Weekends different because of the economy?
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Signs that people have less disposable income these days are everywhere.
Restaurants are hurting as more Americans decide to stay in more.
Take for example the earnings at large retailers like Target - where profits were down 41 percent in 4th quarter of last year. Or Macy's - which fared even worse, with profits down almost 59 percent during that same time.
Some of the changes are more subtle but just as revealing. Wal-Mart says sales of starter sewing kits have shot up by 30 percent. Landscaping companies have seen their revenue drop 7 percent in the last year. And Procter and Gamble says more people are asking how to dye their hair at home - instead of spending more and going to the beauty salon.
In addition – a lot of people are anxious about the possibility of losing their home to foreclosure, and more than a million people already have. Ask anyone and they will likely tell you they are at least a little bit uncertain about their job. Will it continue? Will they be laid off? Will they be asked to take a pay cut or work a reduced schedule or will they just be fired outright?
The reasons for squeezing a nickel until the buffalo's eyes bug out are everywhere. (That's a variation on an old expression that can't be used on a family news program.) If people have a couple of extra bucks, they're probably inclined to hang onto it.
So as Friday rolls around and thoughts turn to the weekend...
Here’s my question to you: In light of the economy, what's different about how you spend your weekends?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
R. writes:
Before the economy turned south, I used to go out to eat, maybe buy a DVD or two, go to the movies, get together with friends and go skiing or go to Home Depot to get things for my home. But now I just sit in the living room drinking cheap beer worrying about getting laid off and wondering what it might be like living in my car.
Bill writes:
Can't afford to fly anywhere. Can't afford to drive anywhere. Can't afford tickets to anything. I'll spend my weekend sitting on the back porch watching my dog run in circles. Reminds me of the government.
Mike in Korea writes:
It's already Saturday here, and I'm doing what I always do on Saturday morning: watch The Situation Room, check my e-mail, and drink a cup of tea. I've never been a big spender on weekends.
P. in Arizona writes:
I have to spend more time with my bored wife because she is not out spending money. Who knows what the long-term effects of this might be?
Cindy writes:
As a 21-year-old college student, I have substituted large bar tabs with staying home and studying so maybe I can get a job when I graduate in May.
Tom from Bradenton, Florida writes:
Well, true capitalism has finally shown its real face and fleeced Americans. We stay at home, ride our bikes, enjoy the weather in Florida, sit outside, read, cookout. No more movies, eating out or going places. In a way, I enjoy it this way. Let the big companies feel the pinch after they pinched our wallets with their trash that came out of China. If the American consumer watches his money, the big cats get worried.
Anna writes:
We don't go anywhere and we don't do anything. We had to get rid of HBO, so we watch you guys instead. Now that's a good time had by all.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
My weekends haven't changed at all. I guess that means I was really cheap when things were better.
Lately on Sundays I've been frying up a higher grade of baloney.
More family quality time at home, than going places
Weekends? Oh yeah, I remember weekends. I have more to say but I've gotta get back to work.
I work on the weekend and I'm glad that I actually have the opportunity to work.
I don't spend my weekends any differently than I did before the recession. First off, I haven't been hurt by the recession; I also don't have an insatiable need to go out to eat or party or go to every concert that comes to town – I enjoy being home on the weekends to unwind from the work week & spend time with my pets. If I am affected by the recession in the future I don't see my weekends changing that much.
I suspect that being unemployed or in foreclosure is the same on any day of the week, Jack.
I feed the homeless. It makes me realize that my situation is not as bad as others and gives me confidence to move forward. But first and foremost I do it to give back to the community and to please God. You soon will realize what luxuries are. Soap to take a shower, a clean shirt and underwear or even a $5 bus passes always asked for. The funny part is that they are still thankful for whatever they have in thier bags. Sometimes we are unthankful for what we have in our homes.
Uh Jack after you've been out of work for sixteen months you don't really know when it's a weekend anymore.
Well, I use to go shopping a lot on weekends with my daughters. Now, we go to museums and zoos where we have memberships. It saves money and still provides quality bonding time. Times have changed.
Instead of going out to the movies or dinner, we stay in and watch you, Jack because you make the disintegration of the economy more bearable to watch.
