Recession Effects on Marriage – Your Choice

Experts are coming out with prophecies of doom and gloom about recession and its effect on marriage. Dr. Matthew Bambling, an Australian psychologist from Queensland University of Technology, has waned that ‘the impact of the economic crisis is bound to put emotional pressure on relationships.’ But it doesn’t have to. Those of us who have been through loss of jobs, increased interest rates and problems trying to buy a home, have found that those hard times can actually bring a couple closer, if we let it. Talking recently with friends we laughed over some of the struggles we had financially … Continue reading

Three Fun Ways to Prepare Your Marriage to Survive an Economic Depression

Last night while I was watching Mad Money, Jim Cramer said something which helped to slightly ease my worries about another Great Depression. He said we’re likely not heading into one. However, the key word was “likely.” Even he’s not 100 percent sure where we’re headed yet. That’s why my mind was only slightly eased. But as Cramer offered money and investing advice, I got to thinking about a couple of things. One was the movie Life is Beautiful. I loved how the main character found a way to make a game out of living in a concentration camp. The … Continue reading

Are Recession Bargain Hunters Making It Harder to Be Frugal?

Among all of the stories out there about the recession, there seems to be a large portion of articles about how to save money with all of the rising prices. This is understandable, of course,. People who never even thought about living frugally are now finding that they must curb their spending or at least shop smarter in order to get by. For some of these new recession bargain hunters, being frugal will be just a fad and something to be abandoned once the economy gets better. For others, it is the opportunity to learn about frugal living and then … Continue reading

Recession Planning

I was talking to a friend this week who is very worried about the economy. She is a stay-at-home mom and they rely entirely on her husband’s income. Recently there have been lay-offs at his workplace, so they are incredibly worried about their financial stability. She told me she was going to start stocking cans of food, “just in case.” That totally took me back… stocking cans of food?? This family has tons of money in investments, so even if her husband lost his job… they would have a large savings, plus unemployment income to live off. Still, she was … Continue reading

Trying to Keep a Recession in Perspective

There is so much talking going on now about recession and budget cuts and financial disaster. It is easy to get caught up in the concerns and predictions of doom. As single parents, we may already be feeling the reality in our bank accounts and check books (although many of us have been feeling the squeeze for some time now) and it can be scary. I think it is important, however, to keep things in perspective and try not to get too overwhelmed or to panic. The fact is, many of us single parents are already well-positioned to make adjustments … Continue reading

Recession Proof Your Marriage: Dinner

The other day I proposed that marriages could actually benefit from recession. To start us off on the right-thinking foot, I proposed giving thanks for what we have right now. (Mainly, each other and any time we spend together, because that’s precious in and of itself.) Sometimes it just takes looking at all the good we enjoy to realize everything else isn’t as bad as it seems. However, I also hinted that I’d explore other ways a recession could benefit marriage. After giving the matter some thought, I’ve come up with some date night ideas. Ones that use the recession … Continue reading

Can we Expect Kids to Understand a Recession?

Economics are a fact of family life—as much as many of us would like to pretend they aren’t, we know that the every day lives of our families (and its members) are influenced by what is going on with the economy. As more and more of us are affected by rising costs, dropping income, and the general precariousness that a recession brings, it can be tough on our children too—especially since they often do not understand why things are changing and mom and/or dad are more stressed. It can be too much to expect young children to understand a change … Continue reading

Your Marriage Benefiting from Recession?

As I’ve repeated more than once in various articles, I’m a huge fan of Sarah Ban Breathnach and her Simple Abundance approach to life. Speaking of Simple Abundance, if I’m remembering correctly it was born during a time when another recession was under way. Back in the early 1990s. Ms. Breathnach wanted to find a way to get more out of life with less, not just materially but spiritually too. So she revamped her life and her way of thinking about life and created what has become a transformative guidebook instructing other women how to achieve both as well. This … Continue reading

Will Your Home Sell in a Recession? Trends Can Influence a Sale

During a recession, it can be difficult to sell your home for a good price, or even sell your home at all. The reasons a home may sell has to do with a set of complicated factors that come in to play, more so when there is a lot of other homes available and few buyers. If you are trying to make a decision about putting your home on the market, take a few moments to review these various factors. They will help you make a good decision about selling or at least help you be prepared in today’s market. … Continue reading

Are You In a Recession Proof Job?

If you listen or read anything about finances at all, no doubt you’re becoming intimately acquainted with the word recession. Whether you think we’re in one now, or whether we’re just on the brink of a recession–things are getting tougher financially. Gone are the days of economic boom and returning are the days of frugality and preparedness. There is truly no such thing as a “recession proof” job. All jobs are subjected to the same woes of financial crisis however, experts say that some industries are indeed safer than others. However, what most industry experts are saying is that it … Continue reading