Thoughts

(July 2019 The great recession is in the past but many still live together after experiencing the advantages. Those who were hurt by the problems with the job market and high student debt still may live with family members for several years.) (2009)The poor economy is changing the way many people live their lives. For some, the positives may outweigh the negatives. Families are moving in together, with multiple generations in one household for economic reasons. Americans tend to be independent and want to live on their own but in some other cultures, it is normal for multiple generations to live together in a house. Multiple generations living together can have many benefits if they get along. 1. Sharing expenses. 2. Shared child care. 3. Senior citizens are not alone and are kept busy.Someone can help them if needed. 4. Many things can be shared to make life easier depending on the people themselves. 5. A supportive environment.

Economic Recession 2009

(June 2019 Update. I wrote this during the recession. Everything is fine again. The stock market is higher than it has ever been. Frugality is still a good idea since recessions tend to come and go. Many lives and businesses were impacted by that recession. Students who graduated with certain degrees, including technology and any of the social sciences or arts, were less likely to get jobs in their field of study. By the time the economy improved, their skills were outdated and younger grads got the jobs. For many, the damage was permanent. The job market openings went away temporarily, just a few years, but the increasing student debt did not and will probably contribute to the next bubble in the economy. Time will tell. On a positive note, Christmas emerged just fine.) We are being told our economy could fall into a depression. There are those who are so far in debt, minor changes in the way they live would not help. The housing bubble has burst and many cannot afford the homes they live in, that coupled with increased job loss at all levels. At 7%, that leaves almost 93% still employed of those who are not disabled, retired or children. That's pretty good. The stock market is going down. Not too many years ago there was a push for people to invest in their own private pension plans which are tied to the stock market in various ways. Even for people who own no stocks at all, the stocks affect their retirement accounts. It will go back up. The main people who will be affected by this are those reaching the retirement age in the next couple of years. The market will go back up but those caught in this time period may have to work longer. Most people are cutting back on their spending. We got into that pattern when gasoline prices got very high and the habit has continued even though gas prices went back down quite a bit, less than half of what they were. Gas cost so much, people quit going places, which meant they weren't shopping as much or doing anything else that cost money. Then there is the "Grinch" who wants to steal Christmas. People are buying less because of the economy. At the same time, the secularists, particularly in the public schools, are wanting to downplay Christmas and are working very hard at it. School boards are getting very testy and insulting to parents and others who want to keep Christmas and call it Christmas. They have decided to have only "winter" breaks and "winter" programs in honor of a season. Mentioning Christmas is taboo because somebody might get offended and this is a squeaky clean, no religious value system known as secular humanism. They will tell you they are the "State" and there is to be a separation between church and state. If there is no Christmas, there will be no Christmas gifts which will save everybody a lot of money and headaches. Poor children will not longer feel bad about getting less than other kids because nobody will be getting anything. Is that called socialism? We can get rid of whole industries based on the Christian celebration of Christmas. After all, who gives gifts for a winter non event or non holiday? Think of the economic havoc we could reek if the the masses did as the public schools assert is right. Nothing for anybody. I hope the anti Christmas crowd does not prevail, but it appears it will, since the majority of our children go to public schools that denounce God as a problem to them (they are state and Christ is church) and will grow up to believe that God only belongs in a tiny corner of their lives. Eventually society will fall in line and Christmas as we know it will fall by the wayside. It already is. No Christmas celebration as we now know it is sad but it is economical. We can still go to church to worship, to pray, to remember the birth of Christ and sing and even have a bit of a meal there. Gifts are not essential and never were, neither are the decorations, neither are all the special Christmas food and cookies and candies. So let the state run public schools kill the holiday and the economies surrounding it, all the while denying they are doing so. It's only winter now. I think it is sad and wrong, but there is nothing I can do. It is happening so slowly, nobody will realize this economic impact of the public school policy until it is too late.

Use The Internet

Many places offer discounts and bargains. Before you pay for anything, search the internet to see if you can get a discount or bargain. There are many coupon and discount sites that will pop up if you google what you want.