We don't take mindless travel trips any more. The days of hopping over to Lincoln, Nebraska or Denver. Colorado to "shop" are over for the time being. We haven't purchased any tickets to NASCAR races either. In previous years, we would already have firm plans for the Texas, Michigan and Charlotte NASCAR races.
Now? The big event around here is attending local H.S. games and doing laundry.
Rheda
Cambridge, Nebraska
The weekend used to be a stress releiver. A time to unwind; spend a little money.now a pay per view movie is splurging!
I drink more!
Jack
Lock the doors and shut out the lights on the weekend so we arent out and about spending money that we dont have.
As I have not lost my job but WORSE – not been paid for 6 months so have had ZERO income (not even food stamps!) my weekends are spent watching CNN non stop instead of doing interesting things!
Jack,
I find myself at home most weekends because I am being frugal with my spending.
Instead of watching CNN I tune in the cartoons.
I usually stay at home. Spending money unnecessarily has ended with me, at least until the economy is on terra firma again.
Not to much, since i'm one of the few lucky people in my area to still have a job & often work at least one of the wk.end days. A lot of people I know are on a "permanent" wk.end & their lives have changed a lot.
It isn't how I spend my weekend it is how I watch I much I spend when I am shopping. I watch every dime I have and I work my butt off to earn it so I am not going out and just spend it on anything.
Tina
Springfield, MO
We had to spend the money we were saving to make a down payment on a house and blew it on a movie rental this weekend.
I get up on Saturday and take my grandson to Kay Bee Toys at the mall... no wait. They're gone. And then, I stop by Tower Records to pick up a... no, they're gone too. Suncoast... gone. A short trip to Circuit City... still there, but the close out merchandise is almost gone. A short trip to Lucky's Market.... gone. Well, it seems that I'm spending a lot more time at home. But I can still wake up on Sunday morning and have some Krispy Kreme donuts and read the Sunday Paper and take the family to LA for a day at Magic Mountain, right?
-tom
Beer,sports and yardwork. No money to go do anything else.
Seeing the writing on the wall two years ago I changed my lifestyle and began to downsize. I have gone from buying to making most of the things I need. The upside to all this people are learning they can no longer be spoiled, wasteful or indifferent. On weekends I grab my camera and take in the beauty of the wilderness it's still there!.
Woe-Knee Oregon
Why would there be any difference on how I spend my weekend? Hell Jack, with the extra thirteen dollars I'll be getting every week from the President's tax cut, I can be a party animal. John, East Liverpool, Ohio
Beer,bed and boredom. No money for gas,satellite TV or a newspaper.
I wonder what bush and his buddies are doing?
Dear Jack, Yes. My weekends and spending habits have definitely changed. But maybe that's a good thing. I don't buy what I don't need. I am starting my own vegetable garden and I am going more green.I think Americans should just sit back and reflect what we really need in life. Lord knows, do we really need any more cheap goods that aren't even produced in this country? Do we have to have television that will take up an entire room? When I think about it, I realize I don't.
No difference. I was frugal before and I am frugal now. Love that zero-based budgeting that allows me to add all the money at the end of the month to my savings. That is in addition to the 20% that goes directly into my account at the beginning of the month!
It may be bad for the economy, but it is very good for me.
jack, I have been looking to see a difference in the way people are spending and acting , for the life of me, the stores are still packed, people are everwhere carring on as usual. You know I believe that the next big thing will be a credit card crisis because people just keep on charging and have no way of paying them off. So the answer is no, it seems to be making very little difference to people weekends or not.
i spend my weekend driving less because my sons hours have been cut where he works. this is a paycheck we depend on since i have to live on a fixed income. so i just stay home more.
Instead of doing home improvement projects, I do home maintenance and repairs. Instead of going out for dinner, I make a feast at home. And, doing the laundry has become my entertainment.
Our weekends are different now. We seldom "eat out". We don't miss "eating out" however. We discovered a TV station that plays reruns of old Lawrence Welk programs that we watch while "dining in" on Saturday night.
Bob
Louisville, Ky
Instead of going to the movies, I tape movies off of cable and watch them instead, I buy cheaper food, toilettries, and everything else I can find, and no longer go out with friends for lunch or dinner or to any kind of events. I am now a total home-body.
Nope. Still working my 80 hour work week to pay for my children's college, keep my mortgage current, pay my bills, pay to live and to pay for my portion of the budget deficit. Am I supposed to take the weekend off?
