Friday, February 6, 2009


There might be some change on top of the dresser at the back, and
we should check the washer and the dryer. Check under the floor
mats of the car. The couch cushions. I have some books and CDs
I could sell, and there are a couple of big bags of aluminum cans in
the basement, only trouble is that there isn't enough gas in the car
to get around the block. I'm expecting a check sometime next
week, which, if we are careful, will get us through to payday. In
the meantime with your one-dollar rebate check and a few coins
we have enough to walk to the store and buy a quart of milk and a
newspaper. On second thought, forget the newspaper.


The State of the Economy, Louis Jenkins
.
photo from Flickr

43 comments:

  1. We're both thinking recession today...

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  2. If you were realllllyyy..into bargins you could buy a huge BOX you know... like a tripple size cereal box of powdered milk. Mix and Stir!


    Or you could Milk a Cow.

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  3. We're in a bad state of affairs. We are all have to go back to a more basic way of living instead of instant gratification.

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  4. Excellent description of modern life--of us peons, of course. The aristocracy could never identify with the joy of finding enough coins to buy some milk.

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  5. Very good!
    I see from what I call my "money addicted" acquaintances, nothing but crocodile tears.
    There is an upper echelon that's still partying on!

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  6. How timely this reminder is. And here's me shooting off on holidays on Sunday with my family. Au revoir!

    Greetings from London.

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  7. It's always exciting to find money in the laundry. I once discovered a twenty dollar bill in a pair of jeans. That made my week!
    These days, the money disappears as fast as it comes in. Can you believe the price of milk?
    I pay $5.29 Cdn for a 2 litre carton of Organic Skim milk. It's ridiculous!

    Great post - I visualized you running around the house scrounging up change. (I had a hard time believing you would sell books or cds though - that would be desperate times!)

    Thank goodness it was a quote.

    Kat

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  8. Oh, this resounds with everyone, I'm sure! It really is scary, isn't it? I count myself as so fortunate to have a job. So many are really struggling right now. I never lived in a time that was this tough for so many.

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  9. Did you read the article on CNN about the family that picks up lost change and saves it? They're blogging about it. Their goal, $10,000 to give to charity; right now they're at $1100.

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  10. When I was a teacher one of the custodians picked up enough change off the floor to go on vacation.
    The recession is very scary. As a retired person I feel so sorry for those who have lost or might lose their jobs.
    Terrifying.

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  11. Brilliant! Thanks for the letter V - am working on it!

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  12. This is more than appropriate...and somehow the humor of it actually cheered my day a bit.

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  13. Hey, that's MY life! The truly tragic thing is that there are some who are even worse off than that. People living under bridges and in cold, dark alleys.

    I'm grateful every day that we have a house and health.

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  14. It's amazing just how we have tightened our belt these days. We think three times about spending a dollar. We are all in this boat together, aren't we?

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  15. Everyone I know is tightening his/her belt. Here at the house on Tennessee Avenue, I notice we aren't going out to eat very often. Our dinners here are low on the food chain - roast chicken instead of tuna steaks, for instance.

    We'll get through this, we will. But it is scary!

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  16. Hello Willow,

    The humor in this post is what helps us to keep keeping on!

    Your sidebar artwork looks FAB!!

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  17. If my wife is short of change, she always knows she can find some under the cushion of the chair I sit on in the livingroom.

    Somehow, I never think to look.

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  18. Nice quote, very appropriate!
    300 companies have closed doors in January! (keep in mind we are a small country...)

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  19. I found $6 in a coat I put on for the first time last week! A fun little surprise left over from last winter! I threw out the old tissue and gum wrapper and kept the bills. :)

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  20. I was looking for coins to pay for my train fare from Bayamon to Rio Piedras today! Funny. I could relate to the thrift.

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  22. I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry at theses words, Willow. Of course this is reality now for many people.
    Our glorious leader used the D word yesterday (Depression) and then claimed he meant to say the R word (Recession).
    Oh, well thats alright then Prime Minister, and we the island dwellers,(being buffoons), believed him!
    I shall close, as I am getting perilously close to ranting.
    Best wishes.

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  23. Too true ... me, I am happy to have a job, a good job ..

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  24. This is sad, but also funny. It reminds me of our early married life in South Africa. I remember using tea bags twice. Not because my mam did, but because at that time, i was so naive and somebody told me that you could hang them on the washing line to dry out. I never did, though.

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  25. Unfortunately this sounds exactly like my life right now :-(

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  26. Our big snow story was a refreshing change from the sad state of the economy. It must be starting to noticeably bite in America, because I keep coming across references to it.

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  27. It kind of feels like when we were in our twenties, and money was tight. I blogged about this subject this week, too. My girlfriend and I talked about it this morning on the phone. Must really be in the air...

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  28. I have a hospital vomit pan or cup that fits under your chin and I use it for quarters. And you would be amazed at the end of the week how many quarters some people need to borrow. LOL

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  29. i always knew that the thrifty, can-do, resourceful ways i survived on when raising my kids alone would pay off. want not, need not!

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  30. Hi Willow. Where I'm at milk is now almost $2 a quart. The state controlles the prices. But if you seek out a bargain, you can do much better. And it helps having found old gift cards with money still on them. Enough to fill the car tank for a week :D.

    To Marti: I'd rather milk the cow! A large box of the powdered milk is around $15 where I shop. And I don't care for the taste. Sorry.

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  31. There needs to be a balance in this economy--you cannot operate off of debt forever--reread the Leviathan, for the life of me, we must do what we can to eliminate our federal debt. Timely post, willow dear.

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  32. This fits everything that is going on!
    And it is just perfect to have read this right after I finished watching The Ultimate Gift.
    Hopefully all of the world can pull together and get through this tough time. We've made it through worse, looking back.
    God bless you this week.
    :)

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  33. some times it will worth for more than milk and news paper..

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  34. LOL...maybe we all need to buy a goat, not only will it help the economy but we could save on milk!

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  35. Hey, Brit Gal, I think that's a great idea! I've always thought goats were so cute. Maybe it could keep the grass trimmed down, too?

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  36. That's very funny, Willow. I'm so glad I'm not an economist!!

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  37. Yes, who needs newspapers when you have so many blogs to catch up on! LOL

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  38. Let us hope that the downturn in the economy doesn't stay down so long that those struggling worry about having a roof over their heads or where their next meal is coming from. The Great Depression repeat could be upon us sooner than we think. I just saw the jobs lost for January in the news: 589,000 for the U.S. and 129,000 for Canada. It's my turn for employment insurance from the government.

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  39. These times are difficult times for many but not impossible times. Being creative is high in my list of priorities. I'm using the Public Library more than ever now that I cannot afford to buy the books I want. And every time I find a quarter in my pockets I am very happy (only eleven more quarters to go for my latte at Starbucks) *sigh*

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  40. This recession is hitting the upper end harder than those of us on the retired end of the ladder. Marti, do you know how much it would cost you to produce a gallon of milk? I'll continue to buy mine.

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  41. I have a friend who's grandmother had sewn all of her money into the hems of her clothes, which she had never told anyone about. Upon her passing they gave all her clothes to a thriftstore. They have always hoped that someone found the money. I hope so too, what a wonderful surprise. Would be great if it helped someone during these times.

    Thank you so much for the letter "b", I hope I will be able to do it justice. Will try my best.

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  42. Oh, I adore Jenkins. I just finished a book of prose poems of his. Great and timely post, Willow.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)