Tightening the belt

I riding along in the car today, flipping channels when I stop on a morning show talking about a big write up in YAHOO. This was about how women are turning to prostitution/escort services to pay their bills. I guess I was astounded, maybe like a few listeners. Are you serious? Prostitution has been around since we landed/grew/placed here eons ago.



SideNOTE: I happen to support prostitution, if it is regulated. Look at Denmark, it is a remarkable trade. There is less disease and health issues because it is mandated for checkups and screening. Plus people, mostly women are protected. I don't know about the social stigma there, but if it was a "accepted" practice (which means out in the open) then we might have less issues over all. Ummm...it's a thought.



So what got me riled was the notion that people are suffering in our current economy. I realize that some people aren't working and can't find work, not really talking about them. It is the people who are working and have been.



After I stopped working and we went to a single income, DAMN, we tightened our belts. We were hit in our personal economy in a big way. So we stop going out, we revised our "necessities". We sold our cars, actually one we turned in to the dealer rather than wait for it to be repossessed. So we traded down to cars we could afford. Although we have 2 cars, they are both almost 20 years old. They get us to were we need to go and that is what counts. I know my husband suffers with the "look" of his car, but each month when he doesn't have to pay a car payment or even high gas bill...gee whiz, it looks better.



So this "decline" in the economy isn't hitting us as hard as I am hearing others. So it had me thinking why? What came to me was the fact we are stripping to bones now. We have some luxuries, who can truly go without unless you had no other choice, we are enjoying life with what we have now. If we can't afford it, we don't have it. We spend where it is needed and try to use what we have wisely. Don't get me wrong, we struggle between what we want and what we need, usually every month. But we have gotten good at either making-do or just using what we have.



So I guess we were just ahead of the rest of the nation in learning to tighten that belt. Since we are all just a little bigger, it might pinch a bit.