| You Are 38% Likely to Survive Another Great Depression |
 Start saving your money now. Living in debt isn't doing you any favors. Also figure out how to live a little more cheaply. Every little bit you can trim will help. |
Could You Survive Another Great Depression?
With the economic recession this country is facing and the layoffs, fewer hours and no usual end-of-year crunch (and the resulting overtime hours) at work, I've been really contemplating how I would cope if I suddenly lost everything. We've managed to squeak by if one or the other of us lost a job, but as we both work at the same company now, if it goes under, we're royally screwed. It's one of the reasons I've been wanting to find employment elsewhere. The problem? My whole industry is in the same boat and nobody is hiring anyone new.
I watched Kit Kittredge: An American Girl last night (totally didn't know it was about a girl in the Great Depression) and then this morning came across the above quiz on Bug's blog, An Indian Summer. The quiz asked things like "Do you own a weapon?" or "Do you grow your own food?" or "Can you get around to shops and work by bike, public transportation, or walking?" Sadly, my answer to a lot of really important questions was no. I can't grow food where I live now. First, I wouldn't trust anything that came out of this measly dirt plot to be edible and the raccoons would destroy what little harvest I could manage. Where would we go if the park owners suddenly closed up shop and ordered us all to leave?
I sit here looking at all the unnecessary crap I own and feel guilty for not saving money. Marcus and I have already cut out a lot of needless bills such as only having basic dish service and no home phone. I was doing good there for a while of weeding out stuff I don't use or need anymore, only to replace it with more. Marcus and I want to move eventually, but I don't want to move all of this junk.
How would I cope if I no longer had Internet access or electricity to operate my computer. I have all of my recipes stored on here with very few of them printed out. I pacify my emotional turmoil with shopping for needless crap or getting Starbucks. There at the peak of job dissatisfaction, I was getting 5 chai lattes a week.
I know I'm rambling, but I guess what I'm getting at is I need to set new priorities and get my life into a manageable state. We really are facing a time of great turmoil and transition. I am worried about the future of the America we all knew and loved and feel that this globalization movement will take away our freedom we enjoyed as Americans. This sudden "bailing out" of everybody and his cousin is going to collapse our dollar. I fear we're in for some rough, unpleasant times.
Name: LaDonna
