The economy, a two-sided affair, we urge you to take the middle road

In all situations there are two sides of the coin, this includes the current economy.


• Lower pricing but less money in your pocket

• Less travel thus less damage to the environment, whether caused by airplanes, other transportation or local infrastructure

• Less money available means that the purchase of ecologically produced goods goes down, thus increasing harm to the environment

• A downturn in employment, causing others to work harder and to be careful to not take any time off

• As service jobs are the first to go, those who have the least amount of money to live on, suffer more

• As service jobs are lost, service becomes non-existent harassing an already tense population

• With jobs lost we have plenty of time to do the things, we have put off forever.

• With a job lost, we have plenty of time to think about what is needed in today’s economy to get us back on our feet

So what is the middle road?

Make sure you make a list of priorities in the near future. This isn’t going away any time soon. Set funds aside so that if you know you need to make a purchase and the price is right, buy it. Find those stores that have lay-away programs, such as K-Mart and Sears. If you need such items as vacuum cleaners, get together with your neighbors and set up a sharing program.

Travel locally, find projects that need a helping hand. Search local papers, for example the Weekly or sites that are  always looking for volunteers to assist with cleaning trails or other infrastructure. Participate in programs that are offered by your local park or beach communities. This is also a wonderful way for you and your family to make new friends and meet other people.

Really have a yearn to go overseas, rather than stay in comfortable hotels, find programs that connect you with a local family, you will broaden your horizons, make new friends and learn perhaps practices that you can adopt in your own lifestyle. In the meantime, you have balanced in a small way that country’s economy.

Be mindful these days of people’s moods and feelings. Just like you, they are involved in a balancing act that sometimes erupts when things get too hairy. A comment here and there to lighten the mood, or perhaps to give a helping hand, creates mutual benefits. If your server in the store or restaurant is too harried, do not complain, say take your time, I know you are busy. This attitude more than anything will make the person aware that someone cares. In return you will get much better service.

Without a job and most likely without money life can create tough situations. Set aside a certain amount of money, only if you can miss it, of course, and only if it does not put you in a tense situation, and indiscriminately distribute it during the day. Do not make judgments about who you giving these funds to just think about how hard it would be for you to be in a situation to go begging. I guaranty you that just knowing that you gave without judgment will make you feel like a million.

Remember those things you put off forever, because you did not have time, now is the time to pick that up again. Whether it is learning how to knit, participate in an exercise program, visit with nearby friends, clean out the attic and take whatever you do not need any more to a consignment or thrift store.

And by the way, spend some time to think about the opportunities there are within this economy to make money. You have a skill then market it to companies that just have laid off people in that specific department and offer them to work part time as a consultant. A couple of those part time jobs in the same field, might even get you to the point where you set up your own consulting firm and never return your original workplace.

Yes, the economy is tough, but in tough times tough people get going. They know there is always the other side of the coin, the side that offers plenty of new opportunities.