Millions of Americans are nervous about what the future holds in this seemingly inevitable economic crash.  There is frantic debate on how to ease the pain of the impending crunch.  From bailout to “hand up”, everyone comes up with different ideas on how to approach it and no one seems to know what will really happen no matter what we do.

Politics has heavily entered the debate and the finger pointing and blame game is more fierce than ever.  No matter what caused it, it looks like we are in for a tough ride one way or the other.  I try to look at the good in everything and here is my positive outlook about the economic crisis……

This could be a good wake up call to all Americans.  It SHOULD get people to take a hard look at their finances and especially their spending habits.  People should realize how much they are spending on things that are really not important.  Most Americans do not save enough for a rainy day if they save anything at all.  In fact, most have quite a bit of credit card debt that was incurred by a “gotta have it” mentality on totally unnecessary expenditures.  Hopefully people will focus on getting their debts paid off instead of eating out every other night and buying the latest cool gadget.

Families all across America would do good to spend some time at home with their kids instead of taking them to the movies and eating at the local chain restaurant.  What ever happened to the good old days of playing catch with your son in the backyard on a beautiful Saturday afternoon or having a make believe tea party with your daughter?  What about having a picnic at the local (and FREE) park?  What about going camping for a family vacation instead of traveling to the nearest theme park and racking up the credit cards on hotels, food and tickets?

A lot of the personal spending issues are due to not planning appropriately.  Do you run to the store every time you run out of something and end up going there three or four times a week?  With gas prices the way they are, that can rack up the bills.  A better approach is to plan out the meals for the week ahead of time and take one trip to the grocery store and get just what you need (and don’t go when you are hungry and tempted to buy everything in sight).  Plan out your budget on a regular basis and stick to it.  Do NOT do any impulse buying!  We could discuss budgets and all kinds of dos and don’ts but that is for another time….

It will take a change in habits but they are all good changes and great for building family values and strengthening the family bond.  Your kids will appreciate it too and learn some valuable lessons and build tremendous character along the way.

This economic downturn can get us all to WAKE UP and get our own finances on the right track.  We cannot directly change the way government wastes our money and has no fiscal responsibility, but we CAN take control of our own finances and families.  It is not going to be total Armageddon and if you get your own act in order and your finances under control, it could actually be the best days of your life if you focus on the importance of the little things that we take for granted.

Use this as a time to appreciate the blessings that you do have instead of focusing on what you don’t have and can’t get.  Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses.  (They are probably floundering in debt and on the brink of bankruptcy wishing they had the life you have anyway.)  Do you have family that loves you?  Do you have food to eat and clothes to wear?  Stop and smell the roses….  They are all around you if you take the time to appreciate them.  Even in tough economic times, we are all so richly blessed.

- Hill