If you know someone who has been laid off or has some other economic crisis, there’s a strong possibility that he or she feels isolated. When my husband was unemployed, friends would occasionally treat us to dinner at a restaurant, which we truly appreciated. But we longed for an invitation to a meal in their home. We just wanted to be included in their lives but (until recent years) that rarely happened during our unemployment times. We wanted to tell people, “You don’t have to go to any great lengths, a simple meal is fine! We just want to be with you.”
Include those going through economic hard times in your life; don’t leave them in the margins. Yes, it’s good to straighten your home up a bit but it’s not like the white glove committee is coming to inspect—it doesn’t have to be perfect. And no, I’m not very good about this myself but I’m trying to “do unto others as I’d have them do unto me”, as Jesus said.
Insights on stretching your money & your outlook—surviving difficult economic times & helping others *from one who’s been there*
My husband and I have faced many lay-offs in the past twenty years; each time we hoped to learn something new so that we could help others in the future. Now is that time. As my we worked to “stay afloat” (the opposite of “going under”!) during lean times, I read every money-saving book and magazine on our library’s shelf--some things I’ve worked out for myself. Now that my husband has a steady job, we’ve continued many of these practices as a part of responsible living. In my posts, I’ll include ideas for different levels of need—stretching dollars when you still have some income and stretching even further (when you think you can’t) when the income is gone in hope of helping you hang on until you get some income. I’ll also address things we learned about attitudes—ours and those around us.
I invite you to comment with your money-saving ideas and accounts of what has worked for you, since community is one of our greatest resources. While I’m writing as an American in the framework of the American economy, I also invite those of you from other nations/peoples to share what you’ve learned about stretching resources since many things can be applied anywhere. (Do know that I will delete any comment that’s derogatory or has foul language.) Please share this blog with others who are stretching and help them keep from “breaking”.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
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