Slow Down on Your Race To The Grave

Slow down and sit for a while. There is no charge for this restorative experience and it may save your health. Look around you at nature and the beautiful world we have. Sit on a park bench or at an outdoor cafe and watch the people go by. Notice their expressions and the variety of shapes and styles people have. See if you can figure out their nationality by their looks. Think about how an artist would see them. Notice how they move, whether fluid, halting or some other way. Watch the birds and listen to their different calls. Listen to any breeze and the noise it makes as it passes. Look at the clouds in the sky and the patterns on the sidewalks or paths. Enjoy the trees, the flowers, the plants. Notice any smells in the air and see if you can focus on individuals smells. See how many different ones you can detect. Notice the feel of the air and the temperature. How are you sitting there, slumped, straight or otherwise. Notice how you body feels as you sit and watch the world go by. As you concentrate on your surroundings and your senses, your heart should relax and it will be good for you mind, soul, spirit and body. Be alive while you live. If you have a child, watch them play as you observe your surroundings. Teach them to see the things in their environment and to slow down. Go for a walk in nature, or just for a walk through your neighborhood. Most people live in safe places. (If you live in a dangerous place, consider moving. The stress of forever living in danger, plus the possible air pollution and other factors are robbing you of your quality of life and peace.) Walk around your neighborhood and take in all of the details. Notice the people, the cars, the landscaping, the architecture, the various pavements, the smells, the sounds and how you feel as you walk around. Walk each day for your daily "constitution" as the old timers called it. There is no need to hurry. Slow walking has benefits too in feeding the soul and calming the mind. Notice tiny changes from day to day as you take the same path. If you are lucky enough to have a nature center or a park nearby, enjoy all the sights, scents and sounds that are there in abundance. Look at the birds, the squirrels, the chipmunks, the bugs, and any other wildlife that may be around. Enjoy the clean air and the feel of the ground under your feet. Teach your children to do the same. Find a place on your porch or in your yard to sit out and enjoy nature and your neighborhood. You worked hard for your home, so slow down and enjoy it. If you sit in the front yard, you may notice other people and make new friends. There will not be many, but there will be a few. Do these things to take care of yourself instead of going places you really do not want to go with people that you don't care much about while spending money you do not have on things you don't care much if you have or not. Relax instead of mindlessly watching TV shows that you really don't care much about and add nothing to your life while being tempted to buy things you do not really want or need. Slow down, nurture your soul, lift your spirit and live while you are alive. Life is not about stuff and a frenzy of activity. It's about relationships and health.

Food - Bone Soup

Bone soup is very popular right now. It is inexpensive to make and can be high in vitamins and minerals. The bones include marrow and cartilage, which contain the ingredients used to make up supplements for treating aches and pains and bone and joint problems. It is very healthy for people of all ages. Home made bone soup is far healthier than store bought, canned and packaged, broth. Making bone soup is easy. While there are many recipes online, this is the simple way I make it. Bones can be from chicken, turkey, beef, pork, mutton or even duck. For a darker broth and a richer flavor, (my preference) brown the bones in the oven first before boiling, but it is not necessary. Put the bones, with a bit of meat on them if possible for more flavor, in the crock pot and cover with water. I prefer the have the crock pot at least 1/3 full of bones. Let them cook all day in the crock pot. I add salt and a teaspoon of vinegar to dissolve some of the calcium into the broth. I cook it at least 10 to 12 hours. If too much water evaporates, a bit of boiling water can be added (not cold water which can crack a crock pot). If the bones are small, such as with chicken, duck or turkey, I remove them before adding other ingredients. Sometimes, I put the cooked broth in a glass container in the refrigerator over night. If desired, fat that rises to the top as it cools can be skimmed. As it cools, some bone broths will turn to a jell. That's all the healthy stuff. Once the bone broth is ready, any vegetables can be added as desired. Possibilities include, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, greens such as spinach, mushrooms, potatoes, corn, peas, beans, tomatoes, root vegetables, squash and anything else you like. Do not add all of those ingredients at once. Add flavors you like that compliment each other. Adding a starch food, such as rice, noodles, pasta, spaghetti or potatoes is very good, inexpensive and filling. I like to add herbs and spices to my broth, depending on my mood at the time. A broth can be made spicy by adding cayenne or red pepper flakes to the broth. (I am not fond of spicy food.) I like a bone soup, either chicken or beef, cooked with rice, a handful of mushrooms and sometimes a bit of celery or onion. It's wonderful comfort food and not expensive. In Asia, where noodles are king, bone soup will be made of pork bones, and noodles and a few vegetables, such as a carrot or green onions, will be added to the cooked broth. It is very inexpensive. If you choose ingredients that are inexpensive, and that you like, this soup is very economical and satisfying.

# 60 Decluttering as Frugality

As I declutter my home and put things in order, I am finding things that I can use. By using what I have already, I save. When things are a bit too cluttered, items can be lost and it costs extra to buy a duplicate of something you have because you cannot find the original (some people will buy several because they lose the items many times in clutter).

Amazing

The more I go to thrift stores, (second hand stores) the more I wonder why people would pay a lot of money for many kinds of things. I see things, like new, for a quarter or fifty cents or a dollar that cost quite a bit more new. Some of it is in the original package still. Bunches and bunches and bunches of everything one can think of.

I don't want all that stuff. It is overwhelming. Every once in a while I buy an item if I like it. All that stuff brings to mind thoughts of "what is really valuable in life anyway?" Some of these things come from the estates of people after they die or have to downsize and go into a nursing home. There is a kind of emptiness in owning just to possess things. You can imagine some things for sale there were never used because they were being kept for "good". They should have treated themselves and used what they liked instead of settling for lesser things.

The things of the world pass away but our souls are eternal. Thrift stores are a wonderful place to get whatever is needed inexpensively. But they remind me of the words of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. Some of what we humans chase after is not worth it, like chasing after the wind.