Thursday, April 28, 2011

Let's Talk Economy?

Make no bones about it; everyone is feeling the pinch with our current economy. Everyone that purchases consumer goods is being financially squeezed more today than in recent memory.

How do we manage to merely survive through times such as this?

It is not so much that the majority of people are at a point of desperation, but more that the case of hearing about how bad things are constantly being heard on a daily basis through the media.

Yes, the cost of many of our consumer goods and products have gone up substantially, but this simply means that most of us just can’t afford to use our previously-discretionary funds as fluently as before. People want what they want and many refuse to cut back until and unless they are forced to do so, and only when absolutely necessary.

Certainly there are people who have already reached the point of despair because of this economy, but right now they seemingly do not make up the majority of the population.

When you hear about 10% unemployment rate, that is speaking about those who are in the job market, the ones that really desire to work.

On the other hand, in looking at the overall picture, another economic category is those who are at, or below the poverty level. Even though the poor feel the pinch just the same as everyone, most did not have those discretionary funds to began with, so to them life remains statistically about the same, except for having even less than they had before. Their struggle just becomes deeper, but not that much newer.

The upper lower-to-middle-income earner is where the pinch is perhaps felt the most. The cost of nearly everything they were purchasing before such as gas, food and clothing went up, yet their incomes has not. Now they have substantially less funds to spread around to cover even their basic necessities.

Since so many people in general seem to have so accustomed to modern conveniences such as cell phones, cable television, Internet access, and other things, giving them up or cutting back is not something that most are willing to consider, at least not at this point.

Although we grumble about how tough things are, most have not reached the point where they are willing to cut back or give up on their conveniences.

If their situation was really in the tanks you would see fewer people with cell phones, more under-fed, seeking financial assistance, homes being lost to the banks, and even fewer cars on the roadways. So far we are not seeing a drastic change in our habits.

Imagine; if people really wanted to better survive this poor economy there are things they could be doing right now even though it would require tightening up one's belt.

Rather than waiting until the cupboards are completely bare they could start being more conservative with their usage of things. They could really think about the things they do that are wasteful.

Many run the water much too long before getting in the shower. We run the dishwater too long while doing the dishes. We eat more food that our bodies need in order to be satisfied. We have gotten too accustomed to having too much of things we really don’t need.

What would happen if more people started using public transportation and really taking a pinch out of the gas cartels? God forbid if those who smoke cigarettes would quit smoking and stop wasting that money. How about if we did not super-size our meals as a habit?

If you really gave it serious thought I would bet you could find dozens of ways to trim back on things that are not absolutely necessary. Some of these things are probably purely wasteful.

Yes, the economy is bad, but we are the ones that helped drive it into its current situation by our poor spending habits, gluttony, and wasteful spending. I would bet that if society became more thoughtful and conservative with their spending habits our economy wouldn’t appear to be as bleak as it currently is revealed in the media.

Tighten up your belt straps before you are forced to do so and things will work out just fine.

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