I am fortunate, but the economy does not effect my weekends. Over the years, in good time and bad, there is always a way to do interesting activities.
Jack, my wife and I are fortunate that we have been living within our means, all of our lives. I feel no sorrow for the jack asses that have over extended themselves and unfortunately.... we will have to bail them out. Ourselves, we stay home, buy a 30 – pack and play cards with the neighbors. This country will survive and we seem to only exceed our expectations, when we struggle!
Weekends are certainly changing for most folks. We are staying closer to home. The way Americans respond to hard times have usually been remembered as special times once the crisis and hard times pass, as these will. Times of crisis define a person's and a people's character. Jack, the real question is how will we handle this mess? So far, not so well. Will we avoid leaning towards socialism? So far, that is questionable as well.
My week-ends now consist of watching Wolf on Sat. night and waiting for you to come on again on Mon. It's not so bad in winter, but may be sad come spring.
I don't spend money or stimulate the economy anymore since they have taxed my via inflation. I now spend time writing to my representatives and clog up the phone lines opposing Obamas efforts to rip up the 2nd Amendment. It is a good cause that everyone should consider perusing as a weekend endeavor.
We spend weekends at home playing board games with the kids, even though I'd really like to be drinking a margarita at the bar. It's no longer in our budget now that we've made cutbacks. Even though one kid can't read (simply because he's lazy), and the other is a big time cheater, these are my new weekends Jack. Now do you see why I needed to drink?
Thank GOD for Netflix, I can watch all the movies I want for nine bucks a month any day of the week, I save on food costs, gas, and I don't have to listen to some thirty year old jerk in the middle of a movie trying to get some attention as if he or she were a six year old having a temper tantrum, begging to get their money back, when they really do not want the money they just want to be cuddled!
I'm trying to make the girls buy drinks for ME, instead of the other way around!
Hi Jack,
Not a bit! It's not like we were A -list, big night-club people, so we don't have any huge social adjustments. Our friends are and always have been a very mixed crowd, so we share great meals and conversation, and play some music once in a while. There's a lot to be said for the comforts of home and hearth (even in no-fireplace burn days in NorCal!).
If there's any good news in the downturn it's that our Bay Area "value" system – based on the home in which one lives and the car one drives – will finally hit the tank, and get a complete, long-overdue, makeover.
Jack when you work 7 days a week you might have to remind me what a weekend is?
My weekends have changed, I no longer have them. I work at a retail chain, working just enough hours to suck away my life, and not able to make ends meet on my own.
I spend more time at the cinema on the weekends – now that the rest of my family is staying home more frequently!
Try going to Church. Take the family to the zoo, watch a free hometown baseball game, and we use coupons to eat out. It doesn't always have to be wine and roses. What about that huge flat screen TV that you had to have, sit down and watch it.
I don't drink anymore because I can't afford to.
It's already Saturday here, and I'm doing what I always do on Saturday morning, and that's watch The Situation Room, check my email, and drink a cup of tea. I've never been a big spender on weekends.
Jack
They've gotten longer, every day is a weekend when your collecting unemployment!
Lonnie
Baltimore
Great question Jack! Tomorrow we'll be planning our vegetable garden, hopefully we'll grow enough to get us through summer, fall, and some of next winter. Sunday we'll be going gun shopping, need something to protect all that food once the economy completely falls apart. Well to do suburbanites turned survivalists! Never thought it would happen...........
I don't do anything. Haven't been to a movie in months, can only afford to put 10 bucks of gas in the car, and a big highlight is a huge burrito ranchero for 8 bucks at a local hole in the wall restaurant and you know what...it's so huge I take home part of it and eat the rest the next day. Yes, life is grand !
As a 21 year old college student, I have substituted large bar tabs with staying home and studying so maybe I can get a job when I graduate in May.
SNL – I save alot – on gas (don't need to be driving if I don't have to), eating out ( I am much more healthy now that I cook my own food – from scratch if I have to), movies ( nothing interesting out there anyway). And for this week-end, I can't wait for the bobby jindal jokes. I think I will be healther after a great laugh – not that I am laughing at his misfortune! See these days washington is a free comedic tour.
Luckily, there is no effect yet, but I know that when I graduate from college this spring, my weekends are going to be consumed with trying to find a job at CNN. You guys hiring?
