Just a thought

When I first got married, my mom gave me a piece of advice I have never forgotten. She told me no matter what, if I had a bill to always pay something on that bill. This was back in the early 60s when we didn't have much in the way of material goods. She was married during the depression and knew very hard times.

We had difficult times too but I always remembered mom's words and if the money was short at the end of a week, I'd contact the people and let them know I would send something. That practice was acceptable back in those days. Now, if I have a bill I double or triple my payment or pay off that bill. I have been fortunate not to have to file for bankruptcy or have a bank take something back, but that's because I never bought something I couldn't afford.

My friends and us were raising our young children when colored TVs first came out, we were almost the last of the neighborhood to get one - we all had three or four children and knew where our priorities were. Our kids didn't get the latest toys and wore Sears jeans for years until they were sick of them.

There's is a different mindset in my kids generation - they wanted everything we worked hard to buy. Credit cards were shoved under their noses whether they had good credit or not. You know the rest of the story on that one. But, of all things were the prices of houses and some cars. In the last couple of years, there was no way anyone could afford to buy a home unless there were two paychecks coming in. I remember we were offered our first home with a small down payment and take over payments. We sold that home for a profit and bought a better home. And we were a one paycheck family because I gave up a career to care for our children and our home and we survived - without a lot of material goods, but that was okay with us. My husband was never without a job. He would do anything to put food on the table and a roof over our head.

Here we are today, retired and needing to sell our nice big home so we can downsize. Our health warrants needing a smaller place to maintain but we have seen the bottom drop out of the value it was a couple of years ago. It was inevitable though, and we will be okay, we always are, we plan it so. It was time for those that thought they had it so good for so long buying what they wanted and not paying for it, it was time they experienced hard times so they would appreciate the good times. But, what about us? Glenn Beck on the Fox Network just talked about that - he said he never misses making a house payment, so what about us, we never miss a house payment, but the government is helping those that are in a mess. Doesn't seem fair to me - but that's life, it really is.

We'll make it and I'll complain some and yell at the TV but we'll be okay because we are survivors and know how to do without if we have to - we'll make it okay, but I know some who won't, don't you?