky to have a state job when so many are out of work, but the Governor is talking furloughs, and costs are higher and higher. I’m cutting back for lots of complicated reasons: in preparation for a possible pay cut, to offset the upward creep of prices, because I’m helping my grown kids more—my son is still only working here and there. Mainly I’m watching my spending out of general unease.
For me, the belt tightening is not out of necessity, thank God. I already have a tendency toward thriftiness. I have no credit card debt. We even put away money every month and pay cash for a new car every seven years or so. But there’s lots of waste. If the cash I put away stayed where I put it, I’d be driving a Mercedes.
Philosophically, I’ve always had a problem with an economy that relies so heavily on continued spending. But for someone opposed to rampant buyer-ism, I have plenty of stuff. Too much stuff. I have trouble passing up a plain white blouse, and as for embellished kitten heels—well, a girl’s got to keep up appearances. But it feels like time to get back to the simpler things in life, to stop the mindless shopping, to cook a meal from scratch rather than eat in a restaurant, to invite friends over and rent a movie, to read a book that I’ve checked out of the library.
We’re lucky to have Chris Ailman looking after our fund. Besides being smart, he’s a decent man, and honest. He said that it’s hard to know for sure where the economic crisis is heading, but he had a theory about today’s consumers. We’re apparently a spoiled bunch, kind of the Energizer bunnies of spending. He said unlike the Depression he didn’t see people canning the vegetables grown in their backyards.
Point taken. I doubt I’m going to be putting up jam any time soon, but if you have a hankering, check out my former classmate Charlotte’s blog: http://livingsmallblog.com/ She makes me remember the pleasure of simplicity.
I was talking to my sister about the homemade cleaners I’m using. I never did go in for those Clorox wipes—way, way overpriced, besides the little problem of being toxic. Angie got excited about my recipes from the Queen of Clean using vinegar and Borax, then she laughed remembering how when we were teenagers we’d heard my mom exchanging cleaning tips with a friend and had felt so superior. I told her we had it all wrong back then, that it turns out that our endless speculating about what guys were really thinking was pretty laughable, and we’d have been better off studying economics. Or not. Looks like we’re all one way or another in the same leaky boat.
Queen of Clean Furniture Polish
¼ cup white vinegar and 1 cup olive oil in a clean container. Shake before each use.
One thing’s for sure: People are out shopping less. Yesterday we were buying lumber because my husband Steve was helping our friend put up a new fence. Unlike those losing their homes these days, Cheryl’s lucky—she bought her first house, a foreclosure, and her house payment will be the same as renting an apartment.
Home Depot was oddly deserted. Steve and I wandered off and were eyeing the refrigerators while Cheryl and her brother-in-law were getting a couple of sprinkler heads. There was nobody else looking, and the salesmen were all over us. Their desperation made us back away, probably not what they intended.
I’m lucky to have a state job when so many are out of work, but the Governor is talking furloughs, and costs are higher and higher. I’m cutting back for lots of complicated reasons: in preparation for a possible pay cut, to offset the upward creep of prices, because I’m helping my grown kids more—my son is still only working here and there. Mainly I’m watching my spending out of general unease.
For me, the belt tightening is not out of necessity, thank God. I already have a tendency toward thriftiness. I have no credit card debt. We even put away money every month and pay cash for a new car every seven years or so. But there’s lots of waste. If the cash I put away stayed where I put it, I’d be driving a Mercedes.
Philosophically, I’ve always had a problem with an economy that relies so heavily on continued spending. But for someone opposed to rampant buyer-ism, I have plenty of stuff. Too much stuff. I have trouble passing up a plain white blouse, and as for embellished kitten heels—well, a girl’s got to keep up appearances. But it feels like time to get back to the simpler things in life, to stop the mindless shopping, to cook a meal from scratch rather than eat in a restaurant, to invite friends over and rent a movie, to read a book that I’ve checked out of the library.
We’re lucky to have Chris Ailman looking after our fund. Besides being smart, he’s a decent man, and honest. He said that it’s hard to know for sure where the economic crisis is heading, but he had a theory about today’s consumers. We’re apparently a spoiled bunch, kind of the Energizer bunnies of spending. He said unlike the Depression he didn’t see people canning the vegetables grown in their backyards.
Point taken. I doubt I’m going to be putting up jam any time soon, but if you have a hankering, check out my former classmate Charlotte’s blog: http://livingsmallblog.com/ She makes me remember the pleasure of simplicity.
I was talking to my sister about the homemade cleaners I’m using. I never did go in for those Clorox wipes—way, way overpriced, besides the little problem of being toxic. Angie got excited about my recipes from the Queen of Clean using vinegar and Borax, then she laughed remembering how when we were teenagers we’d heard my mom exchanging cleaning tips with a friend and had felt so superior. I told her we had it all wrong back then, that it turns out that our endless speculating about what guys were really thinking was pretty laughable, and we’d have been better off studying economics. Or not. Looks like we’re all one way or another in the same leaky boat.
Queen of Clean Furniture Polish
¼ cup white vinegar and 1 cup olive oil in a clean container. Shake before each use.
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