For years I allocate a certain amount of money to spend and I don't go beyond that except for special weekends (parties, trips). Basically, I'm on a self-imposed budget. I've one credit card - used only for emergencies.
Well Jack, since I have already paid my fraternity dues for the semester my weekends are not going to change. In fact, they will only get better because pledging starts tonight.
Maybe you should give pledging a shot Jack, you look grumpy.
James
Delmar, NY
No not at all. I work in retail. I don't have time for a weekend.
I am a school teacher. I will be spending my weekend as I usually do: grading papers, preparing lessons, contacting parents, doing paperwork, finding classes or workshops to attend during the summer, and so forth. The economic crisis? Hah. Teachers have never had the freedom to enjoy or suffer from the economy.
Jack, these days my weekends are confined strictly to the home playing boardgames. With steadily rising gas prices and an economy that's in the gutter, I can't afford to go the movies or out to dinner. My withdrawal (along with millions of others) from society as a consumer is contributing to this deepening recession and dare I say, depression.
Well, Jack from thinking which new home my kids will grow my fears have changed to how to avoid the house that I am currently living in.... I see myself now from thinking when I might be able to retire to I simply cannot retire after all... My retirement accounts are down almost 60%, and to make worst my company trusted the same clowns that need now a bail out to handle my accounts.
The great depression seems not too far after all.. can someone just start printin money and solve the problem?????? nationalization? why not? health care is killing me as well.. There is no future in America for middle class unless health costs are down, otherwise i will be moving for sure out of this place to Europe! where health care is great, and it is paid by the government, there goes my american dream.........
There's a whole lot less of other people competing with me on the road, at the slopes, or in line at the store. Frankly, I kind of like it.
How am I squeezing the ...out of a nickel these days. Weekends one movie rental for the family and lots of popcorn. Cable is becoming a luxury we soon will have to eliminate. I'll see you and your fellow journalsit online until I'm forclosed on. "Sign of the Times"
Nothing, we still go out to dinner several times a week, we go to movies and we often go out of town for the weekend. We just took a Harley ride with several other couples a couple of weeks ago and stayed in a condo on Lake Canyon, Canyon City, TX.
Weekends? The week does not end. I am blessed to be able to teach through the week and pick up weekends as a RN- and oh yeah- defintely a trip to church to pray about all this and look for hope
I'm a broke college student jack, and always have been. The only way this economy has affected my weekend is that I will be careful in the future when I actually have money to buy something besides Ramen.
Jack, Well I stay home and drink fifty cent beers to drown my sorrows with instead of going to a bar and spending $2.50 per beer.
Have a nice weekend...... Kip Taylor, Salt Lake City, Utah
Jack,
Our weekends won't change a bit. My wife and I own our own business. Since it is a boarding kennel, one or both of us is there seven days a week. On Sunday, we are open from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM. We go out for breakfast, maybe go to Sam's Club and buy some supplies and then go back to let the dogs out again.
No our lives won't change much. I don't think I could take any more or less excitement.
Rich
Flanders, NJ
Nothing's changed. Either i work for money at work or i'm workin for free at home. we live in a small town that the "big" employers pulled out of more than 3 years ago. the movie house has movies for under $7 and kids skateboard everywhere or hang out at the library. most here spend their off time doing cheap of free stuff. we learned to 3 years ago.
Jack,
I grew up with my my mother and my sister and we never had a lot of money. Jobs security was pretty fragile in my neighborhood and people were frequently laid off. Then I went off to college and worked two jobs and was still considered a "broke college student". Even though I have a good job now, I always keep a mind on finances whenever I try to enjoy myself on the weeked, Sometimes it seems like this recession is just teaching all of America how low-income people live all the time.
How do I now "spend "my weekends?. I "spend "a lot less now during my weekends.
Yes, instead of going to the movies and out to dinner we are spending our weekends planning our vegetable garden and ordering seeds. (The garden is being doubled in size this year.) We've made our guest room into a nursery for seedlings. If the economy continues to blow apart.....at least we'll be able to eat.
Can't afford to fly anywhere. Can't afford to drive anywhere. Can't afford tickets to anything. I'll spend my weekend sitting on the back porch watching my dog run in circles. Reminds me of the government.
shop at the warehouse clubs and then cook frugal meals in bulk, freeze for convenience and catch up on household chores as opposed to galavanting, shopping with no purpose, eating lunch out , etc. Buy on a budget with meals planned ahead and yes- I don't need to peruse the handbags- I have a handbag and in essence, nothing to put in it. In short, the government might not be stopping their madness but I am. Said Dorothy- there's no place like home.
I will be watching tourists down at Waikiki Beach spending money they don't have anymore...
Hi Jack,
I'll tell you how the economy has changed my weekends, I used to go out and eat at a local resturant then maybe go see a movie with my girlfriend but now, I sit at home on Friday night and scan my credit card accounts onlne to see which card I can use to buy food and gas tomorrow for the up coming week. It's just not as much fun as dinner and a movie.
Dan
I'll be using the GREAT hair root cover...no more beauty parlors for me. It works great hides the grey (which has gone greyer thanks to GWB ). I will be giving myself a facial and manicure/pedicure. At night HBO is the answer. How much didi I just save? Enough for a steak??? Doubt it. Thanks. joanne
Hi Jack<
My weekends have stayed "pretty much" the same in light of this economy. I play golf in a variety of courses throughout our country and abroad...
On Xbox.
Jack, My weekend has changed. I stayed at home on weekend and watch sports. NFL and College football just ended. Now I am left with college basketball only, which will also end in March. That means I am screwed for many months.
What's different about my weekends is that I try to stay at home and stay away from any un necessary expenses. For example, in good days, I would go to the mall every other weekend. Now it's once in 6 months and somewhere deep down my heart- I'm happy with what I have and have no desire for anything new in this economy.
Weekends use to be my savior from the stress of school, work and all the other troubles in my mind. I use to drive back home, meet up with old friends and family and laugh about the "good old days." Lately, I find myself wondering if it is worth it to drive back home about an hour away, and wonder if spending that extra 60-70 dollars is really worth it...a sad reality that only adds on to the unnecessary stress of my everyday life.
If I didn't have a lunch date on Saturday (he'll be paying), then I would spend it at home. Even though I still have a job...the feeling of security just isn't there. I'm unsure of just about everything 'economic' these days.
Ireland, Jack, no great difference in our economies, everything sinking quicker than Titanic. Anyway, re the weekend, the only difference I've noticed in recent weeks is that it starts on Monday and lasts until Sunday. Where's Karl Marx when you need him? Hell, where's Groucho Marx when you need him??
No my weeks are the same as before, I know how to save my money. It is probably the best time of my life, things are soooo cheap!!!!!!!!!!!
I look forward to the relative calm and somewhat of a reprieve from the doom and gloom that fills the news Monday thru Friday. I figure if Wall Street and the Financial Markets are closed, then at least they can't totally crash and burn and barring any pressing news items or major world catastrophes, we can think about other things...usually for 1 or 2 days anyway.
Since I lost my job in 2006, it’s been a lot different. I spend the weekends escaping from reality and contemplating turning to crime for an income. Wall Street got rich from it.
Jack, the weekend BBQ's are now the weekend interviews.
No golf, eating out or riding around looking at new homes being built...it sucks!!
When my husband died I downsized to a smaller home and now have no mortgage. So I am able to still enjoy life while not living beyond my means. I am very fortunate despite my loss.
Jack, these days my weekends are confined strictly to the home playing boardgames. With steadily rising gas prices and an economy that’s in the gutter, I can’t afford to go the movies or out to dinner. My withdrawal (along with millions of others) from society as a consumer is contributing to this deepening recession and dare I say, depression.
Los Angeles, California
Our weekends have changed - for the better. I research recipes and we cook together on the weekends (we alternate during the week, as it's a small kitchen). We're having corn and jalapeno pancakes with sliced avocado on Sunday morning, and you're invited. We also make a killer Mexican coffee....
I spend my weekends helping my guy look for a house rental since he lost his house to foreclosure. Showing that people always have a "heart", rentals have increased in price by at least 25%. We've been dating for a year and have only been out on 3 "dates". We pay for our kids colleges in cash since we both aren't qualified for financial aid and no one will give the kids a loan. There's little left for extravagance in either of our budgets. I think more and more people are discovering the pleasures of each other's company. The weekend is really just two days till Monday these days
The decline in discretionary spending is primarily due to the price gouging by the oil companies over the last couple of years, not the stock market decline. Money doesn't just disappear – the losses suffered by other businesses are matched by the obscene profits the robber oil barons made. When poor families are spending all their money on gas and heating oil, they have to skimp on other purchases.
Jack, I know you are on the prowl for some more doom & gloom, but believe it or not, this sinking economy hasn't hit us all. I do feel for those that are affected but I just received an 5.8% pay raise on an already high salary and MaMa didn't fare quite as well with a 2.3% raise.
We spend our weekends shopping and taking advantage of all the close out & going out of business bargains. If Mtg rates fall to 4%, I'll have to buy another house just to store all the accumulated junk.
In addition to my regularly scheduled 8-hour shift on Saturday, I work another 16 hours on Saturday and Sunday to help make up the difference in my wages since my old job was sent overseas. For fun, I put my feet up, watch an entire episode of a television program of my choice, pet the cats, and thank God I didn't take out an equity loan on my house.
Sara
Sherwood, ND
Weekends? What are they? I am a small business owner and instead of being able to work less after 15 years, I'm working more – a good share of which is weekends. I used to go to Iowa to a casino every few months – no more. I have a used RV that I got to use once last year and we only went 50 miles up the road. To stay above water I've had to reduce payroll and other costs. I'm not one of those small businesses who ever came even close to the $250,000 number the republicans keep saying we make. I'd settle for 10% of that.
, I am already sewing 09's
Christmas presents, we are eating leftover leftovers and we are still worried. Age 64 and 59, we thought we'd be sitting great...now we are sitting with a quilt over us and the heat turned down. It's 20 degrees and that isn't latitude!
The economy worsening and individuals worried about their existence more of us are turning to religion. Asking god to please help us out of this trouble. Parking lots of most local churches are more crowded now than ever have been. It used that Christmas and Easter were the only time churches were full not any more. Regular Sundays now look like holidays. Believe it or not some people cannot find parking spaces. I guess this is a good for it is about time people believe in something other than the almighty dollar.
We used to dine out after a movie on Saturday. My wife has always been a good cook. Now she continues to demonstrate her skills in the kitchen on Saturday after the movie. We still get our kicks with a Saturday date movie and now we continue to enjoy each other more adapting to the current economy. Ain't recession grand!
This has been a stepwise process over time. I have retired, I worked till i was seventy three, and my 403(B) has shrunk greatly. No driving on Sunday. Sunday meal like any other, and eating out three times a year. Combined trips to stores etc. Yard care stretched out to one half of previous levels.
The economy has absolutely affected how we spend our weekends. Although our family is fortunate – we aren't one of the many millions who've lost a job or a home – our money simply doesn't buy as much as it used to. So now I make dinner at home and then my husband and I go out to see a movie or enjoy a couple of drinks at our local bar. Or we simply open a bottle of wine and watch On Demand movies.
We used to go out to dinner weekly – every Friday night was "Date Night" at some romantically lit place. Occasionally, we even sped off to Atlantic City, fifty or so miles away, and enjoyed a mini getaway, just the two of us. We can't imagine splurging to that level today.
Yes.. now I watch CNN...
I go from my job on Friday afternoon to my home and the car stays in the garage until I leave for work on Monday morning. My job is 15 miles away and I can take a number of routes, depending on the grocery store or doctors appointment I have that day. Once I pass it, it has to wait until the next days journey home from work. When I start to feel sorry for myself, I snap out of it quickly, being thankful I have a home to stay at!
Actually Jack, I got smart about money quite a while ago and am blessed not to find myself in the financial mess the economy has created. I am going to shop and go out to dinner (to help the economy). I owe it to my country.
Jack,
My weekends in general haven't changed as I regularly spend time voluteering at my church's thrift store, running errands and singing in my church choir. Tomorrow, however will be different than planned as I just read about the lead content law which went into effect Feb.10. It requires that all businesses be able to prove the lead content in children's items and that they not exceed a specified limit. Our thrift store closes for the month of Feb. to remove winter stock and restock with spring merchandise. Tomorrow we will remove most children's clothing, toys, and books from the store. Morgan Memorial Goodwill and other thrift store chains have either eliminated or severely limited their children's item. This not only effects all our bottom lines but also hinders people on a limited income from acquiring necessary items for their children.
Jack, we have started staying home and turning off the TV on weekends. We have used this time to plan out vegetable gardens and other projects like wind and solar panels for our house. This will save us quite a bit of money.
It has also brought our family closer together already and will continue to do so. Times are hard but we are already stronger as a family because of it.
Although I'm a self supporting college student, I've somehow been lucky enough to not have been personally affected by these hard times. Lately I am much more aware of the way I spend my money though and instead of struggling now, I try to manage my money wisely so that I wont struggle later. This usually means not hitting the town with my buddies all weekend. Lately on weekends I try to stay in more and spend time with my dogs. I read more books, get more exercise, and keep my apartment cleaner...all instead of going out and spending money on partying with my friends.
Yes, I now spend my weekends watching my favorite weekly recorded tv shows. I am trying to get the most out of my $120 cable bill...
We go out slightly less than we used to... which was rare before b/c we were broke before. Now we're just really broke. No cable, just Netflix. Home cooked meals. Boxed wine.
Haven't you heard? Saturday and Sunday are "just another day" ! Weekends are for catching up on what didn't get done Monday through Friday.
We do not eat out nearly as much and we have been doing more things at home with our family like watching all those movies we have accumulated over the years and some new ones, also we enjoy more game playing such as scrabble, monopoly, get the picture and many more board games... We also encourage the children to spend m ore time enjoying their WII, game boys and the things we have invested for them to have entertainment at home instead of going out all the time. You would be surprised the amount of money we save just by utilizing all the things we already have at home.
You could work at the food pantry and quit whining because you didn't live frugily when times were better.
.
Weekends? Looking for a job is a 7 day work week with no weekends!
Steve
Laguna Niguel, CA
Googling what happens when you squeeze a buffalo nickel!
Christina
Branford, CT
Is John McCain right that the U.S. is losing the war in Afghanistan?
No...the fact that the Taliban have increased military operations there while the US has been bogged down in Irak does not mean America is losing the war...on the other hand winning the war in Afghanistan is a virtually impossible task for a multitude of reasons...the Soviet Union could not do it despite a valiant effort, they were forced to withdraw in disgrace...unfortunately the Obama administration runs the risk of fighting a protracted war with many casualties, nation building at American taxpayer expense, worse still the Afghanistan people do not want the US military to occupy its soil...accordingly, America should rethink its military options: another Iraki style invasion in such a remote, dysfunctional country cannot end in a long term military victory for any nation...
Nowadays, for weekends I plan the coming week dinner menu. Taking out frozen meats to cook during that week. No more Fridays and Saturdays family activities and outing. This time we decided not to renew our family memberships to the zoo, and the museums.
Back to board games and video rentals twice per month.
A new activity is making our own washing powder.
It is difficult but it's good for our children, teaching them how to manage what they have, a great experience for our children that I hope they can use during those college days.
Nothing has changed. I was broke a few years before this all happened and I'm still pretty broke now. I guess I just got a head start on most folks in that I had already learned how to skimp to survive. So this is all sort of old hat for me. Maybe the only difference is now I can go on ebay or craigslist and find stuff I have been waiting to buy available now for dirt cheap. It is a buyer's market out there...
as we live in northwest iowa the economy is always bad! we stay home on weekends and lisen to the heater run us out of money!if i am paying this much for the heat i'm going to stay home and feel it! will stay home and kick my self for making my house payment all winter! will see no stimulus here! we will survive??
Last weekend my wife hit the Macy's store closing sale picking up bargains. I now have, literally, a lifetime supply of Jockey shorts that only cost $24.00. Tomorrow we are going to the very sad closing of one of our favorite stores in Northern Colorado. A Great Depression form of entertainment I suppose.
My husband and I are both unemployed so more than our weekends have changed.Watching movies from Netflix is the highlight of our weekends.On a daily basis I now buy whole milk and pour 4 oz. milk to 4 oz. water to extend the gallon,reuse Reynolds wrap and sandwich bags, eggs and potatoes are stalpes in my fridge,I had prevously never been in an Aldis but now I know where to find anything in any aisle,no haircut for 5 monthes and definately no more $160 highlights it is Nice and Easy for $8.But its not all bad I did get a free latte from McDonalds today so thanks Mickey D